Livingston Montana Fishing Report

Detailed Reports

This NO BS Livingston Montana fishing report is valid from June 4 until about June 10.

While it has finally started to warm up, an extended run of generally cool weather for most of April and a few shots of cold weather in May substantially slowed down our runoff and should make a huge difference in avoiding drought-related fishing closures in late July and August. The water will still be low, but not record-low as we were expecting a month ago. Sigh of relief by all fishing guides and outfitters in the region. Daddy needs a new car and to recondition the drift boat this fall…

General Comments

After a cold and rainy weekend, it has now warmed back up into the 70s, with 80s possible by the weekend. The bottom is starting to fall out of area streamflows and all waters except the streams in the Lamar River System are now marginally fishable (not counting those that are still closed). There’s sort of a continuum between guidable, fishable, “you could catch a fish out of it,” and too dirty. A lot of waters are in that “you could catch a fish out of it” state, including the Yellowstone in many spots. Our first definite Yellowstone River trip of the season is 6/14 and we suspect it will be ready no later than the 10th.

Unfortunately, this also means time is short for the geothermal waters. The Firehole and Gibbon (and thus the park stretch of the Madison) are now reaching 70+ degrees in late afternoon in their lower reaches. Upper and middle stretches of these streams are still fishable even in the afternoon, but when the high 80s air temps hit at low elevations, 75+ water temps will follow and soon extend basically from the first geyser basins down. We anticipate the Firehole in particular will be too warm to fish ethically by June 10-12, even in the mornings.

The Details

The Yellowstone River: Still running over 8000cfs and thus really big to float, but there is a green tint starting to creep in that means somebody who was dedicated could catch fish along the edges on big, black stoneflies and slow-twitched Woolly Buggers. Except on the slow inside bends, ignore the middle 95% of the river. We expect “green is good” no later than June 10 and Salmonflies no more than a week after that. WE STILL HAVE AVAILABILITY JUNE 16 AND 17! WHO WANTS ‘EM?

The Boulder River: is still high, at 2200cfs, but that’s a marginally floatable level for somebody who’s good on the sticks. Fish stonefly nymphs in any soft water you can find, or twitch a Sparkle Minnow through the same water.

The lower Madison River is fishing solid on big Zirdles with a “whatever” nymph on the drop, but the real surprise many days has been the good PMD hatches. Strangely, on our trips the fish seem to have preferred a #14 Pink Clacka Caddis (suggestive of both the few caddis fluttering around and the larger numbers of Yellow Sallies) to the hordes of PMD duns, but PMD nymphs fished shallow have worked. Some guides have been running small Chubby Chernobyls, and I even had a lady get her first dry fly fish on a peach Bob Hopper, probably the earliest Bob Hopper fish of my career. No rises = no dry fly fishing.

The Stillwater River is similar to the Boulder, but it’s high enough that you wouldn’t want to float downstream of Absarokee.

The Missouri River is the most consistent and most crowded river in Montana right now (unless the Bighorn takes the crown, that is). The main draw now is dry fly fishing below Holter. PMD are the main attraction, but caddis are also present. PMD nymphs are the main subsurface bet. If fishing below Hauser, there’s probably not going to be much dry fly activity. Fish PMD nymphs, small sowbugs, etc. Pro Tip: Occasionally the fish really get on giant caddis larvae this time of year. We’re talking #12 3XL cased caddis patterns. We use small Minch’s Golden Stones for this.

Montana Small Streams: The meadow-type streams like the East Gallatin are now in good shape. Get on them in the next month, because most of these will close due to drought conditions in early July. Most of the mountain creeks are running clear already, but they’re still too high to fish effectively.

Local Trout Lakes and Reservoirs: The trout fishing on the local low elevation reservoirs like Dailey is fading fast. This warm spell will probably push them all deep. On the private lakes, mornings are likely to be best with this week’s clear skies and heat. You might see chironomid, Callibaetis, or damselfly hatches. Otherwise, fish chironomid pupae under indicators along the drop-offs. The larger, deeper low-elevation reservoirs like Holter should be seeing some “gulper” fishing between 9:30 and 2:00 or so if the wind is calm. If windy, forget it. No recent reports from high-elevation lakes like Hebgen, and it’s still too early for the Beartooth.

