Great Falls, Montana Fishing Report 03.21.19

Snow and ice have been melting like crazy.  A fair number of folks are back out on the Missouri River.  Boat landings from Wolf Creek to Mid Canyon saw a bit of activity this past weekend.  Soon the river will be wide open again.  It’s like, suddenly, the lid came off of winter and eager anglers are spilling out.

I hesitate to even mention it, but if you look at the forecast, the temperatures are mild, and the “W” is not an issue.  When does that happen in the spring?  If you like spring fly fishing, you should be taking advantage.

Trout Spey

Fish are eager to eat, and small streamers represent larger food items in their world when compared to a midge or sow bug.  For the next several weeks, the swing should remain an excellent technique.  Clouser’s, near nuff sculpin, thin mints, swimming leeches, balanced leeches, balanced squirrels, Medusa’s and mini Montana intruders can all swing you up some fish.

Streamer Fishing

Streamer fishing is a great option for covering water and finding active fish.  If you are fishing from a boat, it’s not time yet to run fast and pound the banks though.  Targeting deeper flats and moderate flows are the name of the game. Keep fly movement slow and let it get down.  The flash n’ grab, mini dungeon and mini D&D have been reportedly moving fish recently.

Nymphs

Pink is still the “it” fly for nymphing.  Any nymph pattern with pink on it or that is predominantly pink can be effective.  The key is fishing in the right places.  Fish are not spread river wide. Some anglers reported no success while nymphing and others reported amazing success.  The fly was not the issue.

Dry Flies

Midges are hatching daily and there have been some windows of clustering that have driven the fish mad.  I’ve been blessed with two great dry fly outings in recent weeks.  You won’t find it everywhere, but if conditions are right and you are prepared with a light rod and a #16 Griffith's, you can be in for some fun.

Stop In

You can tell the season is on when new fly lines, rods, and reels start heading out the door. Fly sales are also on the upswing.  We’ve still got fly tying in the shop on Saturdays at 10 a.m. and Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m.  In April, we switch to Fly Tying 101 every Saturday at 10 a.m.  If you know someone who wants to get started fly fishing, send them our way.  If you have not purchased your 2019 fishing license yet, it’s time!

See past reports from the Great Falls region here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.