Cool Weather Slowed Run-off and Streams Officially Open to Fish in the Butte and Bozeman Outdoor Report
By Matt Schauer

Posted: May 19, 2012

Hi, it’s ANGIE from Bob Ward & Sons…another beautiful week in Paradise, over here on the Butte & Bozeman waters!

The on & off “cool” weather and rain is keeping the run-off SLOW, and most of the waters CLEAR in the vicinity! BUTTE tells me that the BIG HOLE has Caddis Hatches evident, but we still have most of the feeding going on just below the surface. Get your Midge or Mayfly Emerger game going, or try a silver/blue spinner for you crank-bait anglers. We got fish responding to Streamers in the JEFFERSON, along the banks…try a Wooly Bugger along here, & hang in there…we’ll see GREAT Mayfly activity here in another week or so! Head to DELMO RESERVOIR with your Rapallas, or go for some of the surface fly activity…small Caddis are giving SOLID results! On Saturday the 19th, when the streams officially open, it’s time to try below the Spillway at CLARK CANYON…bring 1 ½ to 2-oz Bottom Bouncers with a good supply of Spawn Sacs and the meatiest crawlers you can find!

Now that the road to HYALITE RESERVOIR near BOZEMAN is open, expect that to be a go-to place from here on out! With the addition of HYALITE CREEK opening on Saturday, the short drive will be well worthwhile! Leeches and Crawlers will work up here, or try those Silver Spinners that worked great for ME last season…the trout are raring to go in these parts! Head over to the LOWER MADISON between Warm Springs and Blacks Ford, we’ve got Goldenstones and Yellow Sallies coming off, as well as a few BWOs…clarity’s fine, and the water’s floatable! Best to stick close to town—the LOWER MADDY, HYALITE or the BOZEMAN PONDS for now…the flows are UP substantially, & the waters fairly dirty on the upper GALLATIN…yet water’s quite LOW on the UPPER MADDY as this part of the river feeds HEBGEN LAKE for the time being, tho QUAKE LAKE TO MCATEE BRIDGE does open Saturday, & that might be viable if you can avoid the WIND (try March Browns and Mayflies here, but skip Streamers for now)! The YELLOWSTONE is fishable near Gardiner, but rather blown out just about everywhere else. Bozeman anglers, fish VERY local for now!

Your Bob Wards stores are starting the annual Memorial Day Sale this weekend, to extend thru Memorial Day…we’ll have best buys out on the sidewalks, and unbeatable prices in every department—while here, c’mon over & check out the latest on fishable waters from our staff of angling experts! They’ll talk your ear off! See you on the water, friends!

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