September 20, 2023 Gallatin River Fishing Report
Date: 09/20/2023
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
Things are really cooling off now on the river with the arrival of Fall just a few days away and some really cold nights in the high county over the course of the past week. We have been focusing on nymphing small bugs under an indicator with a small split shot in the Gallatin Canyon the last week. The low, clear water has us fishing with 5x tippet during the sunny days and find that this makes a difference in picking up these fish that get pretty wary by this time of the year. Small attractor dries are still finding some fish along the seams next to mid-river and bank-side rocks in the later part of the day. Expect this fishing to get better in the coming weeks as the Fall weather starts to settle into Southwest Montana.
Streamer fishing is starting to get better in the Gallatin Valley as well, this should really pickup in the next week as well. We have had our best success with smaller, white-colored streamers fished on a floating line in the earlier part of the day between Gallatin Gateway and Shed's Bridge.
You can get an idea of the water conditions in the Big Sky area by viewing this webcam, hosted by our friends at Montana Whitewater
Stream Flows
Flows
Recommended Flies
Purple Lite Brite Perdigon
Purple Haze
Tungsten Jigged Prince
White Peanut Envy
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.