Upland Natural Lake · Limestone · Montana

Cliff Lake

Cliff Lake terrain map
Fair · Rainbow
Callibaetis Nymph · 12-16
Fairlive now
Good drifting conditions on Cliff Lake
Glassy and bright — hard work without a breeze. Hard work without breeze. Look for the dimples.
58% confidence
What moved it
  • WindNE 1 km/hDead calm
Today's fly
CN
Callibaetis Nymph12-16
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Dead calm
NE 1 km/h
N
NE
from the north-east
WaveFlat calm
Water temp
Air temp16°C
CloudClear
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
No strong hatch signals at the moment — general searching tactics should work best. Calm conditions may limit drift fishing — consider buzzers or dry fly if fish are rising.
Where
With limited drift, anchor or fish static from sheltered positions. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point. In the calm, a single dry fly or a slowly-fished nymph tends to out-fish an active retrieve. When no hatch is visible, a buzzer team — black stripped quill on the point, attractor or pearl-rib on the top dropper — is the default starting point on any UK stillwater.
The plan
Plan A

With limited drift, anchor or fish static from sheltered positions. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point. In the calm, a single dry fly or a slowly-fished nymph tends to out-fish an active retrieve. When no hatch is visible, a buzzer team — black stripped quill on the point, attractor or pearl-rib on the top dropper — is the default starting point on any UK stillwater.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Bank

Flat calm suits bank fishing near features — points, weed beds, and inflows where fish patrol.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Gray DrakeHatch
2
2
CallibaetisHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Hexagenia (Western)Hatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Montana stillwater regulations — check FWP.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
64%
Cloud25%
Wind65%
Temp100%

A reasonable day here, though cloud isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 5
Why this score
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for summer fishing.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • TroutThird Saturday of MayLast day of November
Related guides
Booking & contacts