SLC Recurve
Member
Anybody have any recommendations for some remote streams in the Big Sky or West Yellowstone area? I'm traveling light and don't mind hiking a few miles to get there. Any advice is appreciated.
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Montana blue lining
- Thread starter SLC Recurve
- Start date
Personally, if I was that close to the Madison, it's the only place I'd be fishing.
But..... if blue lines are your thing... There's a dandy one on the right if you're traveling west between Hebgen lake and Quake lake. There's a gravel road on the right that parallels the creek for several miles. I believe it's called Beaver creek and the views up that valley are spectacular. Last time I was up there, we encountered 3 bull moose and a cinnamon bear.
A little closer to town is Grayling creek, a tributary of Hebgen lake. It's a small creek that's right beside 191. I hooked the largest wild rainbow I've ever had a hold of in a little 90 degree bend in Grayling creek once. It was over 24" and jumped a few times before snapping my tippet.
If you'll walk a little, there's some stretches of the Gallatin that bend away from the road and get less pressure. Float a hopper along some of those undercut banks and hang on!
But..... if blue lines are your thing... There's a dandy one on the right if you're traveling west between Hebgen lake and Quake lake. There's a gravel road on the right that parallels the creek for several miles. I believe it's called Beaver creek and the views up that valley are spectacular. Last time I was up there, we encountered 3 bull moose and a cinnamon bear.
A little closer to town is Grayling creek, a tributary of Hebgen lake. It's a small creek that's right beside 191. I hooked the largest wild rainbow I've ever had a hold of in a little 90 degree bend in Grayling creek once. It was over 24" and jumped a few times before snapping my tippet.
If you'll walk a little, there's some stretches of the Gallatin that bend away from the road and get less pressure. Float a hopper along some of those undercut banks and hang on!
swampstalker24
Senior Member
You should check out Bear Trap Canyon wilderness area near Bozeman. its got about 10 miles of foot traffic only access to the Madison River. Was ganna hike in there and fish it back in may, but the runoff had just started so we went to the Missouri river instead.
SLC Recurve
Member
We already plan to spend a day on the Madison and another on the Gallatin, but I was trying to work in a little backcountry hiking too. Those are some great ideas. Thanks again!
Whatever you do, post up some pics!
Meriwether Mike
Senior Member
Try Slough Creek over in the NE part of the park if you want to hike in for some good fishing.
The Madison river below Quake Lake is my all-time favorite place to fish on Earth. A close second, is the second meadow of Slough Creek.
fishndoc
Senior Member
I was out there the last two weeks, and that section of the Madison was on fire.
Don't know if it was due to the Hebgen dam finally releasing cold water again, the cooler/cold weather (snowed along the Madison and Gallatin Monday before last), or just the alignment of the planets, but dry fly action was fast and furious, and it was hard to drift a nymph behind a rock without a fish on.
The guides at Galloup's said it was best fishing they had seen in many years.
And, now I'm ready to go back
I wish I hadn't read that.
I was there 2 years ago for the hottest dry fly action I had ever seen on the Madison in several trips, and that's saying something. After catching the tail end of the hatch for a few years, we managed to hit the salmonfly hatch on the Yellowstone just right that year. It was pretty epic, throwing size 2 bugs as big as baby birds and getting monster cutts coming up to the surface for them.
SLC Recurve
Member
Well the trip was great! We drifted the Yellowstone and waded the Madison, Gallatin, Firehole, and Gibbon rivers, Slough creek, Obsidian creek, and Beaver creek. Met several friendly fisherman out there (it was busy on the bigger water but everybody was courteous and helpful). My boys caught all the big fish, but I beat them in volume of fish caught. My personal favorite fish was the big cutt my 12yo caught on a dry fly in Yellowstone park using my vintage Fenwick ff755. Thanks again for the helpful tips guys! Here are some of the highlights:
Attachments
Yeah man! It's awesome out there.
deerhuntingdawg
Senior Member
Awesome photos!!
swampstalker24
Senior Member
Nice catch. What kind flies were you guys having luck on if you don't mind me asking? I'll be up there next month hopping to get them on hoppers.
SLC Recurve
Member
The cutthroat in the pic took an elk hair caddis from my son after I threw a midge at it about 20 times (just what I had tied on from the evening before). Stimulator and Parachute Adams worked well too. We couldn't get the rising trout at Firehole to bite anything we tied on though. They were small but picky. Didn't get many takers on the stonefly but small nymphs worked fine. Should be prime time for terrestrials. If you're looking for a drift guide, I'd highly recommend Jamie Benedickt in Bozeman. We drifted the Yellowstone from Livingston with him and he knows every good trout hole on that river.
ryanh487
Senior Member
You're killing me... dream trip is Montana. Starting January 1 I get 18 vacation days a year at work, hopefully 2018 is the year I'll finally have the cash and time available to drive the jeep out to Montana with some camping and fishing gear and spend 7-10 days hiking and fishing.
SLC Recurve
Member
Yeah, if I was traveling without the family I could get by with backpack, fly rod and a 4wd just fine. Thats the way to do Montana IMHO. Oh yeah, and don't forget bear spray. We did run into a grizzly mom and a cub in the park one day.
ryanh487
Senior Member
Part of my equipment list is going to be a large caliber handgun or rifle. I don't mess around with predators 3-4 times my size. I'd be torn between setting up a base camp and driving out for day hikes or light backpacking it and moving camp each day. The jeep has 33" all terrains and a 4" lift so it would be able to handle rougher trails/make trails on open ground fairly easily.
Scotsman
Senior Member
Check out the Lamar river. Was there many years ago, great hiking, excellent fishing, beautiful.
I'm sorry, but I'll trust a pistol over a can of spray any day. I do lots of backcountry fishing, and always have a pistol on my side when wading. It's probably easier to carry than the bear spray.
