Spring on the Yellowstone River
Spring Fishing Forecast
As I sit here trying to come up with an accurate prediction about how the fishing and water conditions over the next couple of months will play out in our part of Southwest Montana, I know how the weatherman feels. No matter what I write, I am going to be wrong on some part of my predictions. Well it won’t be the last time, here goes.
As of today, snow pack conditions across most of our area are in great shape. The Gallatin drainage and Yellowstone’s drainages are sitting above 100% of average and the Madison drainages are well above 90%. By this time of year, things are beginning to get “locked in” and it will take a weird turn in the weather for an extended period of time to change snow pack dramatically. So for now, I am going to assume that we are once again going to have a fairly large run-off and great summer flows in all of our rivers. With that said let’s look at what that will mean for our area rivers.
This is the first river in our area that we look to for good spring fishing. There are two dams on the Madison that control flow and to a certain degree influence water temperatures. These two dams cause the Lower Madison to warm up a little bit earlier in the year and in turn it’s the first to start fishing really well. As a matter of fact it is already fishing well. For the next couple of weeks, the fishing will be weather dependent and the warmer nicer days will get the midge activity going. It will also be a good time to try crayfish patterns and streamers as they are always a major food source for the fish in the Madison. The colder water temperatures will force anglers to go slow and deep to fool the most fish since they are still holding in their winter holes and have not spread out in the entire river yet.
By mid April, look for the first of the baetis hatches to start in earnest. Mixed in with the baetis will be march browns and a few skwallas. Almost any overcast day that’s not too cold will provide the opportunity for some great dry fly fishing. Finally towards the end of the month the caddis will start to show for the traditional Mother’s Day hatch. The key to the caddis hatch is to get enough heat to get them going, but not so much to start the run-off. Don’t let the presence of large numbers of caddis early in the hatch fool you into thinking the fish are off of the mayflies. Many times the fish prefer to eat the baetis and especially the march brown adults right in the middle of the caddis hatch. A good tip is to fish caddis adults along with a large parachute adams. You’ll be surprised at how many fish will eat the mayfly imitation even though there are many more caddis on the water at the time.
Look for the river to blow out between the first and second week of May. A few cold nights mixed in with the nicer weather, can extend the number of days that the river will stay clear, but once the Madison goes, it’s usually done until the end of run-off. Don’t pass up the opportunity to fish the Upper Madison below Quake Lake after that stretch opens up for the general season for some great dirty water fishing. For some reason great fishing can be had right along the banks even in the dirtiest of conditions. I know a lot of people who can’t wait for these conditions to get up there and go fishing. Because of the solid snow pack mentioned above look for the run-off on the Madison to end around the first or second week of June.
As I write this, the Yellowstone River has not really warmed up enough yet to really start fishing well. Most reports even during the warmest days we’ve had have been slow to poor fishing. This will change if spring ever gets here. Look for midge fishing on the calmer, cloudy days for the next couple of weeks, and then we should start to see baetis numbers increase as the month progresses. Look for good fishing in the foam pockets and softer riffle corners. Although everyone likes to fish dries when they can, baetis emergers are the most effective patterns this time of year and remember unless the fish are suspended under a foam pocket, the brighter the day the deeper you will need to go to catch fish. Dry dropper rigs are great for cloudy dark days, but if it’s bright, get out the lead and the strike indicators for best results.
Caddis should start showing up around the last week of April, but with the low elevation snow that is around this year, don’t be surprised if the river gets dirty after a warm stretch of weather. Don’t give up on the river if it gets dirty early though, a couple of cold nights will lock up the snowmelt and clear the river enough to be fishable. These periods of dirty water followed by several days of cleaner water often provide some of the best spring fishing on the Yellowstone. The fish are much less light sensitive and feel very comfortable feeding on dries in the off color water even on the brighter days.
It feels like run-off will start that first week of May as usual and probably run into the first or second week of July just like the “old days”. Sorry if your one of those people that thinks the last ten or so drought years are a good indication of the normal length of run-off on the Yellowstone, it’s probably going to be a long one.
More than any other river around, the conditions on the Yellowstone can change daily and it’s a good idea to contact a local fly shop for up to date information. On any given day before the full run-off starts one section of river can be totally blown out while another can have more than enough visibility to catch fish. Finding that cleaner water is key to extending your spring fishing on the river and a good river report can save a lot of frustration and drive time.
The Gallatin River much like the Yellowstone is still cold and not really producing like it will once the weather warms up. Lower down in the valley the fishing has been better than up in the canyon and will probably stay that way until after the run-off. Look for midge fishing all along the river until about mid May, then the baetis and march browns will start to appear, starting lower down in the valley then working their way upstream into the canyon. Look also for a few scattered skwallas around the lower river during the next few weeks but as always the hatch will be spotty and you’ll need a little luck to catch it.
Look for the West Gallatin to blow out about the last week of April or the first week of May. The East Gallatin will blow out as soon as we get some warm weather and will make the Main Gallatin unfishable as well. A couple of cold days and nights might clear it enough to be fishable again, but probably not for long. Look to the first week of July before the Gallatin clears enough to be good fly fishing again, and then it will be salmon fly time.
As I said earlier, part of this “prediction” will turn out to be wrong, and things can and will change week to week and even daily. Check with us for current fishing information and stream flows and good luck with your spring fishing.
Dan Lohmiller
Spring Fishing on the Lower Madison
Tags: gallatin river, gallatin river fishing report, madison river, madison river fishing report, montana spring fishing report, mother's day caddis hatch, yellowstone river, yellowstone river fishing report
