Yellowstone Fishing Regulations National Park

Know Your 

Fish

If it has a red 

slash—

put it back.

Clean

Inspect

Dry

Protect 

Yellowstone 

from Aquatic 

Invasives

No bait

No barbs

No lead
2

How to Use These Regulations

•	 Fishing: The act of fishing / angling is defined as any activity using an attended single rod or line for the purpose of attempting to attract, capture,

or possess any fish from waters within Yellowstone National Park. All other

methods to attract, capture or possess fish are prohibited.

•	 Familiarize yourself with the General Regulations, listed on pages 4–6.

They include season dates, fishing hours, permit requirements, tackle restrictions, catch and release, mandatory kill, and possession limits.

•	 See the regional maps on pages 8–11 to determine any Exceptions to general

regulations in the region you will be fishing.

•	 Know your fish—study fish identification on pages 12–14 in order to comply

with Native Trout Conservation requirements.

Stay Safe and Legal

You are responsible for following all park regulations. Consult Yellowstone’s

park newspaper, BackcountryTrip Planner, or rangers at visitor centers and

backcountry offices to learn more.

•	 Stay on established trails in thermal areas for your safety and to protect these

fragile areas.

•	 Do not discard fish carcasses or entrails along stream banks or the lake

shore as they will attract bears.

•	 Do not feed any animals, including birds, squirrels, and coyotes.

Bear Warning • Bears and other wildlife may appear in areas frequented by people—even on trails, on boardwalks, and along roads.

Do not approach wildlife and remain at least 100 yards (92 meters)

away from bears and wolves, and 25 yards (23 meters) away from all

other wildlife.

•	 Be alert—watch for fresh tracks or scat.

•	 Make noise in areas where visibility is limited

•	 Carry bear spray and know how to use it.

•	 Avoid hiking or fishing alone. Try to stay with a group of three or

more people.

•	 DO NOT RUN if you encounter a bear.

www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/fishing.htm
1 

Contents

Please Remember............................................................................ 2

Aquatic Invasive Species ................................................................. 3

General Regulations........................................................................ 4–6

Fishing..............................................................................................4

Boating .............................................................................................6

Releasing Fish .................................................................................. 7

Exceptions to General Regulations................................................ 8–11

Northwest region............................................................................8

Northeast region.............................................................................9

Southwest region ............................................................................10

Southeast region .............................................................................11

Fish Identification............................................................................ 12

Native ...............................................................................................12

Nonnative ........................................................................................14

Frequently Asked Questions........................................................... 17

Volunteer Anglers........................................................................... 18

Angler Etiquette.............................................................................. 19

Yellowstone’s Fishery ...................................................................... 20
2

•	 Lead-free, artificial lures and flies, no bait, barbless hooks only.

•	 All cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish, and arctic grayling must be released

unharmed.

•	 Remove nonnative fish where they harm cutthroat trout. There is no limit on

nonnatives in the Native Trout Conservation Area.

•	 All rainbow and brook trout in the Lamar River Drainage, including Slough

and Soda Butte Creeks, must be killed.

•	 All lake trout in Yellowstone Lake must be killed.

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Madison

Norris

West 

Entrance

Old 

Faithful

Mammoth

North 

Entrance

Tower

Canyon

Fishing Bridge

Lake

Bridge 

Bay

West Thumb

Grant 

Village

South 

Entrance

East

Entrance

Northeast

Entrance

Bechler

Yellowstone

Lake

Slough Cr.

Soda Butte Cr. L a ma r Ri v e r

0 5 10 20 miles

1

Streams

Roads

Park Boundary

Region Boundary

Nonnative Trout Tolerance Area

Native Trout Conservation Area

NORTHEAST

REGION

SOUTHEAST

REGION

SOUTHWEST

REGION

NORTHWEST

REGION

Please Remember
3 

Aquatic Invasive Species

STOP

Aquatic Invasive Species

Before you enter Yellowstone National Park and any time you move to another

body of water within the park:

CLEAN • INSPECT • DRY

1.	REMOVE ALL water, mud, plants, fish, tiny animals, or other foreign material from your boats, trailers, and other equipment, including waders, boots,

clothing, and nets before you enter Yellowstone National Park.

