Joseph Creek Montana Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies: Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
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. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Brook Trout
Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
(Wild)
Location
Southwest Montana
Size:
Small
Nearest Towns
Wisdom
Season
General Montana Season – 3rd Sat.
in May through Nov. 30
Access:
Good
Special Regulations
None
Non-Resident License
State of Montana
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
The season follows the general Montana Season
Spring:
Except for the runoff period, the fishing should be great
Summer:
Summertime should be the best time to fish this stream.
Fall:
The early fall season should be an excellent time for fly fishing Joseph Creek.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Fly Fishing Joseph Creek Montana
Joseph Creek is a small tributary stream that flows into the North Fork of the Big Hole River