The Gardner is now flowing at 129 cfs near Mammoth.  Recent rains in the area have raised and muddied the river somewhat over the past few days, but the water is dropping and clearing now.  The rain and cooler weather have been a true Godsend all over the park.

The river below Osprey Falls remains closed from 2 pm to 5 am.  The water above that point has been yielding small brookies and rainbows.  Attractors with bright nymph droppers are working well on the Gardner.  Hatches have basically shut down for the summer, but you can still find some caddis in the evenings.  Terrestrial action has begun to really pick up.  Ants, hoppers and beetles are all excellent choices.  Fish them near the bank in the deeper areas of the river for the best results.  Add a dropper or two like a Prince or Copper John to greatly increase your success rate.  I always hang a dropper when the hatches are off and I am prospecting with a large fly.  Two flies are better than one.

Even though the Gardner is fishing pretty slowly now, wait until mid to late September to see the river at its finest.  Waters in Yellowstone fish their best during the fall.

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Flies to have in the box:

Dries:  Parachute Adams, Midge patters, Elk Hair Caddis, Royal Wulff, attractors, Stimulators

Nymphs:  Bubbleback PMD; BH PT; Copper John, green / chartreuse; Shop Vac; Flashback softhackle, yellow, Prince

Terrestrials: Chernoble Ant, Dave’s Hopper, any foam bodied hopper, beetles

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