Great Falls, Montana Fishing Report 04.18.19

montana fishing report 12.15.17

Ponds and Reservoirs

The ice is out or mostly out on all area waters and fishing season is fully underway.  Balanced leeches are the hottest selling fly again this spring, along with a variety of buggers and colorful nymphs.  If you don’t have a boat, now is the best time of the year for shoreside success.

Creeks and Smaller Rivers

There have been some good windows to fish of late.  Cooler weather has slowed runoff and created some great opportunities this past week.  With warming temperatures toward the weekend, runoff will probably kick up again, but should not keep you from fishing.  Streamers like the flash n’ grab have been deadly -so have rubber leg nymphs like the copper bead peacock 20 incher.

Missouri River

The water is already up and well above where most wade anglers like it to be.  There are places to wade and places to fish from shore but drifting with a boat or raft is the preferred method when the flows exceed 8K.  They are well above that now.   It seems the water managers are dumping water earlier this year, so they don’t get caught full if we get heavy rains later on.

The most consistent fishing has been above Craig, while the most enjoyable water to float has been lower in the canyon where the scenery and solitude are hard to beat.  The dry fly crowd is not happy, but at least the water is fishable.  The best news is that you can now go fishing on any given day and almost always catch some fish, some way.

Nymphing has been the most reliable with the usual suspects in play.  The entire left side of our nymph bins are dedicated to the pink, orange, and rainbow range of scuds and sowbugs that work throughout the winter and spring.

Streamers are providing some action, some of the time.  The best streamer days generally come on days with clouds and, or, rain.  Consistent river flows also seem to be a factor.  If you can be on the water after a couple of days of stable flows with a dark day in store, you might find a really good bite.

Events

  • Fly Fishing 101-Learn to Fly Fish-Free Introduction Classes Saturdays @ 10 a.m., April and May
  • For More Information: Please contact Great Falls North 40 Fly Shop, (406) 761-7441

See past reports from the Great Falls region here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.