Please check the fishing regulations before fishing.
Holter Reservoir Fishing Report by FWP (October 21, 2024)
Fishing from shore for rainbows has been very productive at the Gates of the Mountains, the BLM boat ramp, and from Departure Point while using crawlers and a marshmallow, powerbait, or leech pattern flies. Boat anglers are catching good numbers of rainbows on the lower end of the reservoir while trolling cowbells with various spinner rigs tipped with worms. A few kokanee are being caught while casting spoons or spinners, or just plain crawlers at the BLM boat ramp. A few perch and an occasional walleye are being caught while vertical jigging near points and weed beds. Chris Hurley, FWP, Helena
A few nice afternoons remain for swinging soft hackle flies and presenting BWO life cycle and white miller caddis patterns on the Firehole River. Other than that, brown trout season is running supreme. Expect crowds pitching streamer and big soft hackle patterns on the Madison River, whether it be along the west entrance highway or in the Beaver Meadows between the Barns Holes and Baker’s Hole campground. The Lewis River channel between Lewis and Shoshone Lakes will become a destination for fly fishers from all over the world. Best times of day to enjoy these fish is first light before shoreline angling traffic puts them down. The brown trout runs into the Snake and Gardner Rivers are starting with peaks coming late in the month. Watch the weather, as “Old Man Winter” can take month long residence any time.
Streamflow is much improved now that irrigators are finished for the long 2024 season. The improved flow helps disperse trout from the few deep holes and riffles where they have been congregating throughout the summer and fall.
With the improved flows, the anglers fishing the Jefferson River can now expect more variety during their fishing days. Nymphing with small sculpin or crayfish imitations continues to be productive through holes below dropoffs and around structure. Add a san juan worm (pink)dropper to your favorite crayfish for dead-drifting for better action.
This is streamer fly fishing season for our Montana fishing guides on the Jefferson River. We have some cold, wet days in the forecast, which should keep the fish more active throughout the day rather than just early and late like we have been seeing the last month.
Expect some blue-winged olive hatches if clouds do, in fact, show up next week with some mild temperatures. There can be some really nice dry fly fishing this time of year on the Jefferson when the conditions are right, during the early afternoons.
Hell Creek General Recreation Information (October 23, 2024)
Gallatin River fishing has improved since this last cold front passed through late last week. Partly cloudy conditions the next few days should keep the trout feeding with more regularity than we were seeing earlier in the month.
Blue-winged olive and midge hatches have been happening with more frequency, creating longer “windows” of opportunity for the dry fly angler. Fly fishing the river in the Gallatin Canyon, in between the Lava Lake turnoff and Big Sky, during the late mornings has been good for a few of our dry fly only friends.
Nymph fishing is the most productive fly fishing technique throughout the Gallatin River, currently. Tandem nymph rigs with a prince nymph variation like the Psycho Prince or a King Prince in sizes #12-14 followed by a small perdigon in a size 16 are the standard rigs for our guides, right now.
This unsettled weather is a great time to throw streamers as cloud cover gives the trout a sense of security during this low water time of year. Work the undercut banks and deep holes next to structures like logjams and boulders with lightly colored, articulated flies. The Gallatin River sections near Gallatin Gateway are great places to do some walk-wading and streamer fly fishing near Bozeman.
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.
Fishing on the Yellowstone is finally starting to pick up with the cooler temperatures, and we have all been hearing good reports of the river from Livingston all the way up into the park. Fishing has been more consistent with nymphs and streamers as of late with stoneflies, worms, prince nymphs, sizzlin’ hot squirrels, bead baetis, blowtorch’s, and duracell’s having the spotlight. As far as streamers go, some of the bigger flies have been working better for us with the double gonga, sex dungeon, Schultz’y sculpin, sluggo’s, and swim coach’s being our best flies as of late.
Suggested Fly Patterns
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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)
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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)
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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)
Nymphs and streamers in the morning. Look to get out there around 10 as the water warms up. Mornings have been pretty cold. Not much action on top until late in the evening.
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.
Stop by the shop in Philipsburg for the latest report and for everything you need for your trip. We’re open 7-4 Everyday Tight lines!
