Tailwater · Limestone · Montana

Missouri River

Missouri River — BNSF, Missouri, Lombard, Montana, USA, 27.06.2016
Marginal · Rainbow Trout
Sparkle Dun · 14-18
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River dropping into shape after a lift. A short window. Take your time.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.81 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp19.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
SD
Sparkle Dun14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.81 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp19.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather18°C
WindS 10 km/h
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
19.0°Cideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow 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
Water at 19°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read 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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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

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
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year (tailwater)
  • Fishability tracks the Holter Dam release; shifting weed beds move the drift lanes.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here at 19.0°C — the fishing's alive, but these are cooler if you'd rather rest the warm water.
Smith River
50 km
~16°C
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Missouri River — BNSF, Missouri, Lombard, Montana, USA, 27.06.2016
    BNSF, Missouri, Lombard, Montana, USA, 27.06.2016
  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 'Missouri River' (MT41Q001_021), 2021 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Sediment, Nutrients, Hydrologic Alteration, Metals Other Than Mercury. 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) · MT41Q001_021

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 34 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature69 × 28%19.3
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity60 × 12%7.2
Conditions total= 73
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts