Old Member seeking Montana trip advice?

[goodfortune]

Old member here who hasn't posted in a very, very long time.


I'm planning my first fly fishing trip out west - Bozeman, MT Area, late August. Booking a float with Montana Angler, but want to spend a day or two DIYing some of the other local waters, including possibly Paradise Valley if i can find an open rod.


Any suggestions are welcome - flies, gear, approaches, places to stay/eat, things to look for/look out for, even non-fly-fishing stuff to see if time permits.


If anyone remembers me from way back when, feel free to say hello! I'm still alive and well, though I don't get to fish as often as I used to when I was in PA...hope y'all are doing well, too.

 

[JSky]

Paradise Valley is cool, but I don’t recommend walking and wading the Yellowstone River. It’s pretty big in that area and is best floated although I did walk and wade the Yankee Jim Canyon section a bit further south. Again, it is deep, fast and dangerous to walk and wade water there. I had a good time on DePuy Spring Creek in the Paradise Valley area although you have to pay for a permit to fish it.

I’d say consider staying in Gardiner, you’re right and the north entrance to Yellowstone and can fish the park easily by yourself.

Another thing to consider in August is Hoot Owl restrictions. The past few years the waters have gotten too warm and fishing is banned in the afternoons.

In Bozeman you should check out the Gallatin and consider a drive to fish the Madison,

As far as flies goes, all the standard stuff works. It will be hopper season, that’s what I’d fish aside from nymphs. Maybe a dry dropper with a pats rubber legs under a hopper or chubby Chernobyl. I’d book your float trip on the first day there then pick the brain of your guide about what and where to fish the rest of the trip.

Good luck!

 

[tjsingle]

I would potentially look at fishing the Gallatin if you are looking for wading opportunities closer to Bozeman. The canyon is beautiful, especially near Big Sky.

If you do end up going to the Paradise Valley, the spring creeks look really cool as well.

If you are doing Yellowstone, I would highly recommend planning on fishing the tribs of the Yellowstone for cutthroat. Staying in Gardiner would be the move.

In terms of food and drink, Stacey’s in Gallatin Gateway is a cool steakhouse. My wife and I really liked MAP brewing company and Roly Poly Coffee as well.

 

[PennKev]

Old member here who hasn't posted in a very, very long time.


I'm planning my first fly fishing trip out west - Bozeman, MT Area, late August. Booking a float with Montana Angler, but want to spend a day or two DIYing some of the other local waters, including possibly Paradise Valley if i can find an open rod.

If you can get onto a spring creek, do it. It's a bad water year and conditions are going to be poor on a lot of freestoners in SW MT at the end of August, particularly in the SW corner of the state. The Madison will be fine since it's a tailwater below Hebgen Lake, but every other larger, well-known water in the area will likely be under hoot owl regulations. They'll be super low.

Any suggestions are welcome - flies, gear, approaches, places to stay/eat, things to look for/look out for, even non-fly-fishing stuff to see if time permits.

It would be easier to make recommendations if you had a town picked out. Are you staying in Bozeman? Everything is an hour drive from any other place so don't bite off more than you can chew in one day. It's easy to burn most of your day driving around.

 

[bikerfish]

Believe it or not some of us were just talking about you at the jam! We were discussing folks we don't hear from anymore. Mike? I think? Glad to hear from you!
I have nothing to offer for Montana, except that if you can catch fish in PA, you can definitely catch them in Montana!

 

[CLSports]

Welcome back! I certainly remember you from PAFF outings in Erie and Little Lehigh Trico jams.

 

[Drifly]

Don’t forget if you do fish YNP you’ll need a special park fishing permit.

 

[afishinado]

Hey Goodfortune.....long time! Hopefully your fortunes have been good.

Great suggestions above, plenty of streams and rivers to fish in the area.

The snowpack was very slim and some rivers may not be in the best shape. I suggest you ask Montana Angler to give you suggestions based on current conditions near the time you are out there, also ask the guide for wade fishing places.

Post a report with pics to let us know how you made out.

Have a great time!

 

[Bruno]

MIKE !

 

[turkey]

Good to see you posting Mike.

 

[CRB]

Welcome back.

 

[poopdeck]

I was in Yellowstone in the beginning of last September. I didn’t fish but I can tell you I know why hoppers are so popular, they were everywhere. I’ve never seen so many hoppers in my life. Be sure to take plenty of small hoppers with you.

 

[keirns4]

Since you are going thru Montana Angler, I would highly recommend Tim Patella. I fished with him 2 days on their Smith River Wilderness trip and then went back the following year and fished with him 2 days on the Yellowstone.

 

[goodfortune]

Thanks for all the responses...and hello to all my old friends and fishing buddies! It's good to know that you remember me after all these years.

I'll be out there the week of Aug 17, floating on the 18th. I'd like to DIY the remaining 2 days, and I'll be mindful of the Hoot Owl restrictions.

At first, I was thinking of buying a rod at one of the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks, but a trip to the Lamar River area appeals to me more and more.

- Mike

Edit: Staying in Belgrade, near the airport. The plan is to float the Madison, followed by DIY on the upper sections of the Gallatin; still deciding between Paradise Valley and the Lamar...open to suggestions.

 

[PennKev]

Edit: Staying in Belgrade, near the airport. The plan is to float the Madison, followed by DIY on the upper sections of the Gallatin; still deciding between Paradise Valley and the Lamar...open to suggestions.

The Madison will be fine from a fishability standpoint and will probably be the closest thing to a sure thing at that time this summer. I dislike the Gallatin for a number of reasons, although the headwater streams near the edge of the park boundary are pretty cool fishing in better water years. If you have a park license you can explore Fan and Specimen Creeks for instance. It's a nice area and there are far, far fewer other anglers up there than lower in the Gallatin drainage.

I suggest you condiser a DIY wading day on the Madison. There is plenty of access, the fish are bigger and conditions will be better. There's a lot more than just 3 dollar bridge and the the areas between Hebgen and Quake. There's multiple long stretches of BLM, State, and National Forest lands that provide access opportunities. You'll have to dodge the daily flotilla of boats but it's doable with a little planning. If you can get on the water at first lite and fish until 9:00 AM you likely won't see very many boats or anglers. Likewise if you fish in the evening, most of the Guides are off the water by 5:00 PMish. Caddis are pretty active on most days in both the morning and evening. Some of the old timers in the area swear by fishing the last few hours of light. The fishing can definitely turn on at times when most people are not on the water. There should be some hopper and PMD opportunities when you are out there. If nothing is working, fish sculpin patterns. Often times during late summer the fish are more consistently onto them than insect imitations.