July fly fishing in Montana produces some of the most diverse angling conditions of the year. July is hand’s down the busiest time of the year for fishing the blue ribbon rivers of the Big Sky state. The popularity is due in part to the fact that July is often when a lot of people like to plan their summer vacation combined with the fact that many anglers target the month for the great fishing that it can produce. The beginning of July produces and entirely different set of fly fishing conditions than the end of July. To complicate matters, water levels and hatch timing in July can very greatly from year to another depending on the snow pack.

Early July: the peak of the hatches
Fishing in early July is completely driven by the hatch cycles of the many aquatic insects that make their home Montana rivers. Food supply is completely driven by these hatch cycles and trout become fairly selective during prolific hatches. Fishing can be terrific during these hatches if an angler is dialed into the correct insect cycles and have patterns that match the natural insects. This is often the best time to visit Montana’s legendary spring creeks where the pale morning dun produces prolific daily hatches and actively rising trout. Other important early July hatches include the salmon fly, golden stone, yellow sally and a variety of different caddis species. The timing of these hatches is different from one river to the next and from year to year but the sequence is always the same. Generally the hatch cycles begin with the salmon fly and end with the caddis species. Hatches often produce exciting site fishing to rising trout but other times they can frustrate anglers when trout have filled up on larger insects like salmon flies or when there are so many naturals hatching that your imitation is a needle in a haystack.

Mid July: attractor dry fly time
As the early July hatches begin to wind down trout become more opportunistic. Water levels are also on the drop and trout are more and more interested in looking to the surface. Usually there is some caddis activity in the morning, but later in the day trout will readily snack on a variety of different food sources since there is no single insect or food supply dominating their diet. While a variety of techniques can be productive that include nymphs and streamers, this is a great time to fish attractor dry flies like pmx’s and royal wulffs. The feeding cycle of the trout is often spread over the course of the day and good fishing from morning to late afternoon can often be experienced. This is a great time to target Montana since many fisheries can be targeted.

Late July: terrestrial season
Late July marks the beginning of terrestrial season which is eagerly awaited by both locals and visiting anglers alike. Once the hoppers mature and grow their wings the terrestrial fishing begins to take over. By late July many of the aquatic hatches have run their course and trout begin to rely on the insects falling into the river from above. Grasshoppers, beetles and ants become a very important component of a trout’s diet during this time of the summer and great dry fly fishing can often be experienced. Anglers hunting for large trout shouldn’t ignore the subsurface opportunities. With the absence of hatching insects the larger fish are more willing to chase streamers and sculpin patterns from farther away and slow twitched bait imitations produce some of the largest fish of the month.

Winter fly fishing in Montana isn’t rocket science. The fish have left the shallow riffles and heavy pocket water in favor of the slower and deeper pools. Once you find a good wintertime run there will probably be dozens if not hundreds of trout in it. The trout are going to do 95% of their feeding between noon and 4pm and you with some exceptions you will be nymph fishing. Trout are also receiving very little pressure during the winter months and are not very picky on fly selection so an elaborate fly box is not essential. The following list of flies are all you need to catch fish on every stream and river in Montana during the winter months including big freestone rivers, tail waters and spring creeks. There are certainly other patterns that will also catch fish, but you don’t need to get too complicated and don’t waste time changing out lots of flies. If you aren’t hooking up in the winter it probably is because you haven’t found good holding water or you aren’t getting down to the fish. Make sure you have enough weight to put flies directly on the bottom and use an indicator that detects subtle strikes such as poly yarn.

Girdle Bug
Stoneflies are important on every boulder strewn freestone river in Montana and trout are looking for stonefly nymphs even in the colder months. Although there is a plethora of different stonefly nymph patterns there is really no reason to get more complicated than a girdle bug (aka rubber legs). A black or brown size 6 or girdle bug trailed with something smaller is a good bet for freestoners.

Pheasant Tail
Pheasant tails catch fish year round and on every trout river in the world. It should be no surprise that it is also a great winter pattern. Try a smaller size in the colder months like an 18 or 20. Any variation of the pheasant tail will work. They are best fished behind a girdle bug or san juan worm.

San Juan Worm
It might not be glamorous but sometimes you just want to catch a trout in the middle of February and san juan worms are often the magic ticket. Fished in different sizes from 10 to 6 and in colors including red, pink, wine and orange they are almost always productive in the winter. Wire worms are a nice option for deeper runs where getting to the bottom isn’t a trivial process.

Eggs
Browns spawn in late winter and rainbows spawn in the early spring so it should be no wonder that egg patterns are effective all winter (especially late winter). Smaller eggs are often more productive than large patterns and roe orange, chartreuse, and cream are the most productive.

Pink Ray Charles
I don’t think there are a whole lot of pink sow bugs out there but this bug definitely hooks up, even on rivers without sow bugs. There is something about the color pink in the winter that just produces: pink worms, eggs, and attractor nymphs are all effective. My guess is they eat the pink Ray as an egg. I like them with beads for freestone rivers and beadless for spring creeks.

Pink soft hackle lightning bug
Notice the pink theme. There is a reason that the bins with pink lightning bugs and pink soft hackles are always empty at the shops from February to April. Trust me, just try it.

