Which end? in Montana

I've been lucky enough to spend a fairly large amount of time in Idaho and
Montana, over the years, in the times between June1st and Sept 1st.

I've heard, but never experienced, good things about the fishing in April
and Sept.

This season I hope to include one of the above months in my plans, but I'm
having trouble deciding which end of the season to try. If you have
experience fishing Montana ( I'm thinking mainly of the Dillon area for
April and Big Horn -East Yellowstone for Sept ) at these times and places,
I'd love for you to share your experiences, to help me decide.

Notes:
Good, bad, or indifferent, I equate fly fishing with hatches and rising
fish. I just this minute returned from a 5 mile drive to 'local water"
where I went so far as to don waders before I admitted to myself that
sloshing around looking a a piece of yarn wasn't interesting enough to
justify the rest of rigging up, even though I would nearly certainly have
caught some fish.

And my interest in fishing isn't a passion like I used to have for duck
hunting, interest deep enough to justify suffering :-) ... if it's too damn
cold, I don't care if he's rising steady and 24" ... I just can't get into
being REAL cold ( or hot, or otherwise uncomfortable ) to catch a fish. I
have fished and enjoyed it, on snowy days but iced guides and such are for
guys more dedicated than myself ... that's duck weather G

So experiences on the likelyhood of good insect emergences is primary in
what I hope to obtain via this inquiry. Add weather reports and I might be
well enough armed to make up my mind

Thanks, in advance

Larry:

The fishing is good either time, although the dry fly fishing seems to me
from limited experience to be better in April. However, I have only had
nasty weather one day in September (horizontal snow, sleet, freezing rain,
turn your lips blue and your hands scarlet kind of weather), all but one day
during April. I will be going to Montana again this April, and again in
September if everything works out right. And if I'm lucky, the weather will
be nasty again.

Jim Ray

--
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"Larry L" wrote in message
...
I've been lucky enough to spend a fairly large amount of time in Idaho and
Montana, over the years, in the times between June1st and Sept 1st.

I've heard, but never experienced, good things about the fishing in April
and Sept.

This season I hope to include one of the above months in my plans, but I'm
having trouble deciding which end of the season to try. If you have
experience fishing Montana ( I'm thinking mainly of the Dillon area for
April and Big Horn -East Yellowstone for Sept ) at these times and places,
I'd love for you to share your experiences, to help me decide.

Notes:
Good, bad, or indifferent, I equate fly fishing with hatches and rising
fish. I just this minute returned from a 5 mile drive to 'local water"
where I went so far as to don waders before I admitted to myself that
sloshing around looking a a piece of yarn wasn't interesting enough to
justify the rest of rigging up, even though I would nearly certainly have
caught some fish.

And my interest in fishing isn't a passion like I used to have for duck
hunting, interest deep enough to justify suffering :-) ... if it's too
damn
cold, I don't care if he's rising steady and 24" ... I just can't get
into
being REAL cold ( or hot, or otherwise uncomfortable ) to catch a fish. I
have fished and enjoyed it, on snowy days but iced guides and such are for
guys more dedicated than myself ... that's duck weather G

So experiences on the likelyhood of good insect emergences is primary in
what I hope to obtain via this inquiry. Add weather reports and I might
be
well enough armed to make up my mind

Thanks, in advance

"Larry L" wrote in message
...
I've been lucky enough to spend a fairly large amount of time in Idaho and
Montana, over the years, in the times between June1st and Sept 1st.

I've heard, but never experienced, good things about the fishing in April
and Sept.

If the rivers are not blown in April due to run off, the fishing should be
good. I would keep and eye on river flows and check with a local fly shop
for conditions. I have seen clear conditions one day and chocolate milk the
next. Normally due to a warming trend and rain over night.

Jeff T.

April sucks around here, except for steelhead, which I don't think is
what you're looking for. September is probably the best month of the
year, but the really good fishing requires either a raft trip, or a very
strong pair of legs, or a horse. Or an airplane or a helicopter.