2.	DO NOT BRING BAIT into Yellowstone National Park. No natural or organic

bait such as minnows, salmon eggs, worms, insects, or foodstuffs—alive or

dead—are allowed. See General Regulations on pages 4–6 for details and the

one exception.

3.	DO NOT DUMP WATER from other sources into Yellowstone waters. Drain

your boat hull and live well in a safe location (a flat, paved, dirt, or gravel

area) away from all park surface waters.

4.	NEVER MOVE water, fish, other animals, or plants from one stream or lake

to another. It is illegal to transport live fish within the park.

5.	THOROUGHLY CLEAN everything that comes in contact with water before

leaving your fishing site. Ensure gear is clean and dry before fishing another

stream or lake.

See Yellowstone’s Aquatic Invasive Species brochure for additional details

www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/fishingexotics.htm
4

General Regulations

Fishing

Fishing/angling is defined as any

activity using an attended single rod

or line for the purpose of attempting

to attract, capture, or possess any

fish from waters within Yellowstone

National Park. All other methods to

attract, capture or possess fish are

prohibited.

Fishing Hours and Season Dates

The season begins the Saturday

of Memorial Day weekend (usually the last weekend in May) and

extends through the first Sunday in

November. Exceptions are listed on

pages 8–11.

Open daily from sunrise to sunset.

Fishing with an artificial light is

prohibited. Some areas are closed

to human entry, have trail or seasonal closures, off-trail travel and

daylight hour limitations, or party

size recommendations. See the Bear

Management Area restrictions in the

BackcountryTrip Planner for specific

rules and information.

Streams may be temporarily closed due

to low water levels and high water temperatures to protect fish populations.

Fishing Permits

Anglers 16 years of age or older

must be in possession of a valid

Yellowstone National Park fishing

permit to fish in the park.

Park rangers may check permits and

inspect tackle, fish, creels, or other

containers where fish or tackle may

be stored.

Anglers 15 years of age or younger

have two options:

1.	Children 15 or younger may fish

without a permit if they are fishing

under the direct supervision of an

adult who has a valid park fishing

permit.

2.	Children 15 or younger may obtain

a free permit that must be signed by

a responsible adult; with this permit, a child can fish without direct

adult supervision.

With either option, the accompanying adult is responsible for the child’s

actions and must ensure the child

complies with all fishing regulations

and provisions.

Tackle, Lure, and Hook Restrictions

Each angler may use only one rod

which must be attended at all times

and used for angling only—intentional snagging of fish is not allowed.

Only lead-free artificial lures

(e.g. spoon or spinner) or flies may

be used. Leaded fishing tackle such

as leaded split-shot sinkers, weighted
5 

jigs (lead molded to a hook), and soft

lead-weighted ribbon for nymph fishing are not allowed.

Hooks must have points that are

barbless, or the barbs must be

pinched down by pliers. Lures may

have only one hook with a single,

double, or treble configuration.

Each fly may have only one hook.

Up to two flies may be used on a

single leader (commonly referred to

as “dropper,” “dry and dropper,” or

“hopper and dropper”).

Except for feathers and other natural

fly-tying materials, the hook must be

bare. No organic or inorganic baits

are allowed. Organic baits include

fish or fish parts, minnows, salmon

eggs, worms, insects, or foodstuffs

such as bread or corn. Inorganic baits 

include rubber worms and plastic

“twister” tails. Scented attractants

(liquid and solid baits) are illegal.

Putting any substance in the water for

the purpose of attracting fish (chumming) is illegal.

Exceptions 

Non-toxic split-shot, sinkers, and

jig heads (molded with bismuth-tin,

molybdenum, or tungsten) are allowed. Lead core line and heavy (> 4

lb.) downrigger weights used to fish

for deep-dwelling lake trout are permissable because they are too large to

be ingested by wildlife.

