At times, I’ll fish the reservoirs and ponds.
Other times, I’ll fish the smaller streams. We
are blessed with many great choices. I’ve got a
two page list of waters I still want to fish. Where
do you want to fish today? Options are as wide
open as the state of Montana. Lakes are open,
streams are open and then there is always the
good old Missouri River with miles and miles
of opportunity.
This past winter, the weather has been spring.
I’ve never experienced anything like it. Day after
day of upper 40s, 50s and 60s, and even a couple
cracks of 70. Throughout February and into
March, it’s been like April. March came in like a
lamb. Will it go out like a lion? Will we see any
moisture? Will we see any more snow? Buds are
already showing.
What does that mean for fishing?
Consider everything to be well ahead of
schedule. Many of the lower elevation lakes
have been ice free for weeks. Trout fishing has
been excellent. Temps on the Missouri River
were topping 40 degrees on early March
afternoons. Bugs have been hatching and
fish are feeding on top in many streams.
Skwalla’s were out in early March. BWO’s
are on menu and March Browns will soon
join the mix. Trout fishing has been very
good out there.
April is usually a big transitional month into
spring. This year, many of the transitions
have already taken place. Ice is long gone.
Early run off has been minimal to nonexistent. We will likely see some spurts of
water, but there will be many fishable days
throughout this spring. Hopefully, you’ve
already been taking advantage of the early
opportunities. April and May should be full
of excellent fishing choices on area waters.
Most streams and creeks are open and
fishable right now. Lower flows make for
premium dry fly opportunities on the
Missouri Ri