Fly Fishing in Montana
Guest Author: Rick Wallace from the Tackle Village
If there was one state that could be said to be the home of fly fishing for trout in the US it would be Montana. Bozeman, in southwest Montana, is arguably the trout capital of the United States and boasts easy access to some of the best trout fishing rivers in the country.
It is easy to see why Simms Fly Fishing chose to base themselves in Bozeman to allow for easy real-world testing of their waders, boots and other products.
Montana was the setting for Norman McLean’s famous fly fishing novel A River Runs Through it, and both the setting and the actual filming location for the 1992 film of the same name featuring Brad Pitt.
For those travelling through Montana we’ve put together a list of the five top rivers for fly fishing for trout. All these rivers can be accessed and fished without a guide for those travelling on a budget. If time is short though, and you haven’t fly fished before, it is a good idea to engage the services of a local guide to boost your chances of landing a trout.
The Gallatin River
This beautiful freestone river is a great waterway for wade fishers as float fishing is banned for 70 miles of its 115 mile length.
Outside of snow melt periods, it has a manageable flow and is easy to wade and a delight to fish.
There is also easy access throughout most of its length and it gets comparatively less fishing pressure than its more famous cousins.
It is home to brown and rainbow trout that rise freely to dry flies throughout the season. There are also cutthroat trout present in the Gallatin.
Madison River
Arguably Montana’s most famous trout river, the Madison is revered among anglers for good reason. The Madison rises in Yellowstone National Park and flows for more than 140 miles to the confluence with the Missouri River near the town of Three Forks, Montana.
Home to some large brown and rainbow trout, this swiftly flowing river is a delight to fish.
It is renowned for its beautiful scenery and great fishing for both wet fly and dry fly anglers, with the famous salmon fly hatch the highlight of the season for many fishermen and women.
The Yellowstone River
The Yellowstone rises within the Yellowstone National Park and is the longest undammed river in the US. It is a river with distinct character with numerous deep holes and cutbanks giving fish great spots to sit and feed.
It is probably best known as a river to fish on a float trip. But for those who can’t afford a guide or just want to fish it wading, good results are possible even if you can’t always wade the full width of the river due to the high flow.
The Yellowstone is many guides’ favourite river and it has a great combination of hatches (mayfly, caddis and stoneflies) and some great hopper fishing late in the season.
The Missouri River
The Missouri is a big tailwater that offers year round fishing with anglers using a diverse range of techniques including nymphing, dry flies and streamers. It’s mayfly and caddis hatches are deservedly famous and some big fish come out of this river every year.
While the river is longer, the premier sections are but a small section of its total length so it does receive a lot of fishing pressure. Careful casts and accurate imitations of local insects are key to success.
The Blackfoot River
The Blackfoot was the river featured in Norman MacLean’s A River Runs Through it, although most of the fly fishing scenes in the movie were shot in the Gallatin River and the Yellowstone River.
The Blackfoot is a textbook freestone trout river boasting clear water, wonderful scenery and enough hatches - including the legendary salmonfly and stonefly hatches - to get the trout up and feeding.
There are boulders, plunge pools and deep runs that provide homes for some strong and beautiful trout in this scenic and near-perfect river.
Conclusion
So there you have five top rivers to fish in Montana if you have a fly rod in the van and an adventurous spirit. Be sure to call in at local tackle stores to pick up any necessary items and get a sense of which rivers are fishing well at any given time.
Did you know that there are many states that offer free or discounted fishing licenses for disabled anglers? Click here to learn more!