McCoy Spring Creek | Montana Angler Fly Fishing

McCoy Spring Creeks are located near Dillon, Montana which is an hour from Ennis and the Madison River and one hour and 45 minutes from Bozeman. There are two creeks present on the McCoy ranch as well as a spring fed pond full of large wild trout. The ranch owners have engaged in over 15 years of intense stream improvements that have resulted in outstanding trout habitat.

McCoy spring creeks are unique due to the very light pressure that they receive. Steve Bielenberg, the spring creek manager, limits the fishing to four anglers per day. Each pair of fisherman are assigned a beat which is theirs for the day ensuring that you are never fishing "behind" someone else. The creeks are also frequently rested about once a week when no fishing is allowed. The majority of the trout are composed of browns and rainbows with the occasional brook trout present. Larger trout seemingly outnumber small trout and fish in the 17-20" range are common. Trout up to 24" have been landed and measured out of McCoys.

Dry fly fishing on the creeks is superb. The surface activity begins in the spring with blue winged olive mayflies. As on other Montana spring creeks, early PMD hatches in the early summer occur daily bringing large trout to the surface in a steady feeding rhythm. By the end of July the fishing becomes a terrestrial game with the trout readily feeding on ants, grasshoppers and beetles. Large trout are readily visible in the creek making sight fishing an outstanding option. The fish are spooky and require a properly presented fly making the fly fishing a challenging game. When all of the stars align and a hookup results it is truly a rush.

The ranch is located in a spectacular valley with wide open views of meadows and mountains in very direction. Pheasant, badgers, waterfowl and whitetail deer are found in abundance making a visit to the ranch a truly great Montana experience.

Rod fees are $125 per day per angler.