Southwest Montana Fly Fishing & Guides
Southwestern Montana Fly Fishing Spots & Guides are listed below.
The Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
encompasses a million acres of
rugged high country just north and
east of Yellowstone Park. The bulk
of this wilderness lies in Montana,
although its southern tip extends
into Wyoming. It has over four
hundred trout lakes with a variety
of species. There are some fine
trophy fisheries. In all of the
Rockies, only the Wind River Range
surpasses the Beartooth Mountains
for sheer numbers of good, high
lakes. The Absaroka Mountains, in
the western half of the wilderness,
feature sharply eroded volcanic
peaks and forested valleys. Lakes
are few and scattered. Small to
large streams abound, and most have
small to pan-size trout. Slough
Creek, an outstanding cutthroat
stream that lies partially in the
Absarokas, is discussed with
Yellowstone Park waters in chapter
43. Buffalo Creek, 5 miles west of
Slough, also begins in the Absarokas
and flows south into the park. I
haven’t fished Buffalo Creek, but
I’ve heard that north of the park,
it holds rainbow trout, including a
few nice fish. I plan to fish the
wilderness portions of the Buffalo
when I revisit Slough. Grizzlies
roam the forested western and
southern regions of the wilderness
adjacent to the park but are
uncommon in the open plateau country
to the east. The majority of lakes
are clustered on the Beartooth
Plateau and several smaller plateaus
in the eastern half of the
wilderness. The plateau country is
primarily uplifted granite and
boasts the highest mountains in
Montana; Granite Peak at 12,799 feet
is the tallest. Many lakes are above
timber in relatively gentle country,
and opportunities for cross-country
travel are frequent. On exploratory
trips it’s possible to visit several
lakes a day. I’ve made fifteen trips
to these plateau lakes, which might
sound like a lot, but half of my
trips were made primarily to fish
just two lakes. There are entire
drainages I haven’t set foot in. A
word of warning: The plateau country
has hundreds of potholes that
produce mosquitoes. In early summer
the air can fairly hum. This eTrail
contains detailed information on
where to fish in the region and how
to get there. All the lakes, rivers,
and streams are covered and
additional information sources like
maps and services are provided.
© Copyright Rich
Osthoff Published by Stackpole
Books. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"Fly-Fishing the Rocky
Mountain Backcountry"
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Livingston, MT – Fly-Fishing
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A controversial berm preserved this bit of dry-fly heaven, albeit for a price. As you stand on the west
bank, the Yellowstone is running
high, wide, handsome, and
brown—brown with meltwater,
streaming from the Yellowstone
caldera and the peaks of the
Absaroka and Gallatin Mountains
which form the river’s valley. But
in front of you on this late June
day is a small stream, little more
than 30 feet wide, that’s flowing
clear as a soprano’s highest note.
Aquatic grasses sway with the steady
currents that trip happily through
runs of cobbly rock. Here and there
anglers work PMDs for rising fish.
That’s where the action is. Fed by a
massive spring of cold and constant
flows, Armstrong’s Spring Creek
fishes well all the time, except
when the flooding Yellowstone
ploughs across its narrow flood
plain and invades the spring creek’s
channel. Species: Rainbow, brown.
Angling methods: fly-fishing only.
© Copyright
John Ross Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"America’s 100 Best Trout
Streams"
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Livingston, MT – Fly-Fishing
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This
river of contrasts yields rainbows
in the upper runs and browns below
to those who figure it out. Issuing
from the base of Clark Canyon
Reservoir 20 miles or so south of
Dillon, the Beaverhead flows
north-by-northeast for more than 50
miles before joining the Big Hole
below Twin Bridges to form the
Jefferson. The upper stretch from
the reservoir down to Barrett’s
diversion dam is considered to be
prime rainbow water. Below the dam,
the river warms and brown trout
predominate. The Beaverhead is
literally two different rivers.
Species: Brown, cutthroat, rainbow.
Angling methods: spin, and
fly-fishing.
© Copyright
John Ross Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"America’s 100 Best Trout
Streams"
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Dillon,
MT – Fly-Fishing |
The
Beaverhead River is among Montana’s
premiere big-fish fisheries,
supporting a phenomenal population
of large trout in its upper reaches.
Each year, the Beaverhead rewards
skilled anglers with scores of
browns and rainbow over 3 pounds and
a few weighing over 10 pounds.
Beginning 20 miles south of Dillon
at the outlet of Clark Canyon
Reservoir, the Beaverhead River
meanders for about 50 air miles to
its junction with the Big Hole River
north of Twin Bridges. The upper
river, the 15-mile stretch between
Barretts Diversion and Clark Canyon
Dam, winds through a narrow valley
with picturesque rock outcrops. The
lower river runs through a large
broad valley ringed by a series of
small mountain ranges. Key species:
Rainbow, brown, cutthroat, grayling,
and whitefish.
© Copyright
Michael Sample Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"Fishing Montana"
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Dillon,
MT – Fishing |
"If you were going to make trout
streams, the Big Hole is what you
would use for the model.� So says
George Grant, a veteran fisherman of
the Big Hole for more than fifty
years. He may be prejudiced, but
thousands of anglers share his
opinion. The free-flowing,
“blue-ribbon� Big Hole River flows
150 miles through one of Montana’s
most scenic valleys to join with the
Beaverhead River. Along the way, the
rich, diverse waters foster
bountiful aquatic life, including
river otters, grayling, salmon
flies, and trophy trout. Two
controversies cloud an otherwise
bright picture of Grant’s ideal
trout stream. First, in dry years,
irrigation diversions almost
completely drain the lower river,
resulting in substantial fish
mortality. Second, heavy fishing
pressure, especially during the
salmon fly hatch, may be reducing
the population of big rainbow,
although populations thus far show
no negative signs of fishing
pressure. The biggest negative
effect of heavy fishing may be
reduced quality of fishing
experience not reduced quality of
fishing. Key species: Rainbow trout,
brown trout, brook trout, arctic
grayling, and mountain whitefish.
© Copyright Michael
Sample Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"Fishing Montana"
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Divide,
MT – Fishing |
Upper reaches hold brookies and
among the last fluvial grayling in
the continental United States. Lower
waters, great browns. With 150 miles
of outstanding free-flowing trout
water, and much more in its
tributaries, the Big Hole River
provides angling diversity not found
on any other river in the West.
Broad statement? Well, here are the
facts. Not only do you encounter
rainbows and browns, some of them
trophy sized, but also brook trout,
a smattering of cutthroat, and one
of the few populations of fluvial
grayling in the United States.
Whitefish are also abundant. Flowing
in a broad arc north around the
Pioneer Mountains, the river winds
its way through a wide, flat valley
of gravel runs and gentle pools,
before picking up volume and
velocity with the added waters of
the Wise River. The upper reaches
see relatively little fishing
pressure, while the center stretch
gets hammered pretty hard. Still,
there’s nowhere near the pressure on
this river that’s found, for
instance, on the Yellowstone or
Madison or the Snake across the
mountains. Species: Brown, rainbow,
cutthroat, brook, grayling. Angling
methods: spin, and fly-fishing.
© Copyright John Ross
Published by Falcon Publishing. All
Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"America’s 100 Best Trout
Streams"
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Wisdom,
MT – Fly-Fishing |
A model
water agreement brokered by TU
ensures the preservation of this
magnificent fishery. Generated from
snows that cling to the Bitterroot
Mountains to the west and the
Pintler Peaks of the Sapphire
Mountains to the east, the forks of
the Bitterroot drain more than 2.5
million acres of wilderness—superb
country for elk, mule deer, bear,
and cougar. High lakes, as clear and
cold as a midnight sky, hold
populations of cutthroat and brook
trout. And the East and West Forks
contain them as well. Lower reaches
of these streams are worth fishing,
not only for their gaily colored
salmonoids, but for the spectacular
setting that will steal your heart.
