Montana Fly Fishing Forecast
June Forecast
June is right around the corner and with it will come some of the best fly fishing of the season in Montana. Looking into the upcoming month, dry flies are sure to be on the menu on all of our area rivers. PMDs, Caddis, and the granddaddy of them all: the Salmonfly, will all be hatching by mid-month. June is probably the best time of the year to target trophy trout with dry flies as the big fish take chances and get sloppy with all of the food around.
Expect to find our Montana fly fishing guides and anglers primarily fly fishing on and around the Missouri River most of the month. May has been wet and cold, delaying runoff on our rivers closer to Bozeman to what will likely be the end of June. Great time to head to Craig, MT and join us at our Missouri River Basecamp for a fly fishing trip. Flows below 10K will keep our Missouri River trout looking up and on the feed. Salmonflies will be on the Blackfoot River before you know it. Flows are looking to be right for good fishing and great floating on the Dearborn River through the middle of the month.
2019 Salmonfly Hatch
Salmonfly madness always starts up in June in Montana. The big bugs will start to show up on some of our smaller, lower elevation rivers by the 1st of the month and by the end of the month, will have passed through or be hatching on just about every freestone river in the state. Need to know where to go?
June 1-15:
• Rock Creek
• Blackfoot River
• Bitterroot River
• Firehole River
June 15-30:
• Madison River
• Big Hole River
• Yellowstone River
• Gallatin River
There are lot’s of other places to find them off the beaten path as well. You can bet when these bugs hatch, even the biggest of brown trout will be looking up for them. The hatch on the Madison River is one of our favorites for targeting big fish. Pick your favorite flies, tie on some 0x tippet, and hold on!
While the Salmonfly hatch certainly gets most of the hype for anglers in Montana, the PMD and Caddis hatch on the Missouri River can’t be overlooked. Some of the best sight fishing of the year for big trout goes down in June. The Missouri River will be fishing well from top to bottom. Find your fish and make your first cast count.
There is a reason many of our guides are booked a year in advanced or more for June: the fishing in Montana is just that good. We still have some availability, but would recommend booking your trip sooner rather than later if you are thinking about a Montana fly fishing trip in June 2019. Look forward to seeing you on the water soon.
Fishing Reports
Bozeman Fly Fishing Summary
We are in the full swing of the fly fishing season here in Bozeman, MT and anglers have found great fishing with the recent cool weather trend. Flows have dropped on many of our local rivers, allowing for a window of opportunity to take advantage of late-spring fishing before the inevitability of runoff strikes again. Dry fly fishing has been excellent on the Missouri River, Madison River, and our Paradise Valley Spring Creeks with March Browns, BWOs, caddis, and midges keeping the fish looking up on a daily basis. May is one of the best time of year to find big brown trout rising on the Missouri River before they have been educated. Flows will rise again before they drop for good in 2019, but no better time to hit the river while flows are down, rivers are clear, and fish are rising!
Missouri River Fly Fishing Report
The main event in the Montana fly fishing world from now through the end of May. Anglers joining us at our Missouri River Basecamp this year will be treated to truly great days. Thick hatches, excellent nymphing, and flows below 9000 CFS have made for rock solid fly fishing conditions. No bad place to go on the river right now, fishing has been great from top to bottom. Nymphing classic spring water 5-8′ deep has proved consistent day in and day out. Strong mid-morning hatches of March Browns and BWOs make for reliable dry fly fishing through the afternoon. A good drift is more important than the perfect fly right now. Put it on their nose and let them eat it.
Madison River Fly Fishing Report
The Mother’s Day Caddis hatch is all but gone for 2019 on the Madison River, but the fish have been trained to look up and will continue to eat a well presented caddis, march brown, or BWO through the end of the month. Flows have been all over the place, and the Upper Madison has started to go through pulse releases from Hebgen Dam. Good for long term health, but can affect the fishing day-to-day. The Lower Madison will be the more consistent bet with the usual fare of crayfish, worms, lightning bugs, PTs, and prince nymphs getting it done for the nymphing crew. The dry fly bite has been solid from mid-morning on. Late May can be an awesome time for streamer fishing with fish eager to pick up larger meals with the higher flows.
Yellowstone River Fly Fishing Report
The Yellowstone River is in the full swing of runoff. A committed angler willing to fish the foam holes could probably muster up a fish or two, but better left for July. When will the Yellowstone River fish this summer? Probably the first week of July. But could be the last week of June. Or mid-July if the snow keeps coming and temps stay cool. We’ll keep you posted.