Joffee Lake, near Mammoth Hot

Springs, where children 11 years

of age or younger may fish with

worms as bait. See regulations on

page 9, or inquire at the Mammoth

Visitor Center. Artificial lures are

not allowed on the Firehole River,

Madison River, and lower Gibbon

River (below Gibbon Falls), these

streams are flyfishing only.

Possession Limits by Area,

Stream and/or Lake

Parkwide

All native fish must be released

unharmed. Natives include cutthroat

trout, mountain whitefish, and Arctic

grayling.

Native Trout Conservation Area

No possession limit for nonnative fish,

including brown, brook, rainbow, and

lake trout (see pages 8–11).

•	 All rainbow and brook trout caught

in the Lamar River drainage,

including Slough and Soda Butte

creeks, must be killed—it is illegal

to release them alive.

•	 All lake trout caught from

Yellowstone Lake must be killed—

it is illegal to release them alive.

General Regulations

A single pointed hook is the best choice 

for fishing in Yellowstone. Treble hooks 

(3 points) can severely injure fish and are 

often constructed with toxic lead solder.
6

Nonnative Trout Tolerance Area

All native fish must be released unharmed. Possession limits include

all fish—fresh or stored. An angler

must cease fishing immediately after filling the possession limit. (See

pages 8 and 10)

•	 Firehole River, Madison River,

lower Gibbon River (downstream

of Gibbon Falls)—possession of

five brook trout allowed. Catch and

release all rainbow and brown trout.

•	 Lewis River system above Lewis

Falls, including Lewis and

Shoshone lakes and their tributaries—possession of five combined

brook, brown or lake trout; only

one of which may be a brown trout.

It is the responsibility of the angler

to be able to identify fish by species.

Unintentionally killed fish should be

returned to the water so they can be

consumed by wildlife.

Evidence of Species in Possession

Skin must remain attached so the

fish species can be visibly identified.

Gills and entrails may be removed in

the field, but must be discarded only

within the waters where the fish were

caught.

Disposal of Fish and Entrails

Dispose of fish and/or fish entrails

within the waters where the fish

was caught but not within 100 feet

(30.5 m)of boat ramps, docks, or

backcountry campsites. Fish can also

be disposed of in park trash cans.

Boating

Vessel Inspections & Permits

All vessels—including float tubes—

require a boat permit and must be inspected using National Park Service

procedures to ensure that they are

free of aquatic invasive species

before entering any park waters. See

Yellowstone’s Boating Regulations

for details: www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/boating.htm

Bridge and Boat Dock Restrictions

No fishing from any road bridge or

All vessels require a permit. boat dock.

Brook trout markings

General Regulations
7 

Releasing Fish

Hold the fish with wet hands, beneath the 

belly, behind the pectoral fins. Use forceps 

or small pliers to remove the hook. 

For all native fish and any nonnative

fish you intend to release, bring the

fish in as quickly as possible. Do not

play the fish to exhaustion.

Unhook the fish in quiet water such

as an eddy or slow spot. Do not drag

the fish across land. Use forceps or

small needle-nosed pliers to quickly

remove the hook.

Always make sure your hands are

wet if you must handle the fish. Dry

hands damage a fish’s protective

mucous film. Hold the fish with one

hand around the tail section and the

other beneath the belly, just behind

the pectoral fins. Never grab or hold

a fish through the gills unless it is

already dead.

If you want a photo of the fish, make

sure the photographer is ready before

you handle the fish. Make it quick.

Never just throw a fish back into

the water. If a fish becomes passive,

it is probably close to exhaustion.

Gently remove the hook within calm

water, then lightly cradle the fish with

your hands to see what it does. If it

struggles to keep itself upright, hold

the fish around its tail and beneath its

belly with its head facing upstream

into the current. Move the fish gently

back and forth toward and away from

the current. You should notice the

gills opening and closing due to the

rush of water. This is like giving a fish

mouth to mouth resuscitation. When

the fish has recovered it should swim

away on its own.

