Colorado’s trout fishing is in serious trouble this season — and if you think that’s just their problem, you haven’t been paying attention to how western water works.
Record heat and dismal snowpack have rivers running bone-dry across the state. Water temps are spiking into fish-killing territory. Entire river sections are closing to angling. Federal managers are releasing massive emergency flows from Flaming Gorge Reservoir just to keep the Colorado River system from collapsing. That’s not a warning sign. That’s the thing the warning signs were warning about.
For Montana fly fishermen, this is both an opportunity and a long look in the mirror.
Montana’s Comparative Advantage This Season
Right now, our snowpack is sitting near or above average across most of the key drainages — Upper Missouri, Gallatin, Madison. That means sustained flows deeper into summer than Colorado or Wyoming will see by a long shot. The rivers are in good shape. Honestly, some of the best early-season conditions I can remember in a while.
But here’s the side effect nobody’s talking about yet: expect Montana’s blue-ribbon waters to get hammered with out-of-state pressure. When Colorado anglers look at their own rivers and then look at the Big Hole, the Beaverhead, or Rock Creek, they’re heading north. You’re going to see a lot more Colorado and Wyoming plates at the takeouts this summer. Plan accordingly — get out early in the week, explore water you’d normally skip, or treat the crowds as the push you needed to finally hike into that high-country drainage you’ve been eyeing.
Don’t get complacent about our own situation, though. Heat domes don’t stop at state lines. If we get a sustained stretch of 95-degree days in July and August — and we’ve seen it happen — even the Madison can hit temperatures that genuinely stress trout populations. We’re not bulletproof. We’re just better off right now.
What Colorado’s Crisis Teaches Us About Fishing Ethics
Rivers in Colorado are closing because continued fishing pressure on already-stressed trout would do real, lasting damage. Montana anglers need to internalize that lesson before someone forces it on us with mandatory restrictions.
Carry a stream thermometer. Know the 68-degree threshold — above that, catch-and-release mortality climbs fast, and you’re not really practicing conservation so much as fooling yourself. Fish mornings and evenings during heat waves instead of grinding through the midday peak. Keep fish in the water for photos, minimize handling time, and wet your hands before you touch them. None of this is complicated. It’s just discipline.
In my experience, the anglers who ignore hoot owl restrictions and voluntary closures are the same ones who complain loudest when the fishing goes downhill. Those two things are connected. When the Clark Fork or the Ruby start pushing warm in August, shift to still-water options — Montana’s reservoirs and high-country lakes fish surprisingly strong all summer and they don’t get a fraction of the pressure.
The Federal Water Management Factor
The Flaming Gorge situation should wake people up to how managed and precarious western water really is. Montana isn’t exempt from that reality. Hungry Horse, Canyon Ferry, Holter — our own reservoir systems are constantly balancing agriculture, hydropower, and recreational flows, and recreation doesn’t always win that fight.
If you fish the Missouri below Holter or the Flathead below Hungry Horse, those flows you’re wading in aren’t natural. They’re managed. Someone made a decision to release that water instead of something else. Support the politicians and policies that keep instream flows and recreational access in that equation, because there are plenty of other interests lobbying just as hard in the other direction.
Where to Focus Your Efforts Now
For the next several weeks, spring creeks and tailwaters are your most reliable bets. DePuy’s, Nelson’s, Armstrong — they hold stable temps and flows even when ambient conditions get ugly. The Missouri tailwater sections will fish consistently through a heat wave that shuts down freestone rivers entirely. If you haven’t fished that stretch between Holter Dam and Cascade, this might be the summer to make it happen.
Backcountry anglers should think about going high earlier than usual. Snowmelt in many ranges will stabilize sooner this year, which could push prime alpine fishing to mid-July rather than the typical late-August window. The Beartooths and the Bob Marshall wilderness drainages are worth a hard look. The fish up there don’t see much pressure and they eat like they know it.
If you’re watching what’s happening in Colorado and feeling relieved about where we live, put that relief to work. Get involved with a stream restoration project on the Madison or the Blackfoot. Support Montana Trout Unlimited. Practice tight catch-and-release ethics even when no one’s watching, especially when no one’s watching. What’s unfolding in Colorado isn’t some distant cautionary tale — it’s a preview of what neglect and bad water policy produces over time.
Montana still has the advantage this season. Advantages don’t keep themselves.
Source inspiration: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/colorado-trout-fishing-forecast-grim-170828702.html