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Call us for a wind report! 406-222-7130 The Stone | Spring Creeks | Snow Pack | Guide Services Local & Private Lakes | CFS @ Corwin Springs | CFS @ Carter's Yellowstone River
Outfitter Brian Sienkowski with a nice town brown on Sunday 4.47 Despite the sunny weather, the streamer fishing on the Stone has been surprisingly good! Visibility has been a solid 3 feet with little mud flowing in from the feeder creeks an tribs. Water temps have already hit 52 a couple days ago, but dropped again. As soon as we see a few days in a row of 52+ water temp, we could see an early caddis pop. Time to start stalking up on your caddis nymphs. Also have heard legit reports of March Browns out on the water! The fishing should really heat up before runoff, so keep checking in...
Seaguar rep Ted Moddy enjoying the day. Photo: Charlie Eubank 4.18 Good reports from Sunday - a little wind to put up with, but for the most part good fishing. Baetis were popping and during the calmer windows, the dry fly fishing was worth putting your streamer rod down for a while. Forecast for tomorrow on the other hand, is calling for 100% Chance snow. Winter just does not want to give up!
4.17 The Yellowstone fished pretty good this weekend. Midges and baetis were out, but only a few fish rising. The wind was gusting and squirrely down low but we still had some decent streamer fishing. No big fish, but what a day to be on the water! Warm, bright and sunny - first day I've needed a cooler and could get away wearing short sleeves. If you get a grab on you streamer but miss him, get that fly back in there - we saw some epic multiple eats!
Ack Willets with a nice streamer fish. Photo: Marcus McGuire 4.15 Billman Creek in town is kicking in some mud, as is the Shield's river, other wise the Yellowstone is a 2 1/2 - 3 feet of vis and perfect for steamers. You'll probably see fish fishing to midges, so at least one person in the boat should bring a floating line for dries. Plan for both midges and baetis but cross your fingers for baetis. Looks like a dropping barometer if that matters to you. Sunday looks a touch colder, but less wind with a 40% chance of precip. With everyone in town for Simms' Ice Off party, expect to see some boats with good anglers in them... People seem in the mood to fish hard which is awesome!
Randy La Ferr, turning up the heat! Photo: Dave Bryan 4.14 A couple big fish caught and lost on streamers but most fish have actually been caught on baetis dries. FWP has been shocking down low for a while now and will get be getting a few more days in until the river hits 6-7,000 CFS. Today they are shocking Pig Farm to just above East End. Probably more on Springdale to Greybear soon. They have been finding healthy numbers of brown trout, some up to 24 inches.
Charlie Eubank on the other side of the lens... 22" on a streamer. 4.12 Looks like the Shield's is starting to kick some mud into the river. The other feeder streams that come down from the Crazy Mountains could also be bringing in some color. We'll keep an eye on it for you - give us a call...
Johnny Noreika's slab Paradise Valley cutbow! Photo: Ken Vaccaro 4.10 The weekend fished well, especially when the clouds rolled in. Heard reports of baetis and have seen a ton of midges out there. Streamers are always the way to go if you're swinging for the fences... you might as well stick with it, I can't think of a better time than the spring for a home run... The clarity as definitely been a little off so don't be afraid to throw something bright at them. It's low enough vis that it will help to get down deeper for them to notice your fly. With higher temps and precip in the forecast, one would have to guess the river is going to come up soon. Give us a call before you head over, as the river could be in and out this week.
89 ramp now open but muddy 4.9 Saturday was the river clean up. Despite the weather and snow on the ground, 10 boats and 50 volunteers gathered around 4,000 lbs. of trash. Way to go guys! Lots of baetis on the water with happy rising fish EVERYWHERE. No doubt a thank you sign from the river gods!
4.8 Many of you will be happy to now that 89 is finally back in action. Subaru owners may wish to steer clear of this muddy access right now. The drop at the end of the ramp is also a 4 wheel drive until the water comes up during caddis hatch. Hopefully we'll get at least a few days of good caddis action this year. All depends on what cards we get dealt, but seldom is a year that we don't get any dry fly action for Mother's Day Caddis.
