Statewide MT Fishing Report Compilation 8.14.24

Please check the fishing regulations before fishing.

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Holter Reservoir Fishing Report by FWP (August 12, 2024)

The perch bite has been amazing from Cottonwood Creek to the Dam while jigging with worms around weed beds in 10 to 18 feet of water. A few walleye are being caught in the same areas as the perch. Good numbers of large kokanee continue to be caught Just above the Dam while trolling 60 to 70 feet deep with green or pink Dodgers and kokanee spinners tipped with corn. Some nice rainbows are being caught throughout the reservoir while trolling Ford fenders or cowbells with leaded line tipped with wedding rings and a worm.  Chris Hurley, FWP, Helena

Southwest MT Fishing Report by Jimmy’s Fly Shop (August 10, 2024)

Spruce Moth

Thunder showers have slowed Hebgen Lake gulper fishing from time to time, but morning trico activity is coming on. Spruce moths are coming out along forested reaches of the Madison and Gallatin Rivers. Add this to active stream-side ants, hoppers and afternoon caddis activities, and these rivers are currently great for top water fly fishing. The West Fork of the Madison river has spruce moth activity for those fly fishers favoring small streams.

Flies to fish:

• Koichi’s Snowshoe Spruce Moth
• Indicator Para Trico
• Chubby Cubby-Black

Jefferson River Fishing info by Fins and Feathers (August 9, 2024)

The Jefferson River is currently closed to all fishing as of Aug. 3 throughout it’s course

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.

Check out Montana FWP’s website for the most up to date information on restrictions in the area.

Hell Creek General Recreation Information (August 14, 2024)

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

Gallatin River Fishing Report via Fins and Feathers (August 14, 2024)

Fly fishing the Gallatin River has really been inconsistent the last several days or week as afternoon thundershowers have been casuing streamflow and water clarity to fluctuate from day to day. The river, downstream of the Taylor Fork, is pretty dirty today and really not worth the drive or effort – TODAY. Its always worth checking the webcam link below and taking a quick look at the streamflow below as well – before heading out to the Gallatin River following thunderstorms this time of the year. If the flow levels are going up, then its usually best to look elsewhere or hit some of the small creeks in the Gallatin Canyon like Portal or Storm Castle.

The lower river has dropped considerably and portions are now 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.

Yellowstone River Fishing Report by Bozeman Fly Supply (August 13, 2024)

Fishing on the Yellowstone is pretty good right now! There are certainly fish looking up for dry flies right now and a dry dropper rig has been our go to recently over on the stone. We have been hearing good reports of fish eating smaller hoppers up high and bigger hoppers down lower, and good action with Stimulators, and guide Winna-Spinna’s. Some good droppers over there have been small/medium sized flashy flies like the Duracell, Frenchie, Perdigon, Blow torches, and the Sizzlin’ Hot Squirrel. 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 Sweetgrass hopper.

Suggested Fly Patterns

• Dry Fly

  Sweetgrass Hopper (8), Henneberry hopper grey (12), Thunder Thighs hopper Yellow/Tan (10), Donkey Kong hopper pink/tan (10-12) 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 Blue/Purple/Pearl (14-18), Jig thread Frenchie Brown/yellow (14-18), CDC Pheasant Tail (10-18), Jigster PMD (14-18), Formerly Known Prince Nymph (10-18), BH Hare’s Ear (12-18), Sizzlin’ Hot Squirrel (14-16), Matt’s Shagadelic Mop Tan/Brown/Chartreuse/Cheeto (10)

Flint Creek Fishing Report by Flint Creek Outdoors (August 10, 2024)

Hoppers, beetles, and ants have been working very well. Hoppers and ants during the day and in the evening small dries like a purple haze and a brindle chutes are working very well in the evenings.

Please respect all private property and fishing signs. At the corral on the Johnson Tuning Fork spot if the sign is up please find another spot to access.

See below for our tips on fishing Flint Creek near Philipsburg, Montana.

Here are a few tips for fly fishing Flint Creek:

1. Try nymphing in deep pools or under the banks.
2. Fish a single dry on the bank or the bubble lines.
3. Try swinging a streamer or a soft hackle through the ripples.

