Livingston Montana Fishing Report

Detailed Reports

This NO BS Livingston Montana fishing report is valid from November 1 until the next cold/snowy snap, which will push us from very late fall into full-on winter fishing (or more accurately most days fly tying mode).

General Comments

The Yellowstone Park general fishing season closed at sunset on October 31, which sharply reduces options there and overall. With most of the park closed and cold water everywhere, we’re now fishing the lower Gardner River in YNP, which is the only open water in the park within range of us until spring, the Yellowstone River, the lower Madison River, and if you’re in the mood for road tripping, the Missouri. The Paradise Valley spring creeks are a spendy but good option if the wind isn’t howling.

Everywhere low and slow is the order of the day. Think stonefly nymphs, eggs, BWO nymphs, and midge pupae. Swing streamers slowly instead of stripping them. Hatches of BWO and midges are limited to an hour or two in the afternoon except maybe on the spring creeks and the Mo.

There’s no reason to start early, even on the spring creeks. We won’t fish again before 11:00AM until April.

The brown trout spawn will peak in the next week or two just about everywhere. Leave them alone and for bleep’s sake don’t walk through spawning areas. If you see clean gravel in knee-deep (approx) water with steady current, steer clear. Only hooligans fish for active spawners, and only scum walk through redds.

 

The Details

The Yellowstone River: Definitely the best option in our neck of the woods until it starts to freeze. We do not recommend floating more than five or so miles. Even when floating, plan to skip all of the fast and/or shallow water and fish the bigger, deeper runs thoroughly. A stonefly with an egg is a good bet in the heads of pools downstream of spawning areas. Don’t harass the browns on the gravel. May anyone who does forever mess their waders. Swinging streamers is another good option, and there will be BWO and midges in the foamy eddies on calmer afternoons. The east side of the river is usually the better one for this dry fly bite, since it gets more PM sunshine.

The Boulder River is too low and cold for us.

The lower Madison River is a good winter bet. Crayfish trailing eggs or BWO nymphs and midge pupae are good options. So is swinging a light but very flowy and mobile streamer on an intermediate or floating tip.

The Stillwater River is similar to the Yellowstone, but probably too low for even the most aggressive floaters. Stick to the lower river below the Rosebud, as it will be ice water up higher.

The Missouri River is a long way from here, but late fall can be very good. Above Canyon Ferry, use big nymphs or swing streamer for a 1 in 100 shot at a fish of a lifetime. Below Hauser, fish eggs, BWO nymphs, and streamers. The best shots at lots of rainbows will be downstream of spawning kokanee and browns if you find them. Some BWO hatches are possible. They’ll be better below Holter Dam. Otherwise below Holter, nymph or swing skinny streamers.

Montana Small Streams are too low and cold now.

Local Lakes and Reservoirs are getting awfully cold.

The Paradise Valley spring creeks will probably see the widest window of good fishing, provided the wind isn’t blowing 40mph like it has been some days lately. There are two options for numbers and potential size. #1 is to cover the whole creek a couple times throwing streamers. Some big browns are possible doing this. Work fast and spook everything that doesn’t eat. The other option is to nymph with eggs, skinny worms, BWO nymphs, and midges downstream of spawning areas and choke points such as culverts. The final good tactic is to watch for risers and match the BWO and midges they’re eating. This is the classy way of doing it.

Yellowstone Park fishing is closed except on the Gardner River below Osprey Falls and on the Madison downstream of the MT/WY boundary near the Barns Pools. Note that the park interior roads are also closed, so you’re looking at a 3hr plus drive to get to the Madison via Bozeman and Big Sky from our base in Livingston.

  • The Gardner will fish best below Boiling River. Either hike down from Mammoth or up from Gardiner. The passage through the Chutes where the road was wrecked in 2022’s floods is only for mountain goats, so you really can’t fish the “Gardiner Beat” and “Boiling River Beat” from the same access point. Trust us here; for most people, getting through the heart of the Gardner Canyon will be impossible, and it’s dangerous for everybody.
  • The Gardner will fish best on stonefly nymphs or multi-role flies like TJ Hookers trailing eggs or large soft hackles unless you see a hatch. The BWO are more likely than midges here. Hatches can be heavy, but they’re often limited in duration and scope. One pool will be boiling for 45 minutes, and you won’t see another riser before or after or anywhere else. I actually carry a rigged Tenkara rod in the back of my vest (Yes, I still use a vest. Call me old-school.) to take advantage of these opportunities.
  • To access the Madison, hike up from Baker’s Hole or one of the other access points just north of West Yellowstone. The West Yellowstone gate is closed to vehicles.
  • The Maddy will fish best on streamers and big steelhead-style soft hackles.

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