If I might make a suggestion, Larry, it's something I've been meaning to
do but haven't got around to -- chasing the Spring salmonfly hatches
around the Northern Rockies. You'd have to be very flexible about your
travel plans, because the hatches and conditions are so unpredictable,
but it could be a great adventure.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

OK, I "have" to be in Calif the last week of May and likely the first in
June, but I could do a Mid-April to mid-May trip ( I tend to think in terms
of month long periods ) ... is runoff likely to muck that up? I'm under
the impression that the streams don't blow out, on average, until late May,
early June

Maybe the chances of more days of good weather are better the later I arrive
( and still have enough time for a good trip before runoff )

Good baetis hatches in NW MT in April. Maybe less rainbows in the
main rivers as the are starting to spawn. Very few flyfisherman on
the rivers, best of all! Weather is the prime factor. As the season
is changing tends to be a lot of wind. I live out here so just stay
home those days but it can blow for 3-4 days at a time. Kind of a
drag if you only have a week out here.
Sept this year on the Missourri wasnt the best . Extremely hot
weather during the summer seems to have affected the hatches. There
was almost no caddis action up river, some down but the water was
unconsionably warm to fish. Baetis dont show up till late Oct.

I thought the Missourri was most crowded for wading in Sept. as most
of the " better" fisherman were waiting for the summer crowds to
disappear. Sadly there s enough of them to constitute an invasion.

I d vote for April over Sept. and take my chances with the weather.

MT

Larry L wrote:

I've been lucky enough to spend a fairly large amount of time in Idaho and
Montana, over the years, in the times between June1st and Sept 1st.

I've heard, but never experienced, good things about the fishing in April
and Sept.


My experience over the years in CO (I know it's not MT or ID):

The two months you mentioned are two of my favorites. Rivers are not
crowded and the fishing is VERY good.

April is prerunoff. You CAN get runoff in April, but that's VERY
unusual. Prerunoff fishing starts usually at the end of February. It
starts slow with midges and some small BWO's stirring some fish. Then as
the water warms, the fishing gets better and better until it becomes
OUTSTANDING - then runoff starts.

September is a good month. It's better, IMO, later in the month than
earlier. The cooler weather starts to cool the rivers and this gets the
fish stirring.

In terms of weather, April is a wet month and you can get quite a bit of
rain and snow. September is generally dry. Temperatures both months are
usually pleasant.

Locally there are no "famous" hatches during either month. April will
get some very good BWO's and some caddis are about. May here in CO
brings out a heavy caddis hatch. The first part of September will still
have some good Trico activity but that fades with the cooler weather.
BWOs, and caddis are about but no heavy hatches. (When fishing the
Bighorn this year in September, we had what was probably the heaviest
caddis hatch I've seen.)

If I had to choose between the two, I'd pick September. Fall is my
favorite time of the year. The weather is usually great, the fishing is
generally good, and the light and the changing leaves are beautiful.

Willi

"Larry L" wrote in message
...
I've been lucky enough to spend a fairly large amount of time in Idaho and
Montana, over the years, in the times between June1st and Sept 1st.

I've heard, but never experienced, good things about the fishing in April
and Sept.



April can be really great, or really bad, and sometimes on the same day.

Most streams that flow to the Pacific have hatches of Skwala, and Ameletus
in April, and the Bitterroot and Clark's Fork have become somewhat famous
for the spring fishing they offer during these hatches ( with +20" catches
for many).

September offers a totally different fishing expireience and is good on
almost any water you choose.

Also, it is a better bet if your time is limited as the weather is usually
more agreeable.

Personally I'd recomend gambling on April if you are interested in a
catching what are usually the bigger trout caught for the year.

Skwala

Larry L wrote:

I've been lucky enough to spend a fairly large amount of time in Idaho and
Montana, over the years, in the times between June1st and Sept 1st.



Larry,

I've never fished Idaho in April. When I was doing most of my fishing
there the season didn't open until the end of May. I guess that has
changed in some places now that have gone to year around fishing.

However, late August and early September are my favorite times to fish
the Teton River and various creeks/cricks in the area. BWO and PMDs can
be very effective, though sometimes you do need to go small. If there
has not been an early hard frost grasshoppers along the banks can still
be effective even into September.

Weather can be unpredictable but is usually nice if not cool, especially
toward the end of September.

Russell

Heck, you could still ice fish in April when I was growing up in Driggs.