4.3 Hate to be those guys that told you, "you should have been here last week" but unfortunately the streamer bite has slowed way down. Just when the fishing got red hot, a low pressure system rolled in and squashed an otherwise epic round of spring streamer fishing! The good news is the barometer is finally climbing back up, but unfortunately, so are CFS flows. As the weather warms up, expect the feeder creeks and tribs to kick quite a bit of mud into the the Yellowstone. Fishing conditions will likely change daily from now until the Mother's Day Caddis hatch begins in Late April. Give us a call for the most current conditions...
Cam Holt with FAT 23.5" brown! Photo: Gray Edmiston 4.1 The end of March and the whole month of April are two of the best times to swing for the fence. Sometimes it's a strike out, sometimes it's a home run... If you only go once or twice, there's a good chance you'll be walking back to the dugout with your chin on your chest. But for those who put the time and and pay their dues, there's not much that feels better than getting a BIG brown on a streamer!
Gray Edmiston, after pounding the banks! Photo: Cam Holt
Johnny Nehring with another big brown... Photo: C.H.
Livingston Spring Creeks
4.26 Good Baetis hatches on the cloudy days. Look for the height of the hatch to come off sometime between 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Expect to see fish eating midges outside the 10-2 window. If nothing's happening try nymphing a scud or sow bug. Streamers are no longer allowed on the creeks.
4.17 Baetis were came off thick this weekend! Great dry fly reports from Nelson's, lots of baetis on Armstrong's, and tons of rainbows in DePuy's right now! People have been seeing some VERY big fish out there. If you like sight fishing to big, spooky fish- you should get over here on your next day off. Rates are $75 until prime time - which begins 6/15.
4.14 Last day to get your $40 rod fee in so you better go fishing! The weather is calling for some snow and wind. Should be beatis getting blown around. If its too much wind for bugs try scuds, thin, dark baetis nymphs, eggs patterns, or streamers. There are lots of redds (spawning beds) out there so please be careful where you're wading... Recommended Spring CreekFly PatternsHarrop Baetis short wing emerger #18-20 Harrop Baetis sparkle dun #18-20 Harrop Baetis No Hackle #18-20 Gray WD 40 midge emergers #18-22 Gray WD 50 midge emerger #18-20
Sawyer PT nymphs #18-20 Bead Head Thorax PMD nymph #18 Barr's Slump Buster Black or Olive #8-10 Olive and Grizzly Invader #6
Local and Private Lakes
Guide Marcus McGuire with a rather large Sitz rainbow! Our lake fishing clients will be happy to know that we have picked up two new properties to fish this year. One of these lakes is stacked with big browns, the other with big rainbows. Both are only about an hour's drive from the shop. One of them you must book exclusively through the shop, the other is not well known by other outfitters yet... As far as hatches go, you can expect to see mostly midges. We had some big fish come up and look at our indicator though, so you never know! Leeches, scuds, snails, callibaetis nymphs, damsel nymphs, and buggers have been working well. Marcus caught the hog above on an olive and tan pig pen leech. While many folks imagine their Montana vacation spent on a river, those who have fished lakes with us know how incredible the fishing can be. Sight fishing to 6-7 pound rainbows and browns with callibaetis dries can be some of the most stimulating fishing we'll see all year. The best time to come out and fish lakes is during late June / early July when the river is still in Spring Runoff. We'll catch some real toads even in August, but these fish are typically caught in deeper water on leeches, lake scuds, and damsel nymphs. Other Waters
Randy La Ferr with a nice bow from the MO. Photo: Dave Bryan The Missouri has been nymphing well lately. The MO is in a big fish cycle right now! If you're looking for hog 20 - 24''+ rainbows, this might very well be your best shot in the state. For numbers, the Bighorn is still the way to go. Bring your baetis, the dry fly fishing is about to get good... |
Related Links: Archived Fishing Reports
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