The fall fishing season has been pretty consistent here in Montana. Our weather has been absolutely gorgeous and pleasant with sunny days and cool nights. Fortunately for dry fly anglers and streamer anglers, it looks like we have a small cold front that is going to bring some rain and snow for late this week. Which means dry fly anglers and streamer anglers are going to rejoice!
With leaves changing colors, Blue-Winged Olives and pseudo mayflies are hatching every day. Streamflows are low and clear. We are in the heart of the fall fishing season here in Montana and it is going to stay that way for another month or so.
Even with the longer and cooler nights, our cold and wet spring means there are ample grasses which means there are also plenty of grasshoppers and the hoppers are still around.
Check out some of our recent blogs on Five Rivers to Fish This Fall and The Mayfly You Need to Know: Catch More Fish by Understanding Blue-Winged Olives. All of our rivers are in great shape to finish out the season–which will last into November!
Overview
Fall season fishing is a mix of matching the hatch and prospecting. The primary hatch in the fall is the Blue-Winged Olive mayfly. Some of our rivers like the Missouri, Madison, Yellowstone and Gallatin can also see sporadic hatches of October caddis. The Missouri River has the most consistent October caddis hatch. Aside from Blue-Winged Olives and October caddis anglers is fall focus on fishing with streamers or some lingering fishing with terrestrials.
The fall season is when brown trout begin to get aggressive and territorial prior to the spawn. This means some of the year’s biggest brown trout are caught. On the Yellowstone, Madison, and Missouri River anglers willing to commit to fishing big flies for big fish may very well land the fish of the year or possibly a lifetime.
Many of our small creeks are flowing very low so they are often not the best option for fishing.
Lakes have cooled from the heat of high summer and come back to being a viable option. Fall callibaetis and midge hatches can provide some exciting sight-fishing opportunities, but most anglers during fall in Montana focus on the many larger freestone rivers and tailwaters.
Hatches
Blue-Winged Olive mayflies can hatch on any given day during the next six to eight weeks on many of our local rivers can experience consistent hatches of this size 16 to 18 mayfly. Overcast and rainy or snowy days are the ideal conditions for a strong hatch, however they can occur on sunny days, but more likely to hatch in inclement weather. A hatch of Blue-Winged Olives in fall typically starts around 10 or 11 AM and can last until 3 or 4 PM. The exact timing is entirely dependent on exact weather on the given day.
October caddis is a relevant hatch for anglers in fall on fly fishing waters near Bozeman, Montana. Unlike hatches of Blue-Winged Olives and other more well-known hatches, October caddis are sporadic and do not hatch with any regularity. Fishing an October caddis hatch is a lot like fishing grasshoppers because you will unlikely see adult naturals fluttering with any regularity. You will see the occasional adult emerge every so often. The best way is to commit to fishing these large dry flies as part of a dry-dropper rig. For the dropper you can choose a large caddis nymph or a Blue-Winged Olive nymph. Most October caddis adults range in size from 8 to 12, with 10 being the most common.
Fly selection
For Blue-Winged Olives:
Nymphs:
Beadhead Little Green Machines in olive or natural in sizes 16 to 22
Beadhead Hare’s Ears in sizes 16 to 22
Beadhead Perdigons in natural, olive, peacock, black, in sizes 16 to 22
Sawyer Pheasant Tails in sizes 16 to 22
Emergers:
RS2 in olive in size 16 to 22
WD-40 in olive or brown in size 16 to 22
Captive Dun/Emergers in size 18 to 22
Dries and Spinners:
Para Adams or Para Purple Haze in size 16 to 22
Compardun in BWO in size 16 to 22
Brooks Sprout in size 16 to 22
Rusty Spinner in size 16 to 22
October caddis:
Stimulators in orange or royal in size 8 and 10
Chubby Chernobyl in rust or golden in size 8 and 10
Elk Hair caddis in orange in size 8 and 10
Beadhead Bird of Prey in size 8 -12
Beadhead cased caddis in size 8-12
Streamers and baitfish for big brown trout
Home Invaders in darker/contrasting colors in size 2 – 10
Sculpzillas in black, olive, or brown in size 2- 10
Sparkle Minnows in a variety if colors in size 2 – 10
Your favorite go-to stream pattern
Reading water
Because most of our local rivers and creeks are flowing low and clear in fall, reading water is not as crucial as early summer, but how you approach the stream and the water you target is absolutely crucial. Fall is best summed up by Blue-Winged Olive hatches and chasing big trout with streamers. Most trout in fall are going to be found in the deeper, medium slow water. On large rivers like the Yellowstone or Missouri look for trout to be holding in water that is between 4 and 6 feet deep and not moving very fast, but still has current. If a hatch of Blue-Winged Olives begins, the trout will remain in the medium speed water and in 4 to 6 feet deep range but as adult mayflies hatch and they congregate in foamlines or backeddies and slower seams, the trout will follow the food. At the end of a Blue-Winged Olive hatch look for the slower water and for fish cruising and eating adults or spinners.
