"Yellowstone National Park and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks have announced the easing of fishing restrictions on rivers as water temperatures drop.

In Yellowstone, anglers will again be able to fish the Firehole, Madison and Gibbon (downstream of Norris Campground) rivers and all associated tributaries, though hoot-owl restrictions 2 p.m. to midnight are in place.

Park officials said in a press release last week that cooling weather and water temperatures, as well as precipitation in the current weather forecast, allowed for the full closures to be lifted.

The full closures were implemented on July 15 because low water flows and high water temperatures exceeding 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) can be lethal to fish. Water temperatures have cooled at night, allowing for fishing for part of the day. Anglers can fish on most other park rivers, streams and lakes daily from sunrise to sunset as specified in the 2026 Fishing Regulations booklet."

The Daily Montanan (States Newsroom) had the story August 31, 2026. [2]