Freestone · Mixed · Wyoming/Montana

Slough Creek

Slough Creek venue image

Slough Creek is a Yellowstone meadow stream of step-pools and beaver flats, and the native Yellowstone cutthroat in it come up for a dry like they've been waiting all morning for it.

Prime · Cutthroat Trout
Chubby Chernobyl · 6-10
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp13.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Chubby Chernobyl
Chubby Chernobyl6-10
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp13.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindE 4 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.9 mm
Rain · ahead0.5 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Cutthroat Trout
Ideal
14°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 right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

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

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

Ranked for today
Cutthroat Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Yellowstone NP licence and native-cutthroat rules (barbless catch-and-release) — check current NPS regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Lamar River
7.0 km
26
Cutthroat trout
Soda Butte Creek
14 km
Cutthroat trout
Gardner River
30 km
4
Cutthroat trout · Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gibbon River
41 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Brook trout
Yellowstone Lake
53 km
Cutthroat trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Slough Creek is a Yellowstone meadow stream of step-pools and beaver flats, and the native Yellowstone cutthroat in it come up for a dry like they've been waiting all morning for it. The upper meadows are a hike-in deal — you earn them with your legs — and the sight-fishing there is about as good as cutthroat fishing gets anywhere. Storms color it up, the fish are spooky in flat water, and that's part of the bargain. Barbless catch-and-release under Park rules; handle them like they matter, because they do.

  • Mixed
Conservation note

Native Yellowstone cutthroat — barbless catch-and-release under Park rules; handle minimally.

The full read · show the working · for Cutthroat Trout · confidence 75%
How the 81 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity49 × 12%5.9
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • TroutSaturday of Memorial Day weekend → First Sunday in November
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts