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Last Updated: 3/12/2009 by James Anderson

The Yellowstone | Spring Creeks | Waters we fish | Guide Services

Bighorn & Missouri | CFS @ Corwin Springs | CFS @ Carter's

Yellowstone River

The Yellowstone at Pine Creek Bridge, Thursday March 12th

The last cold front that rolled through Montana brought plenty of snow for the mountains, making nearly all of our favorite drainages close to (or slightly over 100% snow pack). With this recent dump of snow, we are looking at perhaps (fingers crossed) the perfect amount of water for 2009. Not too much snow to blow out the salmonfly hatch, but enough to keep the Yellowstone safe from Hoot Owl closures in late August. The bad news is that the cold temperatures have developed a fair amount of slush on the Yellowstone and other freestone rivers the area.

Friday and Saturday look more promising however, with a rise in temperature to 43°F and 46°F respectively with a forecast of winds between 8 and 14 mph.

HATCHES

There really haven't been much for hatches out there. I've seen the occasional big head rise to a midge, but nothing worth switching to dries. Despite our relatively mild winter, the midges in general have been much more scarce than last year. Hopefully as temperatures rise we will see more surface activity, and a few spring baetis on the water.

RECOMMENDED FLIES

Red serendipity #14-16

Black Zebra midges #18

Red Zebra midges #18

Brown Pat's Rubberlegs #8

Otter's Soft Milk Eggs #12

Black leadeye buggers #2-4

Bow River Buggers #4-6

Black Woolhead sculpin #2

Black Sculpzilla #4

Black Circus Peanut #2

Double Bunnies #2-4

White Home Invader #2

White Zonkers #2-4

JJ Specials #4

Spring Creeks

Aside from the Bighorn or Missouri, the creeks are definitely your best option for fishing right now. On all of these waters the rainbows will start showing up to spawn soon, so it is imperative that angler's respect the integrity of our sport and resist pounding the redds (spawning beds). That can be easier said than done when you see a 25 inch Yellowstone rainbow sitting there with just inches of waters over her back in Betty's riffle. To help you resist the urge, Daryl Smith has hi-vised off some sensitive spawning areas with cones, so please respect these areas and either fish above or below the marked areas.

There's nothing wrong with catching fish on egg patterns below the redds. These fish will be looking for midge larva and baetis nymphs, but will be keeping an eye out for pink and orange protein pills. It's not only rainbows and cutthroat that enjoy picking off these easy meals either, sometimes you can catch a big brown hanging below the redds, especially wherever you find a deep drop off.

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

Armstrong's Spring Creek

DePuy's Spring Creek

Nelson's Spring Creek

Thoughts on fishing redds

What do redds look like?

HATCHES

Right now there are still more midges than baetis, but very quickly anglers will begin focusing on the spring baetis hatches. The middle of March through April will present fantastic baetis dry fly fishing. In flipping a few rocks over, you'll see just how many baetis are soon to hatch, almost every oxygenated rock will have at least a few of these nymphs underneath. You'll also find handfuls of olive/grey scuds, leeches, stoneflies, and cranefly larva.

RECOMMENDED FLIES

Black Zebra midges #18

Olive midge larva #18

Dave Student midge emergers #18-20

René Harrop Light Grey CDC Midge Emerger #20

René Harrop Grey CDC Adult Midge #20

René Harrop Grey CDC Hanging Midge #20

Grey Sparkle scuds #18

Pink Sparkle scuds #18

Otter's Soft Milk Eggs #14

Orange Ray Charles #18

Bighorn sow bugs #18

Black leadeye buggers #6

Bow River Buggers #6-8

Rag Sculpins #4

Spring Creek Leech #8

Bighorn and Missouri

If you have the time for a road trip, the Bighorn and Missouri are by far two of your best options this time of year. The fish counts are insane, the average fish size is relatively large, and the crowds are either on the ski slopes or back at home. Get a couple friends together to split food, gas, and lodging to make the trip more affordable. You should catch enough fish in those two days to last you a few weeks back at the office...

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

Bighorn Trout Shop

Missouri Trout Shop

Tailwaters Near and Far

Book a guide

HATCHES

Although you can expect to see baetis and midge hatches, this time of year most anglers will focus on deep nymphing with pink scuds, Bighorn sowbugs, zebra midges, worm patterns, and who could resist - streamers. If you're not into fish check your weight and add a split shot or two. During the summer these rivers can become quite technical and crowded, so now is the perfect time to catch them.