Species: Brown, rainbow, cutthroat,
brook. Angling methods: spin, and
fly-fishing.
© Copyright
John Ross Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved. |
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From the guidebook
"America’s 100 Best Trout
Streams"
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Hamilton,
MT – Fly-Fishing |
Rumor
has it that Joe Brooks, the
celebrated angler, world-wide
traveler, and prolific writer, once
penned his ten choices for the best
trout streams in the world. The
Bitterroot was one of the chosen
few. Notwithstanding, the Bitterroot
has not attracted the national
publicity other Montana streams
have. Unfortunately for them, there
are a lot more locals in the
Bitterroot Valley than there used to
be. Key species: Rainbow trout,
brown trout, brook trout, cutthroat
trout, bull trout, mountain
whitefish, largemouth bass,
squawfish, and northern pike.
© Copyright
Michael Sample Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved. |
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From the guidebook
"Fishing Montana"
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Stevensville, MT – Fishing
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The Gallatin drainage offers a
diversity of trout fishing
opportunities unmatched by Montana’s
other major rivers. The angler
working the 40-mile canyon of the
Gallatin River can choose among
mountain stream riffles,
boulder-dotted pocket water, surging
runs, and deep pools. Below the
canyon mouth, the Gallatin braids
and spreads out to provide a
selection of readily wadeable
channels for the angler. The East
Gallatin River represents a totally
different fishing experience—a
serpentine hay-meadow stream, lined
with deeply undercut willow banks.
Finally, the main Gallatin River,
formed by the junction of the East
and Upper Gallatin Rivers, hosts a
full complement of steady runs, long
pools, and gravelly riffles, along
with an opportunity for solitude not
often experienced on southwestern
Montana’s other major rivers. Key
species: Rainbow trout, brown trout,
cutthroat trout, and whitefish.
© Copyright Michael
Sample Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"Fishing Montana"
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Gallatin
Gateway, MT – Fishing |
Short
take: Lots of trout, and great for
beginners on upper section. Fish
become larger and angling more
challenging downriver. Running more
than 100 miles from its headwaters—a
little creek running out of the
northwest quadrant of Yellowstone
National Park—the Gallatin joins the
Missouri just north of its origin,
the union of the Madison and the
Jefferson at Trident. In between are
open riffles, roaring canyon
cataracts, and miles and miles of
cobble-bedded runs, turns, and
pools, shadowed for most of the
river’s length by U.S. Highway 191.
The river holds something for
anglers of all skill levels, from
the greenest novice who’s yet to wet
a wader, to the grizzled pro who’s
been there and done that and plans
to keep doing it forever. Roughly a
third the size of the Yellowstone
River, and without a major entrance
to the national park at its
headwaters, the valley of the
Gallatin lacks the grandeur of its
cousin to the east. Even during the
height of summer’s tourist season,
you may have sections of the river
all to yourself, save an occasional
drift boat or raft and kayak on the
middle and lower mileage. Species:
Rainbow, cutthroat, cuttbow, brown.
Angling methods: spin, and
fly-fishing.
© Copyright
John Ross Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"America’s 100 Best Trout
Streams"
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Big Sky,
MT – Fly-Fishing |
Much of
the Jefferson River remains as wild
and remote as the day Lewis and
Clark first encountered it in 1804.
Cottonwood bottoms, thick shrub
fields, and expansive hay meadows
isolated the river from civilization
along much of its length. The
abundant wildlife and waterfowl that
use the river and its banks, only
add to the Jefferson’s appeal. The
Jefferson flows for about 70 miles
northeast from its origin near Twin
Bridges to its confluence with the
Madison and Gallatin rivers at the
headwaters of the Missouri River
outside of Three Forks. A broad,
multi-channeled river, the Jefferson
has a gentle gradient and deep
water. Key species: Rainbow trout,
brown trout, cutthroat trout, and
whitefish.
