Livingston Montana Fishing Report

Detailed Reports

This Livingston Montana fishing report is valid from July 26 until August 5, roughly. It will be updated as more and more waters receive hoot owl fishing closures.

We are being crushed by high temperatures, with only spot thunderstorms that put down as much lightning as rain and some smoke haze to filter the blazing sun. We might have had two days with highs below 90 degrees since approximately July 4, and those days the highs were 88–89. For comparison, the average maximum high temperature for Livingston is 88 degrees.

These high temps without any relief have increased water temperatures to borderline unfishable levels on many/most fisheries in our operations area, especially after 2:00PM. Even the Lamar River has touched 69 degrees some afternoons. The Yellowstone, our bread and butter river, is peaking at between 69 degrees and 73.5 degrees depending on the day and the section. Since Trout Unlimited suggests quitting for the day when temps reach 68 degrees, we strongly encourage fishing prior to 2:00PM on all waters, including small streams. This is when air temps are most comfortable and the trout most active, anyway. The fish have consistently gone into “siesta mode” around 1:00PM for the past week.

We expect widespread to almost-universal 2:00 mandatory closures soon throughout our operations area. Many closures are in place already. Check the YNP New Releases or Montana FWP Waterbody Restrictions pages for more details on closures.

Where water temperatures are peaking at under 70 degrees, fishing actually remains pretty good most mornings. Stick to turbulent water; we’ve caught almost nothing in gentle seams for the past week. We do not recommend fishing waters that are exceeding 70 degrees at all, since almost all of these are only dropping to 66–67 at night.

The Yellowstone River has hoot owl closures (beginning 7/26) from Hwy 89 east of Livingston down to Laurel, where it transitions into a warmwater fishery anyway. Really the river is too warm downstream of Springdale FAS to fish ethically, at all. Between Hwy 89 and Springdale, quit by noon if you fish at all. Between Gardiner and Livingston, we strongly suggest quitting in early afternoon, about when the water is getting over 68 degrees. High on the river, the fish are eating small attractor dries and terrestrials (Bob Hopper) some days and big gold Chubby Chernobyls with Midnight Stone droppers on others. Downstream of Carbella, subsurface fishing has been better. Small Princes and caddis pupae are interesting both whitefish and “bread and butter size” trout, while the big browns (and some rainbows) are eating olive sculpins.

The Stillwater River is yo-yoing from the mid-50s to the high-60s for water temps, so you are fine before 2:00PM. Caddis-style attractor dries and “Chubby-Rubby” combos should be all you need most days, especially given this river’s immense populations of Midnight Stoneflies.

The Madison River is on hoot owl closures in many areas. It is fishing at least fair upstream from Varney Bridge until at least 3:00PM, though it will be busy. Downstream of Varney, quit by 2:00. Get specifics from Beartooth Fly Fishing in Cameron—we don’t get to the upper Madison in mid-late summer.

The Paradise Valley spring creeks have waning PMD hatches that will be fragmentary due to the heat. You will need to get technical now. The bugs have been hatching for three weeks or so and the fishermen have been showing the trout vast numbers of artificials. Expect low-floating, damp, emerger/cripple/stillborn/half-dead/hit-your-windshield type flies to work infinitely better than old-school hackled duns. Absent a hatch, fish midge pupae and mayfly nymphs and expect things to be challenging.

The Missouri River is now in high gear for carp fishing. This is the only fishing we recommend all day now, as the carp don’t care about the heat. Fish crayfish imitations on floating lines. Sight-fish almost exclusively. You may find pods of “cloopers” in the big eddies eating cottonwood fluff and hoppers, too. Note that water temps at Holter Dam are now running 63–66 degrees and will only get warmer further downstream. Headhunters Fly Shop in Craig is reporting that most guides are taking out at 2:00PM up there, just as we are on the Yellowstone.

Area Small Streams are good options from midmorning until midafternoon and will be one way to beat the heat when the main rivers get too warm. Fish attractor dry-dropper combos. Note that easy-access streams with open back casting room like Mill Creek see heavy pressure, but there are lots and lots of other creeks that are smaller, steeper, faster, more boulder-strewn, and brushier where it is possible to shed most or all crowds if you work at it. Check out a National Forest map and find your blue line!

Area Lakes and Reservoirs are all too warm except for those at high elevations on the Beartooth Plateau, which is really beyond our operations area.

Yellowstone Park is at absolute peak season complete with bison-petting morons, RVs driving at half the speed limit down the middle of the road, and lots and lots of anglers on every body of water near the road and some pretty far from it. Solitude exists, but you will have to work for it. The further you get from the road, the harder the hike to get there, the tougher the footing on the water, and the smaller the trout, the less people. Substantial 2:00 and some complete fishing closures are in place in Yellowstone Park:

  • The Firehole, Madison, and Gibbon downstream of Norris Campground are all completely closed. Their tributaries in these sections are also closed.
  • The Lamar downstream of Cache Creek, Soda Butte Creek (all), Slough Creek (all), Yellowstone downstream from Tower Junction (not Tower Falls), Gardner River below Osprey Falls, and portions of the Snake River at the southern end of the park all open at dawn and close at 2:00.

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Relevant Montana Fishing Report Links