Montana Trout Scout

The dry fly fishing on the Stone has been great. Lots of dinks up eating a size 16 parachute, but some nice fish like these are doing it, too.

Good hatches of mayflies pretty much everywhere. BWOs, PMDs and three or four more are hatching. An Adams or any parachute will get eaten. Size 16 - 12. Good nymphing in the morning, some hopper eats midday and fish rising to mayflies in the afternoon. Beautiful.

Nice double on the Stillwater, Jon and Ann! (Both trout were successfully released.) Great to have enough water to float it this time of year. The river dropped 100 cfs the day after this pic was taken.

Okay, things are changing on our area waters. Fishing has been good on hoppers for a while. Now add streamers and nymphs, with some mayfly action on top as well. Fish are still eating the hopper. Dropping a beadhead nymph off the hook is starting to produce almost as well as the dry. We're getting some trico activity, so fish are eating the tiny spinners in the foam lines and slicks. Baetis are coming off sporadically, which is why the beadhead is starting to work again. I haven't seen a real hatch yet, but the nymphs are certainly active. Add three or four other kinds of fall mayfly to the mix, and you have good fishing from morning till evening. Try a black wooly bugger if you're into streamer fishing. I'm definately into streamer fishing! I've been primarily fishing the Yellowstone above Columbus, but the Stillwater is floatable and fishing well, too. Rock Creek and it's tributaries are in great shape, with a small caddis or stimulator working on top. The West Fork has been especially good.