Bozeman Area Fly Fishing Report 10/13
In the back room of the fly shop listening to the siding get pounded by the wind. Fall has blown into SW Montana. Good fishing will not be far behind.
So have I mentioned that it is windy? Luckily, if the wind lays down for a day or two the fly fishing opportunities around Bozeman will be abundant and productive. Continue reading for the full report!
Gallatin River
The Gally is fishing well. On crazy windy days the canyon can provide some of the best cover around. Nymphing with a stonefly nymph trailed by a euro style fly has been unbeatable. Streamer fishing improves nearly daily as the weather worsens. Staying small can be key when hucking "meat" on the Gallatin. Baby Gongas in olive, Precious Metal in whitebait, and black crystal buggers are my personal favorites. BWO's have been about but no great numbers quite yet. I fully expect this hatch to get fish to eat on top on the next calm and overcast day.
Lower Madison
Talk about windy. Good luck getting out of the wind on this of river. Great fishing as of now. Still mostly subsurface with crayfish and BWO nymphs. Clouser cray or dead drift cray followed by an olive Pheasant Tail or Micro May will get the job done. I hate to say it but some of the dirty flies are working once again. Think pink, orange and red. Streamers = OK. Articulated and white or black = good. Goldies in stock!
Upper Madison
Wind, streamers, trout, good times. Also a great place to spend the day. Sculpins and nymphs are still the most productive but on those rare overcast and calm days expect to find fish up looking for baetis. Black and olive streamers have been great. Shop vac hasn't been a bad nymph. This can be the best time to hook into a lunker of a brown trout.
Yellowstone
Windiest of the 4 rivers. Be safe out there. Not the best fishing option but streamer fishing can land a few good ones. Nymphing is decent and dry fly action sub par. Definitely don't forget about the stone but you won't likely boat the numbers of fish that you would on the other rivers.
