Livingston Montana Fishing Report

Detailed Reports

This NO BS Livingston Montana fishing report is valid from April 23 until the full force of spring runoff hits sometime in the first or second week of May. Yes, we should now actually get some semblance of real runoff due to recent cooler weather and snow, which will potentially really help in late summer. Check our blog starting on the 24th or 25th for the latest updates on snowpack and forecast summer water conditions.

General Comments

River comes in, river goes out. Caddis start hatching, caddis start shivering. We’ve had a serious roller coaster of weather lately that has shaken things up a bit in the area. Right now we’re having a bit of the “winter that wasn’t,” thankfully. What do we mean? 18+ inches of snow in some high country locations, and even a couple inches of wet slush here in Livingston. Not much fishing right now, but the cold spell is going to put a screeching halt to the runoff for a few days. We now expect very good river fishing conditions from roughly April 26 until roughly May 5, or whenever the next protracted spell of 70+ and sunshine hits. Lakes are another matter. Warm = good for them, and rain/snow is really bad. It makes access very tough.

Recent cooler, wetter weather has reduced (though by no means removed) the likelihood for extremely tough late summer conditions. We still think the latter half of June and first half of July will be tops, but the chances for complete closures in August are fading. Keep an eye on our blog for updates about expected conditions after July 20, and especially in August and early September.

The Details

The Yellowstone River: Is brown ice water right now. The brown will depart in the next couple days due to colder weather. We should be looking at EXCELLENT conditions next week. As we forecast in our last report, the Mother’s Day caddis started hatching with the recent spell of warm weather than ended yesterday. They will be shut down due to the cold/wet weather we have now, but we expect a double-dip hatch to be in high gear once temperatures moderate around the middle of next week. Right now, fish San Juan Worms, stonefly nymphs, and streamers, while hoping for a BWO hatch. Once the weather starts to warm, go with caddis larvae and pupae either by themselves or behind a streamer or stonefly until you start seeing risers, then match the hatch. Splash rises = caddis. Subtle ones = BWO or perhaps March Browns.

The Boulder River: is just getting high enough to float. Beware of downed trees crossing the river. Fish stonefly nymphs and streamers while hoping for a BWO or March Brown hatch. Caddis soon?

The lower Madison River is a good early spring bet. Crayfish trailing eggs or BWO nymphs and caddis pupae are good options. So is swinging a light but very flowy and mobile streamer on an intermediate or floating tip. Look for BWO hatching on warm afternoons on the steep banks with eddies. The caddis will probably hatch in earnest here in the first or second week of May. Muddy water is possible below Cherry Creek.

The Stillwater River is now at a floatable flow below the Rosebud Creek confluence. It might be muddy, though. Fish like you would on the Boulder, including watching for trees…

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, worms, eggs below Hauser in particular), there are some midge, BWO, and March Brown hatches below Holter. Not much dry fly fishing below Hauser. Watch out for actively spawning rainbows below Holter, particularly between the dam and Craig. Only sleazeballs fish over redds. Feeling sleazy? Go fish below Hauser instead. Lots of redds there, but most of the rainbow trout are actually stockers coming up from Holter Lake, so you won’t be damaging a wild trout spawn by fishing redds like you are if you redd-raid below Holter.

Montana Small Streams are too cold now.

Local Lakes and Reservoirs are a great choice now, though many ranch lakes will be hard to access due to gumbo on the access roads. Don’t try it unless you have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle with knobby tires. 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.

The Paradise Valley spring creeks are generally very good through April. BWO and midge hatches are what you want to see. They are most likely on gray afternoons. Next week’s cooldown is likely to have great hatches as long as it isn’t too windy or pouring rain. Absent a hatch, fish San Juan Worms, eggs, midge pupae/larvae, and BWO nymphs in the deeper pools. Stay away from spawning gravel; it’s not ethical to fish these areas, and DEVASTATING to wade them. If you see trout over shallow gravel, leave them alone.

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. The park interior roads to Old Faithful and West Yellowstone are now open except during snow events, so it is possible to drive to the Madison if you want to fight for a spot against folks from West Yellowstone and Big Sky.

  • The Gardner will fish best below Boiling River, provided it is clear. 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 below Boiling River will fish best on stonefly nymphs or multi-role flies like TJ Hookers trailing eggs, caddis pupae, or skinny mayfly nymphs. BWO and March Brown hatches are possible on warmer days. Mother’s Day Caddis will hatch on warmer afternoons, so fish a Clacka Caddis with a RAM Caddis or similar attractor-ish caddis pupa on the dropper. Beware spawning rainbow trout: fish only the pocket water and deep pools, not the shallow gravel.
  • Off the “high bridge” east of Mammoth, stick to afternoon fishing only and expect to find the fish only in the largest pools, since the conditions are still winter-like above Boiling River’s warm influence. Fish nymphs. You might also see midge, BWO, March Brown, or Skwala stonefly hatches. Caddis are probably an early May proposition here, provided the river doesn’t blow out with runoff by then.

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