When fishing streamers, target the medium speed water and 4 to 6 feet depth range but also any place where a large fish can wait in ambush. These can be undercut banks, in and around structure like submerged logs or rocks, and, lastly, any type of drop-off. Drop-offs can be the deeper water at the end of a riffle, the dark water off a shelf or rock rip-rap, or a any pockets or structure near deeper water.
Flow Data: Missouri River below Holter Dam near Wolf Creek, MT
Fishing has some real potential on the Missouri with a bit of cloud cover this week. Nymphing has been the most productive method to catch fish. The dry fly fishing has been OK but when you find fish rising and present them with a Parachute Adams, midge cluster, or BWO Comparadun paired with a good drift they will likely eat the fly. Weather looks favorable next week for dry fly action. Fish have been steadily eating Olive Micro Mays, Green machines, and caddis nymphs subsurface. Sowbugs are working once again! Tailwater Sowbug is tough to beat. Perdigons are consistently tricking fish. Olive and or Black have been best. If you want to Cruise a big dry fly, try an Orange Chubby to imitate an October Caddis. This large fly can produce some great top water explosions. Doesn’t hurt to try a streamer. Lil’ Kim or Goldie will work well.
Lake Mary Ronan- Good perch fishing, try 20’ of water at the SW end with JT TACKLE Mini Slabs.
Smith Lake- Pike fishing good, Spinner baits are productive.
Flathead Sloughs- Pike action on dead bait and flicker shads. Good crappie bite.
Flathead River- White Fish starting to show up in the river biting in JT TACKLE 1/2 and 1/4 oz green jig head and Bootjack Baits small green craws.
Flathead Lake- Lake Trout moving in shallow, try spoons and dead bait on bottom.
Van Lake- Goid trout action trolling spoons or Rapala’s.
Rodgers Lake- Excelling grayling action, small spinners or flies.
Loon Lake (TCL)- Small mouth action good, few nice pike.
Fishermen:
Mack days is until NOv. 3rd
Lake trout being caught in Blacks Point, Rocky Point
60 to 180 feet.
Perch good in Elmo
Bird staging to spawn (Lake Trout) in one week good fishing.
Small mouth in Flathead River below the bridge in 25 feet of water
with a Rattle D Zastor with a twister tail
Good Fishing
The macman
Hebgen: The lake has been tough lately, the cooler weather was looking great, but broke into bluebird skies and 70’s for the foreseeable future. The bugs are mostly gone but there are a few callibaetis and midges still hanging around. Stripping streamers and leeches in the upper reaches of the arms has been pretty productive for us. Alternatively, you can hang a leech to a baetis nymph under an indicator.
