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The River's Edge

Yellowstone:

3-25 The fishing is great on the Yellowstone right now. Expect to find fish eating b.w.o's on overcast days and midges in the foam pockets. The fish are still concentrated due to the low water. The streamer fishing has been good and should improve over the next few weeks. The nymphing has been good with stonefly and mayfly imitations.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Streamers:
Olive & White & Natural Zonker, Olive Wooly Bugger, Conehead Superflash Black, Heavy Metal Sculpin.

Dries:
Hi-Vis Midge, Griffith's Gnat, CDC Midge.

Nymphs:
Rubberlegs Brown/Coffee, Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, CDC Bubbleback Olive, Lightning Bug Black, Dave's Emerger, Zebra Midge

Yellowstone River Flows
Corwin Springs:
Average Flow: 865 cfs
Current Flow: 565 cfs
More on the Web
Livingston:
Average Flow: 1230cfs
Current Flow: 851 cfs
More on the Web

Yellowstone Water Contacts
Yellowstone River Live Cam: http://www.coolworks.com/webcams/

Bighorn:

3-25 For numbers of fish the big horn is at the top of the list in Montana. The fishing is consistently good year round. The spring is a great time to fish the river before it gets too crowded. Expect to find fish feeding on midge and mayfly nymphs in every riffle. The dry fly fishing is spotty but will improve with the weather. We have had some reports of good streamer fishing on warmer days.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Shrimp Cocktail, Ray Charles Gray and Pink, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, Zebra Midge, Hunchback Scud

Dries:
Para Adams, Griffiths gnat, Spider midge ,Snowshoe midge cluster.
Streamers:
JJ Special, Bighorn Bugger, Heavy Metal Sculpin, Tequeely

Big Horn River Flows
Big Horn River nr St. Xavier MT:
Average Flow: 2390 cfs
Current Flow: 1890 cfs

Missouri:

3-25 The fishing has been very weather dependent lately. On warmer days the midge hatches are pretty strong and fish are targeting them. The streamer fishing continues to get better as the weather warms up. The nymphing is good with smaller mayfly patterns and San Juan worms. Don't forget to try a crayfish pattern.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Tailwater Tiny Olive, Lightning Bug, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, CDC Bubbleback Olive, McKee Mahatma, Shrimp Cocktail

Dries:
Hi-Vis Midge, Para Adams, Griffith's Gnat

Streamers:
CH Superflash Tan, Clouser Crayfish Olive, JR's CH Streamer Golden Shiner, and White Bow River Buggers

The Missouri River River Flows
Missouri River bl Holter Dam nr Wolf Cr MT:
Average Flow: 4930 cfs
Current Flow: 3370 cfs

Troutfitters:

Lower Madison:

Much of the same on the Lower Madison, 20+ inch browns, 30+ fish days, really crummy stuff that we have to put up with, too bad it's such a crummy fishery we have just 30 minutes from town (this is dripping with sarcasm if you haven't picked up on that yet, ha ha) About the only bad thing to report on has been the lack of good dry fly fishing, midges never really seemed to materialize much outside of the canyon and just below it, but then again it's been colder this winter and much windier as well. There are a few baetis popping out to say hello, but not enough to get me excited and keep me from fishing a san juan worm combo of some sort... It's been three weekends in a row now that I've talked to someone who's caught a brown over 20 inches on a San Juan, two of them 24+. So go figure huh? Beartrap is pretty busy up below the dam, but fishing is still pretty stupid up there on pink soft hackles, small midge larvae and now some mayfly nymphs as well. Everything from Cherry Creek downstream has fished well too - look for the buckets or deeper slower water. The fish are stacked in the holes and it won't be long till this see's some good BWO fishing. Until then, nymph your brains out and leave the streamer rod at home, the biggest fish have been caught below an indicator consistently over the past month. In another month we'll be fishing crayfish, but for now stick with your nymphs.

Fly pattern suggestions:
BH FB PT: 16-18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18-20 Deaddrift Crayfish: 4 I Ain't Yo Baby's Daddy Tan & Rust: 10 Super Soft PT: 16-18 Eggs: 10 San Juan Worm Red, Tan & Brown: 6 Pink & Tan Soft Hackles: 16-18 Zebra Midge: 16-18-20 Pink Sparkle Scud: 16-18 Flourescent Orange San Juan Worm: 12
Last Updated: 3/25/08

Upper Madison:

Ok so this is the boat ramp situation, the Ennis takeout won't be ready till sometime towards the end of April as they will need to redo the ramp because it flooded and got ice jammed, 8 Mile is still snowed in and ice jammed, don't expect that to be ready for a few weeks at least, I'll keep checking. Varney and McAtee are both fine for getting boats in as long as you know you'll have to push them over some ice shelves here and there. Things have begun to thaw out a bit, but I wouldn't float below Burnt Tree (you can get a boat out there with 4WD but not without it. There have been a few guys heading up this way, but not a whole lot as the stretch of river that's open is pretty small (McAtee to Ennis and you can't really fish below Burnt Tree). Holding water wise you are still going to be looking for the fish to stack in the holes and deeper runs. Nymphing has been the mainstay, your typical stuff has been good bigger stonefly nymphs trailing smaller midge larvae and mayfly nymphs along with a few san juan worms... As well as serendipities, zebra midges, griffiths, all the standard stuff. Getting into between Quake and Hebgen has been a little easier and apparently has been fishing a little better now, had friends up there who said the nymph fishing on anything green was really good. Oh and a few eggs never hurts this time of year either... Quake to McAtee is closed now until the general opener, but apparently snow shoeing into between the lakes has been good. Lot's of snow around still. I might try and fish this on Thursday, will report on Friday if I do.
Fly pattern suggestions:
BH FB PT: 14-16-18-20 Firey Juan: 10 Copper John Black, Olive & Red: 16-18-20 Copperwire Mayfly Olive & Tan: 16-18 BH FB PT: 16-18 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18 Big Red: 6-8 Coppertone: 6-8 Eggs: 8-10 San Juan Worm Red, Purple, Tan: 6 Zebra Midge: 18-20 Brassies: 16-18-20 Spiderman: 12-14-16 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18-20 Mr. Rubberlegs Hares Ear: 6-8 Pink Wired Softhackle: 14-16

Yellowstone:

This thing in the spring when flows are low and water temps start to warm up is a bit like a prom date... I'll just leave it at that! Fishing has been good pretty much from Pine Creek down to Springdale, and have also been talking to a few guys that have headed up higher on the river towards Yankee Jim, they have been wade fishing and having good midge fishing. Hatch wise, still not really seeing the emergence of BWO's but then again it's been a lot more like winter temp and weather wise. With the spotty weather we're having, things seem to keep chugging along. Streamer fishing actually has been really good from Carters on down to 89 Bridge. There is still a bit of ice up in the slower valley sections around Grey Owl so I wouldn't put a boat in there, but wade fishing some of that upper valley stretch can be good because no one is out there. Ice on the ramps still below Springdale and you need a winch to get your boat out, so I wouldn't reccomend that just yet. Patternwise bigger stonefly patterns with san juans, mayfly nymphs and midge larvae droppers has been pretty effective, deaddrifting streamer patterns has been equally as effective and has been getting a few bigger fish gettting a few fish on the strip too - no baetis yet, some midges but not really dynamite dry fly fishing right now. Should continue to get better as we continue on into April. Look for BWO's here in the next couple of weeks, typically during a year like this we see baetis around the first of April.
Fly pattern suggestions:
Tungsten Retriever Golden, Black and Chocolate: 6-8 Mr. Rubberlegs Goldenstone: 6-8-10 Brownstone Rubberlegs: 6-8-10 Delektable Big Red: 8-10 BHFBPT: 16-18-20 Red Copper John: 18-20 Zebra Midge Red & Black: 18 Candy Cane Midge: 16-18 Bead Head San Juan Red and Brown: 6-8 Big Gulp Olive, Tan and Black: 2 Ext Hook White Faced Bow River Bugger: 4-6 Space Invader: 2-4 Mike's Wounded Rainbow: 2 Hogan's Hero: 12-14-16 BHFB Pheasant Tail: 14-16-18 Lightning Bug: 16-18 Rootbeer Float Grey:

Gallatin:

Getting a few more hit or miss reports from anglers, so I'm never quite sure who has a bad day because they don't know what's going on, how much of it's weather, how much of it's just fishing, some days are better than others. Personally I don't fish the canyon until after runoff just because it's quicker, full of smaller fish (except for the hog run by BS) and it doesn't have nearly as much aquatic life as down in the valley and above BS up towards the Park. We fished it last week, things were sort of so so, caught some fish later in the day again on the typical big prince nymphs, san juan worms and egg type patterns. I don't get overly technical on the Gallatin and typically never get skunked. Just make sure you are getting your flies down, no weight, no fish, that's the way it goes in the Spring/Winter months. And I mean add some weight, not micro shot, find the deepest slowest runs and holes and drag bottom till you snag every cast and then start adjusting accordingly so that you're rolling along the bottom. That's my best advice. That and don't expect great dry fly fishing on the Gallatin, lately there's been a few midges, and not enough BWO's to get anyone excited. Again, sometimes the more overlooked pieces of water fish better, I'll leave it at that, there are areas that some fish strictly for bigger fish that actually have pretty decent numbers of fish and a San Juan and midge can be dynamite.
Fly pattern suggestions:
BH FB PT: 14-16-18-20 Copper John Black, Olive & Chartreuse: 16-18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18 Wilcox's Little Green Machine: 16-18-20 Anatomay Hares Ear & Peacock: 14-16-18 Mega Prince: 8-10 Mega Hares Ear: 6-8 Olive & Black Woolbuggers: 2-4-6-8 CH Bow River Bugger Black, Olive & Brown: 2-4-6 Eyez Wide Open Olive & Tan: 2 JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 BHFBPT: 16-18-20 Zebra Midge: 16-18-20 Wilcox's Micro Midge: 20-24
Last Updated: 3/25/08

Big Hole:

Heard a few rumors that things have thawed out a little bit now, there is still ice up high and there will be some slush ice now and again too, so pick your day wisely and don't go floating anything you don't know well, because this thing is unforgiving in the spring with low flows, downed trees, ice jams etc. But there has been a few guys making it over this way and things have been spotty hit or miss. So this could be the time to go over if you're interested in a wild goose chase, cause who knows it might be good? Then again you might freeze your nuts off and not catch anything... Chance it and you can be rewarded over here at this time of year, but rest assured that you don't want to head up to high, because that stuff is surely still wintery up by Wisdom! Skwala's over on the Bitteroot, so you can use some stonefly nymphs on the Big Hole along with your standard San Juan worms and egg patterns that are always effective over here in the springtime. Not recommending streamer stripping just yet, but hey, if you like it, give it a go, it's just not very effective till later into April over here.

Fly pattern suggestions:
It's Late March now and we recommend using some bigger stonefly nymphs like a Delektable Hurless in Gray and Olive: 6-8 San Juan Worm Red, Brown, Pink, Etc, Etc: 6-8-10 BH Princes and Pheasant Tails: 12-14-16-18 Copper Johnsons Yellow and Olive: 10-12-14 Space Invader: 2-4 Yellow Yummy: 2-4-6 (why not? Yellow Yummies always work over here...)
Last Updated: 3/25/08

The Gallatin
Talked to a few crazy guys heading out to the Gallatin over the past few weeks, and success has been limited, and that doesn't surprise me. December is not typically the greatest of months on the Gallatin, but if we do get a few days in a row where things warm up enough over freezing it can be a good way to cure the craving for some fishing. The best thing is you don't have to go far, stuff in the valley is typically the only place I go - don't bother with the canyon unless you are going up around Big Sky where the sewage comes in and the fish will often times concentrate around those warmer areas... It's going to be all nymphing when it's cold out, so drag out all of your nymph boxes - eggs, san juans, pheasant tails, etc. Bigger stonefly nymphs with midge trailers, or egg trailers, that is another good winter time bet. Bottom line you are going to want to get the flies near the bottom and get them moving pretty slow and in the deeper holes.

Fly pattern suggestions:
BH FB PT: 14-16-18-20 Copper John Black, Olive & Chartreuse: 16-18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18 Wilcox's Little Green Machine: 16-18-20 Anatomay Hares Ear & Peacock: 14-16-18 Mega Prince: 8-10 Mega Hares Ear: 6-8 Olive & Black Woolbuggers: 2-4-6-8 CH Bow River Bugger Black, Olive & Brown: 2-4-6 Eyez Wide Open Olive & Tan: 2 JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 BHFBPT: 16-18-20 Zebra Midge: 16-18-20
Last Updated: 12/8/07

The Upper Madison
Talked with Dan and Nancy up at Beartooth about whats been going on because we haven't been up this way in a while with temps that were in the teens and not getting above freezing... That's honestly why I haven't had a report for you, because if you're nuts enough to be out in that, then you probably don't need to hear from me!!! Anyhow, there haven't been hardly any people up here, lots of deer and wildlife, but the fishing has been decent when the weather broke earlier in the week, now that winter has settled back in your guess is as good as mine. I have fished this in December and typically I don't get too overly nuts with patterns - a healthy amount of san juans, pheasant tails, midges, some stoneflies and of course eggs... That should really just about do it. Streamer stripping is done, if you want to you can deaddrift a sculpin with a beadhead off the back but make sure you are getting it deep and slow...

Fly pattern suggestions:
JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 BH FB PT: 14-16-18-20 Firey Juan: 10 Copper John Black, Olive & Red: 16-18-20 Silvey's Sculpin Tan & Olive: 2 Eyez Wide Open Tan & Olive: 2 Bow River Bugger Olive & Black: 2 Mustang Sally: 16-18 Hairy Sculpin Brown & Light Olive: 2-4 Copperwire Mayfly Olive & Tan: 16-18 BH FB PT: 16-18 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18 Big Red: 6-8 Coppertone: 6-8 Eggs: 8-10 San Juan Worm Red, Purple, Tan: 6
Last Updated: 12/8/07

The Lower Madison
Well Ennis Lake is done turning over by now as you would have expected and besides the slush ice now and again the Lower is in good shape. Not that I'm giving away a secret here, but this is a pretty decent winter fishery in Beartrap and for those of you who really want to get out and have called me know that I like to fish this below the dam when things are icy and crummy everywhere else because it's easy fishing!!! Pink soft hackles, ray charles and pheasant tails, san juan worms and eggs are what I roll with up here all winter long... When the midge fishing picks up in a couple of months I will start venturing out of the canyon in between Warm Springs and Cherry Creek. Other than that, I don't really fish much of the rest of the river in the offseason because the lower you get on this river the more ice flows and slow water you have, and I just don't like battling that stuff. Although every once in a while I'll go beat my brains in on Darlington with some midge fishing for browns... good way to kill an afternoon! But I'd plan on nymphing till the midges start popping in Jan/Feb.

Fly pattern suggestions:
Stinger Sculpin Olive & Tan: 2 Cone-nan The Barbarian: 2 Silvey's Sculpin Olive & Tan: 2 BH FB PT: 16-18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18-20 Deaddrift Crayfish: 4 I Ain't Yo Baby's Daddy Tan & Rust: 10 Super Soft PT: 16-18 Eggs: 10 San Juan Worm Red, Tan & Brown: 6 Pink & Tan Soft Hackles: 16-18 Zebra Midge: 16-18-20
Last Updated: 12/8/07

The Yellowstone RIver
Kiel and Wes made it out here this week to do some fishing and see what was going on since we had a few warm days in a row. Low and behold there was some slush ice in the river, wouldn't expect anything less at this time of year, so if you are wading, just be careful as you don't want to get swept downstream by an errant iceberg. Fishing was decent in between the wind howling! The boys said they picked up fish mostly on little midges and bugger patterns deaddrifted below an indicator. That would be my suggestion as well, unless you really see something going on, which I would be surprised, I would stick with your basics for this time of year, midges, small nymphs, sculpins and buggers, san juans and stonefly nymphs. Other than that, don't know what else to tell you than check the weather and look for open windows when we get 2 or 3 days in a row above freezing and once the shelf ice settles in for the winter, forget it till about March.