Here are a few fly suggestions:

1. Kreelex – Gold and Copper size 6

2. TJ Hooker – Brown and Black size 12

3. TJ Hooker – Tan and Brown size 12

4. PMD, size 12-14

5. Jig Frenchie – size 14,16

6. Spanish Bullet – black size 14,16

7. Pheasant Tail Nymph size 16-20

Flows and looking ahead:

Flow: 134 cfs at the time of publishing this report

Here is a link to the Flint Creek USGS Water Information.

Southwest Montana Fishing Overview by Montana Angler (August 9, 2024)

We are in August here in Montana and things are slowly turning a corner from the heat of late July to some longer and cooler nights coming very soon. For fishing in southwest Montana these next few weeks, terrestrials really start to show themselves on our local waters. Hatches of caddis are active throughout the day. PMDs are still bumping around 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 provides 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

As the heat of summer hits its high peak, hatches are going to also slow down. But often times along with the slowing down of hatches, an increase in terrestrial action takes places. This time of year it is crucial to 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

Hatches of stoneflies and PMDs are less frequent than earlier in the summer. Even though aquatic insects are by far the dominate food source right now on most streams and rivers, trout are still opportunists and they often will feed on the most abundant food source. 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.   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.

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.

Missouri River Fly Fishing Report by Yellowdog Fly Fishing (August 14, 2024)

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

Hoppers or hoppers with droppers seem to be the way to go on the Missouri these days. Fish can be found eating tricos here and there but the hatch already seems to be tapering off. If you are not posted up on a pod of trico eaters, a cruising a hopper with a dropper has been a very effective way to catch fish. Henneberry Hopper or Morrish hopper are a few of my personal favorites for the Missouri. The nymphing is still really good. Perdigons have been working great. A Little Green Machine or Red Zebra Midge 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. The weeds are certainly a factor. The lower on the river and angler goes, the more time they will spend clearing off their bugs.

Chancy and Dave’s Fish Camp Fishing Report (August 8, 2024)

Flathead Lake- Good white fish action- South end try Skidoo Bay, Finley Point, Elmo and Big arm areas. North end of lake try Woodsbay, Caroline Point , Delta and West Shore area. Look in 40-60’ of water with green jigging spooon 5/8 oz – 3/4 oz. Also good lake trout action trolling large flatfish or silver flasher and Brads cut plug.

Dickey Lake- good salmon fishing trolling mid lake, small dodgers and micro squids.

Lower Stillwater- Lots of smaller pike, a few nice perch.

Hungry Horse Resevoir- trolling small gold or copper spoons for cutts. Few nice bull trout trolling large plugs.

Upper Swan River- Goid fly fishing for trout, try spinner also spin fishing.

Lake Mary Ronan- Nice perch action jigging 25’ of water. Try gitzit jigs or small crawdad plastics.

Smith Lake- Lots of small pike, try spinnerbaits or topwater.

Bitterroot Lake- Good salmon action trolling mid lake. Good fish up to 18”.

Flathead Fishing Report by the Macman at Zimmer Tackle (August 1, 2024)

Madison River Outfitters Fishing Report (August 11, 2024)

Montana

Hebgen: ( not much has changed since the last report) – The lake has been heating up (in more ways than one). There’s 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: 589 cfs
Hebgen Lake Outflow: 967 cfs
Kirby Flows: 1080 cfs

Temp @ Kirby: High – 62 F

                        Low – 57 F

** Flows as of 12pm August 11th, 2024 **

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MRO Guide Noah Norwood with a nice ‘Bow on a day off

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Upper Madison:

The upper is fishing better thanks in part to the cooler weather lately. Hoppers are starting to bring some heads to the surface slowly but surely. With these rainy and overcast days, we’re getting good hatches of baetis and epeorus mayflies. Pound the banks and look for sneaky deep spots and cut banks amongst the uniform shallows. Attractors will get some rises as well, but as always nymphing is your best bet – most of the fish are going to be deep during the mid day heat and sun.

