Slough Creek YNP

General Description:

Slough Creek rises in the Beartooth Mountains, near the famous Grasshopper Glacier, at an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet. Grasshopper Glacier was named for the tens of millions of grasshoppers (locusts) that have been frozen in the ice, for hundreds or even thousands of years.

 

Fascinating, but now back to Slough Creek! Slough Creek pronounced “Sloo” tumbles 4 miles down to Yellowstone National Park and continues about 16 miles through the park where it meets up with the Lamar River in the Lamar Valley. On the way southward through the Yellowstone, Slough Creek is about 20 or 30 feet wide and it flows through four elk and bison-filled open meadows. About 11 miles of the Slough are in these meadows punctuated with the remaining 5 miles of steep canyons with cascades and riffles.

 

The First Meadow, is a 45 minute (about 1 ½ miles) walk from the trailhead at the confluence of Slough Creek and the Lamar River. This meadow holds some cutthroat, cutbows and rainbow trout. The fish average 14 to 18 inches with some going over 20 inches. The First Meadow enjoys great popularity since its close, and the fishing is excellent. Indeed, you can expect to see numerous other anglers here throughout the entire year.

 

Reaching the Second Meadow is a two to three-hour walk (about 4 miles) from the confluence if you are in good condition. Fishing this meadow of the Slough Creek is not good for a one day trip and should be approached as an overnight camping trip. Reservations for several existing camp sites in the Second and Third Meadows can be made with the Park Service at Mammoth. 

 

The fishing pressure is somewhat abated due to the necessary hike but the cutthroats in the Second Meadow or Third Meadow will hit 18 inches and occasionally even 22 inches, making the hike worhtwhile. The Second and Third Meadows are separated by a short section of fast water flowing through timber. The Third Meadow is about  six miles from the trailhead but the fish are somewhat easier to catch, since they have seen fewer flies and attempts to fool them. The Third Meadow begins where a ranger cabin is located near a small creek that crosses the trail. This Third Meadow is far more that an angler would care to try in a day however there are outfitters that provide horses for the trip.

 

Fishing the slough Creek:

Slough Creek is usually not more than 30 feet wide making it an easy cast and the current is just as nice as you would want. An angler can have a happy productive day by drifting a dry fly down the riffles and watching the water explode. These cutthroats are as vicious as they are pretty. If a dry fly is not productive, try a stonefly nymph or the mayfly or caddis nymphs.

 

Spring and Early Summer:

Early hatches of the Blue Wing Olives and the Pale Morning Dun mayflies will present spectacular strikes. Start with the duns in hook sizes #18 through #22 for both hatches.  If they do not succumb to the dry fly, try the mayfly and caddis nymphs or the soft hackled wet flies. Be vigilant carefully watching for the subtle sip of a cutthroat taking the wet fly. Also, be sure to include some midge patterns in hook sizes #18 through #22 in your fly box as well.

 

Late Summer and Fall:

As with most of the meadow fishing in Yellowstone, July, August and up to early October is an ideal time for a terrestrial pattern. Hoppers, ants, beetles and the bee patterns in hook sizes #6 through #12 will produce the best results, However the trout in the ever popular First Meadow will be seeing a good number of terrestrial patterns as the summer goes by, so if you see the trout swim up to the fly and suddenly reject it, try a different pattern perhaps one with legs. Finally, if all else fails, a tandem rig using a small nymph as a dropper fly will also be deceitful.