Ok, i’m going to the Bighorn June 4th for 3 days of fishing. The rest of the group is going home on Wed. and i have a rental car until Sunday morning. I fly out of Spokane to come home, so where should i try fishing between Billings and Spokane? I will be wading only. Any help out there? Thanks, Rich
“Wishn I wuz Fishn”
Livingston
Right now, the Yellowstone is just 1’ below flood stage. Hopefully it will be down by the time you make your trip.
Livingston, spring creeks.
Do the spring creeks require a reservation of some sort? If so, How? Should i just visit Ban Bailey’s and enquire as to where, when and how. Or???
Sorry i haven’t yet visited the area around Livingston., so I need all the help i can get with all the high water around.
The fly shops around Livingston can make reservations for you on any of the 3 spring creeks. It is pay for play.
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
Seriously stay on the Bighorn. It isn’t flooded like everything else in the state (as of right now anyway).
I have fished the river a number of times in the last month and everytime has been excellent.
I just spoke with Thor from Cottonwood camp in Ft. Smith and he says the river is still fishing great.
Besides, It has been very hard if not impossible getting on the paradise valley spring creeks right now anyway without reservations made sometime ago.
Rob
i always have liked the Gallatin a short drive from Boseman
stay at the castle rock inn right on the river,no pay to fish.go to montana on google visit the state site and you can ask for the gallatin river or castle rock inn for info.
this site will have the run off info also.
enjoy
gofish
Forget about the Gallatin river in the next few weeks.
The Gallatin will be blown out guarenteed!!!
Rob
You could hang a left at Livingston or Bozeman, drive for 1 hour or so and you’d be in Yellowstone National Park where the season will have just opened.
Crook33, I am not trying to be a know-it-all but the people posting comments about where for you to be fishing around here in the next few weeks apparently have no idea about the run-off that is going on out here.
Do not take anyones advice about fishing out here unless they actually are currently living in the area.
They probally do not know what they are talking about.
You can get on the internet and find current stream flow info for MT.
This spring is much different then the last 3 or 4 we have experienced
The only thing that maybe will fish in YNP is the Firehole and that is a big maybe. Currently it is very murky.
The only other option I have heard is possibly the Missouri river around the Craig area.
If you like call me here at the shop 208 354-1200. I will glad to talk to you on what to reasonably expect when you arrive.
Rob
try the Kootenai below Libby dam,i was by there today didn’t have time to fish but the water still looks good and there were a few people fishing.Right now the flows are cranked pretty high so wading areas are limited but if you’re heading back to Spokane it might be worth a shot.
All of the rivers here are out at the present time and the weather forcast is for more rain the rest of this week. The Yellowstone is ab0ve flood stage and there is flood warnings on the Gallatin in the lower areas. The madison is also running very high. I’m not familiar with what’s happening west of the divide.
I also heard that the Big Horn was fishing very well.
Dean
“A legend in my own mind”
Without a doubt I would suggest (second, third and fourth or whatever the number is) the Bighorn and Cottonwood Camps.
Flood warning for the Gallatin near Logan and Gateway until Thursday, Yellowstone near flood levels, Upper Madison high and dirty, spring creeks may be booked and they aren’t worth nearly as much as what some people will pay anyway. I’ll only fish them during the off season and still have to stem the flow of vomit that tries to work its way up my throat when I cough up the funds.
Here is a link to the current river flows so you can get an idea: [url=http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/current?type=flow:29642]http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/current?type=flow[/url:29642]
Snowpacks: [url=http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/updatesur/update-mt.html:29642]http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/updatesur/update-mt.html[/url:29642]
Now use those links and compare the amount of snow still up there versus the river levels and try and project what things will be like in a couple of weeks. 'Nuff said.
Besides, the Bighorn can be a low budget, fun trip with plenty of fish and the chance at some really big fish to boot. Keep track of the fishing reports out of Fort Smith or St Xavier (easily found on the web) and make sure to have pink scuds, sow bugs and red brassies plus whatever is recommended.
If people making recommendations were up to date, they would know that we went through over a week of very warm weather with several days of record breaking temps. The snow was melting at twice the normal rate for this time of year and everything is at or near flood stages (Bitteroot recently removed but Gallatin, Yellowstone and Big Hole still on as of this morning) with cresting due either tomorrow or Thursday. Seeing as how it is the 23rd of May today, I doubt early June is a good idea. As a matter of fact, I would never recommend this time of year without keeping track of the river levels, weather patterns, etc for several weeks in advance and the ability to leave on a moments notice.
The suggestions people listed are nice and all, but completely beyond reason for this time of year if you actually want to do any fishing. Maybe tomorrow I will run over to the “little muddy” aka Gallatin tomorrow to show you some pictures… Now if you could put the trip off until early July, well that might be a different story. 
Warren F.
Bozeman, MT
Well thanks for the “help”. My trip on the Bighorn is already booked for 8 of us. I will enjoy that as much as always and thought i would just drive across the state and see what i can see after that. I hope to do some more fishing but if it doesn’t turn out to be great i will be happy just to be there. I will enquire when i am actually there as to what if anything is fishable. Idahofisher i’ll take your # with me and call you from up there. Thanks again all and if you think of anything or anywhere else i’m all ears. Rich
“Wishn I wuz Fishn”
You asked for a place to fish. Some on here seem to think they are the only ones who know anything. Maybe so. Last I knew the spring creeks at Livingston are not much hurt by run-off unless it breaks thru from the Yellowstone. As much is at/near/over flood stage I recommended what I did. But, guess you better call these other guys or they will be offended. Like they said, unless you are right there you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Jcastwell, I am not so sure why you got upset, the comments made were not directed as a personnel attack against you or anyone else.
I grew up in the Seattle area and I know about a number of the fisheries in the state pretty well, but you do not see me giving advice on where to fish over there because I do not have a direct pulse on them anymore.
Myself and the other who posted the facts about what is going on this spring in MT and ID are trying to offer good sage advice, not come accross as arrogant individuals.
If I was going to fish the Olympic pennisula then you would be the first person I would ask since you are in the immediate area.
Here are the reservation #'s for the spring creeks. Depuy’s 406 222-0221, Armstrong 406 222-2979, Nelson 406 222-2159.
There are also a couple of pay to play spring creeks in the Bozeman area.
As I said before the streams are probally in good shape but this time of the year but the problem is it is very hard to find an opening to fish.
The guides have most of the rodspaces locked up.
Rob
“Jcastwell, I am not so sure why you got upset, the comments made were not directed as a personnel attack against you or anyone else.”
How about this quote?
"Do not take anyones advice about fishing out here unless they actually are currently living in the area.
They probally do not know what they are talking about."
The gentleman asked. " where should i try fishing between Billings and Spokane."
Some of us offered suggestions as to where he might try to fish not imagining that he was looking for a fishing report for June 9.
I agree however, that unless you can look out your window and see the river a report is mere conjecture whether one’s computer is 200 miles from the river or 2000.
Bob
What a bunch of whiners.
I recommend checking out the salmonfly hatch on Rock Creek. It will be going good and wading will be a little sketchy but you’ll find plenty of spots to fish it from shore. The water will be high but clear enough. Get this: I do live here and I looked at two rivers today and floated one. There is going to be some fishing to be done by then and it’s not all tailwater or spring creek stuff.
Agreed Ben, makes me want to rip the whole string.