Statewide MT Fishing Report Compilation 7.24.24

Please check the fishing regulations before fishing.

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Holter Reservoir Fishing Report by FWP (July 22, 2024)

Walleye and perch fishing has been great in the coves and bays above the Dam, along the Clay Banks, out from Cottonwood Creek, and near Mann Gulch while using purple jigs tipped with worms or leeches in 15 to 30 feet of water. A few kokanee are being caught between Split Rock and the Dam while using down riggers with dodgers or cowbells with pink or purple kokanee spinners tipped with corn 50-70 feet deep. Rainbow fishing has been good during the early morning hours on the upper end of the reservoir while fly fishing with Prince Nymphs and while tolling Ford Fenders or cowbells with lead core line and wedding rings on the lower end of the reservoir.  Chris Hurley, FWP, Helena

Bitterroot River Fishing Report by Missoulian Angler (July 19, 2024)

The Bitterroot river fishing has been good in the morning and slow in the afternoon. The cooler water towards the upper stretches is fishing much better than the lower end. FWP has now implemented Hoot Owl Restrictions from where the west and east fork come together to the confluence of the Clark Fork, meaning you will have to be done fishing after 2pm. These restrictions are due to warm water temperatures in the afternoon and prohibits fishing between 2pm and midnight.
While the fishing is decent in the morning, things slow down dramatically late morning and it’s a good idea to go hit one of your favorite small tributaries as these run much cooler than the bigger rivers this time of year and will be much better fishing. Don’t hesitate to go fish your favorite Lake or go explore a new one.
Golden Stones, PMD, Yellow Sallies and hopper are the hatches going on the Bitterroot and it’s tributaries.

Jefferson River Fishing info by Fins and Feathers (July 24, 2024)

With the recent heat wave, the Jefferson river in its entirety has been placed on Hoot-Owl, this means that fishing is closed starting at 2 pm until 12 am. Going early in the morning is the best when water temperatures are the coolest. Check out Montana FWP’s website for the most up to date information on restrictions in the area.

Days spent fishing in Montana on the Jefferson River in July can be unpredictable as water levels begin to drop with increased irrigation demands.

Floating grass begins to be an issue for the nymph and streamer fly fishing sessions that our Bozeman fly fishing guides prefer during the early morning hours. Persistent anglers that don’t mind cleaning their flies after each cast will still find some nice fish on Crayfish patterns fished below a strike indicator.

Hatches are sparser now that the summer heat is settling in as well.

We are looking elsewhere now as the upper Madison, Gallatin, and Yellowstone Rivers are offering some of the best fly fishing in Montana at the present time. The moss will begin to clear out later in the summer, but expect some challenges in the meantime.

Hell Creek General Recreation Information (July 24, 2024)

Click here: www.HellCreekRecreation.com  CLICK HERE for Hell Creek webcam.

Gallatin River Fishing Report via Fins and Feathers (July 17, 2024)

Gallatin River fly fishing is now in its “summer prime” along the sections in and upstream of the Gallatin Canyon. Anglers fishing there will do best to go early – before the rafters – and target the riffles and deeper seams throughout the pocket water sections with dries and dry/dropper setups.

Fly fishing with a single, medium-sized attractor dry fly like an Amy’s Ant or Yellow Humpy can be productive in the fast runs and riffles right now. Add a weighted jig nymph to a small Chubby Chernobyl or Golden Stone dry to cover the deepest runs.

The lower river has dropped considerably in the last week with portions now being under “Hoot Owl” regulations. Vist FWP’s website to stay up to speed with current restrictions and closures.

You can get an idea of the water conditions in the Big Sky area by viewing this webcam, hosted by our friends at Montana Whitewater.

Ruby River Fishing Report by Montana Angler (July 19, 2024)

The Ruby River near Virginia City and Twin Bridges, Montana is a good option for mid-summer fly fishing. The Ruby Dam helps to regulate flows which helps to regulate water temperature. Begins it also provides a lot of water for irrigation in late July, flows tend to run average when many other rivers are running low. But, the Ruby River is surrounded almost entirely by private land and tends to run bank-full so walk-and-wade fishing is often more difficult than on other rivers.