Hooks and lures typically have barbs

when purchased. With small pliers

you must pinch down the barbs.

Without barbs more skill is required

in landing and bringing in fish but

hook removal is easier and less traumatic to the fish.

Spinning lures typically have three

hooks called treble hooks. With wire

cutters you can snip off one of the

hooks or snap one off with pliers; you

also must pinch down all the barbs.

Two hooks are still effective and

easier to remove and less traumatic.

If the fish is deeply hooked, cut the

line, do not pull out the hook. Most

fish can survive with hooks left in.
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Madison

Norris

West

Entrance

Old

Faithful

Specim en

Fan

Gallatin

Grayling

Du c k

Gneiss

Cougar

Maple

Cougar

Gibbon Madison Firehole

Nez Perce

Fa iry

Little Firehole

Firehole

Gibbon Seven

Mile

Bridge

Midway Foot

Bridge

HWY 191

To Mammoth

To 

Canyon

To Grant

Village

Roads

Flyfishing ONLY

Closed to all fishing

Nonnative Trout Tolerance Area

Native Trout Conservation Area

Park Boundary

Bear Management Areas

Exceptions to General Regulations

If a stream or lake is not listed by name or as a tributary, general regulations

apply. You must follow bear management and hydrothermal area restrictions

listed in the BackcountryTrip Planner, which is available in backcountry offices or at www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/publications.htm.

Northwest Region

Madison and Gallatin river drainages: including Firehole and Gibbon rivers and tributaries.

Permanently closed to fishing:

•	 Firehole River from road bridge 1⁄2 mile

(.8 km) upstream of Old Faithful to road bridge

at Biscuit Basin, 200 yards (182 m) either side

of Midway footbridge

•	 Madison River from Seven Mile Bridge

upstream 250 yards (226 m).

Flyfishing only: Madison River, Firehole

River, Gibbon River below Gibbon Falls (not

including their tributaries). Use only artificial

flies regardless of the type of rod or line.
9 

Exceptions to General Regulations

•	 Lamar River drainage including Slough Creek and Soda Butte

Creek—all nonnative fish, including rainbow trout and brook trout,

must be killed.

•	 Agate and Cottonwood creeks, and

portions of the Yellowstone River

within 100 yards of these creeks,

open to fishing July 15 to protect

spawning cutthroat trout.

•	 Blacktail Pond area is closed to

public use and travel, including angling, until July 3 to protect nesting

birds and sensitive vegetation.

Permanently closed to fishing:

•	 Trout Lake inlet stream is permanently closed to fishing to protect

spawning cutthroat trout.

•	 Yellowstone River, from

Chittenden Bridge near Canyon

downstream through the Grand

Canyon of the Yellowstone to a

point directly below Silver Cord

Cascade, is permanently closed to

fishing to ensure angler safety.

Where to Take Young Anglers

Mammoth: Blacktail Deer Creek,

Indian Creek near the campground,

Gardner River picnic area between

the North Entrance and Mammoth,

Joffe Lake, Lava Creek picnic area.

•	 Children 11 years of age or younger may fish with worms as bait in

Joffe Lake only.

Northeast area: Pebble Creek near

campground, Trout Lake.

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Madison

Norris

West Entrance

Mammoth

Canyon

North Entrance

Tower

Northeast

Entrance

Tower Fall

Silver Cord Cascade

Chittenden Bridge

Glen

Gardn e r

India n

Obsid ai n

Blacktail

Pond

Trout Lake

McBride

Lake

G a rdner

Lava

Blacktail

H el l r oaring

Tower

Cache

Lamar

Yellowston e

B uffalo

Slough

Pebble

Soda Butte

Joffee

Lake

To Norris

Roads

Closed to all fishing

Lamar River Drainage:

All Rainbow and Brook Trout 

must be killed.

