Montana Troutfitters is Bozeman’s oldest fly fishing shop Since 1978

Feb 24, 2026

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The mighty MO is super fun right now!

Its winter... Kind of, but the water is still cold. Your winter nymphs are still getting the bulk of the action. We always talk about shiny and tiny, and shrink it and pink it up this way. Scuds, Sow Bugs, Midges, and Baetis nymphs are getting the job done. If I had to rig up, it's hard to beat a sow bug down to a midge right now. We like to go about 6' to the split shot and about 9' total to the bottom fly. The two handers are also working decently well. The flow has been a little low for a few of our favorite runs right now, but there are plenty of places to get a fly in the water. Don't be afraid to run a slightly lighter tip this winter than normal up there. A 4" per second sink rate is pretty darn good all around right now. There has been some decent dry fly action up this way as well. When it is calm, which hasn't been too often this winter, a few heads are around. A Griffiths gnat down to red zebra midge is always nice in the slow eddys. A small parachute midge is a great bug to get them when they are coming up with consistency.

View USGS Streamflows

Fly Pattern Suggestions

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Dries:

Griffiths Gnat (16-20), Quigley Cluster (16-20), Parachute Midge (18-22), Brooks Sprout (18-22), RS2 Black (18)

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Nymphs:

Tailwater Sow bug (16-18), Tungsten Tailwater sow bug (16-18), Radiation Baetis (16-18), Sow bug Light Hare (16-18), Sow bug Dark hare (16-18), Zebra Midge red (16-20), Zebra Midge Black (16-20), Hunchback Scud tan/pink (16-18), Amex Czech nymph rainbow (14-16), Rainbow Warrior (18-20)

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Streamers:

wooly bugger, Kreelex's, sparkle minnows, skiddish smolts, rusty trombones, sculpzilla

Other River Reports

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