Overview

Soda Butte Creek is a popular and often crowded trophy trout fishing tributary of the Lamar River in the northeast section of Yellowstone National Park, flowing about 20 to 30 feet wide, meandering across grass meadows.

Type of Waterway

Soda Butte Creek is a large tributary off the Lamar River and is renowned for being one of Yellowstone National Park’s finest fly-fishing trophy trout fishing steams.

Fishing Seasons

In the Spring, Soda Butte Creek often runs high and muddy with run-off. When the Creek clears, fly fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout in the lower section (downstream from the Pebble Creek campground area) can be quite successful, with rainbows around a foot to a foot-and-a-half long.

Generally, the fly fishing approach to Soda Butte Creek is not unlike fishing its parent river, the Lamar. In the Summer, terrestrials are the best fly to secure the best fishing odds from July until frost appears. Hopper and cricket imitations, sized 4-10, are also great options, particularly after Spring run-off. Other successful, summer favorites are the Pale Morning Dun and the Green Drake, sized 14-18, thanks to consistent hatches on the Creek.

Most Common Fish Species

Soda Butte Creek is bursting with rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout.

Directions

Coming from Montana, anglers can find Soda Butte Creek easily by heading toward Cooke City, traveling about 14 miles before crossing Pebble Creek, and following Pebble Creek about 6 more miles to Soda Butte’s merge with Lamar River. Near the Northeast entrance, Soda Butte Creek flows quite visibly along the Northeast entrance highway