Current Conditions:
The water is flowing about average right now so the fish are going to be in their usual hangouts. Below the dam the nymph fishing is best with smaller technical spring creek style patterns on lighter flouro carbon tippet.

The Month Ahead:
The Ruby will be in a mid summer mode all the way into September. In the fall the fishing is often consistently good with smaller technical nymphs and the occasional hopper action.

Long Term Fishing Forecast:
The Ruby is a nice smaller wade option in October. The browns get aggressive and the streamer fishing can be solid for medium sized trout up to 20″.

Yellowstone River Fishing Report by Bozeman Fly Supply (July 22, 2024)

Since runoff is now over with, fishing on the Yellowstone is great. The flows in Livingston are around 4100 at the moment and the water temperature is peaking at 69.5 degrees in Livingston. There’s a huge variety of bugs on the water out there right now consisting mostly of Caddis and PMD’s. So definitely remember to bring your dry fly box filled with Caddis, Parachute PMD’s, Fat Angie’s and chubbies! Streamer fishing can move some nice fish this time of the year too, so don’t be afraid to throw some bigger flies like a Dungeon, Ditch Witch, Gonga, or a Dragon. Nymph rigs are a consistent way to pick up some fish as well. Fishing Stoneflies, Worms, Zirdle’s, Hares Ear’s, Pheasant tail’s, Prince nymph’s, Blowtorch’s, and flashy Euro nymphs have all been good options for us while subsurface fishing or throwing underneath a chubby Chernobyl.

Suggested Fly Patterns

• Dry Fly

  Parachute Adams (16-20), Purple Haze (16-18), Buzz Ball (14-16), Corn fed Caddis (14-16), X-Caddis (14-16), Parachute PMD (14-16), Extended Body PMD (14-16), Larimer’s Yellow Sally (12-14), Water Walker (8-12), Chubby Chernobyl (8-16)

• Streamer

  Woolly Bugger (4-12), Ditch Witch Black/red/purple/ Yellow/white(2), Mini Peanut Envy Black/Yellow/Tan (6) Mini Dungeon Black/purple /Olive/Yellow (6), Montana Intruder (4), Sparkle Minnow JJ’s/Silver/Sculpin (4-8), Double Gonga Black/Rainbow (4), Sculpzilla Black/White/Olive (4-8), Seasoned Geezer Gold/Natural/Olive (6)

• Nymph

  Pat’s Rubber Legs (6-12), Zirdle Bug (6-12), Perdigon Peacock/Purple/Pearl (14-18), CDC Pheasant Tail (10-18), Jigster Baetis (14-18), Formerly Known as Prince Nymph (10-18), BH Hare’s Ear (12-18), Sizzlin’ Hot Squirrel (14-16), Matt’s Shagadelic Mop Tan/Brown/Chartreuse/Cheeto (10)

Georgetown Lake Fishing Report by Blackfoot River Outfitters (July 10, 2024)

3/5

Georgetown lake is finally open! (The South and East shore line is still closed until July 1st). The lake is also ice free and a little muddy. Look for fish in the shallows as they cruise the shore lines.

Here are a few tips for fly fishing Georgetown Lake:

1. A balanced leech stripped or under an indicator is the best method right now.
2. Small damsel patterns and chironomids are also effective.
3. Cover water and be methodical and you’ll catch fish!

Here are a few fly suggestions:

1. Black balanced leech

2. Damsel nymph

3. Maroon balanced leech

4. Ice cream cone head chironomid

Looking ahead:

This is one of the best times to be out on Georgetown! Get out there!

Southwest Montana Fishing Overview by Montana Angler (July 19, 2024)

Fishing in southwest Montana is in full on late summer mode. Hatches of caddis are active throughout the day as well as some PMDs on our tailwater rivers like the Upper Madison and Missouri Rivers. With the hot weather we are having and the forecast saying it will remain for at least another week or so, it means early mornings and into the afternoons is the best window of fishing action. Late evenings can also fish well, but it is also ok to hit a local bar or restaurant and fish again in the early morning.