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, #6 Olive OR Brown Peanut Envy, #4 Supernatural Peanut – Olive, #6 Olive Montana Mouthwash, #18 BBQ Baetis, #18 Turkey Callibaetis, #12 Balanced Damsel, #14 Olive Nugget, #12 O.S. Buzzer
Flows:
Inflow to Hebgen Lake: 687 cfs
Hebgen Lake Outflow: 805 cfs
Kirby Flows: 875 cfs
Temp @ Kirby: High – 56 F
Low – 49 F
** Flows as of 12pm October 9th, 2024 **
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MRO Guide Noah Norwood with a beautiful lake brown
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Upper Madison:
The bright sunny days have made fishing a bit of a grind lately, but the Upper is still fishing ok. Aside from the odd baetis, the surface action has mostly come to a close this season. Nymphing is as consistent as ever – small & natural is the name of the game in the fall. Streamers and Leeches will definitely drag Ol’ Leroy out of the cutbanks and pools as autumn sets in and those browns get mean.
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, #18 CDC BWO Biot Comparadun, #20 Low Water Baetis, #16 Purple Parachute, #20 CW Trico Spinner, #18 CW Rusty Spinner, #4 Olive Supernatural Peanut, #6 Olive MT Mouthwash, #6 Olive/White Barely Legal, #8 Hot Bead Leech – Olive, Black, Brown
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MRO Guide Tyler Amory’s Client Chris with a fat Wade Section ‘Bow
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YNP
As of August 14th, The Northeast Corner of YNP’s hoot owl restrictions on Slough Creek, Soda Butte, Lamar River, and Yellowstone River have been lifted – Have fun!
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*****The Madison, and Gibbon are freshly open, and the Firehole and it’s tributaries are no longer hoot owled. Have Fun!*****
The western side of YNP is slowing down due to the bright and warm weather. Swinging just simply isnt as effective on fair weather days. Nymphing might net a fish or two, and the firehole still has some dry fly fishing to be had. The Northeast Corner is starting to slow down and was recently hit with a lot of rain, which has colored up many of the watersheds up there. There’s still some good fishing to be had before it gets too cold up there though!
Flies: #12 Partridge & Orange, #14 Partridge & Peacock, #16 Diving Caddis Olive, #8 Hot Bead Leech – Black, Olive, or Brown, #6 MT Mouthwash Olive, #6 Olive Slumpbuster, #6 CH Sparkle Minnow – Brownie, #6 Olive OR Brown Peanut Envy, #8 Thin Mint Hot Bead, #4 Supernatural Peanut – Olive & Black
Flows:
Madison near West Yellowstone: – 329 cfs
Yellowstone below Yellowstone Lake: – 667 cfs
Gibbon: – 86 cfs
Firehole: – 232 cfs & 64 F
Lamar: – 149 cfs
Gallatin near Big Sky: 269 cfs
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Get out there!
- Flathead Lake – Lakers are moving up the shallow pre-spawn. Try 20-40’ depths of water using large spoons, rapalas and cut bait on tubes. Perch are sitting about 30-50’ depths in the bays
- Koocanusa Reservoir – The boys are still having some success using trolling flies and plugs for Rainbows, especially around the Rexford Bench area
- Flathead River – Whitefish are running. Green “Little Hustler” tubes are what we are throwing. For fly fishing tie on some nymphs for the cuttys.
- Sloughs – Starting to slow down but we are still picking up Pike using whole fish.
- Lake Mary Ronan – Perch have been hitting small tungsten perch jigs tipped with a maggot. Gitzits also are doing the trick.
- Rogers Lake – We have been getting into some excellent Grayling and some really decent cutthroats as of late. Recommend throwing Thomas cyclones, small spoons and flies.
- Whitefish Lake – We are finding Lakers at about 20-30’ depths using tubes, jigs or cutbaits.
Unusually mild weather has been settled over Southwest Montana for the last few weeks, giving anglers fishing near Bozeman a bit of an extended season.
The best fly fishing near Bozeman is subsurface, this time of year. Although our guides have been moving and catching some nice brown trout with streamers, the action has all been during the low-light morning hours.
Blue-winged olives are starting to show up on area rivers with some dry fly fishing periods later in the afternoons and along local river sections with more shade. The Gallatin Canyon is a good place to look for some rising fish in the early afternoons right now.
Tandem nymph rigs have been the way to go for consistency on the rivers near Bozeman like the Madison, Gallatin, and Yellowstone. Small perdigons and mayfly nymph imitations in dark colors, fished about 5’ under a strike indicator along gentle, deeper current seams is the way to go right now.
Low, clear water is prevalent right now and requires stealthy approaches and finer tippets than anglers typically use when fly fishing in Montana, near Bozeman. Fluorocarbon tippet can be a real “game-changer” in these conditions.
It looks like we might get some clouds and rain towards the middle of the month – those are the conditions to look for if streamer fly fishing for brown trout is “up your alley.”
Hauser Reservoir Fishing Report (October 21, 2024)
Fishing from shore for rainbows has been very productive at the Causeway Bridge, Riverside Campground, and Black Sandy Campground with leech pattern flies, nightcrawlers and a marshmallow, or powerbait. Boat anglers are also catching good numbers of rainbows while trolling various crankbaits or cowbells between Black Sandy and York Bridge and inside of the Causeway Arm. Walleye and perch fishing has been slow. Chris Hurley, FWP, Helena
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
On the Gallatin River we’ve got cool nights and crisp mornings that lead into hatches of BWOs by 11ish and then start to simmer by 3ish/4ish. Start later in the morning for sure because water temps are hovering in the 40s. Additionally, the flows on the Gallatin River at the moment are low, which means the fish are concentrated in the deeper runs, pockets, and holes. Because the Gallatin River is low you will need to cover a lot of water when you fish. If you fish a deep run or hole and catch a few fish, consider moving up to the next run or hole. 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. 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.
The Month Ahead:
The Gallatin River near Big Sky and Bozeman in late fall can be one of the most consistent fisheries in the area. Flows are low and clear but that makes walk-and-wade fishing easy compared to summer when higher flows are the norm. The trout on the Gallatin River in late October and November are going to feed on a variety of insects. Mayfly and midge nymphs dominate the feeding chart for sure, but trout will also eat stonefly nymphs too.
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
The Paradise Valley Spring Creek can be a really good option this time of year. There has been some good midge action in the mornings, followed by BWOs in the afternoon. As always, a drag free drift is key for picky fish. Adding a light dropper can hook some of the more stubborn fish. Stay off the reds if you are wading around!
GO-TO FLIES:
-Traditional BWO #20
-Zebra Midge Black #18
-Erics Midge #20
-Glass Bullet Olive/Hot Collar #18
-BH Bugger Hot Red Black #8
Flow Data: Bighorn River near St. Xaiver, MT
The weather on the Bighorn looks even better than the Bozeman area this week. If you have some days it could be worth the trip. Nymphing has been the best option recently. A Black Micro Mayfly, Pearl/ Olive Jiggy Perdigon, Black Zebra Midge, or Tailwater Sowbug have worked the best. Worms are starting to play as well. San Juan Worm in wine is my all time favorite. Dry fly action has picked up slightly but it has not been great. Some BWO’s and midges are hatching but not many fish looking up. It is always worth trying a streamer if you are searching for a big predatory fish but the consistency has not been there. Should only get better if we could just get some cool cloudy weather.
809 CFS @ Kirby. The Upper Madison has been a great option lately. Midges and BWOs are around and with cloudy weather fish will start to look up. Nymphing has been the best option as of late. Worms, baetis nymphs, and zebra midges have all been successful lately. Streamer fishing has been day to day, with some very nice fish being caught!
GO-TO FLIES:
-Holo Flash Midge Red #18
-RS2 Emerger Olive #18
-JR CH Streamer Olive #6
-TB Split Case BWO #18
-BH Lightning Bug Pink #16
It is pretty good out there. The big bugs, large BWO and may hatch in localized areas, but have not seen a river-wide event in some time. Although, the dry fly fishing can and has been pretty good.
Different stretches of the river can hold bugs for the day, good hatches and success on the dry fly. Posted up and getting them.
Other reaches? Not as good.
Is there any way to tell which stretch will fish well today? I do not have the Genie in the Bottle but I can guess. And I do. And sometimes I guess wrong.
You? How are your guessing skills?
Fish to your strong points. Fish the water that you are comfortable with if you like to catch them or at least have an opportunity to get them on the dry fly.
Blind fishing has been good to as you have been reading the past couple weeks on this very blog.
