Tags: River - Gallatin

A few images from a riffle on the upper Gallatin taken one bright late September day last year.  Amazing what a difference a bit of fiddling with settings can invoke.  Here’s to pretty little riffles on pretty little rivers.

On the road early today for a little work and a little play.  Should have some pics of a few bass taken from the cataraft later today or tomorrow.  Here’s to a productive day.

Tags: River - Gallatin

allbozeman.com – Fly Fishing with Gary Jones from Eric Keto on Vimeo.

Tags: River - Gallatin

Jake had a chance to get out yesterday on the Gallatin with a friend – he took a new underwater toy and snapped a few decent pics of the day – including the one eyed brown above.

Sun has been in short supply around these parts as has snow (more snowpack and climate stuff to come…).

The underwater world is alive and well in the neighborhood…..

Not a bad way to spend a few hours on a February day, particularly considering how it’s snowing yet again (though pretty mild at 30 this morning).

Tags: River - Gallatin

Went up to do some nymphing on the upper Gallatin – too damned cold (in the 2 to 3 degree range and windy yesterday).  There’s still some open water in the Canyon above Big Sky, but not for long.  Cool shot of anchor ice forming along the bottom (the last pic…)

Tags: River - Gallatin

The Gallatin slowed down a bit with the cold weather we have been having.  Actually, it slowed down a lot.  Fish were still caught, to be sure, but anglers had to work harder for them.  Personally, it seems a little early in the year to be breaking off out of my beard every fifteen minutes.

With the forecast for warmer temps and rain this next week, fishing should really pick back up.  Look for BWOs in the afternoons, mainly from 1-4., on those cloudy days.  They will be harder to find on the sunny days.

Streamer fishing is really picking up.  Fish something big through the deep pools and runs and you should manage to pick up some big browns.  Nymphing with BWO imitations, pheasant tails, hare’s ears, princes and other bead head patterns will produce fish.  The subsurface activity has been pretty consistent all day long.

Tags: River - Gallatin

Finally, the forecast shows something that we want to see!  From tomorrow on through the rest of the week temperatures are going to come down quite a bit and there is a possibility of rain and/or snow.  The fall weather is going to kick things into high gear on the rivers.

BWOs are the main hatch on the Gallatin.  They are going to only be more and more prolific when the cold gets here.  These little guys like the worst weather days; think cold and rainy.  Bring a coat.  The BWOs can be found on the entire river, but I have heard reports that the canyon is the best for them.

You might still find some terrestrials in the middle of the day down on the lower river.  They are not going to last much longer, so if you want to fish hoppers, then get out either today or tomorrow.  Nymphing with soft hackles or anything with a bead head has been pretty productive.  Streamer fishing has been decent in the mornings and on cloudy days.

Tags: River - Gallatin

The Gallatin is starting to shift toward her fall pattern.  Pretty soon you won’t have to worry about getting up at 5 am to make it to the river.  The really great morning fishing is starting after the sun is up and has warmed the water.

The upper river, in the canyon, still has a few Spruce Moths, along with caddis and more and more Blue Wings by the day.  Last I heard, there were still a few gray drakes up near the park…

The lower river will show you some decent terrestrial action on the warmer days.  Beetles and ants are working just as well as hoppers.  Streamer fishing is really starting to pick up, especially in the twilight and on cloudy days.  Several reports have been surfacing among my group of contacts about browns moving into the lower river.  I am going down there after work on Friday to test this theory.

Tags: River - Gallatin

The Gallatin is in good shape.  Flows are pretty normal for this time of year, just below 460 cfs as of this morning, and water clarity is excellent.  The cool nights have been cooling off some of the stretches that were warming up, and fishing is great.

The big news is drakes in the canyon.  Tipped off by a buddy of mine, a 62-year old who was as excited as a little kid, Mark and I went up there a few nights ago and caught the hatch in the evening.  A size 12 Adams worked great.  The hatch can be hard to find, but if you can, it is pretty epic.

Other hatches include scattered BWOs in the mornings, more mayflies at night, caddis in the evenings, and hoppers all day.  The hopper fishing is perhaps slowing down somewhat, but is still pretty effective.  A Stimulator works great for this.  

Streamer fishing in the deep pools has been productive for bigger fish.  Nymphing with a soft hackle or prince is a good choice right now as well.

Tags: River - Gallatin

Damn, it is hard to believe it is already September!  This summer has really seemed to fly by.  Personally, I don’t mind at all.  Fall is my favorite time of year in Montana.  The fishing is great, the best of the year, and it is hunting season.  Just might have to break out the shotgun this afternoon and go chase some grouse.  

Even with all the rain the mountains received yesterday, flows did not come up that much on the Gallatin.  As of this morning, they were reading just under 550 cfs and coming back down.  The rain might have pushed some mud into the river, but it should be back to its crystal clear state in a few days.

