Montana is known among anglers for some of the best flyfishing in the world. The state features some pristine natural forests and snow peaked mountains, giving anglers some of the best fishing tributaries in the entire area.
Yellowstone Holiday offers a convenient location to three famous flyfishing lakes in Montana. With a convenient location for Yellowstone RV camping and West Yellowstone RV parks, they are located on the shores of the first flyfishing lake, as discussed below, Hebgen Lake.
- Hebgen Lake Fishing – A mere 20 minutes from West Yellowstone, this lake features convenient access and offers among the finest dry flyfishing in all of North American. With a very healthy trout population of cutthroats, browns and rainbows, this lake is bound to produce results whether using dry or wet flies. The lake produces two insect hatches. The first occurs in the early season, continuing through June and is the Chironomid hatch. The second begins in July, continues through August to September, and is the Callibaetis mayflies. Hebgen Lake has two forks, the Madison and South forks, which are anglers’ favorites. Flyfishing is easy from either a canoe or skiff, which makes it simple to keep up with moving schools of fish. Float tubes, while traditional with anglers, are more labor intensive and make it more difficult to keep up with fish. Some of the fish in Hebgen Lake range from 14 to 18 inches and some even measure over 20 inches.
- Wade Lake and Cliff Lake – Located within the Beaverhead National Forest, this area is a remarkable sight in the autumn, highlighted with red, yellow and orange foliage. These lakes have no wake speed limits and trout are easy to view on the still waters. Anglers can flyfish, troll or spincast, using both boats, float tubes or canoes on these lakes. Both lakes are known for producing large German Brown and Rainbow trout, with Wade Lake holding the state brown record at 29 pounds. Cliff Lake held the rainbow record for more than 30 years for a 29 pounder! Anglers can also enjoy the nearby scenery, which highlights native wildlife, such as deer, eagles, cranes, elk and other waterfowl. The hatchings for these lakes include caddis, stoneflies, leadwing olive, brown drake, gray drake, green drake, pale morning duns and chironomid.
The lakes are open year-round; however, some areas have special restrictions so it is best to read the Montana Fishing Regulations for additional information. Furthermore, most anglers find four- to five-weight rods that are eight to nine feet perfect for tackling these lakes.
A once in a lifetime experience, anglers can enjoy the beautiful and raw wilderness of Montana, while catching the trout of a lifetime.
References: