Buckle up, folks. Mother Nature decided to skip the small talk and go straight to the heat. Thanks to a chilly April, we aren’t looking at a total drought disaster this summer (cue the collective sigh from every guide’s bank account), but the “Big Melt” is officially hitting the fan. With temps flirting with 90°F this week, the high country is turning into a slushie, and our freestones are looking like chocolate milk.
If you want to catch fish without a sonar and a prayer, you’ve got to be strategic. Here is the “No BS” breakdown of where to cast and where to just stay in the bar from Yellowstone Country Fly Fishing:
This NO BS Livingston Montana fishing report is valid from May 10 until the Yellowstone Park general fishing season opens on the 23rd.
While it has finally started to warm up, an extended run of generally cool weather for most of April substantially slowed down our runoff and should make a huge difference in avoiding drought-related fishing closures in late July and August. The water will still be low, but not record-low as we were expecting a month ago. Sigh of relief by all fishing guides and outfitters in the region. Daddy needs a new car and to recondition the drift boat this fall…
General Comments
We are now in the heart of spring runoff. It will be a light runoff, but it’s hitting hard and fast due to warm to hot temperatures this week. We are forecast to have three days in the 80s this week, one of which will push 90. This will translate to 70 or so even in the high mountains, which will really get the melt at the highest elevations started.
This means we’re primarily going to be a in “lakes, warmwater, tailwater, and geyser-fed” mode for the next month or slightly less. Freestone rivers like the Yellowstone and Gardner are out. Lakes at all elevations except on the high Beartooth, warmwater options near (Three Forks Ponds) and far (north-central Montana where we’re headed on the 17th), tailwaters like the Lower Madison, and geyser-fed rivers feeding YNP’s central plateau are in.
We now anticipate spring runoff will end completely sometime between about May 20-25 (Firehole) to June 20-25 (Lamar System and small mountain streams), with other waters falling between these extremes. The Yellowstone River should be ready to go for “Montana ugly” fishing no later than June 10. Salmonflies will start roughly a week after the river clears up enough.
The Details
The Yellowstone River: Blown out with the spring melt and unlikely to clear again until early June given current outlooks.
The Boulder River: is coming up 10-20% per day now. The lower river is high enough to float. Clarity will get worse on a day-by-day basis but is likely still okay for now. Fish stonefly nymphs, worms, and streamers unless you see risers. If you do see fish coming up, they’re likely taking Mother’s Day caddis.
The lower Madison River may see some mud below Cherry Creek, but WILL see increasing Mother’s Day caddis hatches. You might also find fish rising to BWO or March Browns. Absent big numbers of risers, swing soft hackles if you’re seeing some splashy rises here and there (these are fish eating caddis pupae just under water, and soft hackles imitate them). If there’s no rises at all, fish some combo of caddis pupae, San Juan Worms, crayfish, BWO nymphs, and egg patterns. The crays and worms will be more important below Cherry Creek if it’s bringing in any mud at all. The caddis hatches will intensify and be strong through at least May 20-25, especially on cloudy days.
The Stillwater River is similar to the Boulder, but it’s just high enough to float between Absarokee and the Yellowstone. Check locally to learn about any downed trees or other obstructions.
The Missouri River is the most consistent and most crowded river in Montana right now (unless the Bighorn takes the crown, that is). While nymphing is the numbers game (BWO, sowbugs, and worms both below Hauser and below Holter, and still eggs and assorted “pink junk” below Hauser), there are plenty of midge, BWO, and March Brown hatches below Holter. Some Mother’s Day caddis on the warmest days, though late May is better for caddis on this river. Not much dry fly fishing below Hauser. The rainbow spawn is finishing up, but you should still avoid fishing redds below Holter where all fish are wild. Below Hauser, where most are stocked, you’ll find some “zombie fish” that look like rotting salmon over the redds if that’s your thing. For prettier, cleaner fish eating at least some “regular” flies, fish the deeper boulder-bottomed water.
Montana Small Streams are too high and cold now.
Local Trout Lakes and Reservoirs are a great choice now. On both ranch lakes and reservoirs like Dailey, fish Blobs, leeches, eggs, and chironomids. The windswept shorelines with rock are a good place to start, as will any sun-warmed flats and places where the wind is blowing bugs into last year’s reeds. Hatches may begin this week on Burns and Sitz with the warm temperatures, and almost certainly be going the week after. Callibaetis are most likely, but there may also be chironomids. Damsels have to wait until June.
Warmwater Lakes & Reservoirs: This is a good time to get your warmwater fix, and it will get better yet as the month progresses. Nearby, play with bluegill in the Bozeman Pond or Trout Meadows Pond in Bozeman or in the Three Forks Ponds. The latter have a few decent bass and some big carp. A small boat is helpful on the middle (best) of the Three Forks ponds. A drift boat with a trolling motor is ideal. Further afield, look for pike and bass as well as panfish at Castle Rock Lake in Colstrip. #10 olive and black Woolly Worms with bead chain eyes and four rubber legs out the back seem to work for everything except pike there (I think they look like little frogs). For the pike and bigger bass, fish fire tiger Murdich Minnows in about 1/0. A boat is really helpful here; I can get places with my drift boat that neither larger aluminum boats nor bank anglers can.
The Paradise Valley spring creeks are going to start slowing down any day now if they haven’t already. There’s a window when there aren’t many BWO and the PMD haven’t started yet that usually sees tough fishing. The end of May is the heart of this tough window, so things might still be decent for now. Match the midge, BWO, or caddis hatch you see (if you see it). Absent a hatch, nymph the choppier water with mayfly nymphs and midge larvae. Beware of wading the redds. The spawn itself should be about over.
Yellowstone Park: The general season remains closed, but several extended-season options are available. The areas open now are the Gardner River below Osprey Falls, Gibbon River from the bridge near Norris Campground down, the Firehole River and tributaries, and the Madison River inside YNP.
- Gardner: Muddy more often than not, though may not get particularly high due to low snowpack. If there’s at least 18″ of visibility and the water is more green than brown, fish stonefly and attractor nymph combos. Note that it is not possible to hike down the old road from Mammoth to the Boiling River Bridge right now due to construction. This puts a serious damper on fishing opportunities. Headwaters near Indian Creek Campground are closed until the end of May.
- Gibbon: While BWO, March Brown, and Mother’s Day caddis hatches are possible, particularly in the meadows, we’d be more likely to fish stonefly and attractor nymph combos or streamers in the bigger pools below Gibbon Falls, hoping for a big run-up rainbow. Some attractor dry/dropper fishing is also possible, but it will be better in a month. The Gibbon may get too muddy to fish for a few days during the warmest days of May, particularly in the meadow sections. Reminder that the headwaters above Norris Campground are closed.
- Madison: The section between Madison Junction and 8-Mile Bridge is likely to be better than the Barns Pools near West Yellowstone. Caddis and BWO hatches are possible, but swinging streamers will likely be more consistent. The Madison may run dirty for a day or two following the warmest days, but it’s unlikely to get so filthy you can’t at least dredge with a black streamer.
- Firehole: A bear attack on May 4 has closed a large portion of the Firehole. Check out the details at the NPS news page. Outside of this closure area, you may find murky water on the warmest days for a couple weeks, but the river should never become unfishable this spring. Swinging soft hackles and small streamers will be your best bet everywhere except the canyon below the falls. Down there, I’d be fishing a stonefly nymph with an attractor nymph behind it. Hatches of Mother’s Day caddis, PMD, and BWO are possible everywhere. Hatches may be sparse given the bright blue skies and high air temps in the forecast.