The browns and rainbows get up to about 16 inches, with some larger specimens. Check the forecast and road conditions before embarking. Flooding in Montana - National Weather Service They spent two days on the Marias River, floating about 30 miles from Sullivan Bridge north of Valier to Williamson Park south of Shelby. Chance of snow 70%. The follows are intense, and eats heart stopping. I knew it was a good fish and thought maybe it was about 20 pounds. In Montana pallid sturgeon are presently found in the Missouri River from the MT/ND state line upstream to Fort Peck Dam and from upstream of Fort Peck Reservoir (Nichols Coulee) to Stafford Ferry (Figure 1). In November, the Fish and Wildlife Commission voted down the road proposal, leaving the Wildlife Management Area without vehicle access to the river. We throw 8-10wt rods with 8-14 flies at these monsters. The The Wildlife Management Area is open to hunting but is limited to 10 deer hunters per week. There are also a few public-road bridges where anglers and can hop into the river, staying within the high-water mark. Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society species status accounts. Guide, All Rights Reserved. Montana River Flows | On Feb. 16, a suspected location of the men was opened in the ice and two divers entered the water, located and brought the bodies to the surface. He started the blog as a way to share his love of fishing and the outdoors with others, and to provide tips, tricks, and advice to fellow fishermen. We have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes that make excellent gifts. Marias River Ranch. At 7:30 p.m. on the night of Wednesday, March 3, Robbie Dockter of Conrad, Montana, landed a 32-pound, 6-ounce fish in the Marias River that will supplant the old record by a full 3 and a half pounds. Its remote, but Marias River is a paddlers hidden gem, 78-mile stretch in Montana offers grand fishing and floating. The Teton River in northwestern Montana is a 150-mile tributary of the Marias River and Missouri River, starting on the eastern side of the Rockies and flowing eastward through the plains of Montana. Advertising | In 2013, Brent decided to turn his passion into a full-time career and launched "Safe Harbor Fishing". T he Marias River was named in 1804 by Meriwether Lewis for his cousin, Maria Wood. But on the end of the line was a fish that would shatter a record that has stood more than half a century in Montana for a brown trout. The Trophy Chase Saga: A 3 In 1 EBook Bundle It often fishes great just upstream of downtown Lewistown at the Brewery Flats fishing access site, which has lots of fishable water alongside a well-maintained trail system. Completion of the dam in 1955 created a trout fishery for the first 21 miles. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. The game warden met them there and watched as the fish registered an official weight topping 32 pounds, 6 ounces, measuring 37 inches long and with a 28.5-inch girth. Montana has three unique paddlefish seasons, and anglers may select only one area to fish for paddlefish: Upper Missouri River from Fort Peck Dam to Fort Benton (White Harvest Tag) Yellowstone River and Missouri River downstream of Fort Peck Dam (Yellow Harvest Tag). The anglers discovered a tattooed human forearm while Conservation groups are hailing the decision as a Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox. Montana Pike Fishing - First Cast Outfitters The Marias River snakes through a river valley surrounded by farm and ranch land. Approximately 50 miles east and south downstream, the Marias . An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Tom Keer is a Contributing Writer at Field & Stream. Most specially regulated trout waters are closed to taking fishbait and baitfish at all times. Fishing Fishing is perhaps the most popular activity on the Marias River. It belonged to E.H. Peck Bacon and the 29-pound brown caught in Wade Lake in 1966. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Marias River, Montana - Discovering Montana 19424 Queens Rd , La Cygne, KS, 66040, Linn County. For the Clark Fork near Plains (102 years of record), 1948 is the largest flood of record with a flow of 134,000 cfs. They range from 18 inches and maybe 2-plus pounds to 26 inches and 8.7 pounds, Clint Smith, a Lewistown area FWP fisheries biologist, said of the rainbows. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. There are fewer official fishing access sites in this remote part of the state, so understanding the Montana Stream Access Law can be a game changer here. Success! Fishing pressure is very low on the Marias River below Tiber Dam, although what little fishing pressure there is happens just below the dam. I kinda tossed and turned all night, but we drove to the grocery store after breakfast and weighed the fish on their certified scale. The lower end runs through arid agricultural properties. We had never eaten sturgeon before (and make sure if you catch one to identify whether it is a pallid sturgeon [endangered!] What fish is in the Little River Oklahoma? Munther, however, wanted to take the time to enjoy the victory, so he organized a celebratory float on the Marias River. a big boar, a sow, and cub. The Marias River below Tiber Dam is a tremendous 78-mile stretch of fishing and floating