Montana Fishing Report – January 3rd 2026
The new year is starting off a little weird on the water. Cold temps are here, but ice fishing opportunities remain limited across much of the state. Many lakes and reservoirs have skim ice or unsafe ice, making hardwater hit-or-miss at best. If you’re checking ice, do it carefully and don’t assume anything is locked up yet.
Open-water anglers still have options. The Madison, Missouri, and select stretches of the Yellowstone are fishing slow but steady with midges and small nymphs. The bite window is short, usually mid-day, but rainbows are still willing if your drift is clean. Streamers can move a fish or two, but patience is required.
It’s not classic January fishing, but if you’re flexible and cautious, there’s still water to fish — just not much ice to stand on yet.
