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Lamar River

The Lamar River was visited by trappers Osborne Russell and Jim Bridger in the 1820s and 30s. Russell referred to the Lamar Valley as "secluded valley" and fell in love with the place. The river was commonly referred to as the East Fork of the Yellowstone prior to 1885 when it was named after Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, Secretary of the Interior from 1885 to 1888.

The Lamar flows 66 miles from its source in the Absaroka Range along the park's eastern boundary, to its confluence with the Yellowstone River. Along its course the river flows through a diversity of terrain. From its headwaters to its confluence with Soda Butte Creek, the Lamar and tributaries such as Cache and Miller creeks are pristine backcountry streams. Below Soda Butte Creek, the Lamar River flows through the vast sagebrush Lamar Valley which is paralleled by the northeast entrance road. West of the valley, the river cuts its way through the boulder-laden Lamar Canyon, and thereafter flows through the sagebrush flats of Little America and then into another small canyon just upstream of where it enters the Yellowstone.

The Lamar River (above) can quickly dirty from heavy summer rain, but when it begins to clear, the cutthroat trout go on a feeding binge.

The backcountry portion of the Lamar can be reached by the Lamar River trail. The Lamar and Cache Creek can be fished on day hikes. The upper reaches of the Lamar and Miller Creek must be done in several days or on a week-long pack trip. Unlike Slough Creek, there are numerous campsites available here and fewer people venture into this part of the park. Unfortunately, nature changed the area significantly in 1988 when the Clover-Mist wildfire consumed many acres here. For those willing to make the trek the fishing for 12- to 18-inch cutts on dries can be exceptional.

The Lamar Valley has been analogized as the American Serengetti. Its tall grasses, plentiful ungulates and predators justify the analogy quite well. Elk, deer, moose, antelope, bison, grizzlies, black bears, coyotes, and wolves frequent the valley. Grizzlies can be observed stalking newborn elk and bison calves in June as the valley is dressed verdant with fresh grasses, and the Lamar resembles a chocolate ribbon of milk.

It is here where the first wolves were released in 1995 as part of a federal program to reintroduce the predators to the park. The success of the program has exceeded biologist's predictions. The sight of a wolf pack chasing elk, or the sound as they howl, make memories to last a lifetime. The Lamar valley is the best place in the Park to see them.

The cutts, rainbows, and cuttbows found in the Lamar run from 12 to 22 inches and the fishing is less technical than on Slough Creek. Pale Morning Duns, caddis, golden stones, and salmonflies bring good rises of trout early in the summer. Stimulators, Royal Trudes, Madam X's, Ugly Rudamus's, Turck's Tarantula's and beetles are very productive through the summer and fall. Fishing two flies in tandem such as an attractor and a beetle works especially well on the Lamar. Hoppers are plentiful in the broad expanse of the Lamar Valley and the Letort, Whitlock's, and Parachute hoppers, as well as Dave's Crickets are deadly on hot, windy days. Depending on water conditions and the flies used, tippet from 3X to 6X is necessary, so carry a good selection of leaders and tippet.

The best fishing of the year on the Lamar occurs after the tourists have left the park. The cooler, cloudy weather of September triggers a late-season hatch of Green Drakes. These large mayflies hatch in the afternoons and trigger splashy, aggressive rises from the trout. To make the fishing even more exciting, the hoppers and crickets continue to work well. I'll often fish a hopper and trail a Green Drake Cripple until the hatch begins, then I'll fish two drake patterns. This is the perfect way to conclude a summer of fantastic dry-fly fishing.

One drawback to the Lamar is that it's subject to periodic discoloration throughout the season. Afternoon thundershowers in the headwaters and tributaries of the Lamar can send a slurry of mud downstream. The mud makes the Lamar and the Yellowstone River downstream for hundreds of miles unfishable for days at a time. The duration of muddy water depends on the severity of storms, and if storms occur for several successive days. However, once the water begins to clear, the fish go on a feeding binge and the water doesn't have to clear completely either. When the Lamar turns green with only a foot or two of visibility the trout become reckless and eat ravenously.

Chad Olsen owns Greater Yellowstone Flyfishers in Bozeman, Montana.

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