Montana Fish Report

Upper 

Black Drake mayflies should be hatching and the subsequent spinner fall should occur with the next really warm day. The river is open year-round from the Kirk Road Bridge upstream to the Williamson River headwaters for catch and release only for Redband Trout with no bait allowed. There is no size or bag limit on Brook Trout. Conditions are good for fishing. Fishing is excellent for Redband Trout and Brook Trout. . There are haches of midges, Blue winged olives and Callibaetis. Small leech patterns and wooly buggers are doing well. 

Lower

Opening day was good for small redband trout less than 20 inches. Most anglers fly fish the river using clear intermediate fly lines with light flourocarbon leaders. Currently, small mayflies are hatching with golden stoneflies and yellow sally stoneflies. Mimicing sucker eggs can also work well as Shortnose Suckers continue to spawn. There are a lot of tui and bkue chub in the river below highway 97 to the mouth. Using imitattions that mathc them will work well.

The river is single point hook only, no bait and catch and release for redband trout. There is no limit on Brown Trout. The river is always closed to salmon angling.