© Copyright
Michael Sample Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"Fishing Montana"
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Silver
Star, MT – Fishing |
The
Madison is, in many people’s
opinion, Montana’s river of
superlatives, with a list including
highest trout density, most
consistent action, best dry fly
fishing, and the most spectacular
scenery. Not surprisingly, this
southwestern Montana jewel is also
the second most heavily used river
fishery in the state, growing more
popular annually. Key species:
Rainbow trout, brown trout,
Yellowstone cutthroat trout,
whitefish, and Arctic grayling.
© Copyright
Michael Sample Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"Fishing Montana"
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Ennis, MT
– Fishing |
Close
your eyes. Think of a broad trout
river chattering down a wide valley
between fields of sage. That’s the
Madison. You know several Madison
Rivers. There’s the section in
Yellowstone National Park, sired by
a pair of wonderful trout
streams—the Gibbon and the Firehole
and the mileage between the park and
Hebgen Lake. There are the waters of
Hebgen and Quake Lakes, and the
50-mile run down to Ennis. And
there’s a warmer stretch of about 30
miles from Ennis to the junction
with the Jefferson which forms the
Missouri just above Trident. If you
count the fact that Hebgen Lake
controls flows into the upper
reaches of the Madison outside the
park, then it is a tailwater
fishery. On the other hand, the
river behaves not at all like the
Beaverhead or Bighorn, resembling
more closely a classic freestone
stream. Fothergill and Sterling,
noted angling authors, describe the
Madison below Quake Lake as one long
riffle. In the main, they’re
correct. You’ll find no chutes and
plunge pools, no runs slamming hard
into rock cliffs, not even many
large boulders that create those
deep dark holes in which browns love
to hold. This section of the river
is very homogenous. Flowing over a
stable, cobbly bottom at about five
miles per hour, the river bends
slightly in its ancient channel but
it never meanders. Where gradient is
steeper, it just runs a little
faster. When the river slows,
occasional gravel islands appear,
but you wouldn’t call the channel at
all braided. Patches of cottonwood
and brush occasionally line the
river, but you’ll find little
structure from submerged logs. The
utter consistency of this stretch,
easy wading, agreeable browns and
rainbows, and more than a dozen
points for public access make this
wonderful water for a beginning
angler. Species: Brown, rainbow.
Angling methods: spin, and
fly-fishing.
© Copyright
John Ross Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"America’s 100 Best Trout
Streams"
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West
Yellowstone, MT – Fly-Fishing
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When we visit the middle section of
western Montana, we make our
headquarters in Missoula, close to
some of the best trout water in the
West. Driving up I-90, drift boat in
tow, we pass through miles of high
plains with an endless series of
humpbacked hills. The Clark Fork
River begins near Warm Springs at
the confluence of Silver Bow Creek
and Warm Springs Creek. We become
aware of it just below the Anaconda
Settling Pond. This eTrail includes
a map and detailed information on
the best places to fish in the area.
© Copyright Ann
McIntosh Published by Stackpole
Books. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook "Trout
Fishing near American
Cities"
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Missoula,
MT – Fly-Fishing |
Big river, big tailwater, big trout.
The scale of the Missouri River is
simply huge. The Missouri is the
largest river in the United States.
Its upper reaches, so favored by
anglers for trout, span more than
100 miles, from the junction of the
Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin at
Three Forks to Cascade, high in the
Montana’s arid steppe. As the river
forms above Trident, it’s subject to
heavy sedimentation, fluctuations of
spring run-off, and heat from the
persistent rays of the western sun.
Yet four dams, all but one
relatively minor in size, transform
the river from a slow, tepid,
prairie stream better suited to warm
water species into one of the finest
trout fisheries in the west. To
varying degrees, each of the
reservoirs provides cool holding
water for rainbows and browns during
the hottest days of summer. And in
fall and spring, depending on their
species and proclivities, large
trout run up out of the impoundments
to spawn. And each of the lakes
slows the flow, allowing sediment to
sift to the bottom, before the water
is released into the next section of
the river. Without these dams, and
increasingly cooperative management
by Montana Power Company, which now
operates them, there would be few,
if any, fishable trout in the
Missouri below Three Forks. Species:
Rainbow, brown. Angling methods:
spin, and fly-fishing.
