Mountain West
Fly fishing in Montana
Short answer
Montana fly fishing is big freestone and tailwater river fishing, with rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout as the mainstays and native Arctic grayling in a few drainages. The Madison, Yellowstone, Missouri and Big Hole are the headline rivers. A license is required from age 12, and a Conservation License and AIS Prevention Pass must be bought alongside it. Late June through September is the heart of the season.
What makes Montana different
Montana's Stream Access Law is the thing that sets it apart. Anglers may wade and fish any river or stream below the ordinary high-water mark regardless of who owns the bank, so long as they get in at a bridge, public road or public land. In most of the West a famous river means a famous private ranch; in Montana it means miles of water you can legally stand in. The second difference is scale — the Madison runs as a fifty-mile riffle below Quake Lake, the Yellowstone is the longest undammed river in the lower 48, and the Missouri below Holter is a weed-rich tailwater holding thousands of trout per mile. The flip side is heat: in a dry August, Fish, Wildlife & Parks imposes Hoot Owl restrictions that close rivers in the afternoon, so a Montana trip plans around mornings.
What trout and other fish are in Montana?
- Rainbow trout
- Wild and self-sustaining on the Madison, Missouri and Bighorn.
- Brown trout
- Strongest on the Missouri, Beaverhead and Bighorn; aggressive and territorial in autumn.
- Yellowstone cutthroat
- Native to the Yellowstone drainage and the upper river.
- Westslope cutthroat
- Native west of the Continental Divide — the Blackfoot and upper Clark Fork tributaries.
- Brook trout
- Small streams, beaver ponds and spring creeks.
- Bull trout
- Native char, ESA-listed. They may not be targeted on most waters — learn to identify them.
- Arctic grayling
- The Big Hole holds one of the last native river-dwelling populations in the lower 48.
- Mountain whitefish
- Native, abundant, and perfectly willing to take a dry fly.
Where to fly fish in Montana
- Madison River
- The fifty-mile riffle below Quake Lake. Wade-friendly, crowded in July, and the salmonfly hatch is worth the company.
- Yellowstone River
- The longest undammed river in the lower 48. Mother's Day caddis before runoff, then cutthroat on dries all summer.
- Missouri River below Holter Dam
- A tailwater at Craig. Weed-rich, heavy fish, PMDs and Tricos, and Baetis into November.
- Big Hole River
- Salmonflies in June, and the only river in the lower 48 with a native fluvial grayling population.
- Bighorn River
- Tailwater below Afterbay. Extraordinary trout numbers, with sow bugs and midges that work all year.
- Rock Creek
- Near Missoula. Accessible, generous, and a good first Montana river.
When to fly fish in Montana
| When | What is happening |
|---|---|
| March – April | Skwala stoneflies on the Bitterroot and lower Clark Fork. Midges and Baetis on the tailwaters. |
| May – mid-June | Mother's Day caddis on the Yellowstone, then runoff. The tailwaters carry the month. |
| Late June – July | Salmonflies on the Big Hole, Rock Creek and the Madison, with golden stones and PMDs behind them. |
| August – September | Hoppers, ants and spruce moths. Watch for Hoot Owl restrictions and fish the mornings. |
| October – February | Baetis and pre-spawn browns in October, then midges on the Missouri and Bighorn through winter. |
Do you need a license to fly fish in Montana?
Yes. Licenses are issued by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
| License | Price |
|---|---|
| Resident, annual | $31 |
| Non-resident, annual | $117.50 |
Montana sells fishing in parts. The resident total is an $8 Conservation License, a $21 season fishing license and a $2 Angler AIS Prevention Pass; the non-resident total is $10, $100 and $7.50. The license year runs 1 March to the end of February. Prices change — check with the agency before you buy.
Rules worth knowing before you go
- A fishing license is required from age 12. A Conservation License and an Angler AIS Prevention Pass must be purchased alongside it before it is valid.
- The Stream Access Law allows public use of rivers and streams below the ordinary high-water mark, but you must enter at a bridge, public road or public land — not across private ground.
- Hoot Owl restrictions close some rivers from 2pm to midnight when water runs too warm. They are announced in-season by FWP.
- Yellowstone National Park issues its own permit. A Montana license is not valid inside the park.
- Bull trout are ESA-listed and may not be targeted on most waters. Rules vary river by river and change annually.
Regulations change every year and vary water by water. The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks rule book is the only authority — this page is a starting point, not a legal reference.
Flies that matter in Montana
Each of these is a card in the deck, and each has a full page in Our Fly-brary.
Keep reading
- Do I need a fishing license? — how licensing works across states
- How to read water — where trout hold, anywhere
- Best time of day to fly fish — the seasonal logic behind the table above
- Our Fly-brary — every fly in the deck, explained
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The deck
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A 54-card fly-fishing deck of original hand-drawn flies, each explaining what it imitates. Made by a father-and-daughter team in Eagle, Idaho.
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