Park Boundary

Bear Management Areas

Native Trout Conservation Area

Northeast Region

Yellowstone and Lamar rivers and tributaries between North Park Boundary and 

Chittenden Bridge near Canyon.
10

Southwest Region

Snake and Lewis rivers and tributaries; Heart Lake; Lewis and Shoshone lakes; Falls and 

Bechler rivers and tributaries.

•	 Waters above Lewis Falls, including

Lewis and Shoshone lakes and the

Lewis Channel—possession limit

of five nonnative fish in combination, only one of which can be a

brown trout.

Heart Lake opens July 1

•	 Do not discard lake trout carcasses

along the lake shore as they will

likely attract bears.

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Old Faithful

Boundary Creek

Shoshone

Lake

Lewis

Lake

Lewis

Falls

Lewis

 Channel

Heart

Lake

Bechler River

Fa lls River

Lewis

Snake River

DeLacy

Snake River

South Entrance

Bechler

Roads Nonnative Trout Tolerance Area Native Trout Conservation Area

Park Boundary Bear Management Areas

Old Faithful

West Thumb

Grant

To Lake

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Exceptions to General Regulations
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Norris

Grant

Bridge

Bay

West

Thumb

Lake Fishing

Bridge East 

Entrance

Otter

Yellow s tone

A lum

T r out

Elk Antler

Columbi ne

Middle

Yellowstone

Arnica

LeHardys

Rapids

Mud

Volcano

Sulphur

Cauldron

To Canyon

To South

Entrance

To

Old 

Faithful

Roads

Closed to all fishing

Native Trout Conservation Area

Park Boundary

Bear Management Areas

Southeast Region 

Yellowstone River upstream of Chittenden Bridge near Canyon, Yellowstone Lake and 

its tributaries, Middle Creek of the North Fork Shoshone River.

Yellowstone Lake opens June 15.

Streams flowing into Yellowstone

Lake tributaries, and areas within 100

yards (91 m) of each stream’s outlet

open July 15. Access to many areas

is restricted by Bear Management

Area Closures, see the Yellowstone

BackcountryTrip Planner for details.

Permanently closed to fishing:

•	 The shoreline of Yellowstone Lake

from West Thumb Geyser Basin

to Little Thumb Creek to protect

fragile thermal resources.

•	 Bridge Bay Marina/Harbor and

Grant Village Marina/Harbor and

their channels to the lake.

•	 Pelican Creek from its mouth to a

point two miles (3.2 km) upstream.

Yellowstone River opens July 15. 

Permanently closed to fishing:

•	 Fishing Bridge and an area one

mile (1.6 km) downstream (toward

Canyon) and 1/4 mile (.4 km) upstream (toward Yellowstone Lake)

from the bridge.

•	The Yellowstone River

100 yards (91 m) up- and downstream of LeHardy Rapids.

•	The Yellowstone River and

its tributaries in

Hayden Valley

from the confluence of Alum

Creek upstream

to Sulphur

Cauldron.

Where to Take 

Young Anglers

Lake Village: Along

Gull Point Drive

or at Sand Point.

Grant: Riddle

Lake, Aster Creek

near Lewis Falls,

Lewis Lake

shoreline.

Exceptions to General Regulations
12

Fish Identification—Native

Cutthrout Trout subspecies

few spots on head

dark spots on light 

background

only species with 

red jaw slash

Each individual angler must be able to correctly identify various 

fish species and comply with appropriate rules and regulations.

All native fish are catch-and-release only

Widely distributed in many drainages.

Yellowstone cutthroat trout (large-spotted 

form; Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri).

Yellowstone cutthroat trout (finespotted 

Snake River form; Oncorhynchus clarkii 

behnkei). 

Westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus 

clarkii lewisi). 

Two subspecies of cutthroat trout

are found in Yellowstone: the westslope cutthroat and the Yellowstone

cutthroat (which has both large- and

finespotted varieties). All fish with a

red slash are considered cutthroat.

If it has a red slash, put it back.