Zebra midge
Not much hatches in the winter (except some midges) and there are often more midges than just about anything else in a whole lot of fisheries (especially spring creeks and tail waters). A small zebra is almost always my point fly on spring creeks and tail waters and also a good option on freestone rivers in the winter. Go small – 22 and 20.

Palomino midge dry
Although dry fly fishing dries up in the winter months, some tail waters and spring creeks produce predictable dry fly fishing over late winter midge hatches. A small palomino dry is all that you need.

Griffiths Gnat
The Griffith’s gnat imitates a cluster of midges and on some tail waters like the Bighorn winter midge hatches can get pretty thick. When midges are clustering they become a target for trout that enjoy the benefit of taking in multiple insects in one gulp.

Sculpin
Don’t be afraid to fish some meat in the winter months, especially on freestone rivers where sculpins are common. The best way to fish these in the winter is just to dead drift them with maybe a few twitch mends mixed in. Fish your favorite rabbit fur sculpin pattern with a smaller worm, pheasant tail or egg pattern behind it and swing for the fences. Although the catch rates usually go down you just might fool that monster trout that hasn’t seen flies in months.

If you ask most avid fly fisherman to recount some of their most memorable days on the water, many will tell tales of dry fly loving trout on their favorite waters. Watching a wild trout suck down a dainty mayfly spinner is exciting. Keeping your cool when a monster brown crushes your foam hopper in an explosion of water and adipose spots is not even an option! We frequently field questions that have to do with finding great dry fly fishing. The challenge of dry fly fishing in Montana and elsewhere is that most trout take less than 10% of their diet from the surface. Most days on most rivers anglers will have much more success “catching” when fishing subsurface with nymph patterns which best imitate the a trout’s dominant natural food source. There are times and places, however, where trout become surface oriented and feed almost exclusively on top. Although nearly every fishery in Montana has periods of times when the dry fly fishing heats up, here are a few of of our favorite fisheries and “events” that produce great surface action year in and year out.

Later Winter Midge Hatches on the Ruby
The Ruby River is a small wade fishery near Sheridan, MT. Below the Ruby Dam the river receives daily hatches of chironomids (aka midges). In February, March and April anglers hungry for surface action can find some consistent late morning dry fly action during the hatch. The surface action usually lasts for about 2-3 hours but anglers can still bend rods before and after by nymph fishing. In late April the midge hatch overlaps with the blue winged olive as an added bonus. The Bighorn River near Ft. Smith is another consistent producer of midge eating trout in the late winter.

Skwalas on the Western rivers
At the end of March and early April fisherman in the Western half of the state get excited about the Skwala stonefly. This smaller size 12 stone is olive in color and hatches in just enough abundance to encourage trout to look up. The dry action is often just in the afternoon when the water warms and it isn’t as explosive as post run off hatches of golden stones and salmonflies, but it sure is nice when there is still snow on the ground and you are yearning to see a good eat on the surface!

The baetis hatch on the Gallatin
The baetis (aka blue winged olive) can produce outstanding dry fly fishing on local rivers in April and May (and then again in October). The Gallatin is one of my favorite rivers to target the spring baetis hatch. The caveat with the baetis hatch on the Gallatin is that conditions need to be just right. If the weather is too warm early snow melt can temporarily bring the river up and spoil the dry fly fishing. Sunny days aren’t the best for catching the hatch either, even though you can usually find a few risers. If you catch the Gallatin when it is still low before snowmelt on a cloudy overcast day in early May you can experience some of the best match the hatch fishing around. The river seems to come alive with rising trout that are furiously attacking the small size 18 insects. Fortunately similar fishing can occur on the Madison, Yellowstone, Boulder and Missouri during this prolific hatch.

Spring creek baetis action in April and May
Spring creeks nearly show up a lot in the “best dry fly fishing” discussions. The first consistently good dry fly fishing on the spring creeks arrives with the spring baetis. As is to be expected on these fertile ground water fed fisheries the hatch is thick and abundant. Late April and May baetis fishing can produce several hours of consistent surface action on legendary waters like Armstrong, Depuy, Nelson, and McCoy spring creeks.

Early May Mother’s Day Caddis on the Lower Madison and Yellowstone
One of the most prolific hatches of the year is the explosive Mother’s Day Caddis hatch on the Lower Madison and Yellowstone Rivers. The hatch starts at the end of April but really picks up steam in early May. The hatch on the Yellowstone often occurs just before run off and on big water years or when there is an early warm spell the melting snow can spoil the action. On days when you catch the Yellowstone just right it is some of the most amazing dry fly fishing in the world. Waves of fluttering caddis pop at the rives surface as trout feed with reckless abandon. Back eddies are sometimes completely covered with mats of mating insects. The Lower Madison also has a terrific Mother’s Day hatch. The Lower Madison is protected by some of the dams on the river which makes is a more reliable river for the hatch on years when the Yellowstone gets dirty early. This is a “must fish” event for all locals and many visiting anglers.

