Category Archives: Fishing by Time of Year

October is when we really see the seasons shifting here in Yellowstone Country. While we typically get at least some warm, Indian Summer days, chilly weather and sub freezing mornings become the norm. October is the definitive big fish time in Yellowstone National Park. Migratory fish are moving out...

Simply put, July is a prime time to fish in Yellowstone National Park. As run-off subsides early in the month, anglers have a chance to target fish that have not seen flies since the previous fishing season. Both water levels and temperatures are at prime levels and the hatches are both thick and...

The annual Mother’s Day Caddis hatch in early May is one of the most anticipated events here in Southwest Montana. While it may not be quite as famous as the Salmon Fly hatch, the fishing can be every bit as good, if not even better. The sheer number of bugs that take to the air during the peak of...

Spring is unquestionably the most underrated time of year to fish the Yellowstone River. As water temperatures rise, the trouts’ metabolism begins to increase, putting them on the hunt for food. Fishing pressure is low during spring, and most trout on the ‘Stone haven’t seen a fly in months. While...

Fishing regulation changes for 2016 have opened up some great new options for anglers on the Madison River. Previously, much of the river was closed between the end of February and the 3rd Saturday in May. Now, the entire river from Hebgen Lake to the Missouri River, nearly 100 miles of productive...

Early Spring (late March thru early May) is the most underrated time of year to fish in Montana. The trout are hungry after a long winter and have not seen a fly in months. Low water levels have fish concentrated in specific areas and crowds are sparse. While visiting anglers have discovered our...

One of the factors that makes Bozeman, MT such a great trout town is that the surrounding waters offer great fishing 12 months out of the year. Mild winter days offer anglers some prime opportunities to catch trout with very predictable fishing and nonexistent crowds. Winter is the time to...

Some of the best fishing of the year occurs just after runoff subsides. Post runoff fishing can be very good for a variety of different reasons. First, trout have not been fished to in several weeks; it is hard to fish when you are dodging floating debris! Second, water temperatures are hitting the...

We are now into April and our snowpack across Montana is healthy and above average. For those of you were out here three seasons ago when we had the record breaking high water year we aren’t expecting anything like that, just a near “perfect” scenario of slightly above average snow. Generally...

This is one of our most commonly asked questions. It is also one of the most difficult to answer. As with most fishing related conversations the initial answer to questions inquiring about the best time of year is “it depends”. There are several reasons why selecting a single time of year to...