Please let us know if you would like to see your weekly fishing report included in this Montana fishing report compilation by emailing your report to us before the end of the day on Tuesday of each week here along with your business website/email address.
Happy Father’s Day! Free fishing all day today. We are seeing walleye and pike and some bass.
A bit overcast and humid today. Picking up the rental boat. Said they caught a lot of Pike today.
Fishing has been picking up, mainly between the mouth of Hell Creek and Bone Trail. Northern are hitting cranks at 8 to 15 ft. Walleye and bass are hitting a jig and minnow in shallow water, 3 to 4 ft, near shore. The best walleye bite has been on bottom bouncers at 10 to 14 ft. Happy fishing.
Good numbers of rainbows are being picked up below Canyon Ferry Dam near Riverside Campground while using streamers, small nymphs, or leech patterns. Trolling cowbells with a spinner and a worm on the lower end of the reservoir has been producing some nice rainbows as well. A few walleyes and an occasional perch are being caught in Lake Helena and the Causeway Arm while trolling bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses.
Glows falling to 5K cfs today, and soon flows at 4100cfs.
The rain didi not change things much here. LPP is flowing clean and low. The Dearborn is the dame with flows at the 230cfs mark. Clean, clear.
PMD’s steal the show. Good hatches most days. The rain knocked down the live bugs in the rain two night so the best action of the past two days was the emergence. Today, with bugs living past the emergence, we should see a decent spinner fall. Cripples, spinners, mergers. HH has an unreal PMD dry fly and nymph selection.
Caddis soon. SOme around, some caught on some CDC low riding patterns.
Ants are in. In style with the fish.
The nymphers are crushing. Sows and PMD nymphs.
Overwhelmed with the out of area displaced anglers. Shuttles if not in early will be off later. Understand the pressure and smile. Boat ramps jammed. The river is very busy. We are doing our best to keep up, and reserve the right to cut off shuttle services if needed. No need for us to promise something we cannot deliver.
Need a fly shop job? We are always looking for great people. Are you great people?
Summer is here. Come in for the Best Flies Under the Big Sky, a new rod, fly lines galore, the best info on the river, free river maps, cool HH Logo Gear, stickers, and friendly smiling faces.
Headhunters open daily. 406-235-3447
Current Conditions:
Much like the rest of the area, the upper has risen significantly. The reservoir has filled rapidly and increased flows from the dam will continue for the near future. Most of the float section of the Madison is dirty and not worth it at the moment. The flows our of Hebgen are higher than average but a persistent angler can nose around up high wading between the lakes or around 3 dollar but expect high flows.
The Month Ahead:
The Upper will begin clearing in a few weeks and the water closer to Ennis will also turn on. Often the week just before the salmon flies (and people) arrive is spectacular as the water is clearing and big trout are very opportunistic. Mid to Late June should be awesome on the Madison!
Long Term Fishing Forecast:
The Upper Madison is one of our favorite summer fisheries. The water is generally cold and consistent for killer summertime fishing. We are hoping to continue a late spring push in moisture to keep water levels up.
Lake Mary Ronan- Excellent salmon early morning 30 feet of water trolling or jigging. Some good perch action south west end20-25’ of water. Try crappie candy or small spoons.
Loon Lake (west of town)- Good small bass action, some good large mouth also. Trying flipping jig in weed pockets. Also good rainbows trolling end of lake.
McGregor Lake- Good lake trout action trolling spoons about 25-50’ deep. Try shoreline for rainbows with flicker shads or smelt plugs. Few nice salmon also.
Ashley Lake- excellent salmon bite jigging Hali’s or Swedish pimples. Smaller fish 8-10”.
Echo Lake- Still good bass, spawn mostly over, try deeper points or dock bite.
Lower Stillwater- Perch bite good, upper end near island, lots of small pike.
Dickey Lake- slower on salmon but still some action.
Little Mcgregor- lots of smaller perch, a few rainbows and brooke trout. 
Flathead Lake- South end near Narrows good trolling flat fish or brads super baits. Lots of smallmouth bass near Polson Bay.
- Flathead Lake – Use caution when fishing near the delta, lots of snags and hazards have been getting pushed out of the river. As the water warms Lakers will continue to go deeper. Rapalas have been a good option if you’re going pick something up.
- Flathead River – Use Extreme Caution, River is in Flood Stage!! Flows are still hovering around 50,000 cubic feet, look elsewhere for fishing opportunity
- McWenneger Slough – Water levels are high and has fish dispersed into flooded areas. You still have chances to pick up a few pike along points and weed clusters.
- Echo Lake – Bass fishing continues to be hot. Grab some Senko’s for your best bet.
- Ashley Lake – Salmon fishing continues to be hot. Hali’s in natural colors along with Swedish Pimples pair with Zimmer heavy glows are solid options.
