Yellowstone to allow year-round fishing on Madison, Gardner rivers

Blair Miller

(Daily Montanan) Starting in November, anglers will be able to fish year-round in stretches of two rivers close to the Yellowstone National Park gates in West Yellowstone and Gardiner.

Fishing access is only currently allowed in all areas of the park from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend – May 25 this year – through Oct. 31 each year.

But under the new regulations, people will be able to fish the Madison River from the Montana-Wyoming border to the park boundary near Yellowstone’s west entrance in West Yellowstone, as well as on the Gardner River from Osprey Falls downstream to where the river meets the Yellowstone River near Gardiner.

Permits for 2024 will run from May 25 through the end of the year, and starting in 2025, an annual fishing permit for the park will be valid Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. The rest of the park will still only allow fishing from May 25 through Oct. 31.

Montana fishing regulations will still apply to areas of the Madison River that are outside of the state park boundary.

Later this month, on April 30, the park’s Native Fish Conservation Program lead Todd Koel will host a presentation on cutthroat trout recovery, native fish restoration, and other angling regulations at the park, with a question-and-answer session to follow.