Cutthroat Trout
13 

large scales

Fish Identification—Native

large, sail-like 

dorsal fin

Distributed throughout Gibbon River, 

sometimes in Madison and Firehole rivers.

dark spots on front 

half of body

Arctic Grayling

Distributed throughout Snake and Lewis 

rivers, other areas as noted on map.

Mountain Whitefish

large 

scales

small mouth, 

no teeth body almost round 

on cross-section
14

A Note about Hybridized (genetically impure) Cutthroat Trout

In cutthroat trout waters where rainbow trout have been introduced, either by intentional, historic stocking

or by invasion from a downstream

source, the result has been a serious

degradation of the cutthroat trout

population through interbreeding of

the two species. Presently, hybridized

cutthroat trout exist throughout the

Bechler, Falls, Gallatin, Gardner, and

Lamar rivers, and the Yellowstone

River below the Upper Falls.

Cutthroat/rainbow trout hybrids will

have characteristics (coloration and

spotting patterns) that are consistent

with the two species, making identification often difficult. In all cases,

hybridized cutthroat trout that have

any indication of a red/orange jaw

slash are fully protected by catchand-release regulation.

If it has a red slash, put it back.

numerous 

spots on head

small scales

often white 

on edge of fins

Widely distributed due to historic 

stocking. Not present in Yellowstone Lake, 

Yellowstone River above the Upper Falls, 

or the Snake River.

Fish Identification—Nonnative

Rainbow Trout
15 

worm-like markings

red spots with 

blue haloes

light spots, dark 

background

dark and light edge on fins

Widely distributed due to historic 

stocking. Not present in Yellowstone Lake, 

Yellowstone River above the Upper Falls, 

or the Gallatin River.

Brook Trout

Fish Identification—Nonnative

Distributed in Gallatin, Gibbon, Firehole, 

Madison, Lewis, Snake, Gardner, and 

the Yellowstone rivers. Not present in 

Yellowstone Lake, Bechler or Falls rivers.

pale haloes

around black spots

Brown Trout
16

All lake trout must be killed

in Yellowstone Lake

If you do not want to keep the

fish, puncture the air bladder and

drop it into water as deep as possible. In the backcountry, dispose

of fish entrails and remains in

fast moving or deep water. Do

not discard trout carcasses along

streams as they will attract bears.

deeply 

forked 

tail

numerous 

spots on 

head

white spots, dark 

background

Fish Identification—Nonnative

Distributed in Heart, Lewis, Shoshone, and 

Yellowstone Lakes.

Lake Trout

often white 

on edge of fins

air bladder Deeply forked tail
17 

How many anglers come to 

Yellowstone each year?

About 50,000 of the park’s three

million visitors fish while they are in

Yellowstone.

Why can’t we fish from Fishing 

Bridge?

Fishing Bridge, situated over a cutthroat trout spawning area, was once

a popular place to fish. Declining

numbers of cutthroat trout caused

park officials to close the bridge to

fishing to protect the spawning fish.

Now the bridge is a popular place to

observe and photograph fish.

Why are barbless hooks required?

Many fish have been injured or deformed by barbed hooks, especially

in the park’s popular streams, such

as the Yellowstone River and Soda

Butte Creek. Barbless hooks reduce

hook injuries and the time you need

to handle the fish, and improve the

overall condition of trout in heavilyfished waters of the park.

Why is fishing lead-free in 

Yellowstone?

Lead is a severe environmental

contaminant and a toxic substance

that has no known beneficial biological function. Wildlife, such as loons,

waterfowl, cranes, and shorebirds,

are vulnerable to lead poisoning. Of

particular concern in Yellowstone

are the alarmingly low populations

of trumpeter swans and loons. To

minimize the effects of lead on these

species, Yellowstone National Park

bans most lead tackle.

How do anglers help 

Yellowstone?