© Copyright John Ross
Published by Falcon Publishing. All
Rights Reserved. |
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From the guidebook
"America’s 100 Best Trout
Streams"
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Helena,
MT – Fly-Fishing |
Smaller,
shorter, tougher sibling of
Armstrong’s, across the Yellowstone
River. If you have only one day to
fish a spring creek in Paradise
Valley, it probably ought not be
Nelson’s, unless you want the
supreme technical challenge. Only
half-a-mile long, this spring creek
rises on the east side of the
Yellowstone directly across from
Armstrong’s. Its course lacks the
gradient of the O’Hair mileage of
Armstong’s Spring Creek, rather
resembling some of the slower flows
on the DePuy section. As summer’s
sun warms the gravelly, cobbly
bottom, aquatic grasses flourish. By
August, were it not for cottonwoods
along the bank, Nelson’s would
resemble an English chalk stream.
Undulating in the current, watery
cress provides cover for big
rainbows—up to 24 inches and
more—and a few large browns.
Species: Rainbow, brown, cutthroat.
Angling methods: fly-fishing only.
© Copyright
John Ross Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"America’s 100 Best Trout
Streams"
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Livingston, MT – Fly-Fishing
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Lovely
stream, off the beaten path. Twenty
miles east of Missoula, Rock Creek
Road heads due south from Interstate
90, into one of the loveliest
mountain valleys in Montana. The
road follows the river for most of
its 50 miles as it twists and turns
through stands of fir, larch, and
pine in the Lolo National Forest.
This is one of those delightful
rivers where anglers of almost any
skill will find success. And thanks
to special regulations, the
population of trout is thriving.
Species: Cutthroat, brook, brown,
rainbow. Angling methods: spin, and
fly-fishing.
© Copyright
John Ross Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"America’s 100 Best Trout
Streams"
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Missoula,
MT – Fly-Fishing |
For many
residents of Missoula, the road to
paradise begins only 20 miles east
of town at Interstate 90, Exit
126—Rock Creek Road. A drive along
Rock Creek offers an escape from the
sprawling metropolis of 50,000
inhabitants into a wild and
beautiful mountain valley. It also
provides access to one of the most
delightful and challenging fishing
experiences in Montana. Throughout
its 50-mile length, Rock Creek is a
classic fast-water trout stream. The
riffles, runs, and occasional pools
host five species of trout, all of
which have the agreeable disposition
of being where they’re supposed to
be. Literally any place that offers
hiding cover and some relief from
the current will harbor trout. Key
species: Rainbow trout, brown trout,
cutthroat trout, whitefish, brook
trout, and bull trout.
© Copyright
Michael Sample Published by Falcon
Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"Fishing Montana"
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Missoula,
MT – Fly-Fishing |
The
Bitterroot Mountains stretch along
the Idaho-Montana border for roughly
200 miles. Much of my fishing in the
Bitterroots has been on Kelly Creek
and the St. Joe River—two of Idaho’s
best westslope cutthroat rivers,
which headwater on the northern end
of the range and are described
separately in part 9,“Premier
Westslope Cutthroat Rivers.� The
biggest block of wild country
associated with the Bitterroot
Mountains is the Selway-Bitterroot
Wilderness, which, at nearly 11/2
million acres, was once the largest
classified wilderness in the lower
forty-eight (it has since been
surpassed by the Frank Church
Wilderness).The Selway-Bitterroot
Wilderness sprawls into four
national forests—the Nez Perce,
Bitterroot, Clearwater, and Lolo.