Fly pattern suggestions:
Ugly Bug Brown, Golden, & Black: 6-8-10 Mega Prince: 6-8-10 CH Bow River Bugger Olive & Black: 2-4-6 Silvey's Sculpin Olive, Tan & Black: 2 BH FB PT: 14-16-18 Mustang Sally: 16-18 Lightning Bug Gold: 12-14-16 Eyez Wide Open Tan & Olive: 2 Stinger Sculpin Natural: 2 JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 Dirty Bird Rust & Tan: 12-14-16 Copper John Black & Olive: 14-16-18 Biotic Nymph Olive & Black: 16 Eggs: 8-10 San Juan Worm Red, Brown and Cinnamon: 6 Zebra Midge Red & Black: 16-18-20
Last Updated: 12/8/07

The Spring Creeks
This is when I like to fish the Spring Creeks in Livingston, when everyone else is indoors and thinking fly tying and tv watching. These babies are worth a trip to if for nothing more than to kick the duldrums in the wintertime in Montana if you don't ski... Hatch wise, look for midges and midges only... Take some good midge larvae and emerger patterns along with you. The creeks are on off season rates now, and that makes these things a lot more attractive to me at least, I can shell out the $40 to go fish DePuy's - especially on a weekday when there aren't as many anglers around. Fly wise, fish seem to be keying in on midge larvae, some eggs, and small mayflies and such. That's going to be it, mostly midges and lot's of nymphing at this point. As well as of course keeping your eyes out for reds, there should be plenty of beds around, typically fish some small midges with eggs off the back and do well on the lower end of DePuy's. Wes fished over here this week and despite the winds howling on the Yellowstone it wasn't too bad on the creek and fish were active towards the evening as the wind died down on midge larvae and small leech and bugger patterns. Might be a great little Christmas present to get for a special someone a day on the creeks with a guide!!!

Fly pattern suggestions:
Real Meals Black & Olive: 16-18 Scuds Olive, Tan, and Grey: 16-18 Ray Charles Grey and Tan: 16-18 Pheasant Tail: 16-18 Mini Juans: 16-18 Wilcox's Little PT: 16-18 Bow River Bugger Black & Olive: 6-8 Black Pheasant Tail: 16-18-20 Pheasant Tail: 20 Zebra Midge: 20-22 Disco Midge: 18-20-22 Miracle Midge: 20-22 Eggs: 8-10 Bead Head San Juan: 10
Last Updated: 12/8/07
Spring Creek Phone Numbers: DePuy's - (406) 222-0221 Armstrong's - (406) 222-2979 Nelson's - (406) 222-6560 Milesnick's - (406) 388-7001

The Missouri
I had to do a double take on this report when I read it at first, but sure enough Kiel said when he spoke with the guys at the Trout Shop they said that the Missouri has been good on streamers! Well that wouldn't have been what I would have thought of, but hey I'm definitely not one to turn that down, I love streamer fishing just don't think about it during the winter... Anyhow, not much dry fly fishing as of yet because it has been really windy and cold. Nymphing has been pretty consistent with your typical tailwater flies: scuds, sowbugs, tiny mayflies and worms etc. This is a great winter fishery and if the roads aren't too bad is worth an afternoon trip almost any time the weather is cooperative. Don't bother draggin a boat though, this is a good one to just pound runs on foot on in the offseason.

Fly pattern suggestions:
San Juan Worm Brown & Red: 10 WD 40 Red and Grey: 18-20 Disco Midge: 18-20 Zebra Midge: 18-20 Scud Pink and Grey: 18 Pheasant Tail: 18-20 Ray Charles Grey and Pink: 18 Wilcox's Little Green Machine PT: 16-18-20 Tailwater Tiny Black, Olive & Red: 18-20-22
Last Updated: 11/20/07

Other Waters
Most of the dry fly fishing is going to be non existent around the state at this time of year, I would be counting on mostly nymphing and streamer fishing from here on out until we get deeper into midge season in February.

Talked with the guys over on the Beaverhead and they said there haven't been many folks out and fishing lately as it has been so darn cold. But the few people that have been making out said things have been good on small nymphs - mostly what you would expect, sow bugs, scuds, tailwater tiny's, midges, etc. Apparently Pointdexter Slough has been fishing pretty decent - that can be some fun at this time of year when things are freezing over and it typically fishes well on streamers and nymphs...

Might be worth a trip over to the Ruby at some point, haven't talked to anyone who has been over there lately, but this is typically the time things start to get going a little bit on midges all through January and February, and there aren't many folks over there either.

All of the small creeks closed on Nov 30th.

The Gallatin
The Gallatin River is located just west of Bozeman and is known for it's abundance of fish and it's unbelievable scenery. Starting about 70 miles south of Bozeman and flowing North following U.S. Highway 191 most of its length, the Gallatin has easy access and is a great choice for wade fishing all year long.

Current Conditions & Fishing Strategy
11-26 The river is starting to ice up although the river has some fishable water on the lower sections .If you decide to venture out be careful . The fishing can be good this time of year mostly with small midge nymphs and egg patterns.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Explosion Stone Purple, Double Bead Stone Hares Ear, Flashback Pheasant Tail, Black Copper John, and Master Baetis.

Streamers:
Black Bugger,Copper Zonker,White Bow River Bugger,Jrs Ch stramer black.

Dries:
Royal Wulff, H & L Variant, Para Adams, Para Wulff BWO.

Gallatin River Flows
Gallatin Gateway:
Average Flow: 438 cfs
Current Flow: 388 cfs
More on the Web

The Lower Madison
Starting below Ennis Reservoir and running north for approximately 35 miles to its confluence with the Missouri, the lower Madison provides both excellent wading and floating opportunities.

Current Conditions & Fishing Strategy
11-28 The lower fishes great this time of year for those anglers willing to brave the cold .Expect to fish fairly small patterns behind an attractor pattern like an egg or a worm. From time to time the dry fly fishing can be good with midges . The fish are a little more concentrated in the cooler months so there is no need to float . GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Tailwater Tiny, Black or Red Copper John, Red Headed Stepchild, SJ Worm, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, Otter's Soft Milking Egg

Streamers:
Clouser crayfish, big horn bugger, JJ special, brown bugger, Crazy Dad Crawfish.

Dries: Para Variant, Para Adams, BWO Parawulff

Lower Madison River Flows
Below Ennis Lake:
Average Flow: 1870 cfs
Current Flow: 1280 cfs
More on the Web

Lower Madison Water Contacts
River-Gal Shuttle Service
Bonnie 406-685-3500

The Upper Madison
11-28 The upper Madison is a very good winter time river .With lower wintertime flows wade fishing becomes much easier. In the colder months there wont be a whole lot of dry fly fishing, expect most fish to eat small midge nymphs, worms and eggs .Some fish are taken on streamers as well.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Red copper john, Rainbow Warrior, Daves Emerger ,BH Brassie ,zebra midge

Streamers:
Olive and White Zonker, Kiwi Mudler,
Black Bugger, Silveys sculpin leech.

Dries:
Para Adams, Spider midge, H & L Variant, Griffiths gnat.

Upper Madison River Flows
Kirby Ranch:
Average Flow: 1180 cfs
Current Flow: 673 cfs
More on the Web

The Yellowstone River
11-28 The Yellowstone can be a daunting river to wade fish but this time of year with ice dams and floating ice shelves it is probably the best bet ,Expect fish to eat mostly small nymphs and eggs . There may be some dry fly fishing in the foam holes. Streamer fishing is typically not very good when the water is this cold.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Streamers:
Olive & White & Natural Zonker, Olive Wooly Bugger, Conehead Superflash Black, Heavy Metal Sculpin.

Dries:
Para Wulff BWO, Royal Wulff, Para Variant, CDC Baetis Emerger.

Nymphs:
Rubberlegs Brown/Coffee, Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, CDC Bubbleback Olive, Lightning Bug Black

Yellowstone River Flows
Corwin Springs:
Average Flow: 1500 cfs
Current Flow: 1220 cfs
More on the Web
Livingston:
Average Flow: 2010 cfs
Current Flow: 1660 cfs
More on the Web

Yellowstone Water Contacts
Yellowstone River Live Cam: http://www.coolworks.com/webcams/

The Missouri
11-28 Between dams the fishing has been off the hook with lots of lake fish looking to spawn . The river around craig has been fishing well with beatis and midges . Although mostly nymphing the river still produces quite a few fish caught on dries this time of year . Don't forget the streamer box, with the cooler temps the fish are chasing streamers pretty consistently .

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Tailwater Tiny Olive, Lightning Bug, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, CDC Bubbleback Olive

Dries:
CDC ParaWulff Royal, Ride-Right BWO, H&L Variant, Para Adams, CDC Baetis Emerger

Streamers:
CH Superflash Tan, Clouser Crayfish Olive, JR's CH Streamer Golden Shiner, and White Bow River Buggers

The Missouri River River Flows
Missouri River bl Holter Dam nr Wolf Cr MT:
Average Flow: 4200 cfs
Current Flow: 3250 cfs

The Bighorn
11-28 The bighorn continues to be one of the best fishing rivers in Montana .With the consistent water temps produced from the dam the fishing remains good even in the coldest of weather .The fishing will be subsurface for the most part, you may get some midge fishing although it will probably be spotty. The crowds are much smaller this time of year even though there will be some pleasant weather from time to time .