Spring Creek PMD fishing in June and early July
Although spring creeks are always a great place to find “heads” and can produce great surface action during spring and fall baetis hatches as well as late summer terrestrials, nothing rivals the pale morning dun. The “PMD” is a medium sized goldilocks mayfly. The insect is just big enough to interest larger trout but small enough that trout are not easily filled up by the insect. The hatch occurs in thick abundance daily from mid June to mid July on legendary spring creeks like McCoy, Nelson, DePuy, Armstrong, Benhart and Thompson. Getting rods on these private ranches during the hatch can be difficult since some dates book out nearly a year in advance. Spring creek trout are always smart and spooky and require technical fly patterns and careful casting presentations. These wily trout drop their guard a few notches during the PMD hatch as they become intoxicated with the tasty little arthropods. “Spooked” trout that normally go down for the day after a bad cast sometimes get back into a feeding rhythm just 10 minutes later when the hatch picks up in intensity.

Madison River Salmonfly Fishing in later June/early July
The salmonfly is the largest aquatic insect in North America. This massive stonefly reaches 3 inches in length and provides enough nutrition to lure even the largest trout in the river to the surface. The salmonfly represents the best opportunity to catch a monster trout over 25” on the surface. Catching big trout on the big bug is far from garuanteed and frustration is experienced just as often (or more often!) than success. Once you hook a monster brown that blows up a size 4 rouge stone you will be forever changed! The chance at reliving that experience is enough to keep throwing the big bug when the hatch is on the water. Salmonflies are notoriously hard to catch since they only occur for a few days a year on any single stretch of water. The Madison River is one of the most consistent places to find the big bug because it is clear when the hatch arrives. Other rivers like the Yellowstone also produce a great hatch but sometimes it occurs during run off.

Attractor Dry Fishing In July
About a week after the big freestone rivers first clear, big attractor dry flies begin to lure hungry trout to the surface. The Yellowstone, Boulder, Stillwater, Gallatin and a few others are a few of our favorites for lights out fishing with giant wulffs, pmxs and faom attractors. Casting big bushy dries on stout tippet in run and gun pocket water is simply a riot! The rivers are usually still on the high side even though they are clear so we usually either fish out of drift boats or small rafts during this great window since wading is still a challenge.

Yellowstone River Hopper Fishing
Montana is famous for its great grasshopper fishing. The state is filled with broad flat valleys filled with irrigated alfalfa that provided a perfect home for the succulent insects. Trout simply can’t resist hoppers and anglers eagerly await the late summer season when the grasshoppers become mature, grow wings and begin flying. The Yellowstone river offers some of the best hopper fishing in the state. The perk of fishing big foam hoppers on the “Stone” is that you are always in the game for a trophy size trout on a dry. The best hopper fishing is often shortly after they first get their wings which is usually late July or early August depending on the year. After a few weeks of seeing different flavors of artificial presentations they slowly get a bit wiser and short strikes can become more common. On years when we receive a long Indian summer great hopper fishing can be experienced well into September.

The “Flying Ant” on the Upper Madison
If you spend enough time in the spectacular Upper Madison valley wade fishing you will begin to notice giant ant hills along the banks. In late August, usually around August 22nd or 23rd winged ants leave their homes to mate and establish new colonies. The “ant hatch” can fill the skies with large black and red two toned winged insects that trout absolutely love. This is a short lived event and only lasts a day or two each year but when you catch it just right the action can be rewarding. Fortunately, this is also hopper time so there will always be some fish looking up even if you miss the ants.

Small Stream Hopper Fishing in Late Summer
In late August and early September some of the trout on the larger and easily accessed rivers become a little wise to big foam hopper patterns you get less confident takes and more trout chewing on the rubber legs. This is the time of year when the some of the smaller fisheries really turn on. We don’t want to name names to give away some of these little gems. Some of them are access from public points like bridges and others are on private ranches that we have permission on. Terrestrial fishing on the “off the beaten” path waters around Montana can be absolutely awesome in the late summer!

October baetis hatches on the Yellowstone, Madison, Gallatin, Missouri and Spring Creeks
The last hurrah of really good dry fly fishing is the fall baetis hatch. The “blue winged olives” show back up in late September but really get going again in October and early November. The baetis occurs on most fisheries in Montana and the rivers named above are just a sampling of the locations that can receive a good hatch. As in the spring, the intensity of the hatch increases logarithmically with cloudy and overcast conditions. Even on sunny days fish are often looking up even when the hatch is sparse. A size 18 or 20 parachute adams can perform wonders this time of year on the big rivers. On the spring creeks more technical cripples and emerges often do the trick. There is often a smattering of grey drakes and mahogany duns that coincide with the baetis. These larger mayflies are always sparse but the trout often prefer them and a larger size 12 grey wulff can be a productive pattern on the larger waters in the fall.

As a kid growing up in Pennsylvania I dreamed of visiting the Rocky Mountain West to fish those big rivers that I saw in the fly fishing magazines. Western rivers seemed so different compared to the smaller fisheries that I spent my youth on and I was a bit intimidated when I first arrived in Montana on a summer long geology field trip sponsored by Penn State. I quickly fell in love with the massive feel of the biggest rivers and the wide open surroundings. There were definitely some new skills that I needed to develop to be successful on the bigger rivers but I found that the techniques and strategies that I had developed in Pennsylvania also worked when fly fishing in Montana. Some of the most talented anglers I have had a chance to guide often come from Pennsylvania and other eastern states and those fertile wild trout fisheries of the Appalachian mountains are a great training ground for some of the world’s best fly fisherman. If you are an Eastern fly fisherman considering a trip to Montana you will be happy to know that your skills honed on your home rivers will put you in a great position to find success on Western waters. Here are five skills that I learned in PA that have helped me on our local Montana rivers.

