The Lamar River
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 The
Lamar River begins in the high mountains of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.
The Lamar River is one of the most beautiful rivers in Yellowstone National
Park, flowing through the Lamar Valley - what can only be described as
one of the most beautiful meadows found anywhere. Large herds of Bison
and Elk lazily graze along the river in the Lamar Valley. Wolves can
even occasionally be spotted.
The Lamar River, due to both its spectacular scenery and quality fishing,
receives a fair amount of fishing pressure, especially around the area
of the Soda Butte Creek confluence. The river is easily accessible by
road as the highway between Tower and the Northeast Entrance closely
parallels the Lamar River in the Lamar Valley. Generally, the Lamar River
in Lamar Valley ranges from between 25-200 yards away from the road,
allowing for easy access. And hiking to the river is easy. All that is
entailed is hiking across the beautiful meadows and grasslands found
in the valley.
 The
Lamar River drains many high mountain ranges that usually receive lots
of snow during the winter. As a result, the river can run very high and
very murky during run-off. Additionally, spring run-off on the Lamar
River can run well into the summer, depending on the level of snow pack
and temperatures. It is not unusual for the Lamar River to still be running
high and murky in July when other nearby rivers are clear.
The prime fishing on the Lamar River is found in the Lamar Valley. Soda
Butte Creek enters the Lamar River near the eastern edge of the
Lamar Valley. The Lamar Canyon is located six miles downstream, and
marks the western edge of Lamar Valley.
The best fly fishing on the Lamar River occurs once run-off subsides,
usually between late-June to late-July. When not being fed by melting
snow, the Lamar River has crystal clear water. Cutthroat and rainbow
trout, in decent sizes, are found in the Lamar River. Rainbow trout up
to 16 inches are not uncommon, with the average size being around 12
inches.
When
fly fishing the Lamar River, terrestrials are the flies of choice. Large
grasshopper and cricket imitations, in sizes 4-10, are the best flies
for the Lamar River. Considering that the Lamar River runs through this
huge and beautiful meadow, the use of terrestrials is probably not a
surprise. However, if you do forget this, you will be quickly reminded
of it while walking from the road down to the river. Hordes of grasshoppers
and crickets await the person venturing off the trail and venturing down
to the river. Oh yeah, your vehicle is likely to be covered with them
too after a drive down the Lamar Valley, so make sure your washer fluid
is filled in the car, too.
Although the Lamar River is a popular river for fly fishing, it is not
difficult to find solitude on the river. Simply locate the area of the
river that seems farthest from the road, pull off on the nearest pullout,
and begin the easy couple hundred-yard walk across the beautiful meadow
down to the river. Another option to find solitude is to go upstream
on the Lamar River, above Soda Butte Creek. Virtually all anglers focus
their attention right around the confluence with Soda Butte Creek. A
short and easy walk upstream will bring you to waters much less traveled.
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