2024 Montana flyfishing trip info

[dan_bgblue]

bigsky, I have a friend that is an avid fly fisher and wants to plan his first trip to Montana for wading (preferred) or floating if that is the only option. I told him that I talked to a MT native that fished and I might be able to help him with some info to use for his planning. He was talking about fishing the Jefferson river, and when I mentioned the Gallatin river he was totally unaware of it. He said he was looking for guide services as the Jefferson river runs thru a lot of private access land and for wading. he, of course he needs ingress and egress points.

I don't think he needs a ton of info, just some suggestions as starting points and maybe a name or two of quality guide services. He also asked about best time to year to make the trip and wanted to know what I had heard about the "zombie trout" and was it a big problem or just something being blown up in the sporting publications.

[bigsky]

The 3 rivers that form the Missouri at Three Forks, about 35 miles from here, are the Jefferson, the Madison and the Gallatin. The Yellowstone is also 30 miles away. Five trout streams.

The Gallatin is heavily fished, wading. The Madison up in the Beartrap is fished wading.Both have many places to access. The Jefferson is warmer and is less accessible.

If it were me and the success of my trip hinged on catching fish, I’d hire a guide and float the Yellowstone Paradise Valley after Yankee Jim canyon to Emigrant, or below (east of Livingston) to somewhere, less pretty but maybe bigger fish.

The Missouri northeast of Helena below Holter dam is incredible trout fishing but heavily fished.

[bigsky]

So I will ask about guides. Sept early october I fish the upper Madison south of Ennis lake for some big fish. Maybe a guide is the way to go.

Jimmy caught a 3.38 pound rainbow and couple weeks ago out of the Missouri, jiggin for walleye.

Last week I caught a fish of a lifetime, 30” plus over 10 lb walleye. But I boat fish on lakes mostly. Floating a raft down the Yellowstone is #2.

[bigsky]

Turns out I don’t know any guides but I will keep asking.

[dan_bgblue]

No big rush to get him the info as he is still in the planning stage and only down side is if the best guides normally get booked up before Thanksgiving for the next season. Is there any new news on the Zombie trout issue? I have read that it is more prevalent in the warmer rivers.

[bigsky]

Zombie trout may or may not be anything, I don’t know. I’ve caught a bunch of trout in lakes lately and they’ve been beautiful. Two of three of my fishin friends said they’d never heard thr phrase before.

Sounds like climate change panic added to too damn many fisherman on the river catching and nearly killing and then releasing a badly injured trout. We have had whirling disease. We’ve had some other diseases strike. Montana rivers’ fish are under a lot of pressure.

[dan_bgblue]

too damn many fisherman on the river catching and nearly killing and then releasing a badly injured trout.

I have done a b9it of research and the photos on line exhibit injuries that likely occur landing the fish then very poor treatment after they are landed and tossed away.

Thanks for your info.