Dropping Water Means Good Fishing in Bozeman

Fresh data from the local rivers includes some quickly improving conditions thanks to another unseasonably cold spell here in Southwest Montana. The “Quick Hits” include the upper Madison, Lower Madison, and the Gallatin River. The Yellowstone is cleaning up and dropping quickly – might be an option mid-late next week for a few days (look for flows to get down to 8500 c.f.s. at Corwin Springs before you get too excited). For the Gallatin and Yellowstone River, check out the webcams at Montana Whitewater’s site for some water clarity updates..

It’s unlikely that we will see these conditions for too long, but this is an awesome break in the spring runoff! The Gallatin, especially has improved dramatically in the last 24 hours and there are some very rested fish in the Gallatin Canyon for the time being. We have been driving the canyon every day for a month now and it has been seeing very little pressure with high flows and dirty water. However, it started to fish very well with standard nymph rigs on 6/21 and should be great the next few days on various nymph patterns.

Stop in and see us at either our Bozeman fly shop or Fins & Feathers Upstream for the latest information and best flies in the region. The lower Madison has been very good with Crayfish and Yellow Sally nymphs the last couple of days while the upper river continues to fish well with stonefly nymphs and small Mayfly nymph patterns too. While most of the attention is spread around the state for the time being, this is an excellent time to get on the waters around Bozeman! We have some openings for our Bozeman guided fly fishing trips this week and you can now book online or call us at 1-877-790-5303.