P.O. Box 310/105 Yellowstone Ave, West Yellowstone, MT    59758  (406)646-7336

Hebgen and Quake Lakes

The Madison is formed by the confluence of two trout streams in Yellowstone Park, the Gibbon and the Firehole, it flows for only fourteen miles before it leaves the park and enters Montana. Here it passes through Hebgen Lake, then for a short stretch of river again, and once again gets backed up into Earthquake Lake. Both lakes provide excellent fishing opportunities for the angler wishing to fish some stillwater. Hebgen is much larger and receives more attention, but Quake Lake is not to be overlooked. Both fish well throughout the summer with streamers, midges in the early season, and caddis during those same July evenings. All this would be enough to call these good fisheries, but come August we begin to get good hatches of tricos in the morning and callibaetis in late morning through afternoon. The conditions have to be right: no wind, and a good sunny day, or a still overcast one-and you'll find lots of 16"-22" trout rising steadily to these mayflies.

The part that makes these "gulpers" so fun is that the fish generally seem to get set on a rising interval which may be every 6 inches or every 3 feet, but they are consistent most of the time. The angler must approach these fish within casting distance and make the cast to the next anticipated spot without spooking the hungry trout. It is challenging fishing, but if you can cast a clean thirty feet, you can enjoy some of the finest lake fishing for trout in the area.