Montana Fly Fishing Lakes

There are no shortages of stillwater options for anglers fly fishing in Montana these days. The options are seemingly endless, ranging from small, high-country lakes in the Beartooth Mountains to the expansive reservoirs along the Missouri River.

For the trout angler, the most productive lakes and reservoirs can be found throughout the western half of the Big Sky State. The best times to fly fish lakes and reservoirs in Montana are just after the ice melts and mid-summer when mayfly hatches are most prolific. However, productive outings can be found throughout the summer and fall seasons using various techniques, such as stripping small streamers or suspending flies under a strike indicator.

Our Montana fishing guides look to a handful of stillwater options during the runoff month of May when the Montana rivers are high and off-color. Experienced anglers enjoy fishing these in July and August when Callibaetis and trico hatches occur and conditions are just right.. Contact us to learn more about our stillwater guided fly fishing trips near Bozeman.

										Willow creek reservoir fly fishing

Harrison Lake

										Ennis lake view from above

Ennis Lake

										Flooded forests are the present day reminders of the devastating earthquake that formed Quake Lake in 1959.

Earthquake Lake


From Our Montana Fly Fishing Blog

Montana Fishing Reports

trout-icon trout-icon

Gallatin River

Last Updated: 02/06/2025

Still chilly on Montana’s Gallatin River this week. Today and tomorrow there is still some fish-able weather around Big Sky with temps in the high twenties. Next week will be...

See Full Report
trout-icon trout-icon

Upper Madison

Last Updated: 02/06/2025

With the frigid temps Montana’s Upper Madison River is an icey mess around Ennis Montana. Your best bet is to go up stream around Three Dollar Bridge and Reynold’s Pass...

See Full Report
trout-icon trout-icon

Lower Madison

Last Updated: 02/06/2025

Very chilly still on the Lower Madison River this week. The next few days look decent with temps in the mid twenties. The beginning of next week is looking much...

See Full Report

Ask Us A Question