Most is in Idaho, but the eastern
portion is in Montana adjacent to
the Bitterroot River Valley. The
Selway River flows through the Idaho
portion of the wilderness for more
than 40 miles and is followed by
trail for this entire length. With
so much mileage to explore, the
river is really a destination in
itself. Elevations along it average
only around 2,000 Feet. The river
corridor is mostly forested—although
there are some open slopes—and the
summer climate is dry and warm, with
temperatures frequently nudging into
the 90s Fahrenheit. By August the
river can be warm enough that midday
fishing is slow. In hot weather look
for trout off the mouths of cold
tributary streams. When the evening
shade hits the river corridor and
starts creeping up the adjoining
slopes, the fishing usually picks
up. This eTrail contains detailed
information on where to fish in the
region and how to get there. All the
lakes, rivers, and streams are
covered and additional information
sources like maps and services are
provided.
© Copyright
Rich Osthoff Published by Stackpole
Books. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"Fly-Fishing the Rocky
Mountain Backcountry"
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Hamilton,
MT – Fly-Fishing |
The
Spanish Peaks are just west of the
Gallatin River in the Gallatin
National Forest about 20 miles
northwest of Yellowstone Park. At
one time these peaks were managed as
a separate primitive area, but this
78,000-acre unit is now part of the
larger Lee Metcalf Wilderness (which
also encompasses the Madison Range).
I’ve spent more time looking up at
these mountains—while fishing the
Madison and Gallatin Rivers— than
hiking in them. But because they’re
close to some of my favorite
roadside rivers, I’ve poked around
in them a bit. This eTrail contains
detailed information on where to
fish in the region and how to get
there. All the lakes, rivers, and
streams are covered and additional
information sources like maps and
services are provided.
© Copyright
Rich Osthoff Published by Stackpole
Books. All Rights Reserved.
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From the guidebook
"Fly-Fishing the Rocky
Mountain Backcountry"
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Bozeman,
MT – Fly-Fishing |
Everybody’s
favorite river, and the
fishing is good, too. Rising
in a magnificent caldera of
paint pots and smoking
fumaroles, the river tumbles
out of Yellowstone National
Park at Gardiner and makes a
headlong rush through Yankee
Jim Canyon and into Paradise
Valley, heading for
Livingston about 60 miles
below. At Livingston, the
river swings east, and near
Springdale it slows. The
upper river is the province
of cutthroats and rainbows.
The deceptively deep canyon
water holds browns of sizes
too large to be imagined.
Rainbows take over in the
happy riffles of the central
valley before giving way to
browns below Livingston.
Unfettered by major
impoundments, the river
flows swiftly on this leg of
its 168-mile journey to the
Missouri just over the North
Dakota state line. Run-off
swells the river with silty
water from mid-May well into
June and often July,
depending on the snowpack.
But normally, thereafter the
river runs clear, except
when torrential
thunderstorms muddy up the
Lamar and Gardner. Then the
Yellowstone will take a day
or two to clear. Species:
Cutthroat, brown, rainbow.
Angling methods: spin, and
fly-fishing.
© Copyright
John Ross Published by
Falcon Publishing. All
Rights Reserved. |
| From the guidebook "America’s 100 Best Trout Streams" |
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| Livingston, MT – Fly-Fishing |
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Guides & Instructors
113 W.
Park #3
Livingston, Montana 59047
406-222-0989 or
flyshop@hatchfinders.com
Molly Semenick
271 Old
Clyde Park Road
Livingston, Montana 5907
406-220-5234 or MollySemenick@TieTheKnotFlyFishing.com
233 Edelweiss
Drive,
Bozeman, MT 59718
(406)
585-8667
81801
Gallatin Rd
Bozeman,
MT 59718
Toll Free
877-790-5303
Local:
406-586-2188 or
info@finsandfeathersonline.com
3246
Linney Road,
Bozeman, MT 59718
(406)
388-4938
1716 West
Main Street
Bozeman,
MT 59715
(406) 587-4707
1-800-646-7847 or
mttrout@troufitters.com
Special Thanks to www.Trails.com
for information provided.
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