Paradise Valley Spring Creek Fly Fishing Report
The Paradise Valley Spring Creeks will be as reliable as it gets for fly fishing in Bozeman now through the end of runoff on our local, larger rivers. BWOs and midges will be the name of the game until PMDs get going in early June. Rod availibility is still good through the end of the month. Treat yourself to a day on DePuy’s, Armstrong’s, or Nelson’s Spring Creek and enjoy a truly unique experience.
Fishing Reports
Bozeman Fly Fishing Summary
May is here and the fly fishing in Montana has been great. Between the excellent fishing the past few weeks on the Missouri River and the prolific Mother’s Day Caddis hatch on the Yellowstone, our anglers and Montana fly fishing guides have been spoiled rotten. May is always a rollercoaster ride with rivers going up and down, clear and muddy, but we’ve be treated to a great one so far in 2019.
As for consistency, the Missouri River and the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks will be the best bet for anglers through the end of the month. Yellowstone National Park will be open for fishing on May 25th and we expect the Firehole River and many of the lakes to be fishing well right out of the gate. The Dearborn River as well as many of our smaller tributaries will open as well. Still plenty of time to plan a Montana fly fishing trip before the end of the month. The sun is shining, fish are rising, and life is good in Big Sky Country!
Missouri River Fly Fishing Report
No better place to be right now through the end of the month in Montana. River flows are well below what we saw last year and the fishing has been nothing short of excellent. Nymphing has been far and away the most productive tactic, but the dry fly fishing has had its moments, particularly from Craig and downstream. BWO hatches have been strong and March Browns have been flying around with them. The first caddis hatches should pick up any day now and really bring the fish to the top. In the meanwhile, pick your favorite bobber and sowbugs and enjoy some great action on the Missouri River.
Madison River Fly Fishing Report
We had a great run from April through early May on the Madison River, seeing great numbers of larger than your average fish on a daily basis. Flows have started to creep up and the tributaries have started to mud up a bit. What does this mean? Not much short term, the fishing will continue to be great with large stonefly nymphs, worms, and streamers being the top producers. Looking forward through the end of the month, there is still a considerable amount of snow in the hills that will push through. The Lower Madison River will become a better option from late-May through early June.
Yellowstone River Fly Fishing Report
The Yellowstone River was the place to be this April and early May. Between BWOs, March Browns, Skwalas, and most recently the Mother’s Day Caddis hatch, our anglers had some of the best early season dry fly fishing ever. The Yellowstone gave it up and stayed more or less fishable for most of the spring. Now runoff is here and the Yellowstone River is running high and muddy. How high will it go? How long will it last? Too early to know but we bet the river will be running green and our anglers will be fishing salmonflies sometime the first week of July. In the meantime there are better places to fish. Floaters will want to exercise extreme caution on the Yellowstone River from now until flows subside.
Paradise Valley Spring Creek Fly Fishing Report
Steady is the best way to describe the fly fishing on DePuy’s, Armstrong, and Nelson’s Spring Creeks now through the end of the month. A mishmash of bugs will keep fish looking up most days. BWOs, midges, caddis, and an odd ant or two will be on the menu. Fish the small and emerging, crippled, or spent. Nymphing with midges and small PTs has been extremely productive and will only continue to be. 6x tippet is mandatory for consistent action.
Montana Fly Fishing
Winter Fly Fishing Trips on the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks
The year round near-constant temperatures of DePuy’s, Armstrong’s, and Nelson’s Spring Creeks prevent the formation of ice that plagues many other fisheries in the state and are the best Winter fly fishing option near Bozeman, MT with our Montana fly fishing guides. Winter rod fees are a bargain and a rare sunny day in the winter can result in an excellent midge hatch. That’s right, winter dry fly fishing. It does happen.
The DePuy’s Spring Creek property owners also provide anglers with access to a warming hut right at the Eva’s run access where a well tended-to fire can always be found to warm up frigid bones. This is the best option for a Winter guided fly fishing trip in Montana if already in the area skiing at either Bridger Bowl or Big Sky Ski Resort near Bozeman, MT or Big Sky, MT.
One can expect shorter fishing days even on the best of weather days in the winter, but DePuy’s Spring Creek offers the finest winter fly fishing in Montana to be found. The fly fishing is mostly with midge patterns. Nymphing can be great and on the sunniest of days fish will be rising.