water. Montana angler recounts catching new state record brown trout Sun., March 14, 2021 Robbie Dockter of Conrad, Montana, holds the Montana state-record brown trout caught March 3 on the Marias. Fly Fishing On The Marias River, Montana Occasional crotchety ranch hands or landowners might give you grief, but if youre armed with confidence in Montanas laws, they cannot legally kick you out. Clearwater River Canoe Trail, 3583 MT-83, Seeley Lake, MT 59868, USA. Each mile downstream of Martinsdale gets more and more marginal for trout habitat, especially in warm and dry years. With the frigid water temperatures the fish didnt jump or start making great runs, but he said the trout did whatever it wanted by swimming upstream as if it hadnt even been hooked. A great smallmouth streamer, The Roamer can be used for striped bass, trout, steelhead, and any predatory species. Marias River Ranch - Live Water Properties - Ranches for Sale in Available in both print and digital. Last Wednesday, I was casting a Scheels 6-foot ultralight rod with Berkeley Trilene 4-pound test and a 3/8-ounce Kastmaster Brown Trout spoon. Although its been praised in earlier magazine and newspaper articles, the Marias Rivers growing popularity may be tied to a surge in water sports. Travel 4 miles South to Miller's Bottom at the Marias River. Lewis often left a space for that information in the summaries of his observations, but never put any values in those blanks. Is there a size limit on trout in Oklahoma? Tiber Reservoir/Lake Elwell - Central Montana Because there is no takeout for the next 57 miles, and therefore little human use of the river, wildlife abounds. He has since expanded the blog to include gear reviews, fishing reports, and even recipes for cooking up your catch. Our timing meant reasonably cool temperatures, only a few rain showers, few mosquitoes and great river flows. Instead, Munther, seated in a campchair, was surrounded by cottonwoods. Little River: Located above Pine Creek Lake in a remote area of southeast Oklahoma, Little River is home to plenty of fish species that will pull your drag, including largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass, crappie, carp, catfish, sunfish and sand bass. 10 Perfect Montana River Floats To Try This Season - OnlyInYourState From there, people can hike about a half mile to the Marias or anywhere else in the WMA. Welcome to Central Montana | Fishing in Central Montana Dockter thought back to catching paddlefish and after about 15 minutes managed to steer the massive trout down river. Monitoring location 06102050 is associated with a STREAM in CHOUTEAU COUNTY, MONTANA. She can be reached at 406-791-1466 or [email protected]. And theres usually a good brewery or memorable dive bar somewhere nearby to cap your day. The short feature was filmed and produced by Fly Fisherman on the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, with Josh Burnham and Fly Fisherman editor/publisher Ross Purnell. I was thinking Id finally gotten a brown over 10 pounds, but then she rolled in my headlamp and we realized this thing is next-level big.. The high water also helps cottonwood rejuvenation along the banks. Saturday morning saw a car shuttle, followed by two rafts, four kayaks, a pack raft and a canoe setting out on the river. Heavy with history, the 170-mile-long river starts in the Rocky Mountains near Valier, Mont., before joining the Missouri River just outside the community of Loma. Belt Creeks hatches are not super heavy, but its trout regardless look to the surface with regularity. For the author, there could be only one cure for a lagging bout of COVID. The North Fork of the Musselshell River tumbles out of the Little Belt Mountains near White Sulphur Springs until it flows into Bair Reservoir on private land. Its hard to find hidden gems like this area, said Fugere, who grew up in Billings and started guiding on the Missouri when she was 19. Average depth is about five feet deep, and the river falls at about four feet per mile. Here it is Monday. The width, depth, and gradient of the river vary, but it is about 85 feet wide. Calmly explain that you entered legally, and that you have remained within the high-water marks the entire time (and be sure to have done so). Below Below Tiber Dam, the Marias River continues flowing through the Montana prairie, with small sandstone cliffs and cottonwood trees marking the rivers course. Montana is known for its outstanding trout fishing, but even that reputation was taken up a notch last week when a fisherman caught a new state record brown trout. The Marias River beneath Tiber Dam has relatively little fishing pressure, but what little there is, happens directly below the dam. While fishing the Marias River, Robbie Dockter hooked, fought, and landed a 32.43-pound brown trout. . Its a really humbling experience and I think it proves that monsters do exist, and its proof that you just never know and it just takes that one cast, Dockter said. Dockters catch breaks the former state brown trout record that was set by E.H. Peck Bacon in 1966. Copyright 2023, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy, Trophy hunter: Eastern Washingtons Ellis Magnuson spends time off the basketball court as an avid outdoorsman, County, city, volunteer groups look to renovate John Shields