Montana Lake & Reservoir Fishing Report

This report is valid July 6 until sometime in September.

Nearby lakes and reservoirs with trout as the primary quarry are falling apart with the onset of the summer heat. Note that this applies to public and private lakes and reservoirs within about 2hr of Livingston that are relatively easy to access. The High Alpine Lakes, Lakes and Reservoirs near West Yellowstone, and Lakes in Yellowstone Park are not included in this report. The High Alpine and the big lakes near West are outside our ops area, while the lakes in Yellowstone Park are discussed on the Yellowstone Park Fishing Report.

The problem on the low-elevation reservoirs nearby is the onset of summer heat and in some cases crowds of water skiers, etc. The fish tuck down into 20–30 feet of water where they’re basically inaccessible to most fly fishers. The recent cold spell might keep fish shallower on deep, cooler reservoirs like Newlan Creek until the end of the month, but not thereafter. We were seeing 70-degree surface water on Cooney Reservoir already a week ago.

We might hit up Toston or Canyon Ferry for carp, but that’s a different ballgame and not one most readers care about.