Yellowstone Adventure Update

Greetings from Yellowstone! 

 

The Yellowstone Adventure is off to a great start. After two nights in Paradise Valley, we spent the next two nights outside the park with easy access to the Lamar Valley. This morning the group packed up for their first backcountry, a two-night trip into Grizzley Lake. 

We kicked off the trip with a day of fishing on the Gardner River. This technical fishery is even more difficult with the low and warm water we are currently experiencing. However, that did not stop our group from catching a bunch of fish. The mix of the brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout hideout in the many pools of this pocket water stream. By the end of the day, everyone had caught some fish, including some first-ever trout on the fly for a few of our participants. 

We spent the next three days fishing the Lamar Valley. Our group focused our efforts on Soda Butte Creek, where we found some great success. Everyone in the group caught multiple fish over the three days. The Lamar Valley is a stronghold of the native Yellowstone Cutthroat trout. To catch these beautiful fish in such a beautiful setting was a real treat for our group. When the fishing on the streams and rivers of Yellowstone shut down at 2 pm, we took the time to see some sights and headed to a nearby lake to fish for some trophy trout. 

We have been getting up extra early to take full advantage of the fishing before it shuts down at 2pm. This morning we enjoyed sleeping in a little before breaking down camp to prepare for our first backcountry. A beutufil drive through the park will bring us to our trailhead for Grizzley Lake, where a 3-4 mile hike will bring us to our backcountry sites along Strait Creek. Our sites are perfectly situated on the creek, wich is absolutely loaded with brook trout. When the fishing on the stream closes we only have a 1/2mile walk to the lake where the brooktrout eagerly rise until dark. The fish here are not huge, but the fast paced action is the perfect way to get our group tuned up and ready for the rest of our trip. Begginers will have plenty of chances to perfect their cast, drift, hookset, and fish fighting techniques, while the more advanced anglers can practice some new techniques that will come in handy on some of the bigger, more challenging fish later in the trip. 

We will send another update on the 30th when we head out of the backcountry and hit up West Yellowstone for some showers, laundry, and a resupply of food. 

 

Tight Lines, 

Ethan, Henry, Rusty, and crew

Lillard Fly Fishing Expeditions was started in 2010 as a graduate thesis for my Master's Degree in Environmental Conservation Education at NYU. The operating premise was simple - by coupling amazing wilderness fly fishing camps for teens with environmental education and service learning we can help inspire future generations of fly fishing conservationists. We have been growing our unique list of trips and experiences ever since.

When it comes to choosing a summer program for your teen the options are endless. For the teen who loves to fish, be outside, and has a strong sense of adventure we have made the choice easy. We are the leader in teen fly fishing adventures and are dedicated to providing the best backcountry fly fishing experience with opportunities for teens to engage in leadership training, community service, and backcountry camping.

Sincerely,

Will Lillard signature

Will Lillard, Founder/Director/Guide

Contact Us

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Lillard Fly Fishing Expeditions
2540 King Road
Pisgah Forest, NC 28768

(828) 577-8204