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Gallatin Canyon

When the leaves begin to turn, trout in the Gallatin Canyon (above) feed heavily on fall Baetis hatches. Use 5X tippet and #18-20 Sparkle Duns, Compara-duns, Parachute Adams, Pheasant Tails, and Hare’s-ear Nymphs.

The Gallatin Canyon is one of the most beautiful places on earth and a fine place to cast a fly. It is one of the locations where A River Runs Through It was filmed and you can see why Hollywood picked the spot.

The river is swift, roiling, and deep, marked by giant, often-exposed boulders, bottomless pools, and long, deep runs. Steep, forested slopes rise directly from the banks. Colorful, yellowish/red sandstone outcroppings jut from the mountains and in places, the colorful slabs drop directly to the river. Wildlife abounds and sightings of bighorn sheep, black bears, elk, and mule deer are common. Once I spotted a cougar heading in my direction at an area of the canyon called Rock Haven.

The cool canyon is a wonderful place to be on a hot summer day and its May through July caddis hatches are often massive. However, the Gallatin is a freestone stream, unimpeded by dams, so it blows out between mid-May and late June or early July during runoff time.

When the river is in shape, expect caddis emergences and egg-laying flights in the afternoon and evening hours. Waves of caddis flutter on the warm wind and scores crawl from their nymphal shucks and rock cases, trying desperately to exit the surface and take to the air. Many don’t make it, as evidenced by the number of trout breaking the surface to swallow them. The trout are rainbows, cutthroats, and a few browns ranging from 11 to 14 inches, with a few pushing 17 or 18 inches. Reports of fish stretching past 20 inches surface each season.

The June and July caddis blitz is my favorite hatch on the Gallatin. The fish key on adults almost every afternoon and evening. An Elk-hair Caddis, black caddis, LaFontaine Emergent Sparkle Pupa, or X-caddis sometimes fools 20 or more trout in a few hours.

Commercial rafting tours are common in the canyon during the summer, especially during the high flows of May, June, and July. To avoid rafters, fish above Big Sky, below the Storm Castle area, or the top and middle portions of Gallatin Canyon early or late in the day when the rafts are off the river. Fishing from a boat or raft is not permitted on the Gallatin between Yellowstone Park and the mouth of the East Gallatin. Plan on wading with felt-soled, studded wading boots and a wading belt when you fish this area.

Gallatin Canyon has decent dry-fly fishing, but it is better known as a nymphing area. Indicator and dual nymph setups are standard and a variety of subsurface patterns work well. When fishing the canyon I carry #4-8 Bitch Creeks, rubber-leg Kaufmann and Brook’s stones; #14-18 Prince Nymphs, Hare’s Ears, Peeking Caddis, Deep Sparkle Pupa, and Lightning Bugs; and #18-20 Pheasant Tails, Brassies, Copper Johns, Serendipities, and blood midges. During winter and spring, egg imitations catch fish.

Dry-fly fishing is best during spring midge and Baetis hatches and again as high water recedes in June or July, a time when salmonflies, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stoneflies, Pale Morning Duns (PMDs), Tricos, and terrestrials are present. Baetis reappear during late September and hatch through November.

Throughout the canyon, public access is plentiful. Some of the best water is on the bank opposite the highway, where anglers rarely venture. Forest Service campgrounds, commercial cabins, and crude tent sites are found throughout the canyon. Guest lodges such as Big River Lodge, located at Squaw Creek, have food and lodging and people with insight into the river’s nuances.

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