Freestone · Mixed · Wyoming, US

Gardner River

The Gardner River flowing over a rocky bed through an open valley with autumn-colored cottonwoods in Yellowstone.
Today · A proper day on the water
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Today
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
75% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Falling
0.56 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp8.1°C
ClarityClearing
Weather6°C
WindN 13 km/h
Pressure1029 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Cutthroat Trout
Cool — slow
8°C est.ideal 9–15°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Cutthroat Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12:00

12:00(now) — Mahogany Dun

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 36%
Also:Black Midge33%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 12:00 — Mahogany Dun (Mahogany Dun, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Cutthroat Trout
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Yellowstone NP licence and special regulations
  • Native-cutthroat catch-and-release rules apply on the upper reaches.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gibbon River
30 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Brook trout
Slough Creek
31 km
65
Cutthroat trout
Lamar River
37 km
65
Cutthroat trout
Yellowstone River
39 km
83
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Cutthroat trout
Soda Butte Creek
45 km
64
Cutthroat trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The Gardner River flowing over a rocky bed through an open valley with autumn-colored cottonwoods in Yellowstone.
    Gardner River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Upper reaches above Osprey Falls hold native cutthroat — barbless catch-and-release under Park rules; handle minimally.

The full read · show the working · for Cutthroat Trout · confidence 75%
How the 80 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity69 × 12%8.3
Conditions total= 80
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Saturday de Memorial Day weekend → Primer Sunday in November
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts