We have seen the last of the fishable water most likely on the Gallatin and the Yellowstone for the remainder of runoff season, which depending on who you talk to isn't going to be done for a while... Lot's of snowpack and lots of moisture the last couple of months and continuing into May means we're going to have a fantastic summer, it just might mean that summer is going to start a bit later this year...

The Caddis were out on the Yellowstone and Gallatin for a few days, they are both unfishable now, but the hatch happened as it does every year and it was a sight to see once again. There's caddis on the Lower Madison so once this Seattle weather clears out and we see some sunshine I would imagine that the Lower Madison will fish pretty damn well until she blows out, which your guess is as good as ours on that one this year. Other than that around our immediate area, forget it! The Lower and Upper Madison will be your options for the remainder of the month within an hour of Bozeman other than lakes - time to start figuring out some lake fishing!

The Big Hole is going vertical, once it heats up, you can kiss that one goodbye too for a little bit anyhow. The Jefferson is toast, as is most likely the Ruby and lower Beaverhead, you can access the Beaverhead before general season (May 21st) from Pipe Organ Bridge downstream, just understand it's not really wade fishing flows over there right now, it's floating flows. Below Grasshopper it's going to be dirty too... Stillwater, Boulder, are both heading up fast, those will be unfishable for a while...

Lake wise there's a few things opening up at lower elevations, Clark Canyon has fished well, Canyon Ferry is all open and the fish are cruising the shoreline still in that 20-30 foot off the bank range. Willy fished Harrison and said it's fishing well too. So you have some options to fish still don't despair

The only place in Montana I got to fish in April (besides the Boulder and the Madison) was Fort Peck for some pike fishing, and that was a great way to soak up some sunshine, got one lone fly chaser in two days of fishing, but hey who is going to complain when you get to zoom around in a bass boat with 65 degrees and sunshine!

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