Lots of regular non-local-locals in the area. Mostly looking for heads tossing streamers between SDFO opps.
The weather ahead looks sunny. Will it have some clouds in it? Will it be good for dry fly fishing? Only you can guess.
You do have to be here to really get a feel for what is happening. You gotta go to know.
So we always go.
We really do love this time frame on the Missouri River and let us know if we can help in any way for the future. We are here at the shop from 7am til 6pm daily for all your river needs like lodging, guiding, demo rods, flies, coffee, free high speed I-NET & info, and much, much more.
The East Gallatin River originates in the Bridger and Hyalite Mountains near Bozeman, Montana and is a local’s favorite for some small stream freestone river fishing. The fishing on the East Gallatin right now is going to feel more like summer right now with the warm weather. The fishing with terrestrials is still pretty solid. Blue Winged-Olives may show up if we get a cold snap comes through again…but it is not in the forecast.
The East Gallatin River is known this time of year for providing some good Do-It-Yourself walk and wade fishing. The hard part about the East Gallatin is getting legal access. There are several place to access the river, but sometimes parking is tough to find. If you do fish the East Gallatin be sure to know Montana’s Stream Access Law.
Tandem nymph rigs are going to be the best bet right now for the East Gallatin. Fish a two-fly rig with smaller beadheads such as PTs, Lightening bugs, King Princes, Perdigons, or your favorite small mayfly and caddis nymphs.
If you want some dry fly fishing for rising trout in the Bozeman area the East Gallatin River is the closest and most consistent bet right now. If you do go in hopes of finding fish on dry flies, Blue Winged Olives should start to hatch around 10/11 AM. Most trout on the East Gallatin River right now are going to be holding in medium-slow water waiting to pick off hatching insects. A few trout may still be looking for terrestrials. The East Gallatin River is also home to some great undercut banks so if you are looking to fish streamers and target some of the river’s larger trout, now is a good time work on your double-haul and fire a streamer into a dark and deep spot in hopes of finding a predacious brown trout.
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.
Flies for the East Gallatin River Right Now
Beadhead Pheasant Tails in size 14-22
Beadhead Little Green Machines in size 14-22
Beadhead Lightening Bugs in size 14-22
Beadhead King Princes in size 16-22
Parachute Adams or Purple Haze in size 16-22
BWO Comparaduns in sizes 14-22
Rusty spinners in size 16-20
Sculpzilla in black, olilve, or white in sizes 6-10
Sparkle Minnow in gold/olive in size 6 and 8
Beadhead worms in size 10
Canyon Ferry Reservoir Fishing Report by FWP (October 21, 2024)
Rainbows and walleye are being caught between the Silos and Hole in the Wall, Duck Creek to Pond 1 and around Confederate in 15-20 feet of water while using bottom-bouncers with flashers or slow-death rigs or crankbaits. Rainbows are being caught on the north end around Cemetery Island while trolling cowbells, spoons or crankbaits. Shore anglers are catching a few rainbows at the Silos, Hellgate and Shannon on worms or spoons. Troy Humphrey, FWP, Helena
Conditions are looking good for Spring creek dry fly fishing for the next week. Just need the bugs and the fish to cooperate. Still midges hatching in the mornings with a few Baetis coming off in the late mornings. Hopefully the BWO action will get even better with the cooler weather and clouds. Fish that are eating BWO’s are looking for small flies, #18- #22 BWO Comparadun is the way to go. Midges will hatch again the evening and fishing can be pretty good close to dark. BWO nymphs and emergers will be great options when the fish are eating sub-surface. Nymphing will be pretty consistent in the event that the trout do not want to cooperate and eat bugs from the surface.
*Flow Data: Yellowstone River near Livingston, MT
A little windy in the Livingston area this week but not crazy. Some cloud cover and mild weather will make for some good fishing. The BWO hatches seem pretty localized so if you do find risers it is worth working the fish for a while. A BWO Comparadun has worked great to trick fish eating Baetis. BWO nymphs are now working really well. Olive Micro Mayfly or pheasant tails have been excellent subsurface. Worms and stonefly nymphs will be a great option with the precipitation. With the favorable streamer conditions I like to start with a white Sex Dungeon and transition to a darker fly like an Ebony if the white does not work.
