Montana Rivers

With temperatures reaching into the 70's today and mid 60's yesterday it will be no surprise to see Mother's Day Caddis hatching on the lower Madison today. They have already been spotted on a few other Bozeman rivers. Get your floatant and dry fly box ready to go, the first big hatch of the season is here! That's right, one of the most anticipated spring hatches, the Mother's Day Caddis Hatch, is finally here. While this hatch is usually in...

With temperatures nearly hitting 80 degrees this Friday, the first caddis hatch of the year is merely days away. Stock up on caddis dry flies before our Bozeman rivers are covered in bugs and our fly bins are empty! Caddis are coming! The Mother’s Day caddis hatch is the first time we get to fish these fluttery bugs after the long winter. This hatch can be pretty epic so be sure to stock up before you hit the water....

With Mother's Day Caddis only days to weeks away, here are some photos and the tale of the craziest caddis hatch I have ever seen. By an event of sheer luck and impeccable timing, we were able to hit an iconic Mother's Day Caddis hatch on the Yellowstone River. Conditions were the perfect storm for something epic. A warm, windless day with intermittent cloud cover allowed both trout and caddis to awaken with different intentions but equal ferocity. For...

Blue Winged Olives have officially been spotted on our Bozeman area rivers. The water temperatures are in the zone for some prolific hatches and we expect ideal conditions for fish to crush baetis adults this weekend. About the BWO Hatch Blue winged olives or baetis represent the first mayfly hatch of the season in Southwest Montana. They have little olive colored bodies and light gray to blue wings. They blow a small bubble on their backs to propel themselves...

Winter means fly fishing with midge patterns. Here are my personal favorite midge nymphs to use on our Bozeman area waters. 1. Red D-Midge This lightweight midge patterns rocks the perfect profile and seems to be easy for trout to see. I use it on every river from the MO to the upper Gallatin. Works great for picky fish just below the surface when fished behind a dry fly. 2. Black Tube Midge The tube midge has a tungsten bead...

Winter means fly fishing with midge patterns. Here are my personal favorite midge nymphs to use on our Bozeman area waters. 1. Red D-Midge This lightweight midge patterns rocks the perfect profile and seems to be easy for trout to see. I use it on every river from the MO to the upper Gallatin. Works great for picky fish just below the surface when fished behind a dry fly. 2. Black Tube Midge The tube midge has a tungsten bead...

The mild winter weather has provided us with excellent conditions to get out on all of our favorite Bozeman area rivers this February. Nymph fishing to dry fly fishing for trout eating midges has been good from the Gallatin to the Upper Madison. This winter started out aggressive with snow and freezing temperatures but has since mellowed out. These past few weeks have fished very well and given the current forecast, it looks like conditions and fishing will continue to...

Winter means fly fishing with midge patterns. Here are my personal favorite midge nymphs to use on our Bozeman area waters. 1. Red D-Midge This lightweight midge patterns rocks the perfect profile and seems to be easy for trout to see. I use it on every river from the MO to the upper Gallatin. Works great for picky fish just below the surface when fished behind a dry fly. 2. Black Tube Midge The tube midge has a tungsten bead...