Here in SW Montana we have excellent fly fishing opportunities from April thru October. The season can be extended be a couple weeks on either end depending on the year.
Spring (April – May):
Fishing this time of year is excellent. The fish are coming off of the long Montana winter and are eager to eat. Mayflies and midge hatches dominate the early part of this season followed of by the famous Mother’s Day caddis hatch. We will mostly be nymph fishing until the hatches begin during this time of the year. Rainbows are fully engaged in the spring spawn and very aggressive. Angling pressure on the rivers is low and can make for a very enjoyable fishing experience.
Early To Mid Summer (June – July)
Fishing this time of the year has hit it peak. The weather is amazing the rivers a plump full of water from the recent spring runoff and the fish are feeding aggressively on the bounty of big bugs that Mother Nature is providing. This is stonefly season. Salmon Flies, Golden Stones as well as PMD mayflies are the main target for hungry trout. Lots and of dry fly action to be had through out the day. This is also one of the busiest times of year on the river. Not to worry though, we know how to avoid the crowds. Book early for this season it’s amazing.
Mid Summer to early fall (August- Early September)
The big hatches of the early summer are starting to give way to Trico plumes early in the morning and terrestrial fishing in the mid day followed up by caddis hatches in the late afternoon and evening. The weather is typically cool mornings followed by hot dry afternoons. The rivers are dropping and the fish are staging in the faster more oxygenated riffles. Dry fly fishing can be good this time of the year on hoppers and ants, but we start to employ other tactics to fool the now wary trophy sized Browns and rainbows that call these rivers home. Dead drifting streamer patters will produce some hefty trout during this time of the year. Along with nymph fishing small mayflies and caddis patterns. Angling pressure is way down making this a great time to fish.
Fall (mid September – October)
Gone are the hot days of summer along with the crowds on the river. The first signs of the fast approaching winter are upon us. Frosty mornings with snow capped peaks and the spectacular colors of fall, make this a season not to be missed. The big Browns are preparing to spawn and are more susceptible to a well placed streamer on the banks. Big rainbows will prowl the shallow flats in search of an easy meal. This is our favorite time of year to fish. It is now a quality over quantity type of a fishery. If you ever wanted that picture of a trophy brown trout this is the season.
The fifth season. (Winter months of November-March.)
Although not technically our fishing season here in Montana the winter months have some excellent fishing opportunities. We have many mild weather spells though out the winter months where daytime high temps can reach the 40’s and 50’s. When prepared with the proper clothing this is a great way to spend a day on the water.  If you are visiting the Big Sky area on a ski trip and the legs can’t take any more of our world famous cold smoke powder. Give us a shout and let’s see if if we can get a 1/2 day of fishing in. It might just surprise you.