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Shrimp Cocktail, Ray Charles Gray and Pink, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, Zebra Midge, Hunchback Scud

Dries:
Para Adams, Griffiths gnat, Spider midge ,Snowshoe midge cluster.
Streamers:
JJ Special, Bighorn Bugger, Heavy Metal Sculpin, Tequeely

Big Horn River Flows
Big Horn River nr St. Xavier MT:
Average Flow: 2900 cfs
Current Flow: 1730 cfs

The Spring Creeks
11-28 This is the time to fish the spring creeks .Rod fees are only $40.00 a day and the fishing can be great .There has been some good dry fly fishing lately mostly midges and a few bwos still hanging around .Expect most of your fishing to be subsurface, the nymphing has been pretty good .Small midge nymphs have been the ticket .Eggs and worms have also been producing some great fishing.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Dries:
Para Adams, CDC Lowrider Olive, CDC Baetis Emerger,Griffiths gnat,Spider Midge.

Nymphs:
Pickpocket Claret, Silver Streak, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, Zebra Midge, Black Copper John #18, Tailwater Tiny Olive

Spring Creeks Water Contacts
DePuy's 406.222.0221
Armstrong's 406.222.2979
Milesnick's 406.388.7001
Nelson's 406.222.2159

The Gallitin
The river is in good shape, nothing too exciting happening right now out here, I imagine since the snow has fallen that has really put the kibosh on your streamer fishing etc. It's going to be mostly nymphing when it's cold out, so drag out all of your nymph boxes - eggs, san juans, pheasant tails, etc. Bigger stonefly nymphs with midge trailers, or egg trailers, that is another good winter time bet. Bottom line you are going to want to get the flies near the bottom and get them moving pretty slow and in the deeper holes. If you spot some redds you might fish some eggs behind them for the rainbows - typically find a lot of that at this time of year. As far as dry fly fishing goes you'll have to wait a couple of months when the midges start to come off heavy.

Fly pattern suggestions:
BH FB PT: 14-16-18-20 Copper John Black, Olive & Chartreuse: 16-18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18 Wilcox's Little Green Machine: 16-18-20 Anatomay Hares Ear & Peacock: 14-16-18 Mega Prince: 8-10 Mega Hares Ear: 6-8 Olive & Black Woolbuggers: 2-4-6-8 CH Bow River Bugger Black, Olive & Brown: 2-4-6 Eyez Wide Open Olive & Tan: 2 JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 Hotwire Mayfly Olive: 14-16-18 Biotic Nymph Black & Olive: 14-16

The Lower Madison
Ennis Lake turned over last week and since then things have been dirty and a bit cloudy water clarity wise. So it's not exactly "clean" but it's definitely fishable now and would be worth some nymphing if you are wanting to get out somewhere close to town this Thanksgiving weekend. Fish are starting to wind up the spawning gig - so if you see fish on beds be kind and leave em alone, but fish the eggs behind the beds for the rainbows looking for an easy meal. With the snow I always start thinking about winter midge fishing - not quite time for that yet. Beartrap should be good still, just probably want to fish a bigger fly if the clarity is off with something smaller behind it that way you get their attention. Typicall speaking the lake turnover takes about 2 weeks or so then things settle back in and should be good for the rest of the winter. Other than that, don't really have anything new to report on, if we hear of something happening I'll let you know - but plan on nymphing till the midges start popping in Jan/Feb.

Fly pattern suggestions:
Stinger Sculpin Olive & Tan: 2 Cone-nan The Barbarian: 2 Silvey's Sculpin Olive & Tan: 2 BH FB PT: 16-18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18-20 Deaddrift Crayfish: 4 I Ain't Yo Baby's Daddy Tan & Rust: 10 CDC BWO Emerger: 16-18-20 Olive Anatomay: 16-18 Skip's Nymph Olive: 16 Super Soft PT: 16-18 Brooks Sprout BWO: 16-18-20 Hackle Dun Baetis: 16-18-20 Bubble Back BWO: 16-18 Rootbeer Float BWO: 16-18 Eggs: 10 San Juan Worm Red, Tan & Brown: 6
Last Updated: 11/20/07

The Upper Madison
Haven't really heard anything about anyone fishing the Upper Madison since the snow started flying, but I would imagine at this point things are starting to slow a little bit with the cold front settling in and getting snow dumps these past couple of days. However, that typically means that the midge fishing game should start kicking in on the upper stretches of the river between Quake and Hebgen and from 3 Dollar and Slide area. This is not the time to be stripping big bugs, put those away now and get out your small nymph box and get ready to nymph fish your brains out for the next few months here until the midges start coming off then you'll get a mix of dry fly fishing in. With river flows as low as they are, chances are there will be plenty of wade fishing opportunities this off season. Deaddrifting buggers with small beadheads is a good way to pick up the bigger fish at this time of year - yuk bugs and such can be good too.

Fly pattern suggestions:
JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 BH FB PT: 14-16-18-20 Firey Juan: 10 Copper John Black, Olive & Red: 16-18-20 Silvey's Sculpin Tan & Olive: 2 Eyez Wide Open Tan & Olive: 2 Bow River Bugger Olive & Black: 2 Mustang Sally: 16-18 Hairy Sculpin Brown & Light Olive: 2-4 Copperwire Mayfly Olive & Tan: 16-18 BH FB PT: 16-18 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18 Big Red: 6-8 Coppertone: 6-8 Eggs: 8-10 San Juan Worm Red, Purple, Tan: 6
Last Updated: 11/20/07

The Yellowstone
So this is going to start to slow down and expect that it will be even slower into the end of December as the temps drop and snow starts flying. Reports were decent before the snow started flying, not sure I would be going over here expecting a heyday, but you might do well fishing Pine to Carters or something and fishing a few of the Spring Creek dump ins... Other than that, going to be nymphing time - grab indicators, some smaller split shot and be prepared to work the productive areas of the river harder than usual. This is not a particularly fantastic winter fishery because of the ice flows etc that start forming in the middle of winter... but until that happens you can probably fit in a few more trips here and there you're just going to have to shorten them up because you certainly don't want to get stuck in a wind and snow storm on this bad boy!

Fly pattern suggestions:
Ugly Bug Brown, Golden, & Black: 6-8-10 Mega Prince: 6-8-10 CH Bow River Bugger Olive & Black: 2-4-6 Silvey's Sculpin Olive, Tan & Black: 2 BH FB PT: 14-16-18 Mustang Sally: 16-18 Lightning Bug Gold: 12-14-16 Eyez Wide Open Tan & Olive: 2 Stinger Sculpin Natural: 2 JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 Dirty Bird Rust & Tan: 12-14-16 Copper John Black & Olive: 14-16-18 Biotic Nymph Olive & Black: 16 Eggs: 8-10 San Juan Worm Red, Brown and Cinnamon: 6
Last Updated: 11/20/07

The Spring Creeks
The Spring Creeks look pretty tempting at this time of year when the snow starts flying and temperatures outside drop because the water temps stay consistent. Hatch wise, look for midges and midges only, no more baetis at all... Start thinking about taking some good midge larvae and emerger patterns along with you. The creeks are on off season rates now, and that makes these things a lot more attractive to me at least, I can shell out the $40 to go fish DePuy's - especially on a weekday when there aren't as many anglers around. Fly wise, fish seem to be keying in on midge larvae, some eggs, and small copper bead mayflies and such. That's going to be it, mostly midges and lot's of nymphing at this point. As well as of course keeping your eyes out for reds, there should be plenty of beds around, typically fish some small midges with eggs off the back and do well on the lower end of DePuy's. And don't rule out pitching a small streamer pattern or two over here... Most of the creeks have plenty of availability now, and at offseason rates it makes the creeks a tad bit more attractive to us local folks, and might I add it's still pretty decent fishing at this time of year all through the winter.

