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DePuy Spring Creek Fishing Report 01/26/11

Posted on by Eric Adams
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Summary:
Report Date: 01/26/10 What a beautiful day for some winter fly fishing in Montana. Warm weather, light breeze and it’s January! A little bit out of the ordinary for this time of the year, but you’ve got to take advantage when everything lines up. We stopped out by DePuy’s Spring Creek for a couple hours to do some fishing.

Hatches:
Not much of a hatch, but a few midges and some small beatis.  The hatch would have been a bit better but a light SW breeze picked up around 11am and kept the bugs from going stronger.

Weather & Water Conditions:
The weather was in the low 40s with sunny skies and a light and SW breeze.  Water conditions as always on the spring creek were perfect.

Best Technique:
Shallow water nymphing all the way.  Small indicators fished in the slower water and along steam lines was most effective.

Best Bugs:
Tiny, sizes 18 – 22.  Brassies, Zebra Midges, Miracle Midges for the midges and very small P.T. Nymphs for the baetis.

If you missed our recent Montana Fly Fishing in Winter Article make sure to check it out.

Yellowstone & Creek Report – 07/10/10

Posted on by Eric Adams
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Summary:

We’ve been chasing Salmonflies on the Yellowstone River and the switched gears and have been on the spring creeks of Armstrong’s and DePuy’s for the past couple days.  Fishing has been great overall.  The Yellowstone has fished well when the warmer weather has showed up and gets the big bugs moving.  Spring Creeks have been pretty steady, but you have to really work those selective fish!

Hatches:

Yellowstone: you name it – Salmonflies, Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies, Mocha Caddis, Summer Caddis, Green Drakes & PMDs.

Spring Creeks: Midges in the morning and evening, PMD Spinners in the mornings/evenings and Adults between 9am and 2pm

Weather & Water Conditions:

Great weather, with some occasional afternoon thunderstorms. Always, Always bring your rain jacket and an extra warm layer!

Best Technique:

Yellowstone – Single big try flies in tight to the bank or on the softer seams.  Big bead heads in the right riffle corners are also producing some good fish.

Spring Creeks – 9 to 12 foot leaders to 6x with a morning PMD nymph rig dropped with a midge pupa or a PMD spinner,  then a single dry for the meat of the hatch.

Best Bugs:

Yellowstone – Mystery Meat Salmonfly (sz 6) or Chubby Chernobyl Golden Stone (sz 6-8) drop  a size 10 BH Prince in the right spots and you’ll also pick up some trout – but be careful the whitefish bite is epic on the upper river right now.

Spring Creeks – Slightly weighted Pheasant Tail (sz 18-20), Zebra midge (sz 20), PMD No Hackle (sz 16), Rusty Spinner (sz 18).

An Angler’s Historical Tour of the Spring Creeks in Paradise Valley

Posted on by Eric Adams
An Angler’s Historical Tour of the Spring Creeks in Paradise Valley

Travelers the world over visit Montana for countless reasons, among the most prominent, is undoubtedly the renowned fly-fishing.  It’s a sport so intoxicating many piscatorial explorers soon call the Treasure State home. To this breed of angler, Montana’s great bounty can be found along the Yellowstone, Madison, Bighorn, Missouri, Beaverhead, and Big Hole rivers. While these tributaries are dazzling, most of our local rivers experience a natural period of high water. Each river is subject to the event, and the heavy spring run-off with infusions of melted snow often leaves anglers aimlessly plodding for their next fishing fix. Fortunately for us, the generosity of Montana’s fisheries prevails with numerous spring creeks that remain largely unaffected by the seasonal conditions.

Spring creeks are formed from groundwater aquifers that permeate the surface, together forming streams, which produce the ideal conditions for trout to thrive – cold, clear, oxygenated water. Just a few miles south of Livingston, Paradise Valley has an unusually high concentration of these creeks. While volumes have been written on fishing the spring creeks and the applicable tactics, few anglers have an understanding of their early history.

Read the rest…

November Spring Creek Report

Posted on by Eric Adams
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Well it’s a couple days late, but we guided some great folks from the Bozeman area the day before Thanksgiving on DePuy’s spring creek – thanks to Sweetwater Fly Shop.  It was a beautiful sunny day and about 50 degrees.  The biggest bonus was very little wind, which is something special on a warm winter day to be sure.  There were midges and some Baetis (blue wing olives), but not a strong hatch.  It would have been a better hatch with a few more clouds, but we managed.  We saw several brown trout redds, but didn’t see any fish on them.

We fished mostly subsurface with small midge pupa’s and Baetis emergers.  Our window of opportunity was very short, but best between noon and 2pm.  We managed to hook a nice brown and rainbow, but they both won the short lived battle.

That will probably be the last time we are out on the water for this season, but you never know with the variable Montana weather.  We’ll be sure to update you if we get out again.  We will however be updating all of our subscribers on the snow pack throughout the winter season – we might even throw in a few ski pictures!

ENTIRE RANGE

BOULDER RIVER

We describe our Boulder River fly fishing trips as half fishing half raft trip – in other words exciting fly fishing.

While your guide expertly rows the raft through class I, II & III rapids you’ll be hitting the pocket water in this fast paced fly fishing adventure. The Boulder River is a Blue Ribbon trout stream with quality rainbow and brown trout. This may be one of the best dry fly small streams in all of Montana. It has unusual purity giving it a unique clarity and beauty. Fly fishing the Boulder River depends on water levels and is typically floatable between late July and early August.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE BOULDER RIVER

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
  • Sept
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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GALLATIN RIVER

The Gallatin River, near Bozeman Montana is small in size, which to many means little fish, but not so on this hidden gem.