Fishing hatches
The rivers and streams in the ridge and valley province of Pennsylvania have some of the most abundant and diverse hatch sequences of any waters I have had the opportunity to visit. Few locations can compare to the overlapping series of aquatic insect emmergences that happen on a single day in late May on waters like Penns Creek, Big Fishing Creek and others. Spending many a day on the fertile limestone streams of central Pennsylvania helped me to pay close attention to the different life cycles of the varied insects. I learned to differentiate between a trout feeding on duns, emmergers or spinners. I also began to recognize when trout were on caddis with splashy rises verses the more delicate takes of mayfly species. I learned that trout would switch from one species (or development stage) to another during the course of an evening and that I had to be constantly aware of these changing preferences if I wanted to be successful during each stage of the hatch. These lessons have carried with me when I am fishing Western waters. Trout feeding during an intense pmd hatch on the Missouri can be just a selective as trout rising to sulphurs on the Yellow Breeches. On some freestone waters such as the Madison river, the hatches do not appear as intense but the same transitions from nymphs, to duns, to spinners still occur and the conditioning to always be on the watch for this frequently pays off.

Getting close
One of the best lessons that I learned as a kid was how to get close to trout and still catch them. My first experiences with a fly rod in Pennsylvania occurred on laurel choked brook trout streams in the Allegheny National Forest. Because of the thick canopy of trees long back casts were not an option and I had no choice but to sneak in close to make a cast. Western streams and rivers are much more open than their Eastern counterparts and anglers are not forced to get close. I have found that getting as close as possible to the holding water is still a great strategy. The closer you are to the fish the better the presentation will be and the faster the hook set will be. It is very easy to get caught swinging for the fences by making longer than needed casts simply because the wide open landscape permits it.

Spring creeks and tail waters
Pennsylvania is home to some of the most fertile spring fed streams in the world. These productive fisheries are home to high concentrations of healthy wild trout and abundant macro invertebrates. The glassy currents on waters like the Letort and Big Spring require stealthy approaches and carefully placed casts. When fishing these waters as a youth I learned that I needed to carefully plan out each cast before approaching a run. The angle of my position to the fish was extremely important and I began to understand that finding ways to present the fly to the fish before the leader definitely increased the chances for success. Montana is also home to some of the worlds finest spring creeks along with dam released tail water fisheries like the Bighorn, Missouri and Beaverhead that produce spring creek like conditions. My experiences on the Eastern limestone streams helped me to feel right at home when I first visited the legendary Paradise Valley spring creeks like Armstrong and Nelson.

Small streams are fun too!
Even larger Pennsylvania trout streams with the exceptions of tail waters like the Delaware and Allegheny would be considered small by Western standards. When I first moved to the West I spent most of my time on the famous blue ribbon rivers like the Madison, Yellowstone and Missouri because fishing such a massive body of water for trout was new and exciting. As time went on I began to explore the bountiful smaller fisheries that reminded me of home. One of the great things about Montana is that nearly every body of water no matter how big or small seems to hold trout in the Western half of the state. Montana also allows public access to any fishery as long as anglers remain inside of the high water mark.

How to thoroughly work a run
Although there is still plenty of water in Pennsylvania to enjoy there also a lot more people. On some waters like Penns Creek or Spring Creek during famous hatches like the Green Drake or Sulphur the influx of anglers coming for the hatch limited the amount of water available. I learned that if I was in a good run that I had better make the best of it and thoroughly work the water before moving on. Montana rivers receive much less pressure compared to the East and we have the luxury of moving a long way without worrying about being crowded by numerous other anglers (with some exception like the easily accessed wade areas on the Bighorn). Although some days covering as much water as possible is the way to go there are times when slowing down and really dialing into a run is beneficial. When I know that trout are heavily concentrated in a run I will make a few passes through it. If I am nymph fishing I often make a shallow pass with less weight and a shorter indicator to pick off the more aggressive fish first. The shallower rig allows me to detect strikes faster and get a higher percentage of hookups. Eventually I will work the run with a heavier rig and longer leader to get to fish that are in the deeper and heavier water that are not willing to move far to feed.

One of our most frequently asked questions by seasoned anglers planning Montana fishing trips is “when and where is the best dry fly fishing?”. As with most fishing related questions the first answer is “it depends”! The biggest attribute of fishing in the Big Sky state is the vast diversity of high quality fisheries that are available. This enormous selection of thousands of miles of water in all shapes and sizes make any type of “when is the best” or “where is the best” question nearly impossible to answer concisely. The good news is that there is always some great dry fly fishing to be had from March to early November somewhere in the state. I will do my best to provide a few ideas on where and when to target great dry fly fishing. Keep in mind that conditions change from year to year, especially the timing of events. On big water years everything is delayed and on drought years timing is accelerated. Another disclaimer is that we spend the majority of our time on the waters of the Southern part of the state and we simply have much more of a knowledge base on the waters that we fish every day.

When to come for the best dry fly fishing?
A safe response to this question is to simply describe some of the different high points of the season that can produce good surface eats. Each time period has its advantages and disadvantages and I will try to emphasize each of these.

