Montana Fly Fishing : Eastern Montana.gif)
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 The
rivers of eastern Montana do not even rate with visitors from
out of state coming to Montana to fish for trout. And, admittedly,
it is for good reason. Except for a few scattered pockets,
trout fishing is non-existent on the rivers in eastern Montana.
And the reason for this is quite simple. By the time the rivers
flow this far into the vast Montana prairie, the flows have
slowed down substantially and the water temperature has warmed
up to much to be productive trout habitat. Other than a few
pockets located around tributary inlets and near dams, the
rivers in Montana are home to various warm water species of
fish, such as walleye, catfish and smallmouth bass.
The eastern Montana
rivers are also lacking in the mountain splendor scenery found
elsewhere in the state. While the rivers in eastern Montana
are scenic in their own way, and can be downright beautiful
in the fall, the lack of mountains and the vast sweep of the
treeless prairie makes for a less than inspiring sight for
most visitors to this part of Montana.
That all said,
any angler on a Montana fly fishing trip who arrives by car
will likely be driving by the Yellowstone River or the Missouri
River. And since you're driving by it, there is no harm in
taking some time to fish. And while you may not catch any
rainbow trout, by fishing the rivers in eastern Montana you
have a very good chance of tagging into a very large smallmouth
bass (immensely fun on a fly rod), big walleye and huge catfish.
Additionally, the
rivers in eastern Montana are rich in history. Lewis and Clark
went up the Missouri River for its entire length and came
back down the Yellowstone River for its entire length. Thus,
a trip to one of these two rivers can provide not only rewarding
warm water fishing but also allow you to experience a small
piece of the colorful history Montana has.
 Finally,
the Yellowstone River and the Missouri River in eastern Montana
both offer awesome river floating potential. Extremely long
floats - potentially measured in weeks - through remote and
scenic terrain awaits any person who breaks away from the
popular rivers and heads out east. Moreover, as a bonus fringe
benefit, eastern Montana is rich in wildlife - wildlife that
is frequently found right along the major rivers.
Overall, eastern
Montana is not set anytime soon to become a magnet for anglers
seking a Montana fly fishing trip - the state just has too
many good trout waters, with the result being that warm water
fishing is often forgotten about. However, a trip into the
eastern Montana prairie is unique in its own way, and by getting
off the Interstate and hitting some of the back roads, you
can get a wonderful taste of what early settlers would have
seen, as development in eastern Montana once away from the
major rivers and roads is sparse indeed.
Rod
& Gear Bags from Orvis
- Protect your fly fishing gear on your way to Montana. Orvis
has quality and versatile fly fishing luggage that is specifically
designed to protect your gear.
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