Fly pattern suggestions:
Real Meals Black & Olive: 16-18 Scuds Olive, Tan, and Grey: 16-18 Ray Charles Grey and Tan: 16-18 Pheasant Tail: 16-18 Mini Juans: 16-18 Wilcox's Little PT: 16-18 Bow River Bugger Black & Olive: 6-8 Black Pheasant Tail: 16-18-20 Tailwater Tiny Olive: 18-20 Hogans Sipper BWO: 18-20 Pheasant Tail: 20 Zebra Midge: 20-22 Disco Midge: 18-20-22 Miracle Midge: 20-22 Eggs: 8-10 Bead Head San Juan: 10
Last Updated: 11/20/07
Spring Creek Phone Numbers: DePuy's - (406) 222-0221 Armstrong's - (406) 222-2979 Nelson's - (406) 222-6560 Milesnick's - (406) 388-7001

The Missouri
The Mo believe it or not has fished pretty well even today when we called for reports up there. Said that the wind has died down with the cold setting in and fish were up and eating on top pretty good on midges. Browns seem as if they are back in from the spawn now and nymphing has been really solid on the predictable stuff - soft hackles, pheasant tails, small sow bugs and midge larvae etc. From Wolf Creek on down there have been various reports of guys doing well on different things - if you like to head hunt there are still some fish podding up and eating baetis when it hasn't been too windy. But the majority of your fishing should be below the surface on smaller nymphs when the wind picks up! As I always advise, if you're only heading up for the day check the weather and see what's forecasted for the Wolf Creek area before making the trip from the Bozone, or wherever you may call home!

Fly pattern suggestions:
San Juan Worm Brown & Red: 10 WD 40 Red and Grey: 18-20 Disco Midge: 18-20 Zebra Midge: 18-20 Scud Pink and Grey: 18 Pheasant Tail: 18-20 Ray Charles Grey and Pink: 18 Wilcox's Little Green Machine PT: 16-18-20 Tailwater Tiny Black, Olive & Red: 18-20-22 Hogans Military Nymph Black & Olive: 18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 20 Brooks Sprout BWO: 16-18-20 Hackle Dun Baetis: 18-20-22-24 Hogans Sipper BWO: 16-18 CDC Bubbleback BWO: 16-18
Last Updated: 11/20/07

The Gallitin
11-15 Nice weather continues to have a grip on Southwest Montana and we continue to get a little dry fly fishing on the gallatin though most anglers are focusing their attention on streamer fishing .The streamer fishing is great this time of year On most stretches of the river .The lower stretches of river are a popular spot for streamer fisherman to target due to the chance for a larger than average fish. Nymphing with an egg fallowed by a midge or a small mayfly nymph.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Explosion Stone Purple, Double Bead Stone Hares Ear, Flashback Pheasant Tail, Black Copper John, and Master Baetis.

Streamers:
Black Bugger,Copper Zonker,White Bow River Bugger,Jrs Ch stramer black.

Dries:
Royal Wulff, H & L Variant, Para Adams, Para Wulff BWO.

The Lower Madison
11-15 The lower is traditionally a very good fall river and this year has been no exception. Some anglers have had very good streamer fishing while others have been nymphing up some nice fish as well .Dry fly fishing has been nonexistent .The fish in the lower tend to stack up a bit in the cooler months so if you catch one there may be quite a few in that spot. There are a lot of fish spawning in the canyon so watch where you step . There are not many hatches going on rite now , so fishing an attractor is a good idea . Eggs and worms work well with a small bead head fallowing behind .

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Tailwater Tiny, Black or Red Copper John, Red Headed Stepchild, SJ Worm, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, Otter's Soft Milking Egg

Streamers:
Clouser crayfish, big horn bugger, JJ special, brown bugger, Crazy Dad Crawfish.

Dries: Para Variant, Para Adams, BWO Parawulff

The Upper Madison
11-15 The streamer fishing has been red hot in the Madison valley for the past few weeks .We have had reports of fish eating small buggers slow striped and huge gaudy streamers stripped as fast as you can have been producing some quality fish . The nymphing has also been good with a large attractor and a bead .The dry fly fishing has been spotty ,although we have had repots of some beatis hatching around the valley garden area. With the lower than average water levels the wade fishing is as good as it gets .

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Brown/yellow rubberlegs, Black/Orange Crystal Rubberleg, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, Lightning Bug Black, Pearl Spitfire

Streamers:
Olive and White Zonker, Kiwi Mudler,
Black Bugger, Silveys sculpin leech.

Dries:
Para Adams, CDC Lowrider Olive, H & L Variant, Ride-Right BWO.

The Yellowstone
11-15 If you're a wade fisherman fall is a great time to get on the Yellowstone, the water levels are low which makes it a little less daunting as the river is usually way to big to wade successfully and fish are a little less spread out . With the fish more concentrated this makes working a run a lot more productive .Most successful anglers are nymphing a streamer and a bead head or stipping baitfish patterns .Some of the foam holes have fish eating midges on top but for the most part that's about it for dries.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Streamers:
Olive & White & Natural Zonker, Olive Wooly Bugger, Conehead Superflash Black, Heavy Metal Sculpin.

Dries:
Para Wulff BWO, Royal Wulff, Para Variant, CDC Baetis Emerger.

Nymphs:
Rubberlegs Brown/Coffee, Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, CDC Bubbleback Olive, Lightning Bug Black

The Missouri
11-15 Between dams the fishing has been off the hook with lots of lake fish looking to spawn . The river around craig has been fishing well with beatis and midges . Although mostly nymphing the river still produces quite a few fish caught on dries this time of year . Don't forget the streamer box, with the cooler temps the fish are chasing streamers pretty consistently .

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Tailwater Tiny Olive, Lightning Bug, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, CDC Bubbleback Olive

Dries:
CDC ParaWulff Royal, Ride-Right BWO, H&L Variant, Para Adams, CDC Baetis Emerger

Streamers:
CH Superflash Tan, Clouser Crayfish Olive, JR's CH Streamer Golden Shiner, and White Bow River Buggers

The Bighorn
11-15 Some great fishing to be had on the big horn this time of year .Late season is far less crowded and the fishing can be just as good as the summer months .We have had good reports of dry fly fishing with baetis patterns as well as midges on warmer days you may even see a few black caddis around .The nymphing has been great mostly with a worm and a black zebra midge .The streamer fishing has also been very good ,if you want to try something different try one of the lower stretches of the river .

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Shrimp Cocktail, Ray Charles Gray and Pink, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, Zebra Midge, Hunchback Scud

Dries:
Para Adams, CDC Baetis Emerger, Ride Right BWO

Streamers:
JJ Special, Bighorn Bugger, Heavy Metal Sculpin, Tequeely

The Spring Creeks
11-15 With the diminishing crowds and lower rod fees the creeks are a great option for the off season months .Look for fish to be eating midges on top even on the nastiest of days. There may still be a few beatis hanging around .We have been seeing a lot of river fish in the creeks in the past couple of weeks .Subsurface stuff like midge larva, worms ,eggs and crane fly larva are all working well .As of oct 15 rod fees are $40.00 a day .

Recommended Fly Patterns
Dries:
Para Adams, CDC Lowrider Olive, CDC Baetis Emerger,Griffiths gnat,Spider Midge.

Nymphs:
Pickpocket Claret, Silver Streak, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, Zebra Midge, Black Copper John #18, Tailwater Tiny Olive

Spring Creeks Water Contacts
DePuy's 406.222.0221
Armstrong's 406.222.2979
Milesnick's 406.388.7001
Nelson's 406.222.2159

The Gallitin
is in good shape and reports have been pretty good lately down lower in the valley towards he Gallatin Belgrade and Manhattan. Some fish moving around and on beds down lower, so if you know a few good spots, now would be that time of year to be going after the big boys. Hatch activity wise, BWO's are going to pretty much be done at this point. So don't expect any hot and heavy dry fly hatches, been a little cold and getting long into the year at this point - wait for midges in Jan/Feb. Nymphing has been productive however, not talking to anyone fishing the canyon, but sections outside of the canyon, Axtell etc, have been decent. Just been sort of hit or miss with a mostly bright and sunny fall so far. Maybe this weekend will be a little better with rain and overcast in the forecast. I'd be concentrating on nymphing at this point unless you get a good cloudy day, then I'd head down lower and throw some streamers and see what you can pull out, that can be pretty productive - and by that I mean one or two big fish! Good luck this week if you make it out!

Fly pattern suggestions:
BH FB PT: 14-16-18-20 Copper John Black, Olive & Chartreuse: 16-18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18 Wilcox's Little Green Machine: 16-18-20 Anatomay Hares Ear & Peacock: 14-16-18 Mega Prince: 8-10 Mega Hares Ear: 6-8 Olive & Black Woolbuggers: 2-4-6-8 CH Bow River Bugger Black, Olive & Brown: 2-4-6 Eyez Wide Open Olive & Tan: 2 JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 Hotwire Mayfly Olive: 14-16-18 Biotic Nymph Black & Olive: 14-16
Last Updated: 11/7/07

The Upper Madison
Since the Park closed this last weekend, expect to see a few more folks hanging out between the lakes now. That's still one of the more productive stretches of the Madison even though it gets absolutely pounded all year long. The 3 Dollar and Slide Inn areas typically fish fairly well at this time of year as the BWO fishing dies off and the fish start feeding heavily on smaller midge patterns etc. I also like to pitch eggs and san juan worms on about every river at this time of year and the Upper Madison is no exception. Haven't heard from anyone reporting any really big fish on the Upper Madison this fall, although I'm sure there's been a few bruisers caught no doubt. With a few days coming up here forecasted to be cloudy and this weekend forecasted to be rainy maybe this is going to be the weekend for some better streamer fishing, I definitely would be heading out for a good weekend if I weren't working! Flows are still low, sitting right around 670CFS at Cameron so don't drag out a new driftboat for this river right now - everything should be easily accessible on foot though

Fly pattern suggestions:
JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 BH FB PT: 14-16-18-20 Firey Juan: 10 Copper John Black, Olive & Red: 16-18-20 Silvey's Sculpin Tan & Olive: 2 Eyez Wide Open Tan & Olive: 2 Bow River Bugger Olive & Black: 2 Mustang Sally: 16-18 Hairy Sculpin Brown & Light Olive: 2-4 Copperwire Mayfly Olive & Tan: 16-18 BH FB PT: 16-18 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18 Big Red: 6-8 Coppertone: 6-8 Eggs: 8-10 San Juan Worm Red, Purple, Tan: 6
Last Updated: 11/7/07

The Lower Madison
Not much has been changing out on the Lower, flows are still low, thinigs are still in good shape, wind has been bad on some days, better on others. Low light conditions have been scarce as the fall has been pretty bright and sunny thus I haven't had a great streamer day out on the Lower lately. But the nymphing has been decent, redds have been pretty easy to spot and there are definitely plenty of those around right now and there are fish on them and rainbows hanging out below munching egg patterns. So if you're purely looking to go out and catch some fish and don't care how you do it, the Lower has been decent, but if streamer fishing is what you seek - head elsewhere. Smaller soft hackles and tiny pheasant tails and such have been very effective. Bug activity wise, there hasn't been much hatching on the bright sunny days, and with cooler rainy weather on the way, you might cross your fingers and hope for a little BWO action but I wouldn't hold my breath, more likely it will be until January/February when we start to see some good midge action. Still getting good solid reports from Beartrap however, plenty of fish up there on beds and spawning and getting good streamer and nymph fishing over the last couple of weeks. Still seeing plenty of redds out on the Lower, so be careful not to tread right through the middle of them.

Fly pattern suggestions:
Stinger Sculpin Olive & Tan: 2 Cone-nan The Barbarian: 2 Silvey's Sculpin Olive & Tan: 2 BH FB PT: 16-18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18-20 Deaddrift Crayfish: 4 I Ain't Yo Baby's Daddy Tan & Rust: 10 CDC BWO Emerger: 16-18-20 Olive Anatomay: 16-18 Skip's Nymph Olive: 16 Super Soft PT: 16-18 Brooks Sprout BWO: 16-18-20 Hackle Dun Baetis: 16-18-20 Bubble Back BWO: 16-18 Rootbeer Float BWO: 16-18 Eggs: 10 San Juan Worm Red, Tan & Brown: 6
Last Updated: 11/7/07

The Yellowstone
Wow, been a while since we updated. The river is in perfect shape right now, fishing has been hit or miss with the bright sunny warm fall weather. It's nice to be out on the sunny days, but typically the fishing isn't spectacular. That's been the case pretty much statewide lately, and I haven't heard of as many guys heading over to the Yellowstone lately either. Streamer fishing has been pretty hit or miss, with the cloudier days being a lot more hit than miss. BWO's are starting to wind down a fair bit since it's been sunny and warm and now when it starts to get really cold you won't see as good of a river wide hatch, in fact more likely than not you will start to see some midges here and there. Watch out for winds this time of year on the Yellowstone, perfect conditions can be sometimes spoiled by 30+ MPH winds! Fish are definitely spawning, so fishing some of the sidechannels with smaller nymphs and egg patterns can be really productive, don't rule this out just because it's empty of people - the Yellowstone fishes well all throughout the month of November.

Fly pattern suggestions:
Ugly Bug Brown, Golden, & Black: 6-8-10 Mega Prince: 6-8-10 CH Bow River Bugger Olive & Black: 2-4-6 Silvey's Sculpin Olive, Tan & Black: 2 BH FB PT: 14-16-18 Mustang Sally: 16-18 Lightning Bug Gold: 12-14-16 Eyez Wide Open Tan & Olive: 2 Stinger Sculpin Natural: 2 JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 Dirty Bird Rust & Tan: 12-14-16 Copper John Black & Olive: 14-16-18 Biotic Nymph Olive & Black: 16 Eggs: 8-10 San Juan Worm Red, Brown and Cinnamon: 6
Last Updated: 11/7/07

The Missouri
Pretty much the same story, when it has been calm there have been fish up and eating the BWO's that have been hatching on a consistent basis from around noon till about 4pm. It has just has been pretty weather dependent. Sounds as if the streamer fishing is starting to drop off a bit up this way, but still a few guys getting fish on leeches etc. Been talking with friends who have been mainly going between Hauser and Holter and a few guys making it around the Toston area and the fishing has been pretty good for some big bruisers. From Wolf Creek on down there have been various reports of guys doing well on different things - if you like to head hunt there are still some fish podding up and eating baetis when it hasn't been too windy. But the majority of your fishing should be below the surface on smaller nymphs when the wind picks up! As I always advise, if you're only heading up for the day check the weather and see what's forecasted for the Wolf Creek area before making the trip from the Bozone, or wherever you may call home! This has been a good fall fishery.

Fly pattern suggestions:
San Juan Worm Brown & Red: 10 WD 40 Red and Grey: 18-20 Disco Midge: 18-20 Zebra Midge: 18-20 Scud Pink and Grey: 18 Pheasant Tail: 18-20 Ray Charles Grey and Pink: 18 Wilcox's Little Green Machine PT: 16-18-20 Tailwater Tiny Black, Olive & Red: 18-20-22 Hogans Military Nymph Black & Olive: 18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 20 Brooks Sprout BWO: 16-18-20 Hackle Dun Baetis: 18-20-22-24 Hogans Sipper BWO: 16-18 CDC Bubbleback BWO: 16-18
Last Updated: 11/7/07

The Spring Creeks
Not much changing at the creeks, it's been pretty cold over here at night and the BWO hatches have been pretty non existent at this point, mostly midges and the fish seem to be eating the midges pretty well, so maybe start thinking about taking some good midge larvae and emerger patterns along with you. The creeks are on off season rates now, and that makes these things a lot more attractive to me at least, I can shell out the $40 to go fish DePuy's - especially on a weekday when there aren't as many anglers around. Fly wise, fish seem to be keying in on midge larvae, some eggs, and small copper bead mayflies and such. That's going to be it, mostly midges and lot's of nymphing at this point. As well as of course keeping your eyes out for reds, Wes said he's been seeing more spawning activity lately, but still not just stacked on the beds yet. The sunny warm days will leave you reaching for your nymph box. However, when it clouds up make sure and pull out your midges. And don't rule out pitching a small streamer pattern or two over here... Most of the creeks have plenty of availability now, and at offseason rates it makes the creeks a tad bit more attractive to us local folks, and might I add it's better fishing now too...

Fly pattern suggestions:
Real Meals Black & Olive: 16-18 Scuds Olive, Tan, and Grey: 16-18 Ray Charles Grey and Tan: 16-18 Pheasant Tail: 16-18 Mini Juans: 16-18 Wilcox's Little PT: 16-18 Bow River Bugger Black & Olive: 6-8 Black Pheasant Tail: 16-18-20 Tailwater Tiny Olive: 18-20 Hogans Sipper BWO: 18-20 Pheasant Tail: 20 Zebra Midge: 20-22 Disco Midge: 18-20-22 Miracle Midge: 20-22 Eggs: 8-10 Bead Head San Juan: 10
Last Updated: 11/7/07
Spring Creek Phone Numbers: DePuy's - (406) 222-0221 Armstrong's - (406) 222-2979 Nelson's - (406) 222-6560 Milesnick's - (406) 388-7001

The Bighorn
Reports are that the dry fly fishing on the Bighorn has slowed down to a literal crawl now, a few midges, BWO's are done. Nymphing has been the name of the game on the Bighorn lately, just like it always is and on the same stuff that you would expect it to be good on - small midge larvae, little mayfly nymphs, scuds, sow bugs, ray charles, etc. etc. There aren't a whole lot of people over this way right now believe it or not and the fishing has been good. It's time to put away your baetis and grab your midges, and check out the slicks and eddies for the risers. Just about the same arsenal - loads of nymphs, 5x flouro, and some indicators that you like, along with the necessary split shot and be prepared to nymph your brains out! Or look for heads eating midges in the mornings - apparently that has been the ticket in the am. The other thing that has been reportedly pretty good lately has been streamer fishing on the overcast and cloudy days. So if you're sick of an indicator, which I don't know why you would be when you are catching fish right and left, then you can toss some streamers with pretty good success.

