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Best 9 Nymphs For Bozeman Fly Fishing in Winter

Posted by: Alex

Date: 01/15/2026

Winter fly fishing in Montana is a great time of year for fly anglers to work on perfecting their nymph fishing game. Nymphing is the most productive fly-fishing technique when water temperatures hover just above freezing. Here are 9 time-tested, proven patterns for wintertime fly fishing near Bozeman.

Winter Fly Fishing Bozeman

Some of the best winter fly fishing around Bozeman happens on the Yellowstone River, Gallatin River, and Lower Madison River. Between winter storms when the ice chunks clear and the afternoon temps bump up a bit, each of these rivers can fish surprisingly well.

The Gallatin River has plenty of easy pull-offs close to town, and with light winter angling pressure, there’s always open water to fish.
The Lower Madison River fishes well in the winter on mild afternoons that trigger heavy midge hatches when the wind stays down on overcast days. Prospect the deeper lies with standard nymph setups for steady results when conditions allow.
The Yellowstone River sees more shelf ice, but the water through and just upstream of Livingston usually stays free of ice, offering plenty of easy access.

Midge and stonefly nymphs are active throughout the winter months, and trout will key into them, specifically from January to March. Flies that are imitative in size and color are the foundation of our Bozeman, MT. fly fishing guides' wintertime fly boxes. Pair them with a reliable "generalist" pattern for a productive tandem nymph rig.

If we had to pick just a handful of flies to "get it done" for a day of Bozeman fly fishing during the winter, here are our 9 best winter nymph patterns.

All around mayfly pattern for fly fishing Montana.

1. Rainbow Warrior Perdigon

A year-round favorite fly pattern for Montana anglers because it is flashy and sinks quickly without needing a lot of additional weight. On most winter days, fish take this fly on the first few drifts, which makes it a great searching pattern for covering deep holes and runs where fish stack up during the wintertime.

2. Lightning Bug

This classic twist on the pheasant tail stands out during the wintertime, even when mayfly activity is minimal. The silver, pearl, and gold colorways are all reliable options for anglers fishing pocket water in the Gallatin Canyon or near Three Dollar Bridge on the upper Madison River.

3. Zebra Midge

You can't go wrong with a zebra midge when fly fishing in Montana from November - March, especially on the wild trout waters near Bozeman. It’s small, sinks fast, and imitates both the midge larva and pupa stages. This one is worth having in an assortment of colors, including black, red, and olive, tied in sizes #18 - #22.

4. Pheasant Tail

Fish this quintessential nymph pattern with or without a bead, add some flash to it, or fish it plain and simple - it works. Imitative of mayfly nymphs, trout are always on the lookout for bugs that inadvertently find their way into a heavy current seam and drift helplessly in frigid water temperatures.

5. Psycho Prince

This is our favorite variation of the prince nymph because it has just enough color to "pop" just enough on a dark, winter day. That little bit of flash helps get a fish’s attention in deeper buckets and pocket water. It’s a great fly to rotate in when more subtle patterns stop getting looks.

6. RS2

It’s a great fly to trail behind a heavier attractor when fish get picky, especially on bright, sunny days in clear winter water. Designed to be fished in the film as a small mayfly emerger, the RS2 is equally effective when fished with some weight on a deep nymph rig. Fish variations with sparkle wings in sizes 16-18 for the best results.

7. Black Inferno-Gon

Like the rainbow warrior and other flashy attractors, the black infernogon is a flashy perdigon attractor pattern with an oversized bead that helps it sink quickly through the water column to get down deep where trout hold during the wintertime. This fly's versatility makes it a solid choice as a lead or bottom fly on Madison and Gallatin river nymph rigs.

8. Copper John

This is our favorite fly to pair with a Pats Rubberleg on the Gallatin River in winter. Beaded and tied with a wire body, the copper john is a freestone river staple that imitates small stonefly and mayfly nymphs. The standard copper or red colors are our guides' go-to wintertime variations.

9. Juju Baetis

When fishing slower water or eddies and trout just won’t come up for dries, this Charlie Craven classic will get them in the most technical scenarios. This realistic bwo nymph imitation becomes increasingly important in late winter and is an essential for anglers fly fishing the upper Madison and regional tailwaters.

Tips for Winter Fly Fishing in Montana

Winter Fly Fishing Montana is one of the best times for nymphing. With fewer anglers around and slower, and fish more consolidated into defined holding water, anglers get the chance to experiment with patterns they might not fish as much during the rest of the year. Each of these nymphs is a great choice for a variety of winter scenarios and has been time-tested, over and over again.

Bozeman fly fishing during winter has a few perks that are easy to overlook. Most of our local rivers have plenty of access points close to town, so getting on the water doesn’t take long. With fewer anglers out, you don’t need to move as far from each pull-off as you do during the busy seasons.

Another advantage is that you can cover more water by switching flies instead of moving all around.

In the winter, trout don't move around as much, so cycling through the patterns on this list by starting with the flashy perdigons, then the classic attractors, and then to the more imitative patterns often works better than hiking from run to run.

Pick a good bucket, change flies a few times, and you’ll usually figure out what they want without ever leaving a spot.