The Paradise Valley spring creeks are in a bit of a hole from now until mid-June. Look at Depuy’s availability calendar to know when the fishing is likely to be good. Fourteen of sixteen rod slots are available tomorrow (the 25th of May). Not a single slot is available between June 13 and July 12, and only a few are available the week after. Since the creeks are between hatch cycles until the PMD begin, expect to either nymph with PMD and midge nymphs or walk up and down the creeks throwing smallish Woolly Buggers more often than not. Fragmentary midge, late BWO, or early PMD hatches are also possible.

Yellowstone Park: Most waters are now clear and open. The main exceptions are the upper Yellowstone River above the Falls (closed until July 1), Blacktail Ponds (likewise), the Lamar System (muddy), and the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone (not as muddy as the Lamar, but still a tough proposition given the hike involved)

  • Gardner: Green already top to bottom, though still too high in the brookie headwaters. Fish tight-line nymphing techniques below Mammoth for the best fishing. Just say no to the wimpy 3wt Euro-nymphing noodle. Fish a 9′ 6wt with about a 6ft leader tapered to 1X or 2X. Don’t cast more than a rod length or two of line. Forget the indicators; they hurt your accuracy and don’t show strikes in the end table-sized pockets next to the bank where you’ll find most of the fish. Honor tradition and fish a #6 black Minch Stone with a #10 gold Minch Stone or #12 Minch’s Bead Hare & Copper on the dropper. Matt Minch, a fly tier and guide who died a few years ago, holds the river record on the Gardner (27 inch 9.25lb brown, plus a whole bunch of browns over 6lbs and some rainbows and cutts exceeding 24 inches) and fished the Gardner 100+ days a season from the 1970s until about 2012, generally using the techniques just described. Salmonflies in ten days or two weeks.
  • Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Streamers and stonefly/attractor nymph combos in the eddies can produce a whole lot of fish this time of year. The X-factor is how much pressure there is. If there are ten people fishing the Tower Falls side or about six fishing the other side, you’re going to have a hard time finding even one good eddy, much less several hours’ worth of them. Salmonflies no later than June 20 and probably sooner.
  • Black Canyon of the Yellowstone: Still too dirty, but getting there. Once there’s 18″ of viz and the water is more green than yellow/brown, it’s worth a shot. The physicality of the hiking and rock-scrambling necessary will put this beyond most anglers’ physical abilities for a while. At 46 with a looming surgery, I’m unfortunately in this category myself.
  • Lamar System: Muddy.
  • Gibbon River: Shockingly low flows mean  the whole river (or creek, in its headwaters) is fishable. The canyon section is even fordable, something that seldom happens before June 10. Attractor dry/dropper combos in the rough water from near Beryl Spring down to Madison Junction is the main draw, but you might get a hatch in the “A game meadows” below Norris Geyser Basin, and we got some nice westslope cutts and one grayling in the small water above Virginia Cascades yesterday. Little Pheasant Tails and caddis were the tickets up there.
  • Firehole River: Already hitting 73 at the lower stream sensor, so I do note recommend fishing below Fountain Flats in the afternoons. Biscuit Basin to Midway should be fine for a few more days, but once the lower sensor hits 75+, the whole river below the Old Faithful closure is too warm. Soft hackles will be the bread and butter flies. A #14 White Miller with a #16 Glasshead Soft Hackle PT is a good place to start. I often never change from this combo. White Miller and PMD hatches are underway. There may also be a smattering of other caddis. Mornings are likely to be better if it is hot and sunny, or maybe the hour or two before dark.
  • Madison River: Some PMD and caddis hatches are possible. Use similar tactics as on the Firehole, but expect fewer but larger fish.
  • Lakes: On Yellowstone Lake, fish Buggers and baitfish imitations hoping to whack skinny lakers or maybe the biggest cutthroat you’ll ever see. On the grayling lakes, fish a tiny bugger or leech with a soft hackle or flashy little beadhead dropper. Try to sight-fish to cruisers on Trout Lake using those same soft hackles and lil’ flashies, or scuds. Blacktail is closed until early July.
  • Small Creeks: Those draining the park’s central plateau are now generally low enough. Fish small attractor dries with something like a #18 Pheasant Tail on the dropper. The brookie creeks near Mammoth are mostly there, too, but you’ll want to find pocket water sections rather than fishing the pools, which are still churning. A #12 Trude with a #16 Prince is basically all you ever need on these. No fish = too much pressure. Walk further.

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