Hell Creek General Recreation Information (December 27, 2023)
With this slow start to the winter, fishing has been good on the Yellowstone. As it cools off more, slowing things down will help increase your success. Streamer fishing has been good, nymphing has been consistent, and on the right day fish will rise to dries. For streamers, we’ve been fishing Dragons, Dungeons, Hum Dingers, and Fresh Water Closures. Small sculpin patterns and buggers have also been working on indicator rigs or stripped. With the indicator rigs, trail that sculpin or bugger with your favorite little Baetis Nymph, Zebra Midge, worm, egg, or mop pattern. A larger Hares Ear Nymph has also been getting bit. If you see fish rising they’re most likely rising to midges or psudeos. Griffiths Gnats, small Purple Haze, and Buzzball midges have all been successful when there is fish rising.
Suggested Fly Patterns
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Dry Fly
Parachute Adams (12-18), Chubbies Pink, Olive, Tan (8-12), Morrish Hopper Pink, Purple, Tan, Brown (10-14), Thunder Grass Hopper Tan (10), Donkey Kong Hopper Tan (10-14), Fat Albert Pink (12-14)
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Streamer
Woolly Bugger (4-12), Mini Dungeon Black/ Natural/ White (6), Montana Intruder (4), Sparkle Minnow JJ’s, Silver (4-8), Double Gonga Black/Rainbow (4), Sculpzilla Black/ White/ Natural (4-8)
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Nymph
Pat’s Rubber Legs (6-12), Zirdle Bug (6-12), Woolly Bugger Black/ Olive (4-12), Perdigon (14-18), Pheasant Tail (10-18), Jigster Baetis (14-18), Prince Nymph (10-18), BH Hare’s Ear (12-18), Sizzlin’ Hot Spot Squirrel (14-16), Matt’s Shagadelic Mop Tan/ Brown/ Green/ Cheeto (10), Hare’s Ear (14-18), Dirty Bird (12-16)
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Water levels on the rise. December 29th. Quite normal for a move of this type in the water months trying to alleviate any actor ice on the bottom o’ the river.
How much? Actual rise will be about 1″-2″.
Weather cold, blowing, quite uncomfortable. At least today, the day after Christmas. Looks like hi’s just tipping over 40F and lows in the 20’s for the week ahead.
Newlan by White Sulfur Ice Report via MT Fishing Addicts 2.0 (December 12, 2023)
S.D.C.: 2 weeks ago it was almost completely open. Just a tiny bit of ice in the backs of a few bays. Then we got all the warm weather and wind. So I would assume it’s still open.
Smith Lake- 4-5” of ice, lots of small pike action, few nice perch.
Lower Stillwater- 5-6” of good ice. Pike action good on herring under tip ups. Try 12-20’ of water for perch with small tear drop jigs.
Rodgers Lake- 4-6” ice, still
Some grayling and Cutts. Try JT tackle tungsten ice bug jigs.
Island Lake- 4” of ice. Lots of perch and small sun fish, a few pike.
Lynch Lake- 6” of ice, slow for pike.
Blanchard Lake- 3-4” of ice- no reports.
Lion Lake- 3-4” of ice, some perch and trout.
Lake Mary Ronan- Frozen- NOT SAFE
Flathead Lake- Excellent lake trout action, try Delta 30-50’ of water, jigging or dead whole fish on bottom.
Safety First
Carry Safety Gear and Always Check Your Ice
- Flathead Lake – Lakers Showing up shallow, and we are seeing good numbers trolling Spinfish and Flatfish in around 35′-50′ of water.
- Church Slough – 1″-2″ of ice so far. NOT SAFE!
- Lone Lake – 3″-4″ of ice. Reports saying there have been a few good perch between 7″-10″ being caught.
- McWenneger Slough – Ice has capped over, but no reports on thickness yet.
- Smith Lake – 4″ of ice. Hearing about lots of pike caught using dead baits. Also hearing a few perch showing up as well.
- Rogers Lake – 5″-6″ of ice. The fishing for Cuts has been slow but hearing good reports of Greyling out toward the 10′-12′ depths.
- Dog Lake – 5″ of ice. Still good numbers of eater perch and some decent pike being caught.
- Lower Stillwater – 6″ of ice. Perch being caught out by the islands in around 18′-20′ of water.
Canyon Ferry Ice Report via MT Fishing Addicts 2.0 (December 21, 2023)
C.M.: there’s ice in the bay at the silos. Was there yesterday. Could probably bust it with a boat if you tried. Not super thick and may be gone by now. Just a thin cap
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
Fresno and Nelson Fishing Report by Brian Olson (December 21, 2023)
Fresno is 25% full. The reservoir is ice covered. The areas I would concentrate on would be the main lake points off Keighns Bay and the basin area off Kremlin Bay. In day times fish in 20’ or deeper, early mornings or evenings 15’ and shallower. I like to jig, also I would have tip ups set using salted minnows. Nelson is 78% full. The reservoir is ice covered. Best walleye fishing is still in about 20’ of water. Perch and northern fishing is also good. Use live minnows on tip ups and jig. Both reservoirs are reporting 6” of ice in the bays and up to 4” elsewhere. Check ice conditions! Good luck.
Okabeh Report via MT Fishing Addicts 2.0 (December 21, 2023)
A.T.: Went a couple weeks ago road was good fishing not so much
J.C.: Was there Sunday no fish clear roads
J.V.: It’s all completely clear
Happy December everyone. Things have been a bit quiet on the fishing report end for a bit, with a couple good reasons too. First, it’s late fall. We’re in that awkward phase before the really good winter fishing kicks off and after the bulk of the fall hatches have come and gone. Second, things have been BUSY around the shop. We had our annual Backcountry Film Festival (two nights this year!), the change of seasons and remerchandising of the store, and the busy Christmas season is right around the corner. Lots going on as we close out the year!
The fishing of late has been characterized by two main things: it’s slow and it’s windy. Sure, you can still catch fish these days and have some really good days on the water, but you’ve got to work for it these days. Water temps are low, fish are sluggish, and there isn’t a lot hatching at the moment. Focus on the deeper, slower water and bring some weight. Keep adding it until you find fish or the bottom.
The wind has been another key factor for anglers lately. It has been HOWLING. Sure, there are spots you can get out of it but if you aren’t after a couple mind clearing hours of being on the water the gale can make you rethink things. Be aware that you’ll be dealing with it on almost all of our local waters, and pack accordingly.
This past week in the store Rob called this “low commitment season”. Meaning you can go out and hit the water with a low commitment, fish for a few hours or until you get tired of the wind, and come home without a worry in the world. During the summer it’s easy to talk yourself into the need to be out all day, or fish hard the entire time. Not so much this time of year.
As far as reliable fishing goes, our go to options right now would be the spring creeks if you want to stick close to Livingston, the Missouri by Craig if you want to get the boat out, or the walk/wade section on the Upper Madison by Reynold’s Pass. If you can get a break in the wind you should be able to find midges around at all of those places, and likely not a lot of people. The spring creeks are all on their winter rates now, and a nice fire and warm lunch in a hut on Depuy’s is never a bad idea in the winter…
If you do make it out, dress warmly and be careful out there. If you need the right gear to keep you warm, dry and comfortable stop in. We’ll make sure you get what you need. Or break out the vise and start working on the winter’s fly tying. There’s always lots to do!
We know this time of year can be incredibly busy, hectic, and even stressful. If taking a couple hours to stand in a river helps with that, go for it. If you can’t make it out fishing with all the holiday activities and family in town, you’re not missing out on much. The important thing to keep in mind is that this is the slowest period of the literal entire year for fishing – but it will improve before long!
Stay tuned.
Gates of the Mountains Ice Report via Montana Fishing Addicts 2.0 (December 21, 2023)
C.M.: It’s open for now. Little ice on the shore line the other day but was gone before noon.
875 @ Kirby – The Upper Madison has been a wade anglers dream. If weather cooperates (wind mainly), some great dry fly days on midges/BWO’s can be had. Streamer fishing has been productive, especially smaller patterns dead-drifted under a bobber. A bobber rig with a prince/worm trailed by a midge or baetis nymph can save the day too!
GO-TO FLIES:
– Shop Vac #16
– Mini Boogieman Olive #6
– 20 Incher #10
– TB Bruised Baetis #18
– Hi-Viz Griffith’s Gnat #18
4160 CFS @ Holter – Perhaps the best option close-ish to Bozeman, the Missouri has been fantastic recently. The river has been quiet, the weather has been terrific, time to make that drive! Nymphing below Holter has been great on leeches, midges and scuds. Fish are still rising to midges, usually around sunrise and later in the afternoons.
GO-TO FLIES:
– Kreelex Silver/Gold #6
– Pill Pooper #16
– Glo Bug Light Roe #14
– Brook’s Sprout Midge Grey #18
– Balanced Leech Black #10
Upsata Lake Report via MT Fishing Addicts 2.0 (December 26, 2023)
S.S.: It Died out last winter due to thick ice and low O2. Don’t know if they re planted it this summer. No idea about the ice conditions currently.
T.J.: it had been a stunted lake for awhile. Last ice season the fish population of all species at Upsata took a giant hit.
