Big Sky, Mt.

I may be going skiing there in early Feb. Any chance of fishing that time of year, too?

for sure. gotta be a bit picky where and it depends on your vehicle, but for sure. I am definitely not a guide (heck I just whip the water most times) but I know that I fish the gallatin valley about 30 minutes north of there all year round. Let me know if you decide to come this way, I might be able to bring you out, hook you up with some friends to fish, or at the very least give you some direction where to go.

We very well may have a warm spell in February and you will be right on the upper Gallatin river. The one problem with the upper Gallatin is that it flows through a canyon and the water gets very little warming sunlight. The result is that the river may be very icy that high up. You may find more user friendly water downriver near Gallatin Gateway or Four Corners. Another option if you are in the Four Corners area is the Lower Madison, but definitely make a call to check the conditions before you make a drive there. Get a hold of these guys for info on the Gallatin and lower Madison, http://www.gyflyfishers.com/ .

If you head to West Yellowstone the only section of the Madison that is open is the short section between the lakes. Because of the snow and that this is the only game in town there is very limited parking there. The fishing can be very good though and worth the drive. Check with Blue Ribbon fly shop in West before you head that way. They will give you an honest report. http://www.blueribbonflies.com/

If you want to do a little more driving you can always find open water on any of the spring creeks here in Paradise Valley. The winter fishing on them can be very good and well worth the 40 bucks or so to get on them. Of the three my personal favorite is Depuy’s.

You do stand a decent chance of having weather that will be fine for fishing in Feb. Keep an eye on the long-range forecasts and call the shops the day before you plan to fish. Even on a “warm” day in Feb the air temperature will begin to plummet as soon as the sun gets low, so be prepared for a very cold end of the afternoon.

On a side note, if you are near Four Corners and want to soak at a very nice hot spring, check out the Norris Hot Springs. That is an awesome way to finish a day of winter fishing.

Thank you. Thank you!!

There’s a chance the Gallatin River in the Gallatin Valley (towards Belgrade and Manhattan) will be fishable, and I think it’s a good winter fishery (when the ice isn’t covering it - which it is already after our brief arctic spell this week - it’s literally ice from high-water mark to high-water mark where I’m at west of Belgrade). But really, I’d recommend the Lower Madison River, specifically Bear Trap Canyon. It’s a tailwater so it remains mostly free of ice, especially the closer you get to the dam, and it’s an excellent winter fishery.