Spring Creeks Fishing Report
Current Conditions:
The spring creeks are a great option. 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 cold weather months. You can almost always find a rising fish or two if you hunt hard enough that are looking for midges but on most days expect to nymph fish. 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. 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. Rod fees are just $40 in the winter on the Livingston Creeks.
The Month Ahead:
The baetis will start to show up and the hatch will become stronger by the day and offer some nice dry fly opportunities on overcast days. Sunny days often just bring a few fish to the surface but great nymphing during the hatch. Rainbows will be spawning so avoid the gravel redds.
Long Term Fishing Forecast:
Baetis mayflies will become the main target of the trout in mid April, and the spring creeks will provide consistent fishing right through spring into early summer. They are a great option during runoff.
