April is one of our favorite times of the year to fish the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks. And, the nastier the weather, the better for hatches of Blue-Winged Olive mayflies. Rainy and snowly weather is the best for these spring mayflies. Unlike fishing on the Yellowstone River in spring, the wind isn't typically a factor on the creeks because they are often sheltered by willows or large banks of trees. While the creeks are small and you may see fish in the crystal clear water, these fish are not that easy to catch. Where you fish, and your presentation is much more important than changing out lots of flies. Rod fees are just $50 until April 15th on the Livingston Creeks. The crystal clear water of the spring creeks makes it easy to see fish....but getting them to eat your fly requires a little more skill. You need a long, light leader, a good drift, light tippet, and a sensitive indicator like yarn to detect the subtle strikes.The two main spring creeks we fish are Armstrong's and DePuy's spring creeks near Livingston and Bozeman, Montana. The Paradise Valley Spring creeks are going to have daily hatches of midges, but quell your expectations for regularly rising trout.
These creeks are private and do require a rod fee, but, if you enjoy sight-fishing to rising or shallow water feeding trout, the spring creeks are an exciting place to get in some sight-fishing to trout on small waters. Finding a place to fish right now near Bozeman, Montana, isn't all that difficult, but finding a place where you legitimately have a good shot at actively feeding fish is a little more challenging.
The slower slots with will concentrate trout but they won’t move far to take flies so expect takes to be subtle. As a rule I always use yarn indicators on spring creeks – generally custom cut to be just big enough to not sink. These indicators allow you to detect very subtle disturbances resulting in more hookups.
The Month Ahead:
The information above will hold serve through most of March and into April, and then we can expect some very favorable conditions on the spring creeks. The water that percolates from the springs are always at Montana’s mean annual temperature of 48 degrees which is much warmer than surrounding freestone rivers. This produces a higher metabolism in spring creek fish than trout in other waters and gives anglers a better chance to hook up. The more active nature of spring creek trout in the winter combined with high trout concentrations makes them a top choice in the early spring. You can almost always find a few rising fish in the late morning over the midge hatch and the baetis are just starting to become active. The slower slots with will concentrate trout but they won’t move far to take flies so expect takes to be subtle. As a rule we always use yarn indicators on spring creeks – generally custom cut to be just big enough to not sink. These indicators allow you to detect very subtle disturbances resulting in more hookups. Fly selection doesn’t have to be very sophisticated this time of year and a scud trailed by your favorite size 22 midge larva should be good enough. Where you fish and your presentation is much more important than changing out lots of flies.
Long Term Fishing Forecast:
The Livingston creeks will see some extra fish in March and April when rainbows move in from the Yellowstone prior to spawning. Baetis mayflies will also become a target of the trout in mid-April.
Visit Our Shop for These Top Spring Creek Flies Right Now:
Para Adams in size 16-22
Juju Baetis size 22
Wondernymphs in black in sizes 18-22
Beadhead Zebra midge, black or red, size 22
Mole Midge size 20
Scuds, sowbugs like Ray Charles in natural or pink in sizes 18-22
Midge larva in red or purple in size 20-22
Looking for More Great Content?
7 Great Trout Fisheries Within 30 Minutes of Bozeman
Montana Weather: Month by Month Guide for Fly Fishing
6 Guide Secrets to Catch More Trout
The Best 7 Tips for Walk-and-Wade Fishing
5 Tips to Find More Trout When Sight Fishing
5 Great Fishing Days out of Bozeman Montana
Tips for Fishing in Montana During Runoff
What to Consider When Planning a Montana Fly Fishing Trip
Introducing the Montana Angler Rent-a-Labrador Retriever Program
5 Great Fishing Days in Montana's Yellowstone River Valley