2007 Fishing Report

Updated on 03/18/2007

by Doug McKnight

Guide Hank Bechard enjoying Spring Break

Paradise Valley Spring Creeks

Armstrong's (Judy or Justin)...(406)-222-2979

Depuy's (Theresa or Daryl).....(406)-222-0221

Nelson's (Mary or Roger)........(406)-222-6560

Spring Baetis hatches are popping!

Both Armstrong's and DePuy's have done some stream work... some come on out and see the changes!

Spring has sprung here in Livingston and we are seeing warmer temps and some great dry fly activity on the spring creeks. Look for these Blue winged olives to start by mid morning and continue throughout the afternoon. When you get some bugs on the water, the fish have been getting on them with tenacity.

Come armed with a good selection of size 18-20 BWO's in dry's, emergers and nymphs. Harrop's biot body sparkle dun has been taking nice fish, as well as small p-tails and micro mayfly nymphs fished before and after the hatch.

These Baetis hatches often provide some of the very best dry fly fishing of the season. The fish are hungry and happy and will get up and rise with even just a few bugs on the water. Midge activity in the early mornings and late afternoons have also got the fish looking up as well. Come on one of the weekdays and you'll often have the stream to yourself. Best of all is that the winter rates are still in effect, so it will only cost you $40 until April 15th.

Call us for more info about these hatches. We'll be out fishing the creeks and getting reports from other anglers to keep you posted.

Very often the best hatches of the spring will be on darker, more overcast days - even in nasty weather as long as isn't too cold. Daily temps now are getting up around 50-60 on nice days here in Livingston and as long as it isn't blowing a gale, you'll have a lot of fun fishing the creeks at this time of the year.

Even if you don't see much hatching, the nymph fishing will be good with scuds, sow bug patterns, small Baetis nymphs and also egg patterns.

Fishing streamer patterns on the creeks this time of year can be unbelievable. Especially on the super windy days where dry fly and nymph fishing can become difficult. I had a great day on Sunday with small streamers. Had some very aggressive brown trout hammer a fast moving fly. Look for good fish to be right in the fastest water and tight to cover and any logs/brush in the water. I am constantly amazed at how shallow big fish will hold in fast water if there is good cover for them. I pulled a big brown out of 10 inches of ripping fast water. Sculpin patterns and small wooly buggers are great to use on the creeks. I would definitely fish heavy tippet if you are fishing streamers. Don't even think about tying on any streamer with 5x or 4x. Use at least 3x, 2x is even better. Even with the heavier tippets you can still get busted off by a nice fish. They hit Hard!

Some rainbows have already started to spawn and this spawning activity will get heavier as we get into late March. Still have not seen a lot of fish up from the river to spawn yet. Look for them to start showing up in force soon.

Yellowstone River

Justin Brown holds a 23" Yellowstone Brown caught 3/14

The Yellowstone is looking great through Livingston right now. The river is wide open now all the way down to Big Timber, although there are still some ice banks in places well below town and up towards Emigrant. Unless it turns really cold again you don't have to worry about any floating ice or slush. Last week we saw the Yellowstone get pretty dirty with low level snow melt rushing into river. By Sunday afternoon it began to clear up. Right now in town visibility is 2-3 feet changing a little every day. Some days clearer some days murkier. People have been catching some fish and as long as there is a foot and a half of visibility you should be able to get into a few fish. Look for this clearing trend to continue for now, but it is weather dependant. The warmer it is outside, the more runoff enters the river. Give us a call for an update on conditions. We check it every Morning and around noon. You'll also see some heavy midge hatches at times and these will bring up a lot of smaller rainbows and cutthroats and some nice whitefish if you are not fussy about what you catch.

As far as the best section to fish right now, your best bet is to stay above Highway 89. The Shields River is pretty blown out right now and is making the Yellowstone murky below the confluence. Also the Dirty water that we had recently is still around below town. Look for the River to clear up nicely below town soon. For right now, any of the stretches between Grey Owl and Mayor's Landing would be your best bet for finding the clearest water, or upper river downstream of Gardiner. We haven't heard any recent reports on what the upper river is like, but most likely it is fairly clear. I fished upstream of Corwin springs last week and had some great midge fishing to rising fish below the hot springs. While not big, the rainbows and cutthroats up there are plentiful. Also had some good fishing with some streamers up there as well.