We expect the terrestrial fishing–hoppers, ants, and beetles–to really pick up in the coming weeks. Our cold and wet spring means there are ample grasses which means there are also plenty of grasshoppers. We are optimistic of another very good hopper season to come and be excited for some twitching hoppers.

Overview

Peak activity this time of year coincides with the emergence of aquatic insects during the hatches. Pay close attention to the insects on the water at a given time, often PMD’s hatch before yellows sallies for example.  On highly fertile fisheries with thick hatches like spring creeks and tailwaters the trout become very selective during the hatch and you must imitate the correct species as well as life cycle of the insect that the trout are keying in on.  On less fertile freestone streams it is more of a potluck and the trout will feed more opportunistically.  On spring creeks plan on match the hatch but if you are fishing waters with sporadic hatches try big attractor dry flies on top or large streamers down under to move fish farther than smaller patterns.  Expect to fishing to slow down abruptly once the insects are gone but you can often continue to pick fish up later in the day.  In the evenings there is often another flurry of activity just before dark.

Hatches

Aquatic insects are by far the dominate food source right now on most streams and rivers. Expect to see pale morning duns (small size 14 yellow and light grey mayflies), yellow sally stoneflies (size 14-12 yellow), caddis (several species, tan and cream size 16-10 – fast active fliers), golden stoneflies (big size 8 with dark gold body) and even some late salmonflies (giant size 2, three inches long).  There are also some different drake species of large mayflies hatching that can excite fish such as brown and eventually green drakes.  Make sure to have all stages of the life cycles in your boxes.  For mayfly species like the pale morning dun have nymphs, emergers, cripples, duns and spinners.  For caddis have larva, pupae and adults.  For stoneflies nymphs and adults.

Fly selection

You basically have to determine if you are going to match the hatch or bust the hatch this time of year.  When you can see fish actively rising on the surface it is generally best to match the hatch.  The same as true before a hatch, nymphing with the imitation of the nymph or emerger that the fish will see later is a good bet.  When the hatch starts if fish are on the surface it is best to match the hatch or try a “cripple” or “emerger” pattern behind an adult imitation.  If the hatch gets to a blanket stage then try a size or two larger than the natural.  If fish are not taking flies off the surface then the nymphing game can be tougher during the peak of the hatch unless you are sight casting.  There can be so many naturals underwater that your imitation has beat the odds that are often 100:1 with so many real bugs in the water.  If you are nymphing during a strong hatch it is often better to switch to much larger patterns or streamers dead drifted or stripped rather than compete with naturals.

Interestingly when a hatch is sparse we flip flop are strategy.  On the surface you can still catch fish with an exact imitation but you can often be even more successful with a large attractor fly that will move fish farther.  The trout aren’t so keyed in on the natural that they won’t switch gears and eat something even bigger like a fat albert or chubby Chernobyl.  When nymphing it is nice to continue to have an exact imitation but consider trailing it behind something larger like a big stonefly nymph, crayfish or sculpin.

Reading water

Flows are all over the place right now on different rivers.  On fisheries that have already dropped significantly trout are already moving into deeper runs for protection but on the rivers with higher flows they are in the safe havens that have slower current speeds like along banks, behind rocks and on the inside corners of bends or slower tail-outs.

Click here: https://fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/cooney

Missouri River Fly Fishing Report by Yellowdog Fly Fishing (July 24, 2024)

Flow Data: Missouri River below Holter Dam near Wolf Creek, MT

Water temperatures are getting up to 68 degrees in the evening. Higher below Craig. Fish early and get off early to avoid putting extra stress on the fish. Hoppers are now in play on the MO. Henneberry Hopper or Morrish hopper are a few of my personal favorites. The tricos are now hatching in huge numbers with the spinner fall starting at about 9AM. Dry fly fishing is getting tougher and tougher every day. PMD’s are still hatching in good numbers but the hatch is starting to slow down. The PMD last chance cripple, PMD CDC Comparadun, Hi-vis rusty spinner are all great options. Caddis are out all day. Cornfed Caddis or Missing link caddis are a few of my favorites for the caddis munching trout. The nymphing is still really good. Perdigons have been working great. A Little Green Machine or Crackback PMD are excellent nymph choices currently. Fish are both deep and in shallow areas so it is nice to have a short leash rig and a deep nymph rig ready to go.