park, make it more accessible for all , Report warns of continued peril for wild salmon , Idaho deer cull, aimed at containing CWD, going well per officials , Off the Grid: When the search is better than the find , Reunited in Texas: Lexie Hull's WNBA offseason workout plan has her playing in Dallas, just three hours from sister Lacie, Zags-Gaels round 3? About Fishing Reports for Marias River near Fort Benton A detailed fishing report for the Marias River will make the difference between a good fishing here and a bad one. Fishing While trout fishing is scarce in the Marias River's higher reaches, walleyes, bass, huge catfish, and a plethora of whitefish can be found in the area. Wade fishing the public water directly below the dam is possible, but downstream of that, a boat provides the most practical access. (Rick & Susie Graetz photo) Its flows are less affected by the whims of the seasons and air temperatures than a freestone stream because its source is a constant-temperature spring. During those two days, they saw no one outside their party, and no cars or roads until they reached I-15. the dam, the stream meanders through a floodplain from 1/2 to 1 1/4 miles wide, Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail. The landowner may revoke the permission by personal communication. I warn against taking too much advantage of this, lest you find more hassle than fish. Belt Creek is truly among the most beautiful trout streams in Montana. . By the 1860s Marias River was contracted to Marias. Despite its reputation for big trout, they are not easy to catch. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Congratulations Robbie! Ive fished this stretch a lot on its a very good fishery and some very big trout, Dockter said Friday evening. Its also largely inaccessible. The Marias River-Teton River drainage divide area landform origins, Chouteau County, Montana essay describes landforms east of the study region while . New Montana State Record Brown Trout caught Wednesday night Dockter seldom brings a scale or a net for that matter, but they happened to have both. When Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks proposed a road through the Marias River Wildlife Management Area, BHA opposed the proposal and worked hard to make sure that road didn't become a reality. About: - The headwaters of the Marias River drain slopes of the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park and Lewis and Clark National Forest before flowing eastward through the broad, rolling plains of north central Montana. The Marias River is formed by the confluence of Cut Bank Creek and Two Medicine River. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. This 5,845-acre property, a combination of state park, and wildlife management area was established May 1, 2009. Questions or concerns about USGS data and data products in Montana and Wyoming can be directed to the Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center Data Management Section. painting a post, structure or natural object with at least 50 square inches of fluorescent orange paint. Subscriber Services. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Great Falls, MT 59405 CONTACT 406-454-5840 Details SEASON April 1 - January 15 SPECIAL DIRECTIONS From I-15, Exit 358 east to Marias Valley Road, north 3.5 miles, turn west on Hjartarson Road, for 10.2 miles, then south 2.5 miles. Use a crayfish, dragging it along the bottom. February 9, 2021. And dont be afraid to venture beyond the five fisheries listed herethere are many good tributaries and nearby reservoirs in this part of Montana that offer access and trout. When they got back into cellphone reception, Sierra decided to look up the state record. I was worried it was going to roll and break the line off, he said. Montanas Musselshell River is a great example of a river out-of-staters might never have heard of. Sanford Park, just below Tiber Dam, has a nice campground and boat ramp, and theres a takeout about 5 miles downstream, at Pugsley Bridge. Fly Fishing The Marias River in MontanaCentral Montana doesnt have as many famous trout streams as some of the other sections of the state but thats doesnt mean it doesnt have some infamous ones that are very good trout streams. a member of the public has the privilege to enter or remain on private land by the explicit permission of the landowner or his agent or by the failure of the landowner to post notice denying entry onto the land. Brown trout are stocked in the Lower Mountain Fork River below Broken Bow dam and in the Lower Illinois River when available, while rainbows are usually stocked at all eight of the states trout areas. A world-class duck property with fabulous accommodations from top to bottom. | The spring itself is one of the worlds largest, bubbling up at over 50,000 gallons per minute. Marias River State Park Get Directions to Park To get to there from I-15, take exit 358 and head east on Marias Valley Road North for 3.5 miles. "Charlie was sort of an eccentric bachelor," he said. Tom Keer As smallmouth bass are lots of fun to catch fly fishing, don't rule out this stretch of the river. Montana Rafting & Canoeing Trips with ROW Adventures TCSO identified the men as Jared Russell, 43, of Missoula, and Jerid Kirschenheiter, 40, of Clinton. Troutwest Fly Fishing advocates "catch and release" fishing. First, some history - the reservoir or lake, whichever you choose to call it, has 181 miles of shoreline (in two different counties) and was created when an earth-filled dam was built on the Marias River in 1956. Some of the browns reach large sizes. The White Sturgeon is a bottom feeder and will eat almost any available organism. The Missouri River near the mouth of the Judith (known as Judith Landing) is in the middle of the majestic Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and has good fishing for northern pike, walleyes, and ubiquitous goldeyes, among other species (especially if you feel like packing your spinning rod and some crankbaits). The forks merge just east of Martinsdale, and the main stem shimmies its circuitous path alongside U.S. Highway 12 for about 350 miles until it flows into Fort Peck Reservoir. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. But Doctor's brown trout is the real deal. Pennsylvania smallmouth and trout guide Jake Villwock shows you how to tie one of his signature flies, The Roamer. Dockter, an accomplished hunter, said the trout ranks on top of all his experiences in the outdoors. Snow accumulations less than one inch. Although protective of the Marias River, she is also a business person who relies on tourism. Without the increase it was flowing at about 1,200 cfs when we launched the river would have been much lower, normally about 700 cfs. Yet there are darker forces But itll be interesting to know how the research goes.. There are quite a few public accesses to this brief creek, including one at the headwaters hatchery called Hatchery FAS, Spring Creek FAS, Brewery Flats, Lazy KB, Carroll Trail, Reed & Bowles, and finally Hruska at Scott Crossing Road. The Marias River, south of Shelby offer warm water fishing opportunities, as well as two lakes in the area, Lake Francis and Tiber Reservoir (Lake Elwell). An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. And the very bottom of Sluice Boxes State Park does offer good fishing and access. Message and data rates may apply. Our pike range from 6-20 pounds and can reach upwards of 40 long. flanked by steep buttes ranging to 200 feet high. The huge brown trout weighed 32.43 pounds, breaking the old state record which weighed 29 pounds and was caught out of Wade Lake in 1966 by E.H. "Peck"Bacon. Many young hunters from the Shelby area remember hunting on his ranch. Pugsley Bridge | Bureau of Land Management Both flow out of the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains into the high prairie country of central Montana. A drunken Maj. Eugene Baker ordered an assault on the encampment that included the killing of women, children and the elderly. USGS Current Conditions for Montana_ Streamflow From the brochure: . There are some quality fish in there, but its definitely an outlier, he said. I was worried about him rolling, so I worked him downstream until I could beach him on a gravel bar. The Upper Marias River is easy to see from Interstate 15 just south of Shelby, but the undammed section of the Marias River upstream of Tiber Dam flows through the prairie, mostly hidden from view. "It's an opportunity that many, many people can enjoy," Munther said. While some large brown trout can still be found, the Marias River turns over into a warm water fishery, with shovelnose sturgeon, walleye, pike, catfish and bass being the primary species. The region's best source for events, arts, culture everything. Above Tiber Reservoir (aka Lake Elwell), anglers might find a few trout, but its again mostly a warmwater fishery despite being nearer the Rocky Mountain Front than the tailwater section. There are a couple of official FWP fishing access sites along this stretch of the Shell: Selkirk FAS where the forks come together near Martinsdale, and Harlowton FAS just downstream of the bridge in Harlowton, Montana. There are also a couple of upper-river tributaries that offer trout, and a couple of fishable reservoirs within the drainage. Bald and golden eagles are the top predators of the sky, making the multitude of honking geese and quacking ducks nervous with their overflights. . Outfitters around the state are hurting, Fugere said. We were told it was verified on Thursday by FWP. Approximately 50 miles east and south downstream, the I called my wife and told her I think I just caught the state record and she didnt believe me, Dockter said. One often-overlooked aspect is that notice denying entry to private land must be posted. From there, users must stay within the high-water marks. Its an outlier for that stretch of river. Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Common Carp, Walleye, Goldeye, Fresh Water Drum, Burbot, Yellow Perch, Shovelnose Sturgeon : Fort Benton Community Improvement Assoc . Its varied and scenic badlands and breaks areas range from 1 to His fish was verified by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), as the new state. The Marias River in Montana : Fishing & Floating Information gorge-like river valley, 300 to 400 feet below the average elevation of the Check out more about Clearwater River. Most of the time well fish in May, June, and July, but I really like the pre-run off time. In just a couple days of relaxed fishing, we caught two catfish, a few sturgeon, and a golden eye.