Nymphing and streamer fishing is about to get really good on the Stone. With this warm weather that we are having right now, water temps are marching upward. We have had a few good streamer reports before it got dirty. A couple of guys, reported that they got a 25" Brown and a number of other good fish stripping double bunnies. Look for streamer fishing to get red hot here in the next couple of weeks as water temps climb into the mid forties. Dead drifting a streamer and nymph combination can be extremely productive right now.

Hot off the piscatorial hotline! As I am writing this report, I got a call from one of our guides, Hank Bechard who is off on spring break from teaching elementary school. He just landed a 23" Brown while streamer fishing in town. I thought that I heard a faint YAHOO!!! a little while ago coming from the direction of 9th street. Pre run-off can be one the best times to fish the Yellowstone!

Some suggestions for streamer patterns: SRA Double Bunnies, Zonkers, Bow River Buggers, Ultra Yuk Bugs, Lead-Eye Wooly Buggers, and big sculpin patterns. For those of you who like to fish for Mr. Big, now is a great time to bust out your 8 weight and throw some really big flies on a sink tip. I talking about 6-10" streamers. Remember to wear your helmet!!!

Some suggestions for nymph patterns: George's Brown stone #6-10, GB Prince Nymph #8-12, Theo's San Juan Worm #8-10, Peeking Caddis #10-12, Copper Johns, Rubber Leg Nymphs #6-10. With slightly murky or greenish water conditions you are better off with larger nymph patterns with fairly heavy tippet. Fish with nothing smaller than 3x (for nymphing) for the Yellowstone right now. I would be fishing some stonefly nymphs right now on 1-2x tippet with some BB shot and a big indicator to hold it up. With that heavy of a tippet you can fight the fish pretty hard and release them quickly. Also, when you get hung up you stand a much better chance of getting your flies back.

Give us a ring anytime to check the weather and wind conditions - 406-222-7130. Also check out the weather forecast links on our home page.

Madison River

Although some big fish have moved into Bear Trap Canyon, the Lower Madison is still holding some bigger trout in the 20 plus range. The tricky part is finding them without spooking them. To do this you will need to know where the slots and the edges of the weed beds are by heart. The best move it to anchor the boat and get out to wade fish for these brutes. If you know where there is a lane or slot in the weeds, you can bet there is a fish feeding on the scuds, midge larva, mayfly nymphs, and caddis which thrive in the weed beds.

Dead drifting crayfish (yes you know the one) or bugger patterns are a great way to get into some big browns. Some of the slots between the weeds also have big rocks which crayfish love to hide under. A size B shot should get you down deep enough. You'll have to check your fly for weeds every once in a while, but the closer to the open rocks next to the weeds the better chance you'll have at hooking the big one. Don't use less than 2X tippet unless you want to cry...

Upper Madison

The upper portions of the Madison River continue to fish well that are not closed. The River in between Hebgen and Quake Lakes has fished well. Your best bet there is to nymph with patterns like Red Copper Johns, San Juan Worms, and Red Midge Larvae. Streamers can also work very well there, sculpin imitations in particular. The Varney to Ennis section is also fishing very well nymphing and throwing streamers.

Missouri River

Had some decent reports over the weekend coming from the Mo'. Fish are still holding pretty deep but are taking small nymphs and some streamers. Patterns like small pheasant tails and scuds are working well. Small egg patterns are taking some good fish as well. With warmer temps, good Baetis and and midge activity should pick up anytime now.

Guide Hank Bechard with a well fed MO Bow... small nymphs, worms, and scuds are the way to go for now.

Bighorn River

Fishing has been good here, but when isn't it? Nymphing is the mainstay here. Flies like Pink soft hackle sow bugs, san juan worms, midge larvae, baetis nymphs and egg patterns are producing some fish. Streamer fishing can be really good too, especially on cloudy days the fish can get pretty aggressive. Small bugger patterns always work and sometimes you can move some big fish with a larger streamer like a double bunny. Have not heard about any Baetis activity, but surely there are some hatching on the right day. Look for Baetis and Midge hatches to increase as the water temps and weather continues to warm up.

Big Hole

Lower waters have made the fish easier to find. Streamers and nymphs seemed to be the hot ticket, especially if you can find a nice run with a pod of feeding fish. Don't be afraid to get out of the boat and wade fish to cover the water.