Late April to Early May – although there is some good fishing on the surface before late April it tends to be short lived. One can have pretty good surface action on midges on some tail waters like the Bighorn, Missouri and Ruby in March and early April. Missoula anglers also get excited about the Skwala stonefly that produces some upward looking fish in early April. The most exciting early season action, however, really gets going in late mid April with the arrival of the beatis (aka blue winged olive) mayfly. This hatch really heats up the last week of April and is joined by the much larger size 12 March Brown mayfly. During the first week of May the Mother’s Day Caddis begins to explode off of rivers like the Madison, Yellowstone and a few others and extends until run off hits (the Mother’s Day Hatch isn’t as important on tailwaters). The best match the hatch dry fly fishing on the larger rivers is often during this window. The water levels are still low since most of the snow is still locked up in the high mountains which encourages fish to come to the surface since they do not need to fight the stronger current of higher flows. The only downside of spring dry fly fishing is that the surface action tends to occur during a fairly compact feeding window that lasts for about 3 to 4 hours each day in the afternoon when the hatches take place (the morning can produce good nymphing or streamer fishing). Another thing to consider is that the mayfly species (baetis and March brown) are highly variable and produce much thicker hatches with cloud cover than with bluebird days. The caddis hatch seems to come off in abundance on sunny days. For avid Montana anglers this is a must fish time of the year!

Late May – Run off begins in mid May on most freestone rivers across the state. As such, visiting anglers tend to avoid late May. This is a big mistake since this time period can produce awesome fishing. Although some rivers are blown out, the spring creeks and tail waters below dams are still in great shape. Cool snaps also quickly bring back freestone rivers back into shape for one last shot at good fishing before full on run off arrives. Late May is one my favorite time to fish some of the spring creeks in the Yellowstone, Gallatin and Beaverhead valleys. The baetis hatch brings trout up like clockwork on a daily basis. Weed beds on the spring creeks aren’t that established and the big trout are still easily fooled (at least as far as spring creeks go). This combination makes it possible to both hook and land the biggest fish in the creeks on dries. There are very few out of state anglers to compete with at this time which enhances this time of the year as an “under the radar” window to get some great fishing in.

Mid June to Early July – This is THE time to toss dries on the spring creeks. The pale morning dun hatch usually begins around the 10th of June and picks up each day afterwards. The larger insects hatch first (about size 14) and then drop to 16s by early July. There is something about the PMD that makes wary spring creek trout behave like intoxicated brook trout on a remote mountain stream. During the magical window from late morning until about 3pm each day the fish become a little more tolerant of errant casts and less than ideal fly placement that would normally send the darting for cover. Experiencing the PMD hatch on some of Montana’s legendary spring creeks should be a must for any dry fly loving fly fisher!

Early summer is also the time to chase salmonflies and golden stones on some of the big freestone rivers like the Madison, Yellowstone, and Big Hole. These monstrous insects can reach 3” in length. The salmonfly definitely does not produce high fish counts in regards to surface fishing. The appeal of the salmonfly hatch is that you are in the game to catch the largest trout in the river on a dry. Fishing during the “hatch” can be frustrating and slow when the fish are gorged (which they often are), but it only takes one massive strike from a 25-28” brown to turn a sane mortal into a mumbling fool.

Mid July – Mid july This time of year produces a hodge podge of aquatic hatches that includes yellow sally stones, pmd mayflies, nocturnal golden stones, and assorted caddis species. Mid July also produces great attractor dry fly fishing with big bugs like stimulators, pmx’s, and assorted foam patterns like chubby chernobyls. The trickiest part of fishing at this time of year is fly selection because sometimes the trout really key in on one insect species or the other. I find that caddis are a safe bet early in the morning and some type of pmd style pattern is effective later. Fishing two dries is a good bet with one large attractor on top trailed by a more imitative insect pattern like a caddis, pmd or yellow sally behind. Mid July is a very safe time to visit to target good dry fly fishing.

Late July – Early August – The first wave of hopper fishing usually arrives in late July. This is the best time to catch great hopper fishing on the more famous larger fisheries such as the Madison, Yellowstone, Big Hole, Missouri and Bighorn. This is the busiest part of the season and everyone is salivating to throw hoppers and get the jump on some big “foam” eats. As a result, the trout on the legendary rivers start to wise up to hopper patterns by mid August. Hopper fishing can still be good on the most famous waters, but also expect some more “sniffs” and tender takes. If you can catch the first wave of hopper fishing it can really produce some unworldly fishing. The trick is that this one or two week glory window changes from year to year based on early summer temperatures and weather conditions. The good news is that if you arrive in late July and the hoppers still aren’t ready there will still be some great attractor dry fishing!

Mid August to Mid September – This is when the best terrestrial fishing of the season occurs. The trick is that the best hopper fishing isn’t always on the big famous waters anymore because those trout have started getting wise to the larger patterns. On the big waters smaller patterns like ants tend to be more productive. The really great hopper fishing is on lesser known waters, private waters and stretches of larger rivers that are harder to access. We can’t name names on these locations because it has take us so long to locate and identify them but it is safe to say that the trout are nearly 100% keyed in on crushing hoppers by this time of the season!

