Bozeman/Butte Recreation Report by Bob Ward & Sons (5.2.14)
By angelamontana

Posted: May 2, 2014

Hunting:    

If you didn’t get your tag of a lifetime you get a second chance. $5 dollars will buy you another chance with the super tag. Those are on sale now at any license providers.

Be sure to check closures for Black Bear.

Bozeman Fishing:

Upper Madison-You will do well with golden stones and caddis nymphs. If fishing streamers use olive colored ones but may want to throw a few yellow colored ones. If you are into dries do BWO’s, check the hatch out, but if windy stick to the nymphs. The fish are stacked this time of year be sure to hit a hole more than once.

Lower Madison-the lower is kind of messy, crayfish patterns are your best bet. If it is windy, snowed, or rained the river can be pretty hard to fish but if it has been clear for a while the river can be good. Definitely check to see what is hatching BWOs are a sure option right now. Stay above Cherry Creek and hit Bear trap Canyon.

Gallatin-Below Taylor’s fork is going to have low visibility/muddy-some luck with stoneflies and caddis fly nymphs. Above Taylor’s fork has been pretty clear it is a good spot for streamer fishing-yellow seems to be the hot color. Dries check out the thatches but BWO’s and midges have been most common.

Yellowstone-poor reports coming in concerning the Yellowstone. For now hit the other rivers you will be considerably more pleased with the results. If you want to chance go big streamer on the banks, dark in color.

Don’t forget that May 17th is when all the closed for the winter water ways open up.

Butte Fishing:

Fishing is picking up in Southwest Montana with only about 3 weeks to go before everything opens up, angler are gearing up.

Fly fishing is a little slow presently with the increase in water volumes, however, spring nymphing has produced a few nice fish already this year.

A 13.5 lb brown was caught and released on the Clark’s Fork below the Warm Springs Ponds.

Clark Canyon Reservoir has been yielding some rainbows in the 3.5 to 5 lb rang e to bank fishermen stripping Big Uglies, jigging leech patterns and bait fisherman casting crawlers with marshmallows.

The lower and upper Jefferson River has been good fishing, however, brown trout numbers are down on the Upper end between Hell’s Canyon and Waterloo.

Panther Martins, Mepps, and rapalas have been a good bet for anglers.

Olive and blackStone Fly Nymphs with barred rubber legs have been good for the fly anglers.

Receding ice on the Ruby Reservoir has drawn anglers in to fish the open water.

Night crawlers with orange garlic marshmallows are producing nice rainbow trout in the 17 to 20” range. Smaller trout are hitting spoons.

(Reports by Ryan Corwin-Bob Ward & Sons)

 

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