The Montana landscape becomes vibrant with a mix of green and yellow as winter slowly recedes and long days and warm nights take over. The stark contrast between the snow-capped mountains and vivid...
...valley floors is an image that anglers will cherish throughout the season. They will revisit that image often during the hot, dry summer days of August. April is known for wildly unpredictable fly fishing in Montana, yet days on the water this time of year are oftentimes the most memorable and satisfying dry fly fishing days of the season.
The big rivers near Bozeman come alive with warming water temperatures that bring insects and trout from their winter lethargy. Anglers fishing near Bozeman can find the best fly fishing in Montana during April within a short drive of downtown in every direction.
Cloudy weather brings blanket hatches of midges and blue-winged olive mayflies out on the lower Madison and Yellowstone Rivers. Skwala stoneflies begin to show on the Gallatin and Jefferson Rivers in sparse numbers, while increasingly warm days serve as a distraction to local anglers eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Mother’s Day Caddis Hatch later in the month.
Fly fishing in Montana during April is a terrific angling experience for both experienced and novice anglers in search of rising trout. The rivers and streams near Bozeman are a dry fly angler’s nirvana during this transitional month as waters warm and hatches come alive. Here are our Bozeman fly fishing guide’s top hatches for the best dry fly fishing in Montana during April.
Blue-winged olive mayflies hatch in prolific numbers throughout the year on mild, overcast days. They are of particular importance to both trout and anglers in the fall and spring months when there are few other hatching insects present.
Anglers fishing the lower Madison or Yellowstone Rivers throughout April can expect dense hatch events around mid-day when overcast conditions are present. The duration and intensity of these hatches depend on the weather and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours.
Experienced anglers should be prepared with a few essential dry and wet fly patterns, 9’ leaders with 4 and 5X tippets, as well as both gel and powder fly treatments. Comparadun, Sparkle Dun, and Parachute style dry flies with dark olive bodies in sizes 16-18 are reliable BWO stalwart patterns that should be well represented in an angler’s fly box. Emerger patterns like the RS2 or Barr’s Emerger are often fished in the water’s film or slightly subsurface when trout become finicky and refuse a well-presented BWO adult imitation.
Skwala are medium-sized stoneflies that are prevalent throughout the rivers of Montana during the late winter and early summer. The Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers have small numbers of these stoneflies yet they fish well with large, adult imitations on sunny, April days.
Although hatches are generally sporadic and sparse, trout key into the adults as they lay their eggs while struggling on the water’s surface. Anglers typically “blind” fish productive runs with a large Skwala imitation rather than target rising fish in the way one would during a traditional “match the hatch” fly fishing scenario. Intense strikes often come with little warning and can bring an angler tight to Rainbow and Brown Trout in the 20+ inch class with regularity.
Floating these rivers is the best way to cover lots of water when fishing large dries during the Skwala “season.” The Flushfloater or Emma’s Stone dry flies in the Skwala color variation are fly box standard for most Montana fishing guides in April. Chubby Chernobyl patterns are year-round standards and the peacock, purple, or royal variations work well as Skwala imitations in sizes 8-12.
As the days continue to grow longer towards mid-April, warm weather invariably finds its way to Montana. Water temperatures quickly increase with a few sequential daytime highs in the mid-70s or even 80s. Local anglers pay close attention this time of the year to the murmurs of local fly fishing guides in Bozeman and Livingston for news of Caddis sightings on the Yellowstone and lower Madison Rivers.
The Mother’s Day Caddis hatch is a dry fly spectacle beyond compare. The river’s surface will be carpeted with mats of hatching caddis that are measured in “yards wide” and “inches thick.” This phenomenon will last for days on the lower Madison River and up to weeks on the Yellowstone River. Timing is crucial for the angler fishing the Mother’s Day Caddis Hatch with luck being more important than skill when it comes to hitting it just right.
Although Caddis are present throughout the spring and summer months, the Mother’s Day Caddis hatch is a unique hatch event that is difficult to imagine and sounds more like an angler’s tale than reality. There is a reason why late April finds Bozeman business offices vacant and Paradise Valley boat ramps busy during an 80-degree midweek day in late April.
April dry fly fishing near Bozeman comes to a crescendo with the arrival of the Mother’s Day Caddis hatch towards the latter part of the month. Anglers can experience stellar dry fly fishing on these best fly fishing waters in Montana throughout April as water temperatures and conditions improve prior to the looming runoff season of May.
Fishing reports and anglers fishing guides to local rivers like the Madison, Gallatin, Yellowstone, and Jefferson are helpful resources for planning your next outing.
The Fins and Feathers Guide Service team of Bozeman fly fishing guides has been guiding local and visiting anglers during April for over 23+ years. Join us for a day trip or two to improve your fly fishing skills or to better understand the prolific hatches and tremendous dry fly fishing opportunities near Bozeman this time of the year.