Chancy and Dave’s Fish Camp Fishing Report (July 17, 2024)

Flathead Fishing Report by the Macman at Zimmer Tackle (July 24, 2024)

Madison River Outfitters Fishing Report (July 7, 2024)

Montana

Hebgen: The lake has been heating up (in more ways than one). Theres been plenty of gulpers on the north shore, key in to the calmer days with just a tiny touch of chop. They’re rising most often on callibaetis spinners and duns in the mornings and evenings, with the odd fish pounding damsels.  We’ve been producing pretty well on stripped leeches and similarly small streamers as well.

Flies: #8 Black or Olive Simi Seal Leech, #6 Balanced Squirrel Leech Black, #6 Olive or Black Hot Bead Leech, #8 Booby Leach, #8 Thin Mint, #18 BBQ Baetis, #12 Balanced Damsel, #14 Olive Nugget, #12 O.S. Buzzer, #16 Found Link Callibaetis, #16 Long Tailed Spinner Callibaetis,

#16 Purple Missing Link, #20 Low Water Baetis

Flows:
Inflow to Hebgen Lake: 664.5 cfs
Hebgen Lake Outflow: 1252 cfs
Kirby Flows: 1330 cfs

Temp @ Kirby: High – 68.18 F

                        Low – 57.56 F

** Flows as of 12pm June 24th, 2024 **

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MRO Guide BJ Stone’s Client Paula tied up to a nice YNP Cutthroat

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Upper Madison:

The upper is still fishing well, but the midday heat is certainly affecting the fishery. Nymphing is your best bet – the fish will be sitting deep or in the heavy water where the oxygen is. Watch the temperature in the coming days/weeks and look out for further FWP Hoot Owl restrictions – give em a break!

Flies: #16 Sunburst Perdigon, #16 Black OR Red Krystal Dip, #14 Olive Grub, #14 Pilva’s Perdigon – Olive, #16 BWO Loopwing, #14 Iron Sally, #18 BWO Magic Fly, #16 Royal Chubby, #16 Rocky Mountain Mint – PMD, #14 Chocolate X-Caddis, #14 CDC & Elk Caddis – Black, #12 Royal Water Walker, #12 Fools Gold Golden Stone, #12 Peacock Chubby Chernobyl

MRO Guide Tom Forsberg and client Erin Matthews with a stout Upper Madison Brown

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MRO Guide Tom Forsberg and his Client showing off a BEAUTIFUL Upper Madison Brown

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YNP
The Northeast Corner of YNP is currently on hoot owl ( legal fishing hours -sunrise to 2pm)

*****The Madison, Firehole, and Gibbon (below Norris Campground), and ALL associated tributaries are all closed indefinitely due to high temperatures and low flows. *****

With the recent ( much needed) closure of most of the fisheries on the western side of the park, our focus is shifting to the NE Corner of YNP. The Yellowstone, Lamar, Soda Butte, and Slough Creek are all currently on Hoot Owl restrictions, but still fishing decent in the mornings. These cutties are notorious for liking bright, bushy dries; and not being shy when it comes to rising. Smaller streamers can also be effective here.

Flies: #14 UV Pink Chubby, #12 Royal Wulff, #12 Slough Creek Drake Mackerel, #12 Peacock Chubby, #8 Rio’s Juicy Stone – Salmonfly, #16 DOA PMD, #18 CDC Biot BWO Comparadun, #16 Elk Hair Caddis – Dark Brown OR Olive, #18 Purple Missing Link, #6 CH Sparkle Minnow – Brownie, #6 Peanut Envy – Olive OR Brown

Flows:
Madison near West Yellowstone: – *closed*
Yellowstone below Yellowstone Lake: – 2490 cfs
Gibbon: – *closed*

Firehole: – *closed*

Lamar: – 320 cfs – hoot owl
Gallatin near Big Sky: 390 cfs
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Get out there!

