Fishing in America: Yellowstone River Postcard
Anglers Celebrate the Start of Flyfishing Season

 Listen to Elizabeth Arnold's report.

 Back to the Fishing in America series

Flyfisherman Art Howe holding a Yellowstone cutthroat. It can be distinguished from other trout species by two red slashes on its lower jaw. Photo courtesy Moosejaw Outdoor Services

"And we can fish together, nobody's annoyed with each other because we know each other, we've seen you here last year, year before that, year before that..." Flyfisherman Ken Boyd

The Yellowstone River. Photo courtesy Moosejaw Outdoor Services

Aug. 2, 2002 -- Anglers from across the country line up elbow to elbow with barely a rod's length between them. Fluorescent yellow, orange and green fly lines arc in the air and down the river like special effects at the Olympics. It's July 15 -- Opening Day of the flyfishing season on the Yellowstone River.

The 670-mile Yellowstone is usually a quiet stretch of water populated with more fish than people. And no respectable angler would normally endure such crowded conditions. But Opening Day is different. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports from the river for Morning Edition, the first in a series of reports about fishing in America.

"You try it on other rivers -- get in that tight -- there are problems. Here, it's social," explains Ken Boyd, who has friends from ten previous Opening Days on the river.

The Yellowstone River is considered the best stream for cutthroat trout fishing in the world, and hundreds of people have come together to match abilities and share tales with some of the best anglers.

Many of the fishermen have been here since five in the morning trying to catch the elusive Yellowstone cutthroat, a fish the color of a sunset.

But the more people on the river, the harder the fish are to fool with a fly. And while the fishing policy is officially catch and release, Opening Day is more about fishing than catching.

Future stories will look at what draws people to the pastime -- from dipnet fishing in Alaska and thousand-dollar-a-day guided trips to wetting a line in the backyard pond.

Other Resources

• Information on the Yellowstone River.

• Learn about how wildlife and people use the Yellowstone River.

• Fishing in Yellowstone National Park

• Resources for planning a flyfishing trip to Yellowstone National Park.

• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Information about the Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout.

• Visit Fly, Rod & Reel, the online version of the flyfishing magazine.

• Visit a flyfishing resource guide.

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