- Middle Thompson Lake – Pike fishing is picking up. Try using spinner baits along with hanging smelt under a pike rig. Trolling salmon with wedding rings has been good as well.
- Lake Mary Ronan – Salmon bite has been good. Hali jigs paired with a maggot has been a good bet. You can also try using Swedish Pimples paired with Zimmer Heavy Glows or Mack’s Glow Hooks.
- Hungry Horse Reservoir – West side road closed between 29 and 34 mile marker. Stained water conditions but has been decent fishing for both Cutthroat and Bulls in the creek mouths. Try using Kamloopers and Daredevil spoons.
–No New Report–
This Montana fishing report is valid from June 13 until about June 20.
Torrential rain atop melting snow has led to record flooding in the region. Large-scale infrastructure damage (a historic bridge over the Yellowstone washed out 15 minutes ago) and changes to river courses are underway. We do not suggest fishing ANYWHERE in our operations area for a few days.
–No New Report–
This Kootenai River Montana fishing report is being brought to you by Orvis Endorsed Linehan Outfitting. This report will be updated weekly to provide current conditions, weather, hatches, patterns, and flows to our local waters and across the state.
Flows from Libby Dam: 4000cfs
Water temperature at Libby Dam: 42 degrees
Hatches: midge, baetis
patterns: zebra midge, parachute Adams, parachute pmd, Rosenbauer’s olive rabbit foot emerger, purple haze, purple chubby, red chubby, olive sparkle dun,bh prince, soft SJ worm, bh pheasant tail, bh rubber legged stonefly, big streamers in white, pink and olive, circus peanut, black conehead buggers
It’s not quite spring up here in Kootenai River country but we have good news. Flows from Libby Dam have been reduced and will be stable at 4000cfs through the end of March for now. That means there’s some great early season fishing available right now.
Expect more clammy cloudy weather through the weekend and into next week. March continues to come in like a lion and we’ve yet to see the lamb. Rain and snow mix will dominate forecast. Fortunately daytime temps will ooch into the forties which is at least a small sign of spring around here.
At the moment the river is clear and in good shape. Don’t expect much in the way of dry fly fishing and insect activity until we get some substantially warmer daytime temperatures. The water is still cold but trout will start to feed a bit in the coming weeks.
This is always a good time of year for nymphing. With low flows you don’t need a heavy rig. You just need to get the flies down in softer runs and pools where trout are most likely to be holding this time of year. Don’t spend a ton of time fishing fast riffles.
Streamer fishing is also productive this time of year especially since bigger fish will be hungry after laying low for a couple months during the dead of winter. Keep in mind they will not necessarily want to move too fast or too far to get a meal. Get your streamers down and fish them slowly and erratically. Nothing like a wounded minnow to get a big rainbow interested in at least a sniff.
In Boston Red Sox news, it’s PLAY BALL! After several weeks of a lockout the players union owners have finally come to an agreement. Spring training will start immediately and while opening day was and remains delayed until April 7, the season will still be 162 games. For now the Sox have managed to keep essentially the same playoff roster they had last season. Infielders Dalbec, Arroyo, Bogaerts, and Devers are key players. In the outfield Jackie Bradley Jr. has returned to Boston and Kike Hernandez and Verdugo will anchor the deep green. Ace Chris Sale will hopefully be healthy and other starters from last year will hopefully pick up where they left off in October. Go Sox!!!
Give a call anytime if you need more Kootenai River details or information on any of our hunting or fishing adventures. And please check out our e-commerce site for all Linehan Outfitting branded swag and Orvis gear. https://linehan-outfitting.myshopify.com/
We look forward to hearing from you. 406-295-4872
Our thoughts and prayers go to those affected by the flooding of the Yellowstone. The recent events on the Yellowstone River have closed down all recreational use. Major flood events like this are hard to predict and can be extremely dangerous, it will be hard to tell when the Yellowstone will be fishable again.
