Gallatin River Fishing Report
Date: 09/28/2026
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
The Gallatin River is low and clear, and the cold weather has pushed the better fishing later into the day. There’s no need to rush out in the morning right now. Fish are beginning to settle into deeper, slower water, particularly on the lower river.
Nymphing should be the way to go with the colder water. A brown or black pat’s rubberlegs followed by a smaller attractor nymph or a black or olive perdigon will cover most of the day. Keep the dropper on the smaller side and fish fluorocarbon with the river as clear as it is.
There are baetis around, so watch for a short dry fly window once the afternoon warms up. A parachute adams or small baetis dry is worth having ready, but there’s no reason to force the dry fly fishing if fish aren’t looking up.
Addtional Gallatin River Fly Fishing Resources:
Stream Flows
View stream flow graph on USGS
Recommended Flies
Tan Morrish Hopper
Royal Chubby Chernobyl
Rainbow Spanish Bullet
X caddis
Pheasant Tail
Brown Pat's Rubberleg
Purple Lite Brite Perdigon
Spruce Moth Almighty
Gallatin River Fishing
Read our "Gallatin River Fishing Guide" to learn more about fly fishing in Montana on the Gallatin River. It is a great resource for anglers fishing near Bozeman Montana and details the various river stretches and seasonal hatches with tips from our Bozeman fly fishing guides.
Additional Gallatin River Fly Fishing Resources
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