Category Archives: Madison River

One of the lesser known insect hatches in southwest Montana is the nocturnal stonefly. As the name infers, these insects are creatures of the night. Many anglers will never see this species of stonefly, that is unless they are on the water at daybreak or fish past the hours of sunset. You may have...

The secret of fly fishing for big brown trout in the fall is out. In fact, it's been out for decades. But, did you know there are certain rivers in Montana with a reputation of producing large trout once the frost grows thick on the pumpkin? With such a massive variety of fly fishing rivers, creeks...

Tailwaters provide some of the most consistent fly fishing for trout in all of Montana. A tailwater fishery is created from the outflow of a dam on a large or small river. World-famous tailwater rivers like the Missouri and Madison Rivers often run clear and cold when freestones and smaller creeks...

There are only a few places on the planet that offer as much accessible great fly fishing rivers, creeks. and lakes as southwest Montana. The hub of fly fishing in Montana is arguably the greater Bozeman area. If you are searching for a destination where fishing for five great days is a reality and...

Novelist and angler, Tom McGuane, once said that though fishing was the sport of kings, it is just what the deadbeat ordered. We may not all be lucky enough to live like kings and travel the world fishing—although some of you are— but fly fishing for big trout can be pursued regardless of your tax...

Spring and summer-time fishing in Montana is often defined by when snowmelt runoff begins and ends. From year to year, the exact timeframe of our runoff period varies, but it typically begins in mid-May and runs into mid-June. Montana’s freestone rivers like the Gallatin and Yellowstone often run...

Montana boasts perhaps the highest concentration of quality fly fishing for trout in the world. With a network of well-maintained roads and public access areas, fishing the best rivers, creeks, and lakes in Montana is logistically very easy. Compared to the remote and secluded rivers of Chile and...

Choosing the Best Streamers for Montana Fly Fishing When fly fishing in Montana, anglers tend to push the envelope of new tactics and exciting ways to catch trout on streamers. Probing Montana rivers like the Yellowstone and Madison with large streamers and sink tips is a favorite method for Montana...

The annual Mother’s Day Caddis hatch is one of the most anticipated events here in Southwest Montana. While it may not be quite as famous as the Salmon Fly hatch, the fishing can be every bit as good, if not even better. The sheer number of bugs that take to the air during the peak of the hatch is...

Rest and Rotation has been proposed in a petition to the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission as a solution for protecting the river from crowding. Rest and Rotation refers to restrictions on specific reaches of the river where guided anglers would be barred from access on Saturdays and Sundays from...