Suggested Fly Patterns
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Dry Fly
Missing Link Caddis (14-18), Corn Fed Caddis (14-18), Peacock Caddis (14-16), Parawulf Dennis BWO (16-20), Thorax BWO (18-20), Parachute Adams (14-20), Purple Haze (16-20), Film Critic BWO (16-20), Smoke Jumper (16-20), Extended Body BWO (16-20), Griffith’s Gnat (16-20), UV Sparkle Midge (18-20), Chubby Chernobyl Olive/Royal/Purple (8-12)
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Streamer
Woolly Bugger (4-12), Articulated Goldie (6), Mini Dungeon, Complex Twist Bugger (2), Kreelex Minnow (4), Sparkle Minnow (4-8), Double Gonga, Urchin Bugger (4), El Sculpito (2), Sculpzilla (4-8), Sculpinator (4-6)
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Nymph
Pat’s Rubber Legs (6-12), Zirdle Bug (6-12), Woolly Bugger (4-12), Perdigon (14-18), Pheasant Tail (14-20), Jigster Baetis (14-18), Prince Nymph (10-18), BH Hare’s Ear (12-18), Sisslin’ Hot Spot Squirrel (14-16), Zebra Midge (16-22), San Juan Worm, Matt’s Shagadelic Mop, Hare’s Ear (14-18), Dirty Bird (12-16)
Rainbows continue to be picked up on the upper end of the reservoir near the Gates of the Mountains while using small nymphs or leech pattern flies. The lower end of the reservoir is producing rainbows while pulling cowbells or Thomas lures. Some nice walleye are being picked up in the small bays inside the canyon near the Gates of the Mountains and along the Clay Banks on the lower end on the reservoir while vertical jigging with worms or leeches. Perch are being caught around the public boat docks and shallow weed beds while pitching smaller jigs tipped with crawlers. Chris Hurley, FWP, Helena
Grizzly Hackle scores Rock Creek fishing a 4/5
Rock Creek is big, but stable and fishing well. Salmonflies are on the top end of the Creek and will be flying around the rest of the week. Make sure to have Salmonfly Dries with you like Rogue Stones, Morrish’s Fluttering Salmonfly, Henry’s Fork Salmonflies, Supa Gee’s, Chubbys and Sofa Pillows. Down lower we are seeing Golden’s, Green Drakes and a few Yellow Sallies. Henry’s Fork Golden, Rogue Goldens, Golden Chubbys, Extended Body Green Drakes, Western Green Drakes, Galloup’s Butch Sally, Larimers Sally and Carlson’s Working Girl Sally are a must. Nymphing big stonefly nymphs, San Juans, Jig PT’s, Jig Princes and Perdigons is a good way to get into fish if they aren’t eating the dry. The river is still big so be careful out there whether you’re floating or wading. Don’t wade too deep and if you’re not experienced on the oars don’t float Rock Creek.
Friends, this has been a very strange and sad week for the Yellowstone River and its surrounding communities. Here at Dan Bailey’s we are devastated by the flooding and destruction it has brought on our friends, neighbors and local community. It’s likely the true impact is still a ways away from being uncovered as the flood waters recede and we all start picking up.
As it stands right now, the Yellowstone River has come down a lot since its peak on Monday night. The USGS gauge here in town was damaged in the flood and is currently offline – hopefully that means they are fixing it. All the rivers in Montana are running high right now and about the only fishable water is on the Missouri around Craig.
The river remains closed to all traffic, so don’t even think about floating, fishing, or anything. It’s still a dangerous situation. Yesterday, the NFS issued an emergency closure of the Custer Gallatin National Forest until June 24 or the situation improves, whichever comes first. Call the shop for more details.
As of this time all entrances to Yellowstone National Park remain closed, and our local North Entrance in Gardiner has little hope of opening for the foreseeable future. See the news release here.
The Park County Community Foundation has partnered with Greater Gallatin United Way to create a Southwest Montana Flood Relief Fund to help those affected by this disaster. You can learn more and please donate if you can on the PCCF website here.
While our focus has been primarily on the Yellowstone River there are many places in the state that have been affected by it. The towns of Red Lodge, Cooke City and Silvergate, the Stillwater River.. The list goes on and on. This has been devastating for so many.
One of the most common questions we’ve been getting is how can people help. It’s heartwarming to see so many people wanting to pitch in. Locally, you can text 211 for information on where to volunteer, check with the town or the food resource center, or call your friends who might need some help. If you’re out of town, please consider donating to the PCCF fund or go directly to the source and order things from your favorite Montana business. Small businesses are unfortunately going to be severely affected, and even small orders like a hat and stickers goes a long way.
We are getting a lot of questions about how the Yellowstone River is going to be affected by this, and at this point we just don’t know. The fact of the matter is that the Yellowstone is one of the last great undammed freestone rivers and this is just a part of nature. The flood will change channels, remove debris, and reshape the river. It will be an entirely new body of water when we are on it again next month.
The fish are still here, they’ve been through much worse throughout their history on the Yellowstone. The waters will get back to normal flow, the mud will dissipate and fish will be eating again. What makes the Yellowstone River so special hasn’t changed.
We are proud to be part of such an amazing community here in Livingston and beyond. We will bounce back, things will return to normal (although normal is a moving target these days), and we will rebuild.
Some entrances have re-opened, check the park website before heading this way.
Spring Creeks score a 3/5
The Bighorn is now at 7,000 cfs but still a good option. Nymphing has been the most productive method by far. Not much for dry fly fishing with the higher flows. Nymphing has been hot with orange sowbugs with a firebead, scuds, Baetis, Zebra Midges, and San Juan worms. Streamer fishing has been good with Sparkle Minnows on bright days and Peanut Envys in Olive or Black on low light days.
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