This is also a great time to target the trico and callibaetis hatches. Tricorythode mayflies occur in great abundance on Ennis Lake, Hebgen Lake, the East Gallatin, Bighorn and Missouri rivers. These diminutive mayflies make up in quantity what they lack in size and will often bring pods of nice sized rainbows to the surface. Callibaetis are a larger mayfly (about a 16) that are lake specific. They show up in late July and hatch through August on still waters. The best Callibaetis fishing is on Ennis and Hebgen lakes. Die hard river anglers are often surprised by how much they enjoy fishing still waters when they are targeting cruising fish that are “gulping” duns off of the surface.

Mid September to early October – This is one of my favorite times of the year to throw dries on big waters like the Yellowstone River. Fishing pressure drops off fast in late August once kids go back to school. Many locals have had their fill of fishing and outdoor enthusiasts now turn their attention to hunting leaving legendary waters nearly empty. The lack of fishing pressure helps erase any memories of foam hoppers that the trout may have had. This time of year produces a mixed bag of both weather conditions and dry fly opportunities. More often than not we experience an Indian summer that extends the terrestrial season into early October. It isn’t uncommon to experience the best hopper fishing of the year in late September or even early October. When grey skies and early fall storms arrive mayfly species including baetis, mahoganies and drakes come off in abundance. Even when high pressure sets in trout are often looking for mayfly patterns and targettng sipping fish in foam lines and inside corners of riffles with a parachute adams can often be deadly.

Early October to early November – The heart of the autumn season produces terrific baetis hatches with almost zero fishing pressure on many waters. The best baetis hatches occur when cloudy skies settle in. The spring creek dry fly fishing also kicks in with the fall baetis and you can often get lucky and be the only one on one of the famous creeks like DePuy, Nelson and Armstrong. The down side in terms of dry fly fishing is that the hatch is variable from day to day and even on a good day it is mostly an after lunch event. The upside is that if you are willing to go down under with a streamer or nymphs this is also a great time to run into some giant pre-spawn browns. Since my two favorite modes of fly fishing are stripping streamers and casting dries to rising trout this is one of my favorite times of the year to get out on our local waters!

I find myself doing a lot of day dreaming about fishing equipment over the holidays.  My wife is from Nebraska and I usually end up with a Cabela’s gift card or two and contemplating what new gear I “need” is just a normal part of ’tis the season.  With a trip to Argentina and Chile coming up in March I’ve had a good excuse to aquire some new gear.  With many locations locked in cold weather now is the time to some last minute holiday shopping or burn some of those gift certificates and put some new fishing tools in the arsenal.  Here is a wish list for some essential Montana fly fishing equipment!

Rods:  The best all purpose rod is a good stiff 9′ 6wt.  This rod has enough oomph to fight big Montana wind on rivers like the Madison and Yellowstone but is still light enough to enjoy the play of a nice trout.  Some of the faster action rods like a Sage One or Winston BIIIX  are just about perfect.

The best smaller river rod is probably a 9′ 5wt for fisheries like the Gallatin.  A five weight can still fight some wind but allows for more touch.  My all time favorite five weight is the Sage XP 9′ 5wt.  I haven’t had a chance to cast the new Sage One in the five weight but they always make a great rod.  The Winston BIIIX is another favorite of locals.

The best spring creek rod would be a softer action 3 or 4wt.  A 4wt is nice when the wind kicks up a bit and a 3 is great for ultra light presentation.  I like a bit of a slower action like a Winston LT which allow more time for subtle slack line casts needed on the technical creeks.  A faster 4wt is nice on the small freestone rivers like the Gallatin.  A 9′ rod helps control line and shorter rods aren’t needed as most spring creeks are meadow rivers.

Other great stocking stuffers:

A nice large arbor reel with a smooth drag – you can’t beat Ross or Galvan.

Some stout leaders – you can’t have enough 7.5 and 9′ 2,3 and 4x leaders

Flourocarbon tippet – 3 and 4x are great for nymphing but regular nylon is best for dries

Attractor foam flies - some Chubby Chernobyls just look cool in your box…oh yeah they also catch fish!

Magnetic net holder – these are pretty handy when wade fishing.

Rubber landing net – super easy and much better on the trout

Simms fanny pack – just more comfortable than a vest on a hot day

Simms waders – based in Bozeman, they simply make the worlds best waders – I love the waist high G3s

As I mentioned in my last post, fall fishing in Montana is synonymous with huge browns.  Miles, Doug, and I headed out the day after Thanksgiving to target some large browns and weren’t disappointed.  After driving through some nasty blizzard conditions in the dark we arrived at the Missouri River to do some wade fishing just after dawn.  The air temps were a balmy 32 degrees and the blizzard temporarily let up.  Doug started laying into the rainbows instantly and landed a few in the 15-18″ range.  Miles eventually headed up the river with Sawyer to successfully jump some ducks.  Doug and I eventually hit pay dirt and our quest for 20+” browns paid off.  Doug tightened up on a log that wouldn’t budge.  After feeling some head shakes he realized he wasn’t snagged.  The fish slowly and methodically moved down the river with Doug chasing after.  The power of these trout is impressive and when they want to move there isn’t much you can do to stop them.  Eventually we netted a true monster that we taped at 26″.