2.5/5
Tip of the Week:
What’s better than fishing a streamer? Well… fishing two streamers, of course! For starters, you’re going to want to make sure you have some trusted single hook streamers on deck for this one. Here in Montana, we aren’t allowed to use enough hooks to run a double articulated streamer rig. You’ll want a short and stout leader to make sure you can turn over both flies, ideally somewhere in the 4-8ft range and tapered down to no smaller than about 1X. Rig up your first streamer using a clinch knot to tie it on. Using about three feet of tippet, attach your second streamer to the bend of the hook on your first fly with a clinch knot. Using the tippet you just attached to the first fly, tie on your second streamer using a non-slip mono loop for a swimmy presentation. That’s about as complicated as you need to make it, but if you want to learn more about this strategy we’ll leave it to our friends over at Orvis, they’ve got a great article on different ways you can adapt this idea to your own applications. Check it out here: https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/classic-pro-tips-tandem-streamer-rigs-fall-trout?adv=587694&cm_mmc=Google-_-All-_-orvisnonbrand-_-170789342129-_-&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw68K4BhAuEiwAylp3khlNtNekXcZ4Vdt_47-sI_Ij29q7kiXG3DS8Py_hwXq6lPn_htaykhoC9a0QAvD_BwE
7 Day Outlook:
In the Missoula valley, this week’s weather forecast is looking more characteristic of mid-October. We’ll be getting scattered showers and clouds throughout the week and it appears that we may see some nighttime temperatures dip below freezing. This weather will be accompanied by some breezy weather in the afternoons but nothing too significant.
*Known Clark Fork Hazards:
Clinton-Turah: A few VERY sketchy spots through this section. Do not attempt unless you are very experienced.
Best Techniques:
Fishing has been a bit slower than we’d like but that hasn’t stopped us from enjoying the beautiful fall weather from on the river. This past week, anglers didn’t see as many dry fly eaters but nymphing and streamer fishing were productive. With the change in weather we may see more Blue Winged Olives this week. Keep an eye out for BWOs during late morning and early afternoon. In the evenings, keep your eyes peeled for October Caddis as well, they’ve been out there! Make sure to stop by and grab some of our new October Caddis and BWO patterns so you’re well prepared! If you’re nymphing, fish smaller mayfly nymphs, stonefly nymphs, and larger caddis pupa patterns. If you’re fishing streamers, make sure you’re fishing darker colored flies on those cloudy days. Olive and black streamers are a good bet in these conditions.
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DRIES
Para. Adams Sparkle Purple #12-18
Clook’s Beefcake Hecuba #12
Morrish October Caddis Adult #12
Mahogany Sparkle Dun #14-16
Parachute BWO #18-20
Missing Link BWO #13-20
NYMPHS
TJ Hooker #8-12 – Brown/Coffee
Hot Bead Power Worm #06-10
Jig Prince #8-12
Frenchie #12-14
Perdigons and Bullets #12-14
Duracell #12-16
Hot Bead Rubber Legs #8-12 – Black
STREAMERS
Lil’ Kim #04-08
Wooly Bugger/Thin Mint #6-10
Sparkle Minnow #04-08
Kreelex #04-06
Micro Dungeons #10 – Tan, Olive, White
Mini Ice Pick #6
Double Gonga #4-8
Drunk & Disorderly #4-8 – Olive, Black
The Hatch
Mostly October Caddis, Mahoganies, and BWOs.
Helena Valley Regulating Reservoir Fishing Report by FWP (October 21, 2024)
Snagging has been productive near the Pumphouse. The snagging season for Kokanee Salmon opened on September 1st and will run through October 31st. Limits are 35 salmon daily with 70 in possession. Chris Hurley, FWP, Helena
Devil’s Canyon on Yellowstail
It has been good for Bass on the Oke Bey end.
Trout Creek Near Helena Fishing
Mostly all private property. Mostly smaller bows but there are some really good fish as well.
