November has arrived with weather on the mild side and holding. This is the time of year to start targeting truly trophy sized brown trout with big streamers on some of our bigger water. If the chuck and duck isn't your ideal style of fishing, keep an eye out for early afternoon Baetis hatches on cloudy days. As always, nymph rigs tend to produce a more regular bite and you can still pull some larger than average fish. Flows are still very low on most of our rivers but temps are holding to produce some quality fishing days.
Southwest Montana Fishing Reports Overview
- Good
Southwest Montana Fishing Report Overview We are starting to transition into late fall/early winter fishing patterns. We are looking for cloudy days to present themselves for amazing streamer days and the hopes for some surface action with Baetis. Browns have been on the move for sometime now and...Read more
Yellowstone River Fishing Report
- Fair
Current Conditions The Yellowstone has been fickle with low flows and cooler water temperatures. Large articulated streamers have been the focus for looking for large browns cruising the river. Nymphing can produce a lot of action but be prepared to shake off a few whitefish throughout the day...Read more
Upper Madison River Fishing Report
- Good
Current Conditions: The Upper is very low but continues to produce some of the most consistent fishing in the region. Big trout and good numbers are being caught on a daily basis. The most consistent action has been nymphing big streamers trailed by smaller attractor nymphs. Large stonefly nymphs...Read more
Lower Madison River Fishing Report
- Very Good
Current Conditions: The Lower has turned on recently with the longer and cooler nights. The fishing has been really good on some days with some big slab rainbows coming into the net. This has been a very consistent fishery recently but every now and then it unexpectedly clams up. Nymphing is still...Read more
Gallatin River Fishing Report
- Good
Current Conditions: Water temps remain very good up and down the river. The mornings are very cool around Big Sky and the fish aren’t moving until the late afternoon. In the valley things are starting up earlier. In the canyon smaller patterns have been better on light 5x flouro leaders (think...Read more
Montana Spring Creeks Fishing Report
- Good
Current Conditions: The spring creeks are a great fall option when you want a break from tossing streamers the size a small lap dog. The baetis hatch can be awesome in the afternoons, especially with some cloud cover. The rod fees drop on the Livingston creeks making them a decent option for locals...Read more
Stillwater River Fishing Report
- Fair
Current Conditions: The Stillwater River is low but trout are moving into the deeper slots and nymphing has been productive in the late morning. The afternoon can provide some good dry action with some cloud cover over the baetis hatch. Stripping streamers for some Yellowstone run browns on the...Read more
Boulder River Fishing Report
- Fair
Current Conditions: The Boulder is low and the trout are spooky so making longer casts helps to reduce sending trout in the wrong direction. The good news is that fish are moving into deeper water where they aren’t as nervous. Standard fair for nymphing like stone fly nymphs and baetis patterns is...Read more
Jefferson River Fishing Report
- Fair
Current Conditions: The Jeff is still extremely low but has maintained flows slightly over 800 cfs. Water temps are coming down and fishing has been solid. Bigger fish are still coming in on big streamers or dead drifted crayfish, zonkers and sculpins. If you have cloud cover stripping streamers...Read more
East Gallatin River Fishing Report
- Good
Current Conditions: The water on the East is low right now and trout are spooky. Use longer leaders and plan your first cast or pay the price of spooked trout. The afternoon dry fly fishing can be very good in the afternoon with some cloud cover. Stripping small streamers can also result in some...Read more
Missouri River Fishing Report
- Very Good
Current Conditions: This is a great time to fish the Missouri from the headwaters all the way down to Cascade. The upper river near Townsend has some big fish that have moved in from the lake and it isn’t uncommon to find some large rainbows over 20” sipping baetis dries on a cloudy day. Stripping...Read more
Ruby River Fishing Report
- Good
Current Conditions: The Ruby has been hit or miss for us in the early fall but things seemed to have stabilized and it is fishing well again. The water is low and the fish are concentrated in the deeper runs. The browns are moving and this is a fun fishery to strip streamers for medium sized trout...Read more
Montana Lakes Fishing Report
- Poor
Current Conditions: This is the time to fish the big rivers for big browns. The browns are moving out of the lakes and into the rivers and most of the dry fly action is finished so there isn’t a big draw to the stillwaters now unless you just love fishing lakes. The Month Ahead: By the late fall we...Read more
Small Streams Fishing Report
- Fair
Current Conditions: The smaller streams are pretty low but still productive, especially those that see little pressure. The trout are definitely very “holed up” in the deeper lies so move a lot and skip the skinny water in between. The Month Ahead: Smaller streams will close in late November. Long...Read more
