Hebgen
Lake.gif)
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 Hebgen
Lake arguably offers the best dry fly lake fishing in the
state of Montana. Its quality fly fishing, combined with its
scenic and convenient location near West
Yellowstone, Montana,
make Hebgen Lake a popular destination for both local and
visiting anglers.
Hebgen Lake is
more than 16 miles long and on its southern end measures up
to four miles in width at its widest point. Being such a large
lake, along with its location on a high plateau near Yellowstone
National Park, can make conditions very windy at times. The
potential for wind, combined with the lakes large size, limit
float tubing options somewhat. While float tubing can be successful,
particularly in some of the sheltered bays, generally a motorboat,
canoe,
pontoon
boat or inflatable
kayak are the best fishing boats to use, as they are safer
and allow an angler to quickly and easily cover more water.
Large rainbow trout
and brown trout are found in good numbers in Hebgen Lake,
which explains its popularity. The trout in Hebgen Lake are
good sized, with the average brown trout running between 16-18
inches and rainbow trout in the 14-16 inch range.
 During
late spring and early summer, the Hebgen Lake has excellent
hatches of Tricos, which can present excellent fly fishing
provided the winds are light. When fishing during the Trico
hatch, the trout will be found in the various shallow bays
and along the shoreline. This presents a wonderful opportunity
for an angler to catch decent sized trout right from the shoreline.
The Trico hatch requires light gear and light tippets with
long leaders, so anglers should come prepared.
Later in the summer,
caddisfly hatches occur on the lake regularly. Standard dry
fly patterns such as the Parachute Adams work well, fished
in the various bays and around the inlets to the lake. The
Madison Arm of Hebgen Lake, in particular, provides an excellent
place for dry fly fishing during the summer.
Access to Hebgen
Lake is excellent. Highway 287 parallels Hebgen Lake for much
of its length on the north side, allowing for easy road access.
Additionally, several other roads provide access to the south
side of the lake, where numerous campgrounds are also found.
Overall, Hebgen
Lake provides excellent fishing for rainbow and brown trout
in a beautiful yet convenient setting. For the angler who
will be fly fishing Hebgen Lake for the first time, it is
not a bad idea to either follow the crowds or hire a guide
in order to locate the best fishing spots. As Hebgen Lake
is such a big lake, it is easy to miss the prime fishing areas
and end up casting to nothing but pools of rising Chub instead
of rising trout.
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