Fly pattern suggestions:
WD 40 Grey and Olive: 18-20 Candy Cane Midge: 18-20 Zebra Midge: 18-20 Scud Orange and Pink: 16-18 Ray Charles Pink, Gray, & Orange: 16-18 The Ultimate Worm: 10 Pheasant Tail: 16-18-20 Bead Head San Juan: 10 Morrish's Sculpin Brown & Black: 2-4 Big Horn Bugger: 4-6 Wilcox's Little Green Machine PT & Chartreuse: 18-20 Eggs: 10 Real Meal Olive & Brown: 18-20 Soft Tex Scuds Pink, Olive & Gray: 14-16
Last Updated: 11/7/07

The Big Hole
t's Open Again Below Wisdom
Fishing has slowed down a little bit over here on the Big Hole simply due to cold temps, reaching down into the 20's. But fishing still seems to be holding on and reports have been decent, just not as good as they were 2 weeks ago. Fly wise, eggs and san juans have still been the ticket over this way, surprise surprise. Most guys have been concentrating on the Maiden Rock to Brown's section lately, and that has seen some decent streamer activity as well. The streamer fishing has been on what you would think - Yellow Yummies and JJ's and whatever other streamer patterns you like to throw with either some yellow or brown in them. Nymphing has been pretty darn good as well on San Juans, pheasant tails and lightning bugs, copper johns, etc. Good luck if you make it just be planning to dress warm if you're headed over this weekend, looks like a chilly one!

Fly pattern suggestions:
San Juan Worm Red, Brown, Tan etc: 8-10 JJ's Special: 6-8 Hotwire Mayfly Olive & Tan: 14-16-18 Biotic Nymph Olive & Black: 14-16 Copper Johnson Green, Chartreuse, Black and Red: 14-16-18-20 Gold Lightning Bug: 12-14-16-18 JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 Yellow Yummy: 2-4-6-8
Last Updated: 11/7/07

The Jefferson
More of the same... Things are pretty much the same out on the Jefferson lately, maybe a tad bit slower than one might think. But things have been decent - some fish being caught on streamer patterns - that seems to be the best bet. I would be throwing some JJ's and some sculpin patterns and be looking for fish to hold in the usual areas - below riffles in the tailouts and pools. This is another place to pitch streamers in the fall and hunt for big brown trout - usually it's pretty hit or miss in terms of big fish, but it can be rewarding to get a big one on the Jefferson as you will mostly have the whole river to yourself. So grab your streamers, and some nypmphs and concentrate on the pools and tailouts now and look for fish to be feeding better when it's overcast. And also you might want to take some san juan worms and eggs...

Fly pattern suggestions:
JJ's Special: 2-4-6 Yellow Yummy: 2-4-6 Flash Fry Platte River, Olive, White/Olive: 2 Stinger Sculpin Olive & Natural: 2 Silvey's Sculpin Tan, Black & Gray: 2 Delektable Double Screamer Streamer Cree, Olive/Black, Brown/Yellow: 2 Deaddrift Crayfish: 4 Muddbuggler: 4 I Aint Yo Baby's Daddy Rust & Tan: 8 Super Soft PT: 16-18 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16 BH FB PT: 16-18-20 Anatomay Olive: 16-18 Stinger Sculpin Tan & Olive: 2 Eggs: 10 San Juan Worm Red & Tan: 10
Last Updated: 11/7/07

Other Waters
Most of the dry fly fishing is going to be non existent around the state at this time of year, I would be counting on mostly nymphing and streamer fishing from here on out until we get deeper into midge season.
The Beaverhead has been fishing well, good nymphing on san juans, eggs, pheasant tails, and other small mayfly nymphs. This is one of my favorite times of year on the Beaverhead because there usually aren't many folks on it, you can wade wherever you want to, and the browns are agressive and healthy. Good streamer fishing as well, browns, olives and blacks and with clouds in the forecast, could be pretty decent.
Wes went and fished the Shields again last week and it was terrible, he said he only caught one fish and things seemed really slow. Could have been bright and sunny conditions, could have been who knows. But with that report wouldn't be running right over there.
Hyalite is still holding on and continues to fish decent and not many people typically are up there at this time of year. At this time of year small little buggers - halloween leeches, etc are pretty good on the reservoir. The creek is fishing good as well, fish are really eating nymphs and buggers, dry fly fishing is mostly done. Creeks close on Nov 30th.

Current Report
Autumn in Yellowstone has brought the first dependable fishing for Hebgen Lake brown and rainbow trout entering the Madison inside Yellowstone Park. The number of fish up from the lake continues to increase and these great fish can be tempted with streamers, nymphs and soft hackles. The Firehole is cooling down and seeing good numbers of Baetis on cloudy days, along with continuing hatches of caddisflies. In the northeast corner of Yellowstone Park, we're still seeing very good fishing on the Lamar, Soda Butte and Slough Creek, where fall Drake and Baetis hatches make for some great dry fly fishing.

Lower Madison
Starting below Ennis Reservoir and running north for approximately 35 miles to its confluence with the Missouri, the lower Madison provides both excellent wading and floating opportunities.

Current Conditions & Fishing Strategy
11-3 The lower is traditionally a very good fall river and this year has been no exception. Some anglers have had very good streamer fishing while others have been nymphing up some nice fish as well .Dry fly fishing has been nonexistent .The fish in the lower tend to stack up a bit in the cooler months so if you catch one there may be quite a few in that spot. There are a lot of fish spawning in the canyon so watch where you step . There are not many hatches going on rite now , so fishing an attractor is a good idea . Eggs and worms work well with a small bead head fallowing behind .

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Tailwater Tiny, Black or Red Copper John, Red Headed Stepchild, SJ Worm, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, Otter's Soft Milking Egg

Streamers:
Clouser crayfish, big horn bugger, JJ special, brown bugger, Crazy Dad Crawfish.

Dries: Para Variant, Para Adams, BWO Parawulff

Lower Madison River Flows
Below Ennis Lake:
Average Flow: 1870 cfs
Current Flow: 1280 cfs
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Lower Madison Water Contacts
River-Gal Shuttle Service
Bonnie 406-685-3500

The Upper Madison
Known as the 60 mile riffle, the world famous Upper Madison is a large shallow rocky river originating in Yellowstone Park and flowing through Hebgen and Quake lakes then north to the town of Ennis.

Current Conditions & Fishing Strategy
11-3 The upper is a very good late season option ,there has been a lot of fish between the lakes taking everything from eggs to streamers .The Madison valley section is another good fall stretch of river .In the fall the crowds are gone and just the hardcore guys are fishing Streamer fishing is great with large articulated sculpin patterns .There is some dry fly fishing although it's not very consistent .The nymphing has been good with worms, eggs and small midge nymphs .Another bonus to fishing the late season on the upper is the reduced water flows (if your wading).

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Brown/yellow rubberlegs, Black/Orange Crystal Rubberleg, Bubbleback Pheasant Tail, Lightning Bug Black, Pearl Spitfire

Streamers:
Olive and White Zonker, Kiwi Mudler,
Black Bugger, Silveys sculpin leech.

Dries:
Para Adams, CDC Lowrider Olive, H & L Variant, Ride-Right BWO.

Upper Madison River Flows
Kirby Ranch:
Average Flow: 1180 cfs
Current Flow: 673 cfs
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The Yellowstone River
As the longest free flowing river in the lower 48 states, the Yellowstone is the largest freestone river in our region. Beginning its journey in Yellowstone Park, this river flows north out of the park to the town of Livingston before heading East across the state. Because of its size, the Yellowstone is best fished from a boat although wade fishing is possible.

Current Conditions & Fishing Strategy
10/25 The fishing has been typical fall fishing on the yellowstone.It seems like every other day is a good day. When its good fish have been eating streamer well.There are a few fish eating dries in the foam pockets. The bugger bead combo is a hard one to beat this time of year.If the fishing is tough a double bead combo is a good choice.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Streamers:
Olive & White & Natural Zonker, Olive Wooly Bugger, Conehead Superflash Black, Heavy Metal Sculpin.

Dries:
Para Wulff BWO, Royal Wulff, Para Variant, CDC Baetis Emerger.

Nymphs:
Rubberlegs Brown/Coffee, Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, CDC Bubbleback Olive, Lightning Bug Black

Yellowstone River Flows
Corwin Springs:
Average Flow: 1500 cfs
Current Flow: 1220 cfs
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Livingston:
Average Flow: 2010 cfs
Current Flow: 1660 cfs
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The Gallatin River
The Gallatin River is located just west of Bozeman and is known for it's abundance of fish and it's unbelievable scenery. Starting about 70 miles south of Bozeman and flowing North following U.S. Highway 191 most of its length, the Gallatin has easy access and is a great choice for wade fishing all year long.

Current Conditions & Fishing Strategy
10-31 With the nice weather we have had for the past week the fishing has been great. Although the dry fly fishing has been pretty good here and there most anglers are focusing their attention on streamer fishing .The streamer fishing is great this time of year On most stretches of the river .The lower stretches of river are a popular spot for streamer fisherman to target due to the chance for a larger than average fish. Nymphing with an egg fallowed by a midge or a small mayfly nymph.

Recommended Fly Patterns
Nymphs:
Explosion Stone Purple, Double Bead Stone Hares Ear, Flashback Pheasant Tail, Black Copper John, and Master Baetis.

Streamers:
Black Bugger,Copper Zonker,White Bow River Bugger,Jrs Ch stramer black.

Dries:
Royal Wulff, H & L Variant, Para Adams, Para Wulff BWO.

Gallatin River Flows
Gallatin Gateway:
Average Flow: 438 cfs
Current Flow: 388 cfs
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Gallatin Water Contacts
Please contact us for more information 406.586.5373

Lower Madison
The Lower Madison continues to put right along this fall, with some good days and some pretty poor ones. Just about what you expect for this time of year - when it's bright and sunny things can be a little tough, and honestly reports of streamer fishing have been pretty spotty. So what's the deal? It's fishing! Some of the better reports I have had have been on smaller nymph rigs, not always the most fun to righ up or fish, but effective. Smaller soft hackles and tiny pheasant tails and such have been very effective. Bug activity wise, there hasn't been much hatching on the bright sunny days, but apparently yesterday afternoon when things settled down a little bit from the rain baetis came off pretty decently. Still getting good solid reports from Beartrap however, plenty of fish up there on beds and spawning and getting good streamer and nymph fishing over the last couple of weeks. Still seeing plenty of redds out on the Lower, so be careful not to tread right through the middle of them. There don't seem to be many fish on their beds outside of the canyon - probably getting fished over like crazy right now as the Lower has been busy. The lower stretches, Cobblestone and Greycliff have been a little hit or miss, but a few really good fish being taken down there, but you have to have the right mindset that you might get skunked too.

Fly pattern suggestions:
Stinger Sculpin Olive & Tan: 2 Cone-nan The Barbarian: 2 Silvey's Sculpin Olive & Tan: 2 BH FB PT: 16-18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18-20 Deaddrift Crayfish: 4 I Ain't Yo Baby's Daddy Tan & Rust: 10 CDC BWO Emerger: 16-18-20 Olive Anatomay: 16-18 Skip's Nymph Olive: 16 Super Soft PT: 16-18 Brooks Sprout BWO: 16-18-20 Hackle Dun Baetis: 16-18-20 Bubble Back BWO: 16-18 Rootbeer Float BWO: 16-18
Last Updated: 10/31/07

Upper Madison
Streamer fishing has been decent on the Upper, but from the first hand reports I've been getting, things haven't been what I would call red hot up this way. Not sure why either, the conditions are ripe for a big fish day on the Upper, maybe the browns are just late in getting agressive, or maybe it's the low flows, who knows. But I haven't had a report of anyone knocking em dead, heard mostly that Varney to 8 has been pretty slow. So if you have a bright sunny day in the forecast, you might think about fishing something else, or maybe fishing some deaddrifted streamer patterns and getting it down deep and into the holes. I would personally recommend wade fishing most of this stuff right now as the river is pretty low and you should be able to get around pretty well without a boat. I would be pounding the smaller sidechannels and places that haven't seen a thousand flies and fishing some smaller beadhead nymphs with eggs and san juans is generally pretty good. Have heard that between the lakes has been so so and that it's been better down towards Quake. 3 Dollar and Slide area has fished pretty decently and is really easy to wade at these flows - so that might be worth fishing while it's open still.

Fly pattern suggestions:
JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 BH FB PT: 14-16-18-20 Firey Juan: 10 Copper John Black, Olive & Red: 16-18-20 Silvey's Sculpin Tan & Olive: 2 Eyez Wide Open Tan & Olive: 2 Bow River Bugger Olive & Black: 2 Mustang Sally: 16-18 Hairy Sculpin Brown & Light Olive: 2-4 Copperwire Mayfly Olive & Tan: 16-18 BH FB PT: 16-18 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18 Big Red: 6-8 Coppertone: 6-8
Last Updated: 10/31/07

Yellowstone River
Well even despite the rains yesterday and things being snowy and rainy up in the park the river is still in good shape and that shouldn't change with the forecast calling for pretty even temps and conditions over the next week here. Look for the Yellowstone to fish well here for the next few weeks, it's by no means time to start heading elsewhere. The brown trout are getting darker and there are fish on beds, so be careful if you are walking around redds - you should be able to spot them fairly easily this year with the lower water flows. Most guys I have been talking to have been nymphing and doing some poking around to find fish rising in pods, streamer fishing has been kind of hit or miss. Low water flows and bright sunny days typically aren't going to produce to die for streamer fishing coditions, so if you go out on one of those days don't be surprised if the action is a lot hotter with san juans and small beadheads - or just drift a bugger or sculpin pattern with a smaller beadhead off of the back. In the spirit of the season I might be grabbing a shooting head and combing a few pools - haven't heard of any toads yet this year, but I haven't talked with the right circle of folks lately, if I hear of something I'll let you know!

Fly pattern suggestions:
Ugly Bug Brown, Golden, & Black: 6-8-10 Mega Prince: 6-8-10 CH Bow River Bugger Olive & Black: 2-4-6 Silvey's Sculpin Olive, Tan & Black: 2 BH FB PT: 14-16-18 Mustang Sally: 16-18 Lightning Bug Gold: 12-14-16 Eyez Wide Open Tan & Olive: 2 Stinger Sculpin Natural: 2 JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 Dirty Bird Rust & Tan: 12-14-16 Copper John Black & Olive: 14-16-18 Biotic Nymph Olive & Black: 16
Last Updated: 10/31/07

Gallatin River
Precipitation yesterday may have colored the river up some, unable to get a report on this today, so I would say judging based on the graph things probably spiked yesterday afternoon and so you might want to give us a call tomorrow before heading out to the Gallatin. The canyon section is almost desolate and the fishing isn't very good up there this time of year in my opinion - I'd rather be fishing it down in the valley or around WIlliams bridge and downstream from there. Fish are getting on beds a little bit, the bright sunny days can be tough combined with low flows, but it's not worth throwing in the towel by any means at this point. Still getting some BWO's coming off, although I might expect it will be a little too cold for that stuff here these next few days until it warms back up Saturday and Sunday. Time to start fishing eggs and san juans and the typical spawning time type stuff... as soon as we get a solid report on the clarity we'll post it.

Fly pattern suggestions:
BH FB PT: 14-16-18-20 Copper John Black, Olive & Chartreuse: 16-18-20 Copper Bead Mayfly: 16-18 Wilcox's Little Green Machine: 16-18-20 Anatomay Hares Ear & Peacock: 14-16-18 Mega Prince: 8-10 Mega Hares Ear: 6-8 Olive & Black Woolbuggers: 2-4-6-8 CH Bow River Bugger Black, Olive & Brown: 2-4-6 Eyez Wide Open Olive & Tan: 2 JJ's Special: 2-4-6-8 Hotwire Mayfly Olive: 14-16-18 Biotic Nymph Black & Olive: 14-16
Last Updated: 10/31/07