Gallatin River Fishing Report
Date: 01/23/2026
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
The Gallatin River is still fishing, but colder weather has made things more challenging over the past week. Early mornings have been slow, and ice has shown up at times, especially along the banks. Fishing has been best once things start to thaw, with the most consistent window coming around noon and into the early afternoon. Paying attention to ice conditions before getting in the river has been important.
Nymphing has been the most reliable way to catch fish. Attractor-style nymphs have been working best, with stonefly-style patterns fished up front and smaller nymphs like perdigons, pheasant tails, and zebra midges behind. A 9-foot fluorocarbon leader of 3X or 4X has been a solid setup for fishing enough weight without overdoing it. Slower water has been producing better than faster sections right now.
Streamer fishing has been hit or miss. Smaller streamer patterns have moved an occasional fish, but results have not been consistent enough to rely on. If you do try streamers, keeping things simple with a shorter leader of heavier fluorocarbon has been the easiest approach.
Dry fly activity has been very limited. Midges are around, but surface feeding has been brief and easy to miss. If you see fish rising, a small midge dry or emerger can work, but subsurface fishing has been far more dependable.
Overall, the Gallatin River is still an option if you time it right. Waiting for ice to clear, focusing on the middle of the day, and sticking with nymph rigs has been the best way to find fish right now.
Addtional Gallatin River Fly Fishing Resources:
- Gallatin River Fly Fishing In Winter
- Fly Fishing Bozeman In Winter
Stream Flows
Flows
Recommended Flies
Rainbow Spanish Bullet
Black Pat's Rubberleg
Purple Lite Brite Perdigon
Purple Psycho Prince
Pheasant Tail
Brown Pat's Rubberleg
Black Zebra Midge
Prince Nymph
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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Montana fly fishing trips on the Gallatin River with the team at Fins and Feathers Guide Service includes wading the canyon sections south of Bozeman and floating the lower river...
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