Per a November 10, 2026 report from perfectflystore.com, the Smith River is the only river in Montana requiring a lottery-drawn permit to float and fish its best stretch — a 60-mile roadless section from Camp Baker to Eden Bridge that makes for a 4–5 day raft trip (rubber rafts only, they say, since the rocky canyon bends would wreck a drift boat). Since nearly all the surrounding land is privately owned ranch and farmland, access is rated poor; the shop suggests your best bets are winning the permit or politely asking local ranchers for permission. Their report lists the season as the 3rd Saturday of May through November 30 (with a 59-mile state park section open year-round), and stresses that conditions hinge on water levels — spring runoff can swallow June, August tends to run low, and fall fishing depends on rain. Their November 10 update calls current conditions “fairly good.”
The shop’s recommended setup is a 4–6 weight rod with 9–12 ft 5–6X leaders for dry flies, 3–4X for nymphing, and 0–2X for streamers. For this time of year, their fly suggestions are midges (cream and blood red, sizes 20–22), blue-winged olives (size 18), October caddis (size 6), and sculpin streamers. Over the season they highlight the salmonfly hatch (mid-May to mid-June) as a standout, along with golden stones, PMDs, tricos, caddis, and prolific hoppers, ants, and beetles in late summer. Note that all of this comes from Perfect Fly Store’s own reporting and opinion — including the promotion of their own “Perfect Fly” brand products, their claim that 92% of their customers won’t fish anything else, and their editorial gripe that the permit lottery system is “a bad deal for everyone but the outfitters.” They also offer fly-picking and shipping services (2–3 business days via Priority Mail, free over $100) — reachable at 800-594-4726 or sales@perfectflystore.com.
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