Gearing Up for Bozeman Spring Fly Fishing

It’s sunny and relatively warm here in Bozeman, Montana and thanks to the time change the sun is hanging around until later on in the day. After being cooped up for the past few weeks fishing is on the mind of the staff here at Fins & Feathers. We’ve been stuck at our tying desks waiting for the cold weather to depart and finally see fishable temperatures. It feels like the weather might start to cooperate and our Bozeman fly shop will be reeling in huge browns in no time. When gearing up for the thick of spring fishing there is always some gear that is overlooked. Here are a few items to snag so when you have the chance to hit the river you won’t be asking to borrow your fishing partners gear.

Flies – It would be a bummer if you hit the river and realize you no longer have the spring staples and have to ask your friend for a San Juan worm.

Floatant – Midges should start to come off in big numbers in no time and you’ll kick yourself if you don’t have floatant to keep your dries afloat.

Indicators – if the dry fly action isn’t on point it’s important to have these so you can keep up with your buddies who are crushing it on nymphs.

Fresh leaders and tippet – usually in the spring after about 15 minutes of fishing I realize I only had 18” of 4x left. This is great when I planned on fishing for 6 more hours.

Leak free waders – the water is still damn cold so having leaky waders makes for a long and uncomfortable day.

New fly line – when I’m excited to start fishing the worst realization is how dirty and sticky my line is, rendering it difficult to cast and prone to sink.

Fishing license – The 2019 license is required starting March 1st! Don’t go fishing without updating.