Big Sky, Montana is home to the largest ski area in the United States. Outstanding winter sports combined with numerous summer activities such as fishing, horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, and rafting have made Big Sky a popular year-round destination for vacationers craving outdoor recreation. free. Big Sky is also close to some of the best fly fishing in North America.
Galatina River
If you close your eyes and visualize a perfect trout stream, the Gallatin River will surely remind you of the river in your dreams. This magnificent fishery begins in Yellowstone National Park, just a short distance from Big Sky. The scenery along the Gallatin was made famous by Robert Redford’s classic “A River Runs Through It”, where all the fishing scenes were filmed. After you leave the park, go through the Big Sky Junction and enter Gallatin Canyon for the next 30 miles. Leaving the canyon, the Gallatin becomes a beautiful cottonwood-fringed prairie river as it travels to form the Missouri near Three Forks. The river offers great trout fishing throughout its course. The highest numbers of trout occur below the Big Sky crossing after numerous underground springs enhance the river’s productivity. The canyon stocks thousands of trout per mile and the fishing can often be fast and furious. Rainbow trout in the 10-17″ range dominate the fishery here, but the occasional brown trout provides some diversity. Trout in the canyon aren’t terribly picky and all it takes is a well-presented attractant dry fly or a small billhead nymph.provide consistent action.Once the Gallatin is out of the canyon, trout numbers begin to decrease, but trout size increases.The lower Gallatin produces fish in the 20-28″ range each year and is a favorite fall destination for those seeking trophy fish.
madison river
The Madison River is frequently ranked as the number one trout stream in North America. This legendary fishery originates in Yellowstone National Park and flows through one of Montana’s most scenic valleys on its journey to form the Missouri River. The Madison River has it all: great hatches, spectacular scenery, huge trout, and great water. A day of floating fishing on the Madison from a drift boat is a prerequisite for any Montana fishing trip. The upper part of the river is designated for wading fishing only and is an ideal spot to target big, strong, healthy browns and rainbows in rocky fast-moving water. The big rocks and fast current are not for the faint of heart, but those willing to wade aggressively are always rewarded. Throughout most of the Upper Madison Valley, the river flows through what is basically known as the 50-mile rapid. This shallow, fast-moving stretch of water provides ideal habitat for trout from shore to shore. This incredibly productive stretch has many browns and rainbows of all year classes with fish up to 30″ caught each season. Below Lake Ennis, the river changes character dramatically as it enters the tumultuous Bear Trap Canyon. Big Sky Angler guides Brian and Miles McGeehan are two of a very small handful of guides qualified to offer fishing trips through the Class V whitewater run. Bear Trap is without a doubt the premier floating day fishing trip in North America. currents wash over large weed beds teeming with scorpions, mayflies, and crayfish.Some of the largest trout in the Madison reside in its shallower waters and it is a prime destination in the spring and fall, when water temperatures are ideal for trout fishing.
Yellowstone River Fishing
The Yellowstone is the longest undammed river in the lower 48. After making its way through Yellowstone National Park, it travels through Paradise Valley and eventually crosses the state of Montana to join the Missouri River in North Dakota. This large river is ideal for float fishing and offers some of the best dry fly fishing in Montana. Most Big Sky Angler trips take place in the 100 miles of water from Gardiner at the park boundary to beyond Big Timber. Impressive hatchings of caddisflies, stoneflies, and mayflies bring fish to the surface from April to July and again in fall. In the late summer months, Yellowstone is home to some of the best land fishing in Montana, including some amazing grasshopper fishing. Numerous alfalfa fields near the river fill with large insects from late July through September and are often thrown into the river on breezy afternoons. Large trout become reckless when in pursuit of these big, tasty morsels and a day of ‘hopper’ fishing is high on the list of many international anglers.
small stream fishing
Big Sky is surrounded by small mountain streams that are stocked with eager trout ready to pounce on a well-presented dry fly. Speciman Creek, Fan Creek, Portal Creek, Moose Creek, Storm Castle Creek, Swan Creek, Hell Roaring Creek and Taylor Fork offer secluded fly fishing for small trout. A short three or four weight rod and a box of lure dry flies is all it takes to have an action packed day on these little streams.