Flathead Valley Fishing Report by Snappy’s Sport Senter (July 19, 2024)

Bozeman Fishing Reports (July 18, 2024)

The fly fishing in Montana near Bozeman has settled into a stable summer pattern now that river levels have stabilized following the spring runoff. As hatches become increasingly sparse, anglers fishing in Southwest Montana will have more success with generalist fly patterns as both dries and nymphs. Terrestrial patterns that imitate hoppers, Spruce Moths, ants, and beetles are beginning to be effective on small streams and in the upstream portions of most of our main waterways. A wide variety of fly fishing techniques and fly patterns are effective right now, the key to success is to fish early in the day.

Summertime in Montana is surprisingly hot to many visitors as daytime temperatures routinely climb well into the 90s during the long days of June and July. Water temperatures rise on the rivers and lakes across the northern Rockies this time of the year.

Many of the low-elevation portions of the rivers in Montana often fall under a “Hoot Owl” fishing restriction during the summertime in which angling is restricted to the hours between midnight and 2 pm. Regardless of whether or not these restrictions are in place, the best fly fishing near Bozeman takes place in the morning and early afternoon hours right now. Keep current with fishing restrictions and closures on Montana FWP’s website.

The upper Madison, Yellowstone, and upper Gallatin rivers are all fishing well with a variety of attractor dries and nymphs. Streamer fly fishing has been surprisingly effective as well, especially between first light and the first half hour of sunlight on the Yellowstone River. Hoppers and nocturnal stones are only a week or so away from starting to be our mainstays on the big rivers.

Hauser Reservoir Fishing Report (July 22, 2024)

Walleye fishing has been good inside the Causeway Arm, out from Black Sandy and around the Dredge Piles while using perch-colored jigs tipped with worms or leeches. A few perch are being caught while jigging for walleye. Rainbow fishing has been good during the early morning hours from Black Sandy to the Powerlines while trolling Ford Fenders or cowbells and wedding rings with lead core line and below Canyon Ferry Dam with worms and a marshmallow, power bait, or Marabou jigs.  Chris Hurley, FWP, Helena

Kootenai River Fishing Report by Linehan Outfitting (July 16, 2024)

This Kootenai River Montana fishing report is being brought to you by Orvis Endorsed Linehan Outfitting.  This report will be updated weekly to provide current conditions, weather, hatches, patterns, and flows to our local waters and across the state.

Flows from Libby Dam:  4000cfs

Water temperature at Libby Dam: 42 degrees

Hatches: midge, baetis

patterns:  zebra midge, parachute Adams, parachute pmd, Rosenbauer’s olive rabbit foot emerger, purple haze, purple chubby, red chubby, olive sparkle dun,bh prince, soft SJ worm, bh pheasant tail, bh rubber legged stonefly, big streamers in white, pink and olive, circus peanut, black conehead buggers

It’s not quite spring up here in Kootenai River country but we have good news.  Flows from Libby Dam have been reduced and will be stable at 4000cfs through the end of March for now.  That means there’s some great early season fishing available right now.

Expect more clammy cloudy weather through the weekend and into next week.  March continues to come in like a lion and we’ve yet to see the lamb.  Rain and snow mix will dominate forecast.  Fortunately daytime temps will ooch into the forties which is at least a small sign of spring around here.

At the moment the river is clear and in good shape.  Don’t expect much in the way of dry fly fishing and insect activity until we get some substantially warmer daytime temperatures.  The water is still cold but trout will start to feed a bit in the coming weeks.

This is always a good time of year for nymphing.  With low flows you don’t need a heavy rig.  You just need to get the flies down in softer runs and pools where trout are most likely to be holding this time of year.  Don’t spend a ton of time fishing fast riffles.

Streamer fishing is also productive this time of year especially since bigger fish will be hungry after laying low for a couple months during the dead of winter.  Keep in mind they will not necessarily want to move too fast or too far to get a meal.  Get your streamers down and fish them slowly and erratically.  Nothing like a wounded minnow to get a big rainbow interested in at least a sniff.

