THE TIME IS NOW
Fishing is firing on all cylinders in Montana at the moment. These last few weeks we’ve had guides on the water everyday having a ton of success.
On the Missouri River, we are seeing blue-winged olives and midges hatching around 2pm on overcast days when the wind stays down. Down on the lower stretches near the Dearborn River, our clients have had success blind-casting Skwala patterns, which has made for some exciting top-water takes.
Over on the Madison, fish are actively feeding, both on top and below the surface. Recently, the Ennis and Valley Garden boat ramps opened up, making access to these hungry fish much easier.
Remember: It’s spawning time so if you’re fishing these waters, be careful not to step on the redds, lighter colored areas in the gravel, where rainbow trout lay their eggs.
WARMER WEATHER AND WATER
While summer definitely hasn’t come to Montana yet, each day the temps seem to be rising, especially in the afternoons. This means two things. The Mother’s Day caddis hatch is on the horizon.
This emergence of caddisflies is great for fish and fisherman alike. But having so many bugs on the water can make dry fly fishing tricky. Oftentimes, we’ll fish a Silvey’s Diving Caddis about 15-inches below the surface when we’re not getting strikes on the surface.
Also, since the hatch doesn’t usually happen until 2pm when the water warms up, fishing from noon to dark can be the best way to fish the hatch and beat the crowds. If you want to set up a guided day for these times, give us a shout and we’ll make it happen.
The other thing spring weather means is that as soon as we get a few 70-degree days in a row, runoff will be on the way if not already in full swing. But, though some rivers become unfishable from about mid-May to early June, we have plenty of options – the Missouri, Spring Creeks, parts of the Madison, local lakes – that fish great during this time of year.
AFTER THE FLOOD
Post runoff is an optimal time to be on Montana’s river. With the rainbows coming off a spring spawning period and the high and fast water making eating difficult, the fish swim into June ready to gorge themselves.
And wouldn’t you know it, starting in June, Mother Nature has prepared a smorgasbord for Montana’s hungry fish. It starts with the salmonfly hatch on the freestone rivers like the
Yellowstone, Gallatin and Madison and continues with golden stoneflies, yellow sallies, green drakes, and PMDs coming off in high numbers.
It goes without saying that the fish go into a bit of a feeding frenzy, making this a great time to get out on the water with one of our guides who’ll give you the right flies and take you to the hot spots to take advantage of this exciting part of Montana’s fishing season.
TAG YOU’RE IT
If you’re fishing on the Beaverhead, Big Hole, Ruby or Madison rivers, you just might be playing a game of tag with the local trout population. For the second year in a row, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, in cooperation with Montana State University, have recently tagged trout in these waterways in an effort to “understand how environmental conditions and other factors contribute to population recruitment, survival and mortality of trout.”
The researchers are asking anyone who catches a tagged fish to cut off the tag and fill out a report on the Montana Fishery Cooperative Research Unit website about the when, where and how you caught the fish as well as the number on the tag. The tags are attached by the dorsal fin and should be snipped off as close to the skin as possible using clippers.
There are two different colored tags: blue and yellow. Reporting a blue tagged fish will enter you into drawing to win fishing gear and trips while reporting yellow tagged fish is worth $100.
GUIDE PROFILE
CHRIS KIRKWOOD, ADVENTURE DIRECTOR
HOMETOWN: Harmony, Rhode Island
FISHING HERITAGE: I grew up fishing Narragansett Bay with my grandfather for stripers and bluefish. In terms of freshwater, I’d also go spin fishing with my dad on the local lakes.
FIRST FISH ON THE FLY: While my buddy was spin fishing on the South Branch Raritan River in New Jersey I saw a big brown trout feeding on the surface. I grabbed my fly rod, tied on a #16 Parachute Adams and started casting to him. My buddy couldn’t believe I was targeting one fish but then I caught it.
MONTANA BOUND: All three of my kids went to Montana State University. I think the oldest picked it because it was about as far away from his parents as he could get. When my other kids came to visit him they fell in love with it too. After a few years, my wife and I followed them out west and now we all live in Montana.
FROM CLIENT TO EMPLOYEE: I met Trout on the Fly outfitter Nate Stevane at a tradeshow in New Jersey. Then when I came out one spring, my daughter and I decided to
go fishing at the last minute and called TOTF. Little did we know the Mother’s Day caddis hatch was going on. Somehow, Nate made room for us in his schedule and took us out. It was the best guided experience I ever had and from then on I only used TOTF guides. When I moved to Montana about three years ago, Nate was looking for help and I jumped at the chance.
FAVORITE RIVER: Tough one. If you put a gun to my head I’d have to say the Madison just because I know it better than any other. But I love them all and the lakes, too.
FAVORITE FLY: The EMBT. E and M are the original tyers initials and B and T stand for Big Thing. It’s an over-dubbed, over hackled Isonychia pattern. Big and meaty, it has attracted opportunistic fish from New Jersey to Yellowstone.
FAVORITE MUSIC: Driving to the river I’ll throw on KGLT. It’s my go-to. They play a real eclectic mix of music and whatever they are playing seems to fit my mood.
FAVORITE BOOK: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It really got me turned on to objectivism, which is my jam.
FAVORITE ACTIVITY: People complain about Bozeman being busy but in 45 minutes you can be in places where you’re not top of the food chain—that’s pretty amazing. I have an overland vehicle and I love getting out and exploring and camping in the outdoors.
IN THE KNOW: As TOTF’s adventure director, I keep a spreadsheet of the best stuff in the area—restaurants, hot springs, golf courses, museum, hotels–to help clients with their trip planning or for their families to fill their time if they’re not on the river. Some hidden gems for great meals are Stacey’s steakhouse in Gallatin Gateway, Follow Yer’ Nose barbeque in Emigrant and Yellow House barbeque in Bozeman.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more current and up-to-date information.