Livingston Montana Fishing Report

Detailed Reports

This NO BS Livingston Montana fishing report is valid from September 27, 2025 until we get some actual fall weather.

We might sound like a broken record here, because that’s the same thing we said when we last updated this report, but it just ain’t happening. We’ll get one day in the 60s (that is to say, normal) with some rain and even snow on the highest peaks overnight (also normal), then it’s back to cloudless blue skies and highs in the 70s and 80s.

No bueno.

We really want some 40s-50s and drizzle for several days running to kick in the real fall fishing. Right now we’re in some sort of nether-realm between summer and fall, when neither summer nor fall tactics are working quite how they ought to.

General Comments

Hot and dry and bright, and has been for more than a month. That said, we also have extreme low water. Yippee.

This combination of factors is making the fishing weird and at best fair, with the tactics that are working not really resembling those of either typical summer or fall fishing.

The water is cold in the mornings, so the fish are taking a long time to wake up and get going, but it’s also getting quite warm in late afternoon. This has generally led to a short window of really good fishing somewhere around midday, but tough fishing otherwise.

All of the above will change when we get more than a day running of cool, wet weather. The way it’s going, that won’t happen until Christmas…

The Details

The Yellowstone River: Fishing has been fair to good for a window around midday to midafternoon, with the precise window depending on the day. Hopper-dropper combos in the riffles have been by far the most productive fly combos for most clients. Skilled streamer anglers should try swinging in the long runs and boulder fields first thing in the morning. There have been handfuls of BWO hatching, and a few fish eating them, but it has been too windy and bright for the hatches to really get going in a big way. They are just waiting for that calm, cool, cloudy day… SAFETY NOTE: The Yellowstone is near record-low flows for the date. It’s basically at winter flows. This means there are tons of exposed rocks just waiting to catch your boat. We do not recommend floating right now unless you are skilled on the sticks and know how to avoid rocks, or at least how to minimize damage to your boat when (not if) you do hit some. We are actually guiding from our raft more often than not now, just to avoid leaving too many paint skid marks on the rocks.

The Boulder River is exceptionally low. We honestly suggest fishing elsewhere now.

The lower Madison River is off hoot-owls, but it’s still weedy. Soft hackles, hoppers, and BWO nymphs fished in some combination have worked decently of late.

The Stillwater River is too low to float except in an ultralight raft or a 10-foot whitewater boat, in other words something you can drag at every riffle without too much frustration. Fish hopper/dropper rigs around midday. The same hatches as pop on the Yellowstone will pop here, with less anglers hitting them. Don’t hesitate to fish your hopper with a Tan Drake (Brindle Chute) or even the Tan Drake (or a big Royal Wulff Cripple) with the copper or purple Hazy Cripple behind it.

The Missouri River is a long way from here and we have good fishing close to home. Some clients who fished up there before coming here reported fair fishing on black/red Zebra Midges. Also some really bad fish-handling practices by their guide, but that’s another story…

Montana Small Streams are basically too low now.

Local Lakes and Reservoirs are still too warm at the surface for good fishing right now. If you go outside of our operations area, Hebgen Lake might fish on something or other (go ask Big Sky Angler in West Yellowstone). The Beartooth Lakes are starting to cool down rapidly, so will soon be too cold – and if you hike up there anymore this season, be 100% sure the weather isn’t going to turn on you. The first real cooldown will turn on the private lakes at low elevation, but we’re not there yet.

The Paradise Valley spring creeks have had some limited midge and Sulphur (cream Baetis) hatches when the wind isn’t annoying, but that has been rare. Look for these bugs at midmorning.

All waters in Yellowstone Park are open again without restrictions. That said, we’re not fishing the Madison upstream from the Barns Pools, the Firehole, or the Gibbon below Norris until a real cooldown occurs. If you’re staying in West Yellowstone, fishing the Barns Pools with a stonefly nymph trailing an attractor nymph for the hour or two after dawn can be productive. The fall-run browns (and a few bows) often start nosing into these pools near the west gate before daring the warm water upstream. Otherwise, we’re sticking to the Yellowstone in the canyons and to a lesser extent the Gardner between Osprey Falls and Boiling River. The Lamar System is exceptionally low and crowded. We’re talking 15cfs or less in Soda Butte Creek, a record low. Just give those poor fish a break instead of joining the mobs jamming every pool.

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