Gallatin River Fly Fishing, Bozeman Montana

Gallatin River Fishing is an angler’s paradise, offering pristine river water teeming with rainbow and brown trout in breathtaking surroundings of Yellowstone National Park and Gallatin County, near Bozeman, Montana.

Originating at 10,000 feet in northwest Yellowstone National Park, the Gallatin River begins as a creek, gaining speed and water as it journeys through Yellowstone, and Gallatin Canyon near Bozeman and Big Sky, Montana, and continues north through Gallatin Gateway, Belgrade and Manhattan until it joins the Madison and Jefferson Rivers, creating the Missouri River near Three Forks.

The movie "A River Runs Through It" references the Gallatin River, one of the most prized rivers in Montana trout country, for some of its best fishing scenes.

Best Time to Fish

Anglers wait eagerly for blue-winged olive mayflies and numerous caddis hatches in April and May, signaling the return of optimum trout fishing. The large, colorful salmonfly moves upstream with its biggest appearance usually in late-June and early July. Fly fishing continues successfully until late August with Caddis hatches, terrestrial insects (flying ants and hoppers) and year-round midge populations. Rainbow and brown trout average 12-17" throughout the Gallatin River system.

There isn’t much competition for anglers casting for trout or the Mountain Whitefish in Gallatin River from December to February, so there’s more fish for the hearty souls who brave Montana’s weather.

Best Place to Fish

September through November brings a major hatching period of hoppers and trout feed hungrily on them as well as beetles and ants along Gallatin River banks. The crowds thin out and it's just you, the fish, and the beautiful Gallatin River.