Fly fishing is a major industry in the

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and

park anglers spend millions here annually. Angler groups have supported

management actions, such as catchand-release of native species and

closing the Fishing Bridge to fishing,

and have helped fund research on

aquatic systems. In addition, anglers

help by:

•	 correctly identifying fish and selectively removing nonnative trout

in waters where they are causing

harm

•	 removing nonnative rainbow trout

from the Lamar River drainage,

one of the last strongholds for native cutthroat trout.

•	 removing lake trout, a nonnative

fish that preys on an important

population of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake

•	 taking actions to prevent the spread

of aquatic invasive species (see

page 3)

•	 filling out and returning the

Volunteer Angler Report card (see

page 18)

Frequently Asked Questions
18

Yellowstone Volunteer 

Flyfishing Program

Since 2002, anglers have been directly assisting Yellowstone’s fisheries

staff. Using catch-and-release angling

to capture fish, they gather biological information on fish populations

located throughout the park. Their

projects have included:

•	 determining the range of hybridized Yellowstone cutthroat trout

in the Lamar River and its major

tributaries

•	 documenting the Pebble Creek and

Beula Lake fisheries

•	 documenting the status and movement patterns of grayling originating in Grebe and Wolf lakes of the

Gibbon River system

•	 documenting the status and genetic

uniqueness of westslope cutthroat

trout in Grayling Creek

Through this program, volunteer

anglers experience many fisheries

issues first hand, and their biological

data increases understanding of the

park’s fisheries.

The Volunteer Angler Report—

Your Chance to Contribute

Since 1973, anglers have been providing valuable fishery information to

Yellowstone National Park managers

by filling out the Volunteer Angler

Report (VAR) card, which is issued

with each fishing permit. Managers

use this information to estimate angling pressure, landing and creel rates,

sizes of fish landed, and angler satisfaction. For many park waters, these

reports are the only data available.

Help us manage your park’s fisheries

by completing and returning your

VAR card, whether or not you actually fished or caught fish. To obtain

a summary of the data, indicate so

in the comment section and include

your email or postal address.

When filling out the Volunteer

Angler Report, you can use your rod

to quickly estimate the length of your

fish. Just measure and mark (with

tape or nail polish) various lengths

on your rod. Remember, the less time

the fish is handled out of the water

the better chance it has of recovering

Volunteer Anglers
19 

Illegal Actions Which Cause 

Ecosystem Degradation

•	 Possessing a native cutthroat

trout, or any other native

fish.

•	 Releasing a nonnative fish

alive within a mandatory kill

area.

•	 Transporting/moving any

live fish, water, sediment

(mud), fish eggs, fish parts,

or other aquatic animals

or plants within the park—

whether intentional or not.

•	 Bringing into the park any

aquatic invasive species,

water, mud, plants, or bait

(worms, minnows, leeches,

salamanders, etc.), live or

dead, with one exception.

(See pages 4–6.)

If you witness a violation

please report it immediately to

a law enforcement ranger, or

call 307-344-7381 and press

“zero” to immediately reach

park dispatch.

Yellowstone hosts tens of thousands

of anglers each year in a very short

time, most in the summer months.

For your own enjoyment, the enjoyment of those around you, and the

protection of our aquatice resources,

please remember to be courteous and

observe the following behavior.

•	 Use established trails and avoid

sensitive wetland vegetation such

as bogs and seeps. Heavy trail use

in these areas causes erosion and

loss of habitat essential to many of

Yellowstone’s wildlife.

•	 Anglers must stay on established

trails in thermal areas and must

not cross these areas or approach

thermal features.

•	 Avoid using the streambed as a

pathway. Your footsteps can damage aquatic habitats and kill eggs

and fry in the gravel.

•	 Do not overfish a good fishing

area. Fish for a while, and then

move on.

•	 Do not encroach on another angler’s space and keep out of sight of

other anglers, if possible.

•	 During late July and August, when

water temperatures can be high, do

most of your fishing early and late

in the day. Allow fish to rest during

the heat of the day.

