Late July Fly Fishing Report: Timing the Hatch and Beating the Heat
Angela Montana·July 31, 2026
Between headwater mudslides and peak summer heatwaves, finding clear, cold water is the name of the game in Big Sky Country right now, according to Jan Axtell’s July 29, 2026 report via Dan Bailey’s in Livingston, Montana. While recent afternoon thunderstorms have kept the main stem of the Yellowstone off-color and triggering afternoon Hoot Owl restrictions, the region still offers incredible midsummer angling if you know where—and when—to look. From technical dry-fly sessions on the Paradise Valley spring creeks to early morning canyon runs in Yellowstone National Park, here is your boots-on-the-ground guide to outsmarting the fish (and the weather) this week.
With the afternoon rain storms in the headwaters of the Yellowstone, it’s largely been unfishable for the past week. However, there appears to be a clearing trend over the last 48 hours. Additionally, daytime water temperatures have breached 70°F several days in a row. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks placed Hoot Owl restrictions (fishing is prohibited from 2 p.m. to midnight) on the Yellowstone River from the Highway 89 North bridge to the Highway 310/212 bridge in Laurel. If we see continued daytime water temperatures above 73°, we can expect the upper portion of the river to go to Hoot Owl restrictions as well.
Early mornings will be the most productive and best fishing on the Yellowstone as the river temperatures will be at the lowest of the day. In off color water, the San Juan worm can be very effective in addition to large, highly visible nymphs and streamers. As the river clears, chubbies and hoppers will be on the menu with the standard slate of beadhead nymphs.
Paradise Valley Spring Creeks
The Paradise Valley Spring creeks continue to offer the most consistent trout fishing in our region. Fishing is quite technical, especially on sunny days. Cloudy days offer a great opportunity to catch trophy class fish on small dry flies and nymphs.
The PMD hatch continues to dwindle, but we are still seeing good numbers of bugs when we have appropriate conditions. Sizing down your PMD pattern to 18 or even 20, and lengthening your leader to 12 feet with 6x tippet can improve your chances of hooking selective trout.
We are seeing good numbers of western sulphur mayflies on all the spring creeks. Their emergence begins around 5 p.m. and goes until approximately 8 p.m. This diminutive mayfly brings fish to the surface and provides a great way to spend an evening on the spring creeks.
Ants and beetles fished along banks and over high-probability water has been a great alternative during the heat of the day for the dry fly angler.
Nymphing a sowbug or scud paired with a small pheasant tail nymph or midge in deep holding water has also been effective in putting fish in the net. Depth control is very important when fishing this way to keep your flies out of the weeds.
Yellowstone National Park
As of this writing, the Lamar River is very muddy and largely unfishable. (Dale just adding a note here – I think we need to evaluate this sentence on Wednesday morning and edit as appropriate – it could be clear by Wednesday, Yellowstone is looking pretty good this morning in Gardiner and Aidan reported 3’ of vis in Yankee Jim yesterday)
Soda Butte Creek, while slightly off color, is fishing quite well. There are still hatches of PMDs ongoing that are bringing fish to the surface. We recommend getting to Soda Butte early in the morning to fish and depart before the heat of the day sets in as fish activity drops with rising water temps.
The same holds true for Slough Creek, which has been producing some really nice fish. One could expect to see some PMDs and gray drakes as well as midges on Slough Creek. Daytime water temperatures have been getting into the mid and high 60s. Using a stream thermometer can be a useful tool to find cold water, which will hold the most active fish.
About Jan Axtell Jan is a father, husband, and guide in Livingston, Montana. A self-described “Jackass Of All Trades,” he has guided trout anglers for 25 years in Wisconsin, Vermont and Montana.
He guides on the Yellowstone River, the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks, the Bighorn River, and in Yellowstone National Park.
When not fishing Jan enjoys Nordic skiing, reading, wingshooting over his pointing dog…and more fishing.
Additionally, he enjoys tying flies for his clients, area fly shops, and his own fly box.
He lives in Paradise Valley with his very loving and tolerant wife, Vicki, their very awesome daughter Zoe, and their two dogs, Greta and Parker. He and his family operate Fin & Feather Enterprises together “in three-part harmony.”
