Late Season Paradise Valley Yellowstone Trout Bonanza

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your fresh-off-the-water Yellowstone River fishing report for Wednesday, October 29th, 2025. Fall’s in full swing—low water, clear flows, and golden cottonwoods frame every cast up and down the Paradise Valley. Even with the leaves mostly down, it’s picture-perfect Montana and the trout are stacking up for late-season feasts.

Let’s talk weather first. Today we’re waking up to brisk temps in the mid 30s, climbing into the upper 40s by afternoon. There’s a scattered cloud deck and winds easing off after two days of wild, gusty weather—Monday saw 20-30 mph winds and even a dusting of snow. That’s left the river running cold and clean, with flows holding steady right around 1,660 CFS at Livingston, according to Yellowstone Angler’s local gauge. No tidal changes to watch here, just honest Montana flow.

Sunrise was at 7:53 AM, and sunset will line up at 6:15 PM. That gives about 10 quiet hours to pick your runs and dodge the breeze. With that weather setup, fish are most active from late morning into mid-afternoon. Overnight cold keeps mornings slow, but as the sun hits the water and the bugs start to move, so do the trout.

On the catch front, anglers are reporting plenty of healthy rainbows in the 15 to 18-inch range cruising all through Paradise Valley. A few solid browns are starting to nose up into the shallow riffles and tailouts, with some bruisers chasing streamers on the overcast days. Folks floating from Pine Creek to Carter’s Bridge and working the islands just outside Livingston had a banner yesterday, especially where foam lines gather BWO (Blue-winged Olive) spinners and baetis emergers. According to Fins & Feathers Bozeman, action has been steady, but the bite heats up as water temps tick north of 40°F in the afternoon.

Top lures and flies this week have been all about fall presentations:
- **Windswept hoppers** are still worth a shot if the sun pops late, especially upriver when the afternoons are warm. Think tan, olive, or burnt orange in size 8–12.
- **Streamers**: Olive, black, or flashy gold buggers and articulated minnows are picking off both browns and aggressive rainbows. Strip them slow and deep near structure or in the inside seams.
- **Nymphs and droppers**: Smaller baetis patterns, tungsten Frenchies, and purple Perdigons are scoring in shallow riffles and drop-offs, trailed behind a hopper or chubby for visual takes.
- If you’re after big browns, try a slow-rolled **sculpin**, or go classic with a black Woolly Bugger.
- On spinning gear, gold and silver spoons or small Rapalas match the hatch and pull hard strikes from meat-eaters still in the system.

Live bait’s not legal on the Yellowstone but dead-drifted stonefly nymphs, soft hackles, and egg patterns are top bets for those chasing numbers right now.

For hotspots, Paradise Valley from Mill Creek down to Carter’s Bridge has been most consistent, with pods rising in slower eddies and tailouts. The Shield’s River confluence is seeing increased fish stacking in the deep, soft water. If you want adventure, try the stretch above Yankee Jim or the pockets just before Pine Creek—fewer boats and plenty of wild fish swinging for the fences before winter.

No recent monsters reported, but there’s good word from Yellowstone Angler and Bozeman guides of a few browns pushing 22 inches being landed last week on dark streamers after cloud fronts rolled through.

To sum it up: clear water, cool temps, fish getting fired up on nymphs, streamers, and the last of the hoppers. Fall’s here, the crowds are gone, and every cast has a shot at autumn gold.

Thanks for tuning in, folks. Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest river updates and gear tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, anglers. This is artificial lore with your fresh
off the water. Yellowstone River Fishing Report for Wednesday, October
twenty ninth, twenty twenty five. Falls in full swing, low water,
clear flows and golden cottonwoods frame every cast up and
down the Paradise Valley. Even with the leaves mostly down,
its picture perfect Montana and the trout are stacking up

(00:23):
for late season feasts. Let's talk weather first. Today we're
waking up to brisk temps in the mid thirties, climbing
into the upper forties by afternoon. There's a scattered cloud
deck and winds easing off. After two days of wild
gusty weather, Monday saw twenty to thirty miles per hour
winds and even a dusting of snow that's left the
river running cold and clean, with floes holding steady right

(00:45):
around one thousand, six hundred and sixty cfs at Livingston
according to Yellowstone Angler's local gauge. No title changes to
watch here, just honest Montana flow. Sunrise was at seven
fifty three am and sunset will line up at six
fish fifteen PM. That gives about ten quiet hours to
pick your runs and dodge the breeze. With that weather setup,

(01:06):
fish are most active from late morning into mid afternoon.
Overnight coal keeps morning slow, but as the sun hits
the water and the bugs start to move, so do
the trout. On the catch front, anglers are reporting plenty
of healthy rainbows in the fifteen to eighteen inch range
cruising all through Paradise Valley. A few solid browns are
starting to nose up into the shallow riffles and tailouts,

(01:26):
with some bruisers chasing streamers on the overcast days. Folks
floating from Pine Creek to Carter's Bridge and working the
islands just outside Livingston had a bannery yesterday, especially where
phone lines gather. Bwo blue wing, dollar spinners and batis
and mergers. According to fins and Feathers, Bozeman, action has
been steady, but the bike heats up as water temps

(01:46):
tick north of forty degrees fahrenheit in the afternoon. Top
lures and flies this week have been all about fall presentations.
Windswept hoppers are still worth a shot if the sun
pops late, especially up river when the afternoons are warm.
Think tan oliver, burnt orange in size eight twelve streamers,
olive black or flashy gold buggers and articulated minnows are

(02:07):
picking off both browns and aggressive rainbows. Strip them slow
and deep near structure or on the inside seams. Mimphs
in droppers, smaller batiste patterns, tungsten frenchies and purple pertagons
are scoring in shallow riffles and drop offs trailed behind
a hopper or chubby. For visual takes. If you're after
big browns, try a slow rolled sculpin or go classic

(02:30):
with a black wooly bugger on spinning gear. Gold and
silver spoons or small rapalas match the hatch and pull
hard strikes from meat eaters still in the system. Live
baits not legal on the Yellowstone, but dead drifted stone
fly nymphs, soft hackles and aid patterns are top bets
for those chasing numbers right now. For hot spots, Paradise

(02:50):
Valley from Mill Creek down to Carter's Bridge has been
most consistent, with pods rising in slower eddies and tailouts.
The Shield's River confluence is seeing increased fish staff in
the deep soft water. If you want adventure, try the
stretch above Yankee Gin or the pockets just before Pine
Creek fewer boats and plenty of wild fish swinging for
the fences before winter. No recent monsters reported, but there's

(03:13):
good word from Yellowstone Angler and Bozeman Guides of a
few browns pushing twenty two inches being landed last week
on dark streamers after cloud fronts rolled through to sum
it up, clear water, cool temps, fish getting fired up
on nymphs streamers, and the last of the hoppers falls here.
The crowds are gone and every cast has a shot

(03:35):
at autumn gold. Thanks for tuning in, folks, don't forget
to subscribe for the latest river updates and gear tips.
This has been a quiet please production. For more check
out Quiet Please dot ai