Angler Etiquette

Walking in stream beds can damage 

delicate aquatic habitats.
20

•	 11 native species including

3 sport fish: cutthroat trout (2

subspecies), fluvial Arctic grayling, and mountain whitefish.

•	 5 nonnative species: brook

trout, brown trout, lake trout,

rainbow trout, lake chub.

•	 More than 220 lakes comprise

approximately 107,000 surface acres in Yellowstone; 94

percent can be attributed to

Yellowstone, Shoshone, Lewis,

and Heart lakes.

•	 1,000 streams make up more

than 2,650 miles of running

water.

•	 Cutthroat trout are an important

food for bald eagles, ospreys,

pelicans, otters, and grizzly bears.

Area without trout

When Yellowstone became a national

park, more than 40 percent of its waters were barren of fish—including

Shoshone Lake, Lewis Lake, and the

Firehole River above Firehole Falls.

Early park managers transplanted

fish into new locations, produced

more fish in hatcheries, and introduced nonnative species. By the mid20th century, more than 310 million

fish had been stocked in the park.

The ranges and densities of the park’s

native fish species have been substantially altered during the past century, mostly because of introduced

nonnative fish. Nonnative trout are

important to the angler experience

in Yellowstone, but they contribute

to the decline in the park’s native

cutthroat trout and Arctic grayling by

competing for food and habitat, preying on native fish, and degrading the

genetic integrity of native fish by mating with them and creating hybrids.

Yellowstone’s Fishery

Fishing is a long-standing tradition in 

Yellowstone’s waters.

Early park managers transplanted fish to 

stock the park’s fishless waters.
21 

Combating hybridization

Nonnative rainbow trout interbreed

with native cutthroat trout, producing hybrids. Once this happens, a

cutthroat population can be restored

to genetic purity only if all fish are

removed from a stream and genetically pure cutthroat are reintroduced. To reduce hybridization in

the park’s cutthroat trout waters,

anglers are encouraged to harvest

nonnative trout in the Native Trout

Conservation Area.

Protecting the food supply

In Yellowstone, bald eagles, ospreys,

pelicans, otters, grizzly bears, and

other wildlife take precedence over

humans in utilizing fish as food.

Fish management and regulations

reflect this priority. For example,

some waters are closed to fishing to

protect threatened and endangered

species, and sensitive nesting birds.

Regulations ban lead tackle because

the lead concentrates in aquatic

environments, posing a risk of lead

poisoning to waterfowl that might

ingest it. Only non-toxic alternatives

to lead are allowed. (See regulations

on pages 4–6, for one exception.)

Preserving native cutthroat trout

Cutthroat trout are the sole, native

trout of Yellowstone National Park

and were the dominant fish species

here prior to Euroamerican settlement. Angling for cutthroat trout

is an important part of the parks

cultural history.

Because cutthroat trout inhabit relatively shallow waters, many animals

depend on them as a food source,

especially during spring when the

cutthroat are spawning in small inlets

and tributary streams. In many cases,

nonnative fish cannot serve as a

substitute for cutthroat trout because they occupy different habitats.

For example, lake trout live deep in

Yellowstone Lake and are not generally accessible to the park’s native

fish-eating animals.

Preserving cutthroat trout will help

to preserve all of the important

animals that depend upon them as a

food source, will ensure that visitors

can continue to see them spawning

near Fishing Bridge, LeHardy Rapids,

and other places, and that future

generations will be able to experience

them by angling in the many pristine,

remote waters the park has to offer.

Yellowstone’s Fishery
Printed on recycled paper & with vegetable ink • Revised March 2013

If you have questions about information in this 

guide, please contact:

Visitor Services Office

P.O. Box 168

Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

307-344-2107

For more information about Yellowstone fisheries, go to:

www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/fishing.htm

All maps and photos are NPS (public domain) except: 

Cover, pages 1,12,13,14,15,16,19, and 21 ©Jay Fleming Photography.

Page 5 ©New South Wales Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure 

and Services.

Page 13 ©Zac Sexton