Tailwater · Mixed · Montana, US

Ruby River

Ruby River venue image

The Ruby below the reservoir is a small, intimate, brushy tailwater that grows browns a lot better than its size suggests.

Tomorrow · Not the day for it
Pheasant Tail
Forecast · Tomorrow
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail
Pheasant Tail
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
1.01 m
Lifting fast
Water temp11.5°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather16°C
WindN 13 km/h
Pressure1011 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
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 1016°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
Excellent — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 62%
Also:Black Midge29%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost7 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Western Blue-Winged Olive (Western Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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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 · September 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
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
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Montana licence
  • Small, brushy, irrigation-controlled; access is contentious — verify before fishing.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Ruby below the reservoir is a small, intimate, brushy tailwater that grows browns a lot better than its size suggests. It's nearly as famous for its access fights as for its fishing — the public-access question here has been argued in court, so confirm where you can legally stand before you wade in. Flows swing with irrigation demand, which means the river you fished last week may not be the one you find today.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic lifeImpaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Ruby River' (MT41C001_010), 2021 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature, Sediment, Nutrients, 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) · MT41C001_010

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 81 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Third Saturday of MayLast day of February
Related guides
Booking & contacts