Fly Fishing Rock Creek in Montana.gif)
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 Just
to avoid confusion, the Rock Creek located in southern Montana
is not the same Rock
Creek as is found in the western part of the state. The
two rivers may share the same name, but are entirely different
in landscape and fishing. More
information about Rock Creek in SW Montana.
This Rock Creek
begins high in the mountains of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
and flows for more than 55 miles to the confluence with the
Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River. It flows through a very
diverse landscape. Huge mountains and thick forests dominate
the upper 15 miles of the river. Rock Creek then leaves the
mountains behind at the town of Red Lodge, Montana, entering
a beautiful rolling, prairie landscape that lasts until the
rivers end. Throughout its prairie section, Rock Creek has
thick cottonwood trees and brush lining its banks and has
rocks everywhere. It also splits into a number of channels,
most of which run dry later in the summer.
The water in Rock
Creek is crystal clear except during spring run-off. It is
also quite cool, reflecting the rivers origin high in the
mountains and the fact that its primary tributaries consist
of high alpine creeks and streams.
The mountain section
of Rock Creek, above Red Lodge, is home to lots of small cutthroat
and brook trout. They are easy to catch on virtually any dry
fly with a half way decent presentation. The fish are small
but feisty and are fun to catch. And of course the scenic
backdrop is just incredible. Fishing pressure is very light
on the section of Rock Creek. While the traffic can be incredible
at times, virtually all of it consists of vehicles going up
and over Beartooth Pass on their way to/from Yellowstone
National Park, which lies about 80 miles away.
 Downstream
from Red Lodge, decent fly fishing for both rainbow and brown
trout can be found - with the best brown trout fishing found
in the lower half. This section of Rock Creek is an excellent
place for a dry fly fisherman who lacks a boat to float other
major Montana rivers. Once spring run-off ends, the river
is fairly narrow (but just wide enough to allow for easy casting)
in this section, and the extensive gravel provides easy shoreline
walking once spring run-off ends and the river levels drop.
Except in the holes, the river is also fairly shallow, providing
plenty of places to be able to easily wade across the river.
Dry flies work
just as well on this section of Rock Creek as they do further
upstream. Fishing pressure is quite light, and the rainbow
trout will rise readily to a fairly well presented dry fly
imitation. PMD imitations and the Parachute Adams are excellent
dry flies for this river.
When chasing after
the larger brown trout on Rock Creek, streamers are effective,
especially in the fall when the fish move out of their protective
cover. Fish the streamers around the many downfalls that are
found in the river, in holes and around the undercut banks
that are found.
Access to Rock
Creek above Red Lodge is easy. Just upstream from Red Lodge
the Rock Creek passes through public lands, with roads of
one variety or another closely following it. To gain access,
just park anywhere and take a short walk through the woods.
Below Red Lodge, access to Rock Creek is limited as it flows
through private lands. Happily, several good fishing access
sites exist, and several bridge crossings provide additional
access points. It should be noted that the mountain section
of Rock Creek can be "over-run" with recreational
campers on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer. Hordes
of people, generally from nearby Billings, head up to the
mountains on the weekends. In other words, don't expect pristine
solitude on the weekends.
Float fishing the
Rock Creek is not really recommended. The river has to many
twists and turns, downfall and is too narrow to allow productive
float fishing. Anyone float fishing is likey going to spend
most of their time maneuvering their boat around corners and
obstructions instead of fishing. Later in the summer, Rock
Creek generally becomes unfloatable in some sections due to
low water. Rock Creek, like its counterpart to the west, is
best wade fished.
 This
is not to say floating can't be done. During higher flows,
such as soon after spring run-off ends, the river is floatable
from Red Lodge all the way down to the Clarks Fork of the
Yellowstone. And it is a scenic float. Just be aware of the
many downfalls that will be encountered. The river splits
into many channels, some of which can have lots of downfall
on them or have very little depth. Selecting the right channel
is crucial to floating this little river. Fall, assuming rain
adds some flows to the river, also provides a fine time for
floating, all the more so since the colors of the trees and
brush along the river make for a beautiful setting.
Rock River :
River Miles
Listed below are
selected river miles for Rock Creek. Clicking on any of the
links will provide additional information about each Fishing
Access Site (FAS).
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