Montana Fly Fishing
Fay Ranches > Montana > Fly Fishing
Montana fly fishing is both an art form and a way of life. Known for its numerous "blue-ribbon" trout that amaze and tantalize the fisherman who venture the pristine Montana waters. If you have yet to fish a Montana river, be careful as you may just fall in love with this amazing state. Here is what you might expect.
Montana Wild Trout
When discussing trout and trout fishing, it is important to make a distinction between wild trout and hatchery trout. The wild trout of Montana are dramatically different from the stocked trout found in the streams of other states. "Wild trout" is a quality that, in the purist definition of the phrase, can only be found in Montana. Montana is the only state in the nation to implement a "wild trout management policy." The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks has not stocked any moving water in the state since the early seventies, preferring instead to focus on providing habitat and allowing the wild trout to reproduce naturally.
Southwest Montana Fly Fishing
The West Boulder, Main Boulder and East Boulder Rivers confluence near McLeod, MT to form the Boulder River which continues for 20 more miles before flowing into the Yellowstone River near Big Timber, MT.
The fly fishing season begins on the West Boulder in late March/early April. The first hatch is the Mother’s Day Caddis Hatch. Blue winged olives and golden stoneflies also emerge during this pre-runoff bonanza. A yellow stimulator or elk hair caddis is the fly of choice during this time and can provide tremendous dry fly action.
Caddis continue throughout the summer and a high floating attractor pattern will remain productive throughout these warmer months. Hoppers become the dry fly of choice on hot, sunny days starting in August. The hopper fishing lasts through September and is very similar to and just as much fun as the salmon fly hatch, except it lasts two months instead of two weeks. Hopper fishing is arguably the most enjoyable way to catch trout on a fly rod and the river has some of the best hopper fishing available anywhere.
Throughout the fishing season, roughly April 1 to November 1, nymphs and streamers will work well on days the fish are not taking dry flies. The trout in the river will average around 12 to 14 inches with populations of large fish in the 18 to 20 inch range. Fly fishing is predominately for Brown, Rainbow, Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and Mountain Whitefish-- also abundant in the Boulder and East Boulder Rivers.
The Yellowstone River is the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states, traveling 554± miles from its source in the mountains of Wyoming to its confluence with the Missouri River. There are more than 100 miles of Blue Ribbon trout water downstream from Yellowstone Park with excellent populations of brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout. The Yellowstone is considered large by trout river standards and is a great river to float as well as wade fish. The river is most noted for the “Mother’s Day” caddis hatch and when river conditions are right, it is a fisherman’s Valhalla.
Yellowstone National Park is the birthplace of many of the finest trout rivers in the West. Headwater streams such as the Gibbon, Firehole and Lamar create rivers such as the Madison and Gallatin within its boundaries. Yellowstone Park hosts a lifetime of fly fishing opportunities with over a hundred lakes and a thousand miles of streams. Nowhere in the world are so many public rivers and streams found within such a small area.
On any fly fishing property, no matter how good the fishing, the day will come when other waters beckon. It is difficult to find a location where there are more quality options within a short drive. The West Boulder is within a couple minutes and the main Boulder is just ten minutes away. The Yellowstone is 15 minutes from the ranch and the Gallatin, Madison, Missouri and Jefferson rivers are within 2 hours of the property. In addition to these famous rivers, there are several tributaries, spring creeks, and mountain lakes in the area that will become familiar during exploration of the West Boulder region.
>> View our Southwest Montana Fly Fishing Properties
Fly Fishing Western Montana
The Bitterroot Valley holds enough trout streams to keep a fisherman busy for a lifetime. From countless cold, boulder-strewn mountain creeks, to the big water and trophy trout opportunities in the valley bottom, the Bitterroot drainage has every brand of trout fishing available.
The 84 mile Bitterroot River itself is one of the top fly fishing destinations in the United States. Its combination of cold water, deep pools, undercut banks, seams, and other quality features, as well as consistent insect hatches, create large populations of trophy size rainbows, browns, and cutthroats that feed nearly all year long. The first dry fly fishing of the year brings large numbers of fishermen to the Bitterroot for the annual Skwala stonefly hatch, followed by numerous hatches of a wide variety of bugs throughout the spring, summer, and fall months. Anglers of all skill levels flock to the Bitterroot every year, but the size and variety of the river distributes pressure so well that you will often feel like you have the entire fishery to yourself.
For the small stream fisherman, there are limitless opportunities to be had in the Sapphire and Bitterroot Mountains. Well over 30 tributaries to the Bitterroot River flow out of the mountains and into the valley, and each one is filled with small to medium-sized wild trout. Typically, each of these tributaries begins at a high alpine lake, and nearly all of these lakes boast nice hikes and great fishing.