In Boston Red Sox news, it’s PLAY BALL!  After several weeks of a lockout the players union owners have finally come to an agreement.  Spring training will start immediately and while opening day was and remains delayed until April 7, the season will still be 162 games.  For now the Sox have managed to keep essentially the same playoff roster they had last season.  Infielders Dalbec, Arroyo, Bogaerts, and Devers are key players.  In the outfield Jackie Bradley Jr. has returned to Boston and Kike Hernandez and Verdugo will anchor the deep green.  Ace Chris Sale will hopefully be healthy and other starters from last year will hopefully pick up where they left off in October.  Go Sox!!!

Give a call anytime if you need more Kootenai River details or information on any of our hunting or fishing adventures.  And please check out our e-commerce site for all Linehan Outfitting branded swag and Orvis gear. https://linehan-outfitting.myshopify.com/

We look forward to hearing from you.  406-295-4872

Bighorn River Fishing Report via Yellow Dog Fly Fishing (July 24, 2024)

Flow Data: Bighorn River near St. Xaiver, MT

With excessive heat throughout the state, the Bighorn has remained far cooler than all the options around Bozeman. Fishing has been good as well. Aquatic grasses can be frustrating but if you can keep the weeds off your nymphs the fishing has been good. Dry fly action has also been good to great. PMD’s have been hatching and fish have been eating them when they are on the water. Duns and Cripples have been working great throughout the day with spinners working best late in the evening and early in the mornings. The Crime Scene Caddis and Cornfed Caddis have worked well. Ants, hoppers and beetles have been working well when prospecting. Fish have been eating Caddis and PMD nymphs well. The Pheasant Tail nymph is an excellent option for the mayfly nymph eating trout. PMD trigger nymph and the Hares Ear Dirty Bird have also been great nymph options.

Upper Madison River Fishing Report by River’s Edge (July 20, 2024)

Tongue River Reservoir State Park 

Headhunters Fly Shop Missouri River Fishing Forecast (July 24, 2024)

Gallatin River Fishing Report by Montana Angler (July 19, 2024)

The Gallatin River near Big Sky and Bozeman is flowing at a good level to cover a lot of water. Flows are slightly lower than long term averages but that hasn’t stopped the consistent fishing action on the Gallatin. The best action right now on the Gallatin River is with tandem nymph rigs fished subsurface. See the list of flies below for the best choices. With the low, clear water for success you will need to drop down in tippet sizes so you are getting a better drift. Many anglers are going to 9 foot 5X leaders with 5X fluorocarbon for their tippets. Trout are being found in the 5-6 feet deep medium fast runs during most of the day.

Hatches of caddis are waning and a few PMDs can still be spotted hatching in the riffles and some Yellow Sally stoneflies are also being spotted, but the anticipation is high for spruce moths to pop any day now. What has been unique this summer has been an abundant hatches of Drakes. They are size 12-14 and have been mostly spotted hatching from the backend/shelfs of riffles from around 10 AM till about 2 PM.

As the river continues to drop and clear expect trout to become a little more selective in their feeding habits. With so much public access on the Gallatin River near Big Sky, anglers that are willing to hike a little from a common access or parking area are going to find more consistent fishing.

The Month Ahead:

The next month on the Gallatin River means the river will drop and clear, but the Gallatin River has some of the coldest water in southwest Montana because of the high elevation and deep canyon so it makes it ideal for anglers looking for plenty of DYI opportunities. Trout are going to be feeding in several types of water for the next few weeks. More fish are going to be found in riffles and deeper runs than along bankside structure.

Flies for the Gallatin River for the Next Month:

Lightening Bugs in sizes 16-18

Zebra Midges in black, red, or olive in sizes 18-22

Pheasant Tails in sizes 16-20

Chubby Chernobyl in black, olive, or royal in sizes 12-16

Little Spankers in sizes 18-20

Pat’s Rubberlegs in sizes 12-14

Hi-Vis caddis in sizes 12-16

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