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Notes From Downstream

A Montana Fly Fishing Blog

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 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 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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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 9/13/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 9/13/18

Is it mid-September already? Seems like summer started just yesterday but into early fall we go. The leaves have started to change, rivers are dropping and cooling, mornings have been crisp, and the big brown trout are on the feed on the many rivers near Bozeman, MT. Our anglers and Montana fly fishing guides welcome these changes and consider fly fishing in mid-September to be some of the best of the year. And so far in 2018 we have seen just that.The local favorites like the Yellowstone River, Madison River, and Missouri River have all been fishing great. 2018 has been the year of the dryfly for our anglers and fly fishing guides and that doesn’t look to change anytime soon. Hoppers, caddis, mayflies big and tiny, and even stoneflies are all around in good numbers, keeping the fish looking up. Lots of targets and opportunities on a daily basis. Still need to book your 2018 Montana fly fishing trip? Give us a shout at 406-579-9553 today.

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 11/15/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 11/15/18

Winter and Fall are having their usual November exchange in Bozeman for the past few weeks and its looking like Winter is finally taking over. The snow has started to stack up in the high mountains and smaller freestone rivers near Bozeman have started to freeze up. What is an angler to do when the seasons start to change? Go fly fishing of course. Still lots of good fly fishing to be had in Bozeman. The Paradise Valley Spring Creeks will be your best bet from here on out. Winter rod fees are just $40. The top destinations for our anglers coming on their Bozeman fly fishing trips with our guides over the next few months. The Gallatin River is a close second. The Missouri River, Madison River, and Yellowstone River will continue to fish well as long as you can still launch a boat. Nymphing and streamer fishing will be the name of the game from here on out. Dry fly hatches will be limited to midges and a rogue BWO or two. If there bugs are there, go for it, but results will be inconsistent. Nymphing in deeper pools and stripping streamers low and slow will be more reliable. Read on for more.

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 10/11/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 10/11/18

October has been keeping us busy on the river and away from the computer but our long overdue Bozeman fly fishing report is here. This year we have seen the most consistent fly fishing all across southwest Montana we have probably ever seen and October so far has brought more of the same. Our Montana fly fishing guides have been on the water with anglers daily on the Missouri River, Madison River, Yellowstone River, and DePuy’s Spring Creek. And have seen nothing short of great fishing every day. Dry fly fishing, nymphing, and streamer fishing have all been in play, and we’ve been seeing lots of great trout coming to the net.Weather has been more what you would expect in November, but snowy, rainy, overcast days have meant for blanket hatches of BWOs on a daily basis. Lots of fish looking up and plenty of hot coffee on board our boats to keep us going through it all.

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 7/5/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 7/5/18

Exciting stuff happening in Bozeman, MT right now. Salmonflies, salmonflies, and more Salmonflies. And caddis. Lots of caddis. This has meant great fly fishing for our anglers and Bozeman fly fishing guides. Salmonflies have been in full swing on the Madison River. Lots of big fish coming to the net. We have been fishing nothing but dry flies for the past week and look to continue doing so in the weeks to come. Thick hatches of stonefly nymphs, caddisflies, PMDs, and green and drown drakes has made for exciting surface action all day long. The Yellowstone River is quickly coming into shape, the Madison River is fishing as well as it ever has, the Missouri River flows are dropping back into great dryfly fishing levels, and most of our smaller streams are starting to fish. Life is good for anglers in Bozeman, Montana.

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 8/12/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 8/12/18

Every once in a while we get it right. So far our August fly fishing forecast has looked spot on. Hopper fishing has been as good as it gets with great fish being caught on big foam dry flies daily. Just walk 10 feet down any grassy bank. Lots of hoppers to be found buzzing around. The weather has turned hot. Downright sizzling the last few. Good to get out early and wrap it up by mid-afternoon. Temperatures looking to cool back off in the coming weeks. You’ll be good to go all day then.

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Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 8/30/18
Bozeman, MT Fly Fishing Report 8/30/18

Cold and wet the last few here on the rivers in Bozeman, MT. Translation: great fly fishing. We’ve seen great hatches of pseudos and fall drakes on the Yellowstone River and our fish continued to look up for big foam bugs through it all.
The high mountains got a little taste of winter early this year, snowcapped peaks lined both the Yellowstone River Valley and Madison River Valley. Water temps have come down and flows are up a bit on all of our local rivers. Great time to get out and explore some water that you may not normally be able to in late August. Our Montana fly fishing guides have been spending the bulk of their time on the Yellowstone River, Madison River, and Missouri River.

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