This is a classic small Montana stream with shallow riffles leading to long runs and deep pools with undercut banks. Typically this is a hunting ground for large brown and rainbow trout using streamers and large crawfish patterns. We typically float the Gallatin River in a raft or drift boat due to the many braids and channels – it’s a long day of fishing, but it can be very rewarding for those anglers looking for that 20+ inch trout.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE GALLATIN RIVER

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
  • Sept
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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MADISON RIVER

Want a famed Madison River fishing trip?

The Madison River originates in Yellowstone National Park and flows nearly 150 miles before joining the headwaters of the Missouri river. The Madison river fishing is divided into the upper stretch and lower stretch each of which seems to be completely different waters. Both the Upper Madison and Lower Madison are some of Montana’s premier wild trout rivers and it has been classified as a “Blue Ribbon” trout stream. Every foot of the river is capable of producing rainbow and brown trout eager to rise to a dry fly, grab a drifting nymph or a swinging streamer.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE MADISON RIVER

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
  • Sept
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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MISSOURI RIVER

Missouri River Fly Fishing

Join Us for a Missouri River Fishing Trip

A Missouri River fishing trip is a truly unbelievable home for trout below Holter Lake through the town of Craig and downstream to Cascade, Montana. It boasted the highest trout population in the state of Montana in 2012 with over 8,000 fish per mile and 20′′ fish are common. Obviously, chances of having a good day while Missouri River fishing are high. Not only are the fish numerous, but like most tailwaters the Missouri river is abundant in aquatic bug life, making for exceptional sight and dry fly fishing. We offer this trip only during the best fishing time of the year which is from April until early July and then again in late September into November.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE MISSOURI RIVER

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
  • Sept
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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SMITH RIVER

Smith River fly fishing trips can be summed up in almost one word – secluded.

Our Smith River fly fishing trips take place on the upper section of the Smith River, between its origin and above the Smith River Fly Fishing Access Site, flows through gently rolling prairie, flanked by the tall peaks of the Big Belt Mountains and Little Belt Mountains. It is beautiful country, with sweeping wide­ open vistas and incredible views. Other than the small town of White Sulphur Springs, the area is also very remote. Agricultural fields surround the river in this section, with extensive brush along its bank. A number of pools are also found on this stretch. Generally, the Smith River flows at a slow to moderate pace in this section, depending on water levels.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE SMITH RIVER

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
  • Sept
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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SPRING CREEKS

The Paradise Valley Spring Creeks of Armstrong, DePuy and Nelson should be on every angler’s wish list.

These world famous creeks are a sight fishing wonderland – with consistent hatches of midges, baetis, Pale Morning Duns, and Sulphur’s anglers can test their skills against wary trout. Dry fly fishing, sight-nymphing and reach casts on 6X are useful tools to have in your angling arsenal, but don’t worry if you need a little more practice our guides will teach you these techniques and make you a better angler after just one day! Please make sure to plan ahead as these private locations have limited availability and in prime season reservations can book up to a year in advance.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE SPRING CREEKS

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
  • Sept
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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STILLWATER RIVER

Don’t let the name fool you, our Stillwater River fishing trips take place on a wild and fast flowing river.

The beautiful Stillwater River begins in the Absaroka ­Beartooth Wilderness and flows north toward the town of Columbus, Montana where fishing access sites are good. Typically fishing this stream starts by mid July and August via rafts, but good wade fishing can also be had in the early spring with very good mayfly hatches starting around early March. This is definitely a dry fly fishing river and fishing this pocket water stream with a big hopper or stonefly pattern can be awesome.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE STILLWATER RIVER

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
  • Sept
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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TROPHY LAKES

If you’re looking for trophy lake fly fishing trips then you need to check out a couple of the private trophy waters in the Livingston area.

They offer outstanding stillwater fly fishing for rainbows, browns and cutthroat trout. Fly fishing on these trophy lakes is more intense than most anglers realize. Stalking large trout and sight casting to gulpers can give even the most experienced angler the casting jitters. These trophy lakes have prolific hatches of damselflies, Callibaetis mayflies, midges and terrestrials. These lakes are also the ideal starting point for both beginner anglers and those younger anglers looking to bend the rod for the first time.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE TROPHY LAKES

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
  • Sept
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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YELLOWSTONE RIVER

This is a classic western river and should be on every angler’s life list

Our Yellowstone River fishing trips include guiding on over 120 miles of blue ribbon trout water starting at Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone River is our home water and one of the great fly fishing trout streams of the world. It is the longest undammed river in the lower 48 states, and there is excellent trout water from its tributaries high inside Yellowstone Park, downstream through Gardiner, the Paradise Valley, Livingston, and on to well below Big Timber – a stretch of nearly 150 river miles. We float many different stretches of the prime water between Gardiner and Big Timber, depending on the Yellowstone River fly fishing conditions and water levels.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
  • Sept
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Fly Fishing in Yellowstone National Park

Our Nation’s first National Park offers some of the most famous fly fishing waters in the country. Slough Creek, Soda Butte Creek, Lamar River, Yellowstone River and many other small streams are all within driving distance of Livingston, Montana. Our Yellowstone Park fly fishing guides have detailed knowledge of the waters in Yellowstone National Park and have spent decades learning these waters. They are pleased to show you some secrets to catching more trout in this amazing environment.

BEST TIME TO FISH YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
  • Sept
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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