Eventually my luck took a turn for the better when I managed to hook into a nice 22″ brown.  On any other day that would have been a trophy to be cherished but after seeing Doug’s pig it seemed “small”.  Less than 10 minutes later my line tightened again.  I thought for sure I had a snag but after 20 seconds I felt the head shake and knew I was into a monster.  The fish slowly moved down and stopped again.  I thought for sure it must have wrapped around something because I just couldn’t imagine a fish holding in strong current against zero x.  Finally the trout took off for a blistering run that nearly ripped the rod out of my hands.  After a few more runs the slab surfaced and Doug netted it – 25″ on the tape!

Miles managed to rope in a few nice rainbows and knocked down a teal and a gadwall to round out the day!  Nothing like a cast and blast on the Thanksgiving weekend.  It is good to be in Montana!

 

Many anglers flat out forget about Montana fly fishing in November.  Out of state anglers don’t want to make a trip in the late fall and risk winter weather and most locals have moved on to hunting elk, deer, grouse and other fur and feathered critters.   November has a lot to offer and can produce some monster trout.  Weather is a very big wild card and any week of the month can bare its fangs with sub zero temps and blizzard like weather.  On the flip side the days can also be almost summer like when an Indian summer lingers.  Typically the late fall weather is still decent and allows for good fishing.

At the beginning of November there can still be some great dry fly fishing over the baetis hatch.  The baetis mayfly is highly variable in its hatching intensity but if you can catch a warmer day with grey skies and not too much wind the bugs can come off in droves.

Another perk about late fall fishing is that some of the largest browns of the year are caught.  Most avid fly fishers hear about the big browns that Montana offers in October.  The reality is that most browns don’t spawn until mid to late November or even early December.  Some of the largest browns in Montana move in to rivers from large reservoirs and lakes below.  Some of these monsters don’t even make it into the river systems until mid November.  For anglers willing to brave the weather and pay their dues the rewards can be astounding.  Targeting lake run fish is much like steelhead fishing.  Learning the runs that consistently produce big fish is important and making lots of casts is a given.  Patterns for fall run browns include eggs, streamers and small mayfly nymphs.  It is best to fish on a dead drift or a slow swing.

~ Brian

Winter comes early and stays late in Montana.  Although we still like to get out in the winter months to wet a line and enjoy some cold weather Montana fishing, the allure of aggressive wild trout and tropical ocean flats is sometimes too hard to resist.  Myself and many of our guides have long enjoyed traveling to legendary fly fishing destinations to sample some of the best wild trout and flats fishing that the world has to offer.  Over the years our team has visited legendary locations like Kamchatka, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Mongolia, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Alaska and more.  Several of our guides have also guided at destination lodges abroad and developed a wealth of knowledge on these international fisheries.  Montana Angler has recently teamed with Nervous Waters to offer our guests eight of the globes finest destination locations in Argentina, Chile and the Bahamas.   Nervous Waters lodges are recognized as some of the finest in the world.  With an occupancy rate of 93% and a return client rate of 82% there attention to detail and reputation for working with the finest guides and providing outstanding cuisine and accommodations has helped them develop a loyal following.  In 2012 one of our top guides, Sean Blaine, will be working as the head guide at Villa Maria lodge in Tierra del Fuego in pursuit of the world’s largest sea run brown trout on the famous Rio Grande.

Brian McGeehan will also be hosting a trip to Chile and Argentina the week of March 10th.  We are planning on visiting two very different locations.  Our first stop will be the Futa lodge to target the Futaleufu River and some of its neighboring tributaries and lakes including Lago Yelcho.  The “Fu” is a large tailwater that receives very little pressure.  It is filled with dry fly loving browns and rainbows on the upper floats and streamer eating monsters on the lower.  Lago Yelcho is a massive lake that is fed by the Futaleufu.  The lake is famous for its reed bed fishing where large trout cruise shallow flats and launch out of the water as high as five feet to intercept flying dragonflies out of the air.

After leaving the Futaleufu region we will head north to the Iberian marshlands wilderness which resembles the Florida Everglades (but twice as large).  At the Pira lodge we will target the magnificent freshwater golden dorado which looks like a golden salmon but fights like a small tarpon.  The fishing is in small streams and larger rivers and is very similar to streamer fishing for big trout.  The waters are clear and the strikes are visual.  Dorado nearly always jump upon being hooked and are a world class game fish.  We currently have 2 rods available for the Futa/Pira trip.

I took my yellow lab pup Sawyer on a road trip after several days of laborious shopping for my wife’s new car.  We searched for mallards and big brown trout, both of which we encountered successfully.  I also enjoyed a long night with a frozen water dog in a cold single digit tent.  After an exciting but icy morning chasing ducks, we enjoyed excellent catching on the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park.  Vibrantly colored November browns were common on every odd cast during the warmer hours of the day between noon and 4pm.  I was delighted to land six brown and rainbow trout each over 20″ along with plenty of healthy smaller fish.  If that wasn’t enough of a treat, elk grazed to the right and bison to the left on a bluebird day in a snowy winterland!

Miles

 

The storm track recently changed forcing the withdraw of sunny near record high temperatures with cool cloudy conditions perfect for fishing.  These recent storms brought snow to the high country and misty weather to the valleys.  Over the course of the last ten days, we’ve been seeing great fishing action throughout the area.  One aspect anglers should head caution toward are the changing water levels associated with the recent precipitation and more importantly the local farmers discontinuing to draw irrigation water.  Several local watersheds saw an approximate 15% increase in volume roughly over three days, which may have a temporary effect on catching.  There are plenty of rivers to fish around southwest Montana so check the gauges before you head out.

