July 26, 2023 Gallatin River Fishing Report
Date: 07/26/2023
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
The Gallatin has been fishing well in the canyon and above Big Sky the last couple of weeks. Expect to find evening spinner falls and fish rising in quiet corners near dusk. During the day, the trick is really finding some water that hasn't been hit too hard by other anglers. Dry dropper rigs with Chubby Chernobyls and Perdigon-style jig nymphs in dark colors is a great searching setup, while fishing simple dries such as a Purple Haze, Royal Wulff, or Yellow Humpy in a size 14 or 16 has been finding fish throughout the river this week.
The Gallatin Valley sections are fishing better, early in the day with standard nymph rigs fished in the deeper pools and fast runs. Small Pat's Rubberlegs in Brown with a Micro Mayfly or Lightning Bug dropper will find some fish throughout the day. We are getting some fish to come up and eat hoppers as well!
The lower Gallatin (downstream of Manhattan) is now on Hoot Owl, so it closes to fishing from 2pm to Midnight.
Gallatin River Webcam - Located at Karst, which is about 1/2 way between Bozeman and Big Sky on HWY 191.
Stream Flows
Flows
Recommended Flies
Black Pat's Rubberleg
Butano Lite Brite Perdigon
Purple Haze
Gallatin River Fishing
The Gallatin River starts small in YNP and becomes a medium-sized western river below Big Sky, Montana. It flows through Gallatin Canyon with swift pockets and fast runs. The river is known for its clean, cold water and offers over 75 miles of blue-ribbon trout water accessible at turnouts along HWY 191 and throughout the Gallatin Valley. The Gallatin River joins the Jefferson and Madison Rivers to form the Missouri River near Three Forks, Montana.
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.