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Notes From Downstream

A Montana Fly Fishing Blog

Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 9/15/19
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 9/15/19

Fall is in the air in Bozeman, MT and our Montana fly fishing guides and anglers have been enjoying great fly fishing on a daily basis. We’ve received our first taste of cooler and wetter weather over the past week and were treated to great hatches of Blue Winged Olives (BWOs) and Fall Drakes on our Bozeman area rivers. Anglers can expect this pattern to continue through the end of the month: cooler overcast and rainy days will mean good mayfly hatches while warmer and sunnier days will continue to produce good hopper fishing. Smaller terrestrials will also continue to be important for dry fly anglers and trout as flying ants and beetles will stay on the menu. Streamer fishing has started to pick up across Montana as has the fall nymph bite on the Missouri River. Look for hatches and the fly fishing to only get better through the end of the month. Late September is one of our favorite times of the year to fly fish in Montana: quiet river and strong hatches make for fun days on the river. Our guide’s calendars are just about booked for September but still time to plan your Fall fly fishing trip to Bozeman or the Missouri River in October.

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8/19/19 Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report
8/19/19 Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report

Flows are solid, water is cold, and the fly fishing has been great in Bozeman, MT this August. Dry flies have been king on all of our local rivers with hoppers and stoneflies producing some of the largest average size fish we have consistently seen in years. Some days it has seemed like every big brown in the Yellowstone River and Madison River have been looking up and eager to crush the first big hopper that comes their way. Sure makes things fun.

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 7/4/19
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 7/4/19

Happy Independence Day! The 4th of July is a big deal in Montana. Rodeos rule in small towns, parades in bigger, and a good ol’ time of it everywhere. Our larger rivers may be crowded but it’s a holiday weekend after all, and everyone is out for the same reason: to have some fun, so join in!

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 8/22/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 8/22/18

Not much new to report on. Foam fly fishing is still great with large hoppers being the first choice for getting big fish to look up. Hoppers being a generic term for all big foam flies that float. Don’t forget to twitch. The twitch has been triggering strikes from big fish on all of…

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 11/6/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 11/6/18

Snow day in Bozeman. Coming down pretty good, reports indicating several feet deep in the high mountains. What does this mean for anglers that aren’t ready to call it a season yet? Still lots of great fly fishing to be had in Bozeman, Montana. Fly fishing pressure is non-existent on our local rivers like the Madison River and Yellowstone River. Weather becomes the major variable that can hamper success on our rivers in November. Water temps are still great and the fish are on the feed. Float tips this past week on the Madison River were great. Calmer days with highs above freezing will be your best bet from here on out.

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 7/29/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 7/29/18

The hoppers are here. The banks of the Yellowstone River, Madison River, Missouri River, and many rivers of Yellowstone National Park are buzzing and clicking all day long as hundreds and hundreds of the tasty trout snacks are starting to fly around. We have seen trout on all of these rivers start to key in on our favorite of the terrestrials and it is making for great fly fishing for our anglers and Bozeman, Montana fly fishing guides. Expect hopper fishing to only improve over the next month. Plenty of cold water this year. Shaping up to be one great August to fly fish in Montana

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 7/17/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 7/17/18

Summer has arrived in Bozeman, MT. The sun is out, bugs are hatching, trout are rising, and all of our local rivers and creeks are fishing well. Expect great fly fishing any which way you drive from Bozeman. The Madison River and Yellowstone River is where you can find most of our Montana fly fishing guides and anglers, but the Missouri River has been a dry fly anglers paradise and will continue to be so in the coming weeks. Head to Yellowstone National Park to stay on the salmonfly hatchand enjoy some of the best wade fishing around. Grab your rod, a few of your favorite flies, and hit the road or give us a call to experience some of the best fly fishing of the year. Summertime and the living is easy in Bozeman, MT.

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Bozeman, Montana Fly Fishing Report 5/23/18
Bozeman, Montana Fly Fishing Report 5/23/18

Rain today, 80 degrees yesterday, and they are calling for 85 degrees in Craig, MT by Friday. Sounds like Spring to me! The fishing gods have been generous to us this past week. Despite variable flows, changing weather, and all of our major freestone rivers remaining blown out (check back in July), our anglers and Montana fly fishing guides were treated to consistently great fly fishing this past week. The Missouri River fished as well as it ever has for us and the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks had good hatches on the more overcast and rainy days. This will be our story for the next month. For clean water and great fly fishing, our local tailwaters and spring creeks will be your best bet. Want to learn how to fish the Missouri River at 15000+ CFS? Give us a shout to hire a guide for the day.

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Bozeman, Montana Fly Fishing Report 6/21/18
Bozeman, Montana Fly Fishing Report 6/21/18

Dry fly season is here. Time to grab your favorite PMD and caddis dries and hit the river. Our Montana fly fishing guides have been busy at work on the Missouri River teaching anglers how to get it done. River flows have been a roller coaster ride for the past week on the Missouri and Madison Rivers but are looking to be on the drop in the next week as the recent storms have moved on. The Missouri and Madison Rivers as well as the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks will continue to be the best options for anglers in and around Bozeman, Montana for the near future, but our local freestones are on the drop and will be clearing in the next 2-3 weeks. Dryflies, nymphs, and streamer fishing will all be great as we move out of spring and into summer. Salmonflies will be flying before you know it. Read on for more details.

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Bozeman, Montana Fly Fishing Report 5/16/18
Bozeman, Montana Fly Fishing Report 5/16/18

High-water is here. Freestone rivers across Montana are running muddy and are looking to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Best to leave those rivers to the whitewater crowd and head elsewhere to get your fishing fix.
Near Bozeman we’ve got some great options and fishing has been solid. Look to fish the Lower Madison, Upper Madison, the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks, and area lakes for anglers wanting to stay local.

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Bozeman, Montana Fly Fishing Report 6/2/18
Bozeman, Montana Fly Fishing Report 6/2/18

What a week it has been. We’ve seen hints of summer, snow in the mountains, heavy rain in the valleys, and another taste of summer. The hills are green, birds are singing, the sun is shining, and fly fishing has been great in Bozeman, Montana. The Missouri River has continued to spoil our guides and anglers with great fly fishing despite high flows. Catch rates have been great and we’ve been seeing lots of healthy and fat rainbow and brown trout coming to the net. This continues to be can’t miss fishing. The Madison River has continued to run high as the flushing flows carry on. Makes things tough for the time being, but will re-open lots of old spawning beds that have been filled with silt. Patience will pay off and we should see phenomenal fishing the next few years. Local freestones continue to run high and muddy. For anglers needing their fix closer to Bozeman, MT check out the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks. Still fishing great. Yellowstone National Park is open for fly fishing again. The rivers are running high but look to the lakes for great early season fishing. Many of them are well worth the hike. Read below for all the details or give us a shout at 406-579-9553.

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 10/24/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 10/24/18

Fall has settled in all around Bozeman, Montana and fly fishing has been solid on all of our area waters. Angling traffic has been light on the Yellowstone River, Missouri River, and Madison River. Weather has been great. Perfect combination for Fall guided fly fishing trips. Our anglers and Bozeman fly fishing guides having been making the most of their opportunities and have been treated to some great days of dry fly fishing. Hatches of BWOs, midges, caddis, and lingering terrestrials have kept our trout looking up and on the feed. Still a few more weeks of fly fishing left for the season. Time to make the most of it before the snow starts to pile up.

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