Freestone · Mixed · Montana, US

Shields River

Shields River Park County Montana 01
Tomorrow · A proper day on the water
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Tomorrow
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
75% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.80 m
Water temp9.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather9°C
WindN 8 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 21 Uhr

12 Uhr(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 55%
Also:Black Midge40%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 21 Uhr — Brown Dun (Brown Dun, 4 food groups active)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Montana licence
  • Mostly private land — secure access first
  • Temperature-sensitive in summer.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Paradise Valley Spring Creeks
32 km
80
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Boulder River
46 km
81
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Brook trout
Hyalite Reservoir
53 km
Cutthroat trout · Brook trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Shields River Park County Montana 01
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Shields River' (MT43A001_011), 2021 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Sediment, Habitat Alterations, Hydrologic Alteration. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · MT43A001_011

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 66 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature49 × 28%13.7
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity55 × 12%6.6
Conditions total= 67
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Warmer water — toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the temperature score.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Dritter Saturday im May → Letzter day of February
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts