Stillwater River Fishing Report
This report is valid from November 1 through Thanksgiving.
Low, cold water. You can get down it in a raft for right now due to snowmelt, but there’s seldom any point of fishing from the boat. Instead pull over and nymph or swing streamers in the deeper, slower runs. We’d stick to water below Absarokee (mouth of the Rosebud), and probably just float from Swinging Bridge to Itch-Kep-Pe on the Yellowstone.
Fish similar flies as on the Yellowstone.
Learn more about fishing the Stillwater River.
Learn more about our float trips, including those on the Stillwater.
Stillwater River Streamflow Data
This gauge is located in Absarokee, downstream from the confluence with Rosebud Creek. Significant irrigation diversions occur between the gauge and the Yellowstone, and water temps rise. If water temps are exceeding 70 degrees at the gauge, we suggest quitting no later than 2:00PM downstream. The water upstream is generally colder.
Flows over 4000cfs get sketchy above Absarokee. Flows 4000-2000 are best floated above Absarokee. 2000-1200 are good everywhere. 1200-800 are best below Absarokee but doable above. 800-425 are doable downstream of Absarokee, with the precise cutoff between 500 and 425 depending on how much weight is in your raft and how willing you are to drag the boat through shallow areas. Anything lower than that requires a whole lot of dragging and/or an ultralight raft.
Stillwater River – Flow
Stillwater River – Water Temperature
Stillwater River Fishing Report Links
Note: We update our general fishing report far more often than our fishery-specific reports like this one, especially between November and April.
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