There are still lots of bugs on the water.  Spruce Moths and PMDs in the mornings with caddis at night.  Hoppers are working all day.  If I had to pick one fly to fish the Gallatin right now, I would choose a tan Elk Hair Caddis.  You can flatten the wing out and use it as a spruce moth and most of the caddis in the evenings have been lightly colored.  Hang a soft hackle from the back of your hopper; its never a bad idea.

Tags: River - Gallatin

Despite a big bump in flows over the past few days from a heavy rain storm that moved through, the Gallatin is in pretty good shape.  Flows are better than they have been in recent years, and the fish are eagerly feeding on a variety of insect life.

Everything from caddis to mayflies to Spruce Moths is coming off this time of year.  The fish are looking up and taking dries.  Look for mayflies and moths in the morning, with caddis and more mayflies in the evenings.  Hoppers are drawing strikes from about noon on.  Attractors such as humpies and Royal Wulffs are becoming a staple out here too.  

If nothing is working the surface, a small bead head nymph is a good bet.  One of my personal favorites for the Gallatin is a prince.  Pheasant tails, san juan worms, hare’s ears, and caddis pupae are all effective.  If you are fishing a hopper, throw one of these nymphs down underneath it.  Streamers have been working on the cloudy days as well.

The river below the canyon is going to be your best bet for hoppers.

Tags: River - Gallatin

After a large spike in flows earlier this week, things have settled down here on the Gallatin.  There is still a fair amount of water in the river right now, compared to years past.  Clarity is excellent, and conditions are great for dry fly fishing.

Spruce Moths are still the buzzword.  Early, before 11 or so, and after six is the best time to fish this hatch.  It is easy to see the bugs on the water; just look for the large, light colored, lazy flying insects.  Hit a local fly shop to stock up on moth patterns.

Other than that, caddis and mayflies are making up the majority of the menu.  Small black caddis are coming off in pretty good numbers are night.  Bring some size 16, 18 and 20 black elk hair caddis and you should be all right.  Mark and I were up near the park last night and saw some tiny yellow midges as well.  Why you would fish something that small this time of year is beyond me.  Hoppers and beetles are working well in the lower river, below the canyon.  When nothing is working on top, tie on either a soft hackle or caddis pupae nymph.

Tags: River - Gallatin

I apologize for the delay in getting today’s reports up; I have been at the dentist’s office most of the morning.  Nothing like starting your day with a couple of fillings.  Anyway, the Gallatin has recovered from the mud and rain earlier this week and is fishing well.  Flows spiked a few days ago, but the mud plugs have moved through and the water is clear.

There are a lot of insects on the water these days.  Spruce Moths have been showing up in greater numbers and the fish are starting to key into these bugs.  Fish them earlier in the day, as they are begin to taper off after about 11.

Caddis and mayflies make up most of the rest of the diet.  The other day, Mark and I ran up above Taylor Fork.  There were a lot of small, size 16 or so, mahoganies flying around.  Big brown drakes and caddis were also coming off.  I was able to pull a couple of fish out of the hole with a tan X-Caddis.  At this time of year, it is not always necessary to match the hatch.  A similar sized attractor is often all you need.  Think humpys, royal wulffs, renegades and the like.

Hoppers are out in force on the lower reaches of the Gallatin.  Don’t break out the triple-decker foam aircraft carriers for a little while yet.  Think something smaller.  A soft hackle, prince, or other beadhead nymph dropper is never a bad idea either.

Tags: River - Gallatin

Mark and I just got back from an early morning picture run to Yellowstone for Fish Can’t Read.  The Gallatin is looking and fishing well, as evidenced by the numerous fishermen on the water this morning.  Flows continue to come down but remain above the median average.

The big news is the scattered appearance of Spruce Moths in the canyon.  This is one of my personal favorite hatches in the area and it is only going to be getting better over the next few weeks.  Keep an eye out for these bugs in the late mornings.

The strongest hatches remain PMDs and caddis.  We saw some small mahogany drakes above Taylor Fork when we were up there the other evening.  Terrestrials are working on the lower river, but have not really caught on up high.  Nymphing has been productive with stonefly patterns, princes, hare’s ears, pheasant tails and so on.

The entire river is running clear and fishing well right now.  Be ready for the water to muddy up some for a little while if we get the rain that is forecast.

Tags: River - Gallatin

It seems like the Gallatin has been pretty hit or miss for a long time.  All the rain we got a while back was not the best thing for water clarity.  But, things have started to get more consistently good over here.  Flows have stabilized, although they are coming up a bit from levels earlier this week.    I wouldn’t be surprised if all that rain we got yesterday pushed a bit of mud into the river, but it should clear up soon.

When the water is clear, the dry fly fishing is fantastic.  Caddis, PMDs, yellow sallies and hoppers make it possible to fish an entire day without reaching for your nymph box.  It won’t be too much longer and the spruce moths will be coming out too.

If you want better odds at a bigger fish, break out a pattern such as a big rubberlegs or other stonefly imitation.  Hang a pheasant tail or prince off the back of it and fish it near the banks.

Tags: River - Gallatin