Tributaries to fish near Craig, MT

[ALarge]

Dee to fish the Missouri and GlacierNP for 9 days starting Saturday. I know the 'Mo gets super crowded so I'm curious if there are any worthwhile tribs to wade up and fish. The Deerborn looks promising. Montana has some of the best wading access laws in the country so private access shouldn't be an issue. Thanks again- y'all always set me straight. -Alex

[D. Walker]

I have only been to Montana twice, when i went out there I had success by looking at and studying the USGS topo maps and finding the fire roads. Then I found them near rivers that I 'thought' I wanted to fish, cross checked them with google earth / bing birds eye to see if the water looked wade'able (ie not rapids etc). once I had those spots marked on a map I was in a local shop buying some gear and ran some of those spots by the guys in the shop for their opinion. I think that initial leg work helped leaps and bounds.

You can print usgs maps online, however I think the quality isn't great, and I even have the ability to print them on 24x36" paper. You can get the good ones at their facility in Reston off of Sunrise Valley Drive. Going to the facility also can let you look at multiple maps before making a purchase.  

On Thursday, June 23, 2016 at 4:15:18 AM UTC-4, ALarge wrote:

[Yambag Nelson]

I would not say the Missouri gets super crowded. I haven't fished it a ton but when I have I have found plenty of water to myself without seeing anyone other than the occasional driftboat. I wouldn't write it off because of crowds. I'm general Montana crowded is a whole lot different than East coast crowded.

[Dan Kozel]

Your best bet is to contact either Headhunters or Wolf Creek Anglers. Both are great shops and will be more than willing to send you in the right direction. I never fished tribs around Craig. I would recommend fishing the Mo', The fish are plentiful and are powerful swimmers that will likely take some backing off your reel every now and again. If there's more than one in your party you ought to rent a drift boat for the day from Headhunters, They'll launch you, shuttle you, etc. Even if you have zero rowing experience the Mo is like a fast moving lake. 

On Thursday, June 23, 2016 at 4:15:18 AM UTC-4, ALarge wrote:

[Connor Donovan]

Dan nailed it.  Float the Mo. If you have the chance to do 2 or 3 days on the Mo, do it.  One day isn't enough in my opinion.

I've never fished up the Dearborn but have heard very good things.  The mouth of it is a good spot to anchor up.  So are the upriver and downriver points on all the islands.  It gives you a chance to get out and wade.

I rented boats through Headhunters last fall and it was a blast.  $150 for the day.  You show up at the ramp and the boat is there.  They shuttle your car to the take out.  When you're done, you just get in your car and drive away, they pick the boat up later that night.  So simple it's scary.  Plus you can camp at most of if not all of the boat ramps along the Mo. 

The second day we floated it, I saw a pod of 500+ fish rising during a BWO hatch in a quarter mile long eddy in the canyon section.  It wasn't too far below the Dearborn and was truly surreal. 

[Alex Large]

I should clarify- I'm on the 'Mo for 7 days straight through 4th of July. At least three of those days will be in drift boats. Looking for change of scenery as much as anything. 

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[Andrew LaVigne]

Little Prickly Pear Creek has some fish in it, but also lots of rattlesnakes. If you're willing to do a little drive, you could bug out over the divide to fish the Blackfoot, North Fork of the Blackfoot, or Little Blackfoot easily. Craig to Avon (on the little blackfoot) is 1 hour 15 mins; craig to Ovando on the blackfoot/north is 

Little Blackfoot was my default Non-Missouri, close-to-home option when I lived in Helena about 10 years back. Easy wading, small river, but had some decent browns in it. Westslope Cutthroats in there as well, and some solid dry-fly options, especially on caddis & terrestrials. 

On Thursday, June 23, 2016 at 11:29:06 AM UTC-4, ALarge wrote:

I should clarify- I'm on the 'Mo for 7 days straight through 4th of July. At least three of those days will be in drift boats. Looking for change of scenery as much as anything. 

On Thu, Jun 23, 2016 at 11:26 AM Connor Donovan <don...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dan nailed it.  Float the Mo. If you have the chance to do 2 or 3 days on the Mo, do it.  One day isn't enough in my opinion.

I've never fished up the Dearborn but have heard very good things.  The mouth of it is a good spot to anchor up.  So are the upriver and downriver points on all the islands.  It gives you a chance to get out and wade.

I rented boats through Headhunters last fall and it was a blast.  $150 for the day.  You show up at the ramp and the boat is there.  They shuttle your car to the take out.  When you're done, you just get in your car and drive away, they pick the boat up later that night.  So simple it's scary.  Plus you can camp at most of if not all of the boat ramps along the Mo. 

The second day we floated it, I saw a pod of 500+ fish rising during a BWO hatch in a quarter mile long eddy in the canyon section.  It wasn't too far below the Dearborn and was truly surreal. 

On Thursday, June 23, 2016 at 9:59:58 AM UTC-4, Dan Kozel wrote:

Your best bet is to contact either Headhunters or Wolf Creek Anglers. Both are great shops and will be more than willing to send you in the right direction. I never fished tribs around Craig. I would recommend fishing the Mo', The fish are plentiful and are powerful swimmers that will likely take some backing off your reel every now and again. If there's more than one in your party you ought to rent a drift boat for the day from Headhunters, They'll launch you, shuttle you, etc. Even if you have zero rowing experience the Mo is like a fast moving lake. 

On Thursday, June 23, 2016 at 4:15:18 AM UTC-4, ALarge wrote:

Dee to fish the Missouri and GlacierNP for 9 days starting Saturday. I know the 'Mo gets super crowded so I'm curious if there are any worthwhile tribs to wade up and fish. The Deerborn looks promising. Montana has some of the best wading access laws in the country so private access shouldn't be an issue. Thanks again- y'all always set me straight. -Alex

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[Trevor Ibsen]

Alex,

Sorry I'm late to the game.  Don't waste your time on the Dearborn this time of year.  It fishes well early in the season right after runoff and then goes pretty dead.  Plus access is not the best.  Depending on where you are staying, Helena, Craig, Great Falls, you have a number of options.  As was already mentioned Little Prickly Pear fishes well, but usually later in the year.  The Little Blackfoot just over the continental divide is a good bet as outlined.  Belt Creek is a nice stream and it's a little east of Great Falls.  The North Fork of the Blackfoot leading into the Bob Marshall Wilderness is one of my favorite if you want to head down Hwy 200. 

I am from MT and most recently lived in Helena from 2006-2013.  Got a buddy who guides the Mo', so maybe you'll get to fish with him (Eric Mondragon).  Great dude and a hell of a stick!  Let me know if you want more info and I'll see what I can do.

Hope I'm not too late.

Trevor

On Thursday, June 23, 2016 at 4:15:18 AM UTC-4, ALarge wrote: