Half Rivers

One great asset of the Park’s trout fishing is its easy accessibility. Miles upon miles of great trout water are just off the road along the Madison, Firehole, Gibbon, and Lamar. The many turnouts make it easy to pull off the road, gear up and walk just a short distance to begin fishing a great piece of water.

Needless to say, the roadside of the river is what gets the most angling attention. But, what about the opposite side of these rivers? It amazes me how little that side gets fished to. Or, fished to properly.

Firehole River, from the far bank

I dub them ‘half-rivers.’ Very often (well, approximately half the time) the best trout lie is across the river on the other side from the road. A log, large rock, or current seam forms the soft, protected spot and food concentration where good fish like to lay and feed. As the river twists and turns down its gradient, current breaks naturally favor one side of the river over the other. Besides good trout cover, the far bank has another attraction: unmolested trout that haven’t been spooked and cast to by multiple anglers throughout the day.

Few anglers make the effort to get to the far bank and fish these other half-rivers. A good Lefty Kreh-grade angler might make the right presentation to some of these spots across multiple current seams with the required distance and accuracy. My field observations, however, tell me that few anglers can cast with this level of ability. I certainly can’t.

Madison River at Big Bend, looking back toward road

Granted, it does take effort to cross these streams to the far bank. Time and again, I have been rewarded for doing so. This is why I put such high value on good wading skills and a good wading staff.

River familiarity helps too. You can’t wade across just anywhere along rivers like these with their quick currents and uneven stream beds. With trial and error from multiple attempts, I have discovered many good crossing points. I have also discovered a pretty reliable rule of thumb for a good crossing. In general, the very bottom of a pool, where it shallows up just above the break over into fast current of the next riffle stretch, can present a good crossing point. Here is where the river can yield a combination of water depth and current speed that lets you get across.

Haynes Meadow from the far bank

I would say the benefits of fishing along the bank opposite the road are most pronounced on the Lamar. Many of the roadside gravel bars aren’t steep enough to form the necessary shelf and water depth for holding good fish. It is so delightful to discover cutthroat trout lying just feet off the far bank, right on the shelf where the current breaks from fast to slow.  

On the Madison, I have found surprising good trout cover that was not apparent to me until I crossed to the other side. Same goes for the Firehole, where getting to the far bank lets you fish to some great log cover and deep runs absent from the roadside. If nothing else, fishing the bank away from the road gives you more elbow room to fish. I bump into fewer anglers over there. It is easier to take what the river and the fish give you this way.

Steep banks on Lamar hold good fish

This is my kind of fishing. I like to roam. In between catching trout, exploring the river’s many permutations is just plain fascinating. Understanding the river’s riddles is just as important to angling success as choosing the right fly and making a good cast is.