Montana Fishing Reports | Gallatin, Yellowstone and Madison Rivers near Bozeman, MT

Montana Fishing Report Overview
Mother's Day Caddis are now on both the Lower Madison and Yellowstone but the Yellowstone is also on the way up from warm weather mid week. The Lower Madison is at great levels and bugs are covering the water and bringing trout to the surface. The Yellowstone, Gallatin, Boulder, Ruby and Jefferson are all on the rise from warm temps. A short cooldown will slow the onset of run off and there is a chance we may see another window of fishable water before full on run off arrives but that is a definite maybe. 2012 is shaping up to be the "perfect storm" for Montana fly fishing with a snow pack that is hovering at between 80-100% on local watersheds. A big late season snowstorm just dumped 43" of heavy spring snow at Bridger Bowl and will provide a nice bump to the snow pack. Unless we get seriously clobbered by massive spring storms the prolonged run off that we experienced the last two seasons will become distant memory. We also have enough snow in the hills to safely say that we won't be worried about excessively low water conditions this season: not too much, not tot little!

We are now entering the run off season for many rivers but there is still some great fishing to be had. While some rivers will be blown out with high water others will be in great shape and fishing well. Spring creeks are a terrific bet in May and early June. We are still seeing some baetis on the water to bring trout to the surface on the creeks. Pale morning duns will arrive sometime during the second week of June. In between the two hatches expect very good nymphing with some random risers to entertain the dry fly enthusiast. Tailwaters such as the Bighorn and Missouri are also a great bet and the Mo has been fishing exceptionally well both on dries and nymphs. As flows come up the hot bead worm and sow bug fishing will really turn on. The Madison is a quasi tailwater and is also a very good run off river. This season the Lower Madison should produce right through run off on most days. The Madison below the Slide is also a nice fishery during run off along with the stretch between the lakes (after the general opener on May 19th). Yellowstone Park opens Memorial Day weekend and will produce outstanding fishing in the Western portion of the park on the Firehole and some other lower elevation drainages. The current place to be for the time being is definetly the Lower Madison where the Mother's Day caddis has been on fire.

The mild late winter has seemed to kick start our spring hatches and the fishing has been really, really good as long as rivers aren't spiking after warm snaps. This is the time of year when you have to rely on more than fishing reports because reports by definition are past looking. Even during run off when cold snaps hit we sometimes see windows of fishable water that are overlooked on the freestone rivers. So make sure to pay attention to both the weather forecast and the hydrographs. On each individual river report on our site we include important hydrograph real time data along with the local weather forecast - there is no better tool than that for spring fishing!

The best fishing for the near future will be the Lower Madison for the most exciting hatch of the year: The Mother's Day Caddis. This hatch is already coming off in heavy numbers on the Lower Madison and Doug Casey fished it the other day with bugs everywhere and fish coming to the surface. The hatch on the Yellowstone was epic this May but recent rising waters have put an end to the fun in Paradise Valley. The Lower Madison always holds out much longer than the Yellowstone so that will be a relatively safe bet if flows don't spike at the dam. The Upper Madison is a bit colder and things lag behind up there but it will produce some decent fishing too but not as much dry fly action. The spring creeks also get some spill over caddis from the Yellowstone along with reliable baetis action.

When run off finally hits there will still be great fishing inside of Yellowstone on the Firehole and Madison (when they open). The Lower Madison usually fishes during runoff and up high on the Upper Madison above the West Fork. Other great options for late May and early June will be the spring creeks and some of the tailwaters and lakes. Run off will start subsiding in June this year starting with the Madison but the Yellowstone should be fishable by July 1 and we have a good shot at the salmonfly on the 'Stone this season.

Upper Madison River Fishing Report Good
The upper river has been fishing well but is only open from Mac to Ennis at the moment. Warm weather put a temporary slug of mud into the river but things should be improving soon. Nymphing has been solid with rubber legs, sculpins, worms and standard droppers. The Upper is a colder spring fishery so it lags behind a bit at times but this season it has been fishing above average for early spring.

Lower Madison River Fishing Report Red Hot
The Lower has been on fire recently with good dry fly fishing on baetis and caddis. The caddis hatch has been coming off thick and fish are responding aggressively on the surface. Bigger fish are also turning on to crayfish, worms and anything pink. The trout are still concentrated in buckets so you gotta know where to find em. Be cautious of off color water with wind churn and fluctuations in flow from Ennis reservoir.

Yellowstone River Fishing Report Poor
Warm weather has sent the hydrograph up, up and away. The Stone is likely done for a few weeks unless a big cold stap gives us a narrow window of fishable water.

Gallatin River Fishing Report Poor
Warm weather put color into the river and water levels are on the rise. The river may be done for a few weeks unless a cold snap puts a pause on snow melt. The Gallatin responds quickly to cool downs so if we get a few freezing nights in a row you can get fishable vis for a day or two before it starts puking again. The Gallatin in Yellowstone can be a good bet just after the peak of run off with clear waters.

Boulder River Fishing Report Fair
The Boulder is a colder fishery and lags behind as a result. Water is rising but fishable for the moment. If you find color in the water down low then continue farther upstream. Expect to do some nymphing but don't be surprised if you encounter baetis in the afternoon. Stone fly nymphs are the ticket right now. The Boulder will be in run off soon.

Ruby River Fishing Report Poor
The Ruby is a nice spring option, but it just jumped from warm weather. If flows are 400cfs or lower and stabilized it is worth a try but it may be done for a few weeks

Missouri Fishing Report Very Good
The Mo is a good spring fishery. Miles and Matt have been making some recent trips over there and clobbering fish nymphing with some good dry action mixed in. Midge hatches and baetis can produce great dry fly fishing. A lot of the rainbows are in the tributaries so not as many fish as normal in the system.

Ennis, Hebgen and Harrison Lake Fishing Report
The ice is off all three lakes. Hebgen fished lights out at the end of April and they should be good options in May and early June.

Spring Creeks Fishing Report Red Hot
We just received a red hot report of bell to bell dry fly fishing from Armstrong - anything small and parachute seemed to do the trick. Morning midge hatches will transition into afternoon baetis (especially on cloudy days). Even on days when it isn't going off, if you poke around long enough you can always find some heads. Rainbows recently spawned so please don't stand on redds.

Other local fisheries
Most of the smaller fisheries will be closed until the 3rd week of May. Some of the private stillwaters like the Sitz Ranch and Burns Lake have been fishing very well. The ice is off Ennis and Harrison for stillwater enthusiasts and Hebgen has been fishing very well this year.