WEIRD WINTER FUN
While other parts of the country have seen their share of snowmageddons, the unseasonably warm winter here in Montana has made for some interesting trips.
For instance, last week we took a couple out ice fishing on Hebgen Lake one day and then they went fly fishing on the Gallatin the next day. This week, Matt and Jarrett took five clients out ice fishing in the AM and then in the afternoon the same group got out the fly rods and headed to Madison for some nymphing and dry fly fishing. If you really like to mix it up, you could hit the ice or the river, and then maybe shoot 9 holes of golf!
While things have been dry in Bozeman, there has been some snow accumulation at higher elevations. As of the beginning of March, the snow water equivalent in the snowpack sits at 82% for the Gallatin watershed, 86% for the Madison and 89% for the Yellowstone. We’d like to see it a little higher, but March, April and May usually bring some spring snow to the region and we’re confident that we’ll get closer to 100% before runoff happens.
FISHING REPORT
With no ice on the rivers, which is usually not the case in March, we’ve taken the rare opportunity to float the Madison and we’ve had some really great days bringing trout to the boat.
This time of year can make for some great blue-winged olive hatches, especially when we get those classic early spring overcast days. We expected these bugs to start popping in the next week and keep coming out for a good month-plus. If you want to take advantage of the weather and lack of pressure on this water right now, we’re happy to set up a float trip–it could be epic!
The Gallatin is also running clear and recently we’ve had some great days on this water as well. Though it has mostly been focused on nymphing, our last time out, we did see some midge hatches, and we’re expecting the fish to start keying in on those little bugs as we get some warmer temps.
NEW LICENSE YEAR
March 1 is a big day in Montana, as it is the start of the new license year, so make sure you get yours and keep a printout or a digital copy of it with you whenever you’re out fishing.
Also, be aware that the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has done away with the old licensing system used by fly shops and retailers in favor of an online system on their website. We have heard about some fly shops setting up computers and printers for anglers to fill out the license information in-store, but don’t count on that being the case.
It’s best to get your license online as soon as you know the dates you’ll be fishing, because a lot of places you’ll be fishing won’t have the phone service you’ll need to get it right before you hit the water.
If you want to get a Montana license, here’s the link: https://ols.fwp.mt.gov/
GREAT TIME ON THE GARDNER
We know the Academy Awards are coming up so we decided to put together a little film of our trip to the Gardner River in Yellowstone National Park. If you haven’t been keeping up with the park’s recent rule changes then you might not know that you can fish this cool little river year-round.
As you can see in the video, we had the full Yellowstone experience encountering bison crossing the river, a curious bull elk, antelope along the hills and we even got buzzed by an eagle.
And, oh yeah, the fishing was good too with fish brought to the net on both nymphs and dries (the Gardner is heated by hot springs so even in the winter you’ll get blue-winged olive hatches, which is pretty cool).
SPRING BREAK MEANS SUMMER PLANS
We’re coming up on spring break here in Montana. That means summer is right around the corner. If you’re thinking of traveling to Montana or are a local interested in learning some new spots or techniques, now is the time to book a trip with us. Making a plan now means less stress down the line, especially when it comes to finding lodging and rental cars.
Also, you may not know it, but our guides are independent contractors, which means they have to work for one of the permitted outfitters in the state. To make the most of their summers, most guides work for multiple outfitters so their schedules fill up fast.
Luckily, we have a handful of guides that work almost exclusively for us, but that also means that they are in high demand with our returning clients. All that goes to say that the sooner you give us a call the better chance that we’ll have the right guide to take you where you want to go, when you want to go.
If you’re traveling to Montana and want to fish but don’t want to lug all your gear, we can supply everything you need for a great day on the water. In fact, we just got in a load of sweet new waders and boots that are just waiting to get wet!
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