Big fish have been on the move.  Throughout the course of the week, our guides hosted several groups of beginner (never-ever) anglers as well as repeat seasoned anglers who all successfully caught a variety of very nice brown and rainbow trout approaching the 20″ mark on both the Yellowstone and Madison rivers.

 

On another trip, I was delighted to share McCoy’s Spring Creek near Dillon, MT on a cloudy day with two seasoned anglers.  We enjoyed lots of action after lunch including seven notable hookups with fish ranging from 18-23″ on small size 20 dry flies.

Great fishing should continue as big fish aggressively put on weight for winter.  Depending on the conditions, anglers currently have prime opportunity to catch big fish with small dries, streamers, or nymph rigs.

Miles

October is a fantastic time to enjoy Montana fly fishing.  Water temps are dropping fast as the days get cooler and the fishing can really turn on as the summer tourists have headed back home and kids are back in school.  Tom Jenni and I put on for a three day overnight float on the Lower Yellowstone last weekend and only saw 3 other guide boats in 3 days despite averaging 40 trout per boat per day.

Although the very beginning of October can still produce some decent hopper and ant fishing, autumn fishing is dominated by the baetis hatch and stripping big streamers.  Although making any hard and fast rules in the sport of fly fishing is never a good idea, there are two main strategies I use in October: going big and going small.

The baetis (aka: blue winged olive) is the dominate late season hatch on Southern Montana waters.  This dependable small mayfly weighs in at a diminutive size 18 or 2o.  Despite is small size its dramatic abundance raises the interest level of even large fish.  In October we almost always fish some type of baetis imitation when tossing dries or nymphs.  When dry fly fishing a parachute adams is a good bet, but the many versions of baetis dries out there will also work.   When nymphing trail your top fly with a beatis nymph or emerging baetis pattern.

Browns also become more aggressive in the fall and targeting large pre-spawn migratory fish can produce the largest trout of the season.  The best way to catch browns over 20″ is to drag big streamers around.  Both stripping with a classic streamer retrieve and dead drifting or “tight lining” bunny fur can produce some very big tugs.  Although numbers go down when you up the fly size quality definitely increases.

October fly fishing offers many options, but to maximize enjoyment try tossing small baetis dries for the best surface action and stripping giant streamers when targeting monsters.  Go big or go small!

Jerry (a talented angler eager to employ some new casting techniques) and I enjoyed a fun day chasing healthy trout with small flies on Armstrong’s Spring Creek.  The fish were cooperative in every run except one.  Regardless of the sunny warm weather, we observed small size 24 BWO’s in the morning and some large size 18 BWO’s in the afternoon.  A light breeze through the idyllic autumn foliage placed a friendly riffle on the water, which allowed us to sneak in close and tighten the line on numerous wild and energetic fish.  They couldn’t refuse a sunken size 22 Baetis Emerger nor a size 18 CDC Baetis Emerger fished dry on 6X.  The baetis are popping (even with full sunshine) and the fish are eager… the next cool cloudy day should have Armstrong’s Spring Creek boiling!

Miles

September has blessed us with cool nights and warm sunny afternoons.  The fish have been responding very opportunistically to the favorable weather, great water levels, and reduced crowds this time of year.  Dry fly fishing is excellent right now throughout the region.  We’ve been fishing the Yellowstone River the last few days with attractor dries and terrestrials from bell to bell.  One seasoned angler coined the phrase “Epic” while grinning ear to ear.  Another seasoned angler from Canada simply said “Thank You” after boating a 20″ Madison River brown on a hopper.  Streamers are also beginning to heat up for angry fish.

Late summer and early autumn hatches are really cranking.  Tricos, small BWO’s, flying ants, autumn caddis, midges and of course hoppers are all tempting big fish right now.

Miles

September is a transition month in Montana.  Fall can arrive early in the Rockies, but warm Indian summers are also possible.  Most of the snow from the previous winter has melted out and river flows are low even on a big water year.  Nights are becoming longer and temperatures start dropping.  Summertime tourists thin out once kids go back to school and many locals set down their fly rods to take when archery season opens.

The beginning of September often feels like an extension of August with terrestrials ruling the day.  Montana fishing in September is dominated by hoppers and terrestrials on years with when warm temperatures extend into the fall.  Hoppers, ants, beetles and crickets always play an important roll in the early fall, especially on hot days.  With the exception of the trico mayfly there are not many aquatic hatches in the bigger rivers.  Trout are opportunistic and will often key in on larger subsurface food sources like crayfish and sculpins.

With lower flows don’t expect trout to always be along the banks.  On many rivers like the Madison, Gallatin and Yellowstone trout begin moving into the main channels and riffles and are no longer along banks unless they hold swift and deep water.  Paying careful attention to subtle depth and current changes can pay big dividends.  Depressions in riffles and seams are great places to target trout in the fall.

Some of the first storms of the fall begin moving in during the month of September.  These rainy days always produce big fish.  They are a great time to strip streamers or toss big ugly nymphs that imitate large food sources.  Later in September these cloudy days begin targeting the fall baetis (blue winged olives).  The fall baetis can produce terrific dry fly fishing on cloudy and drizzly days.