Montana
Fly fishing guide to Montana's best rivers
Montana is the spiritual home of American fly fishing, where blue-ribbon trout streams wind through sweeping valleys beneath the Rocky Mountain front. From the legendary spring creeks of the Paradise Valley to the broad riffles of the Missouri, Montana offers unmatched dry fly fishing and some of the highest trout-per-mile counts in the nation. Whether you are wading the pocket water of the Gallatin or floating the Bighorn's tailwater, Big Sky Country delivers world-class angling in truly wild settings.
Montana Rivers
5 rivers with detailed fishing guides, live conditions, and hatch charts
LiveBighorn River
Southeast Montana
The Bighorn River below Yellowtail Dam near Fort Smith is a world-renowned tailwater fishery producing some of the largest trout in Montana. Its clear, nutrient-rich flows support extraordinary insect populations and trophy rainbow and brown trout.
LiveGallatin River
Southwest Montana
The Gallatin River rushes through a narrow, forested canyon between Big Sky and Bozeman, offering fast-paced pocket water fishing for eager rainbow and brown trout. Made famous by 'A River Runs Through It,' the Gallatin is a quintessential Montana freestone stream.
LiveMadison River
Southwest Montana
The Madison River is one of the most celebrated trout streams in North America. Born from the confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon rivers in Yellowstone National Park, it flows 140 miles through broad valleys and dramatic canyons before joining the Jefferson and Gallatin to form the Missouri River at Three Forks.
LiveMissouri River
Central Montana
Below Holter Dam near Craig, Montana, the Missouri River becomes one of the most prolific tailwater trout fisheries in the world. Its nutrient-rich flows from the dam create ideal conditions for massive insect hatches and trophy-sized rainbow and brown trout.
LiveYellowstone River
South Central Montana
The Yellowstone is the longest undammed river in the lower 48 states, flowing 692 miles from Yellowstone National Park through Paradise Valley and across the Montana plains. It is home to the native Yellowstone cutthroat trout and offers some of the most scenic fly fishing in the American West.