Flies: #16 Sunburst Perdigon, #18 S&M Dark Baetis, #18 Purple JJ Baetis, #16 Black OR Red Krystal Dip, #14 Pilva’s Perdigon – Olive, #16 BWO Loopwing, #18 BWO Magic Fly, #16 Royal Chubby, #18 CDC BWO Biot Comparadun, #12 Yellow Carnage Hopper, #12 Pink Thunder Thighs, #20 Low Water Baetis, #16 Purple Parachute

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A pretty shot of a moody Hebgen Lake afternoon

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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 Yellow Thunder Thighs, #12 Peacock Chubby, #16 Pink Chili Dog, #18 CDC Biot BWO Comparadun, #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: – 1660 cfs
Gibbon: – *closed*

Firehole: – *closed*

Lamar: – 246 cfs – hoot owl
Gallatin near Big Sky: 406 cfs
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Get out there!

Flathead Valley Fishing Report by Snappy’s Sport Senter (August 3, 2024)

Bozeman Fishing Reports (August 8, 2024)

The recent cooldown has brought a brief respite from the summer heat for both anglers and the wild trout that inhabit the world-renown fly fishing rivers near Bozeman, Montana. It looks like we have more mild weather in store for the region next week as well.

Our Montana fishing guides have been focusing on the upper Madison and Yellowstone rivers the last couple of weeks as the season transitions from hatch-driven days to “hopper season.” We have been continuing to get on the water early, focusing on fly fishing with nymphs or hopper/dropper rigs throughout Southwest Montana. As the sun gets higher in the sky, we are seeing more and more fish keying into hoppers so we have been quick to remove the dropper and fish the shallow, fast runs throughout the late morning and early afternoon.

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.

Hauser Reservoir Fishing Report (August 12, 2024)

The walleye bite has been good around York Bridge, Eldorado Bar, and in the Causeway Arm while using jigs tipped with worms or leeches. A few perch are being caught while jigging for walleyes. Some nice rainbows are being caught between Black Sandy and the Powerlines while trolling Ford fenders or cowbells with leaded line tipped with crawlers and below Canyon Ferry Dam with Panther Martin spinners or worms and a marshmallow.  Chris Hurley, FWP, Helena

Kootenai River Fishing Report by Linehan Outfitting (August 12, 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

Gallatin River Fishing Report by Montana Angler (August 14, 2024)

The Gallatin River near Big Sky and Bozeman can fish well in August. Just be willing to hike some from the parking lots of fish early in the morning or late into the evening. Reports of spruce moths are growing stronger every day in the Gallatin canyon near Big Sky. The hatch hasn’t gone bonkers yet, and if this year is anything like last year, it may not. But if it does I am sure social media will be buzzing with reports.

With the low and clear flows on the Gallatin right now fishing subsurface is the best way to get into fish at the moment. Choose tandem nymph rigs with flies in the size 18-22 range. Flows have stabilized some and are very close to long term averages. 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

Sawyer PTs in sizes 18-22

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

Bighorn River Fishing Report via Yellow Dog Fly Fishing (August 14, 2024)

Flow Data: Bighorn River near St. Xaiver, MT

Fishing remains pretty consistently good on the Bighorn. Aquatic grasses can be frustrating but if you can keep the weeds off your flies the fishing has been good. Dry fly action has also been good to great but the PMD hatches are starting to slow down. When the PMD’s are on the water the 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 after noon. 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 (August 8, 2024)

Tongue River Reservoir State Park 

Headhunters Fly Shop Missouri River Water Flow Projection (August 11, 2024)

East Gallatin River Fishing Report by Montana Angler (August 14, 2024)

The East Gallatin River flows near Bozeman, Montana. The river is no longer Hoot Owl Restrictions. If you do fish, please fight fish quickly and keep them in the water at all times when releasing them. The Hoot owl restrictions (2:00 p.m. to midnight) are in effect for the entirety of the East Gallatin River. From its origin at the confluence of Rocky and Bear creeks to the Gallatin River Nixon Bridge.

At these low flows, the wading is easy but it is crucial to get an early start and stop fishing once the water begins to feel warm or the sun gets high enough in the sky that you can feel the heat of it.

A stream thermometer is always a good idea to have in your fishing gear arsenal.

Considering a fly fishing trip to the Bozeman, Montana area? Read one of more recent blog posts: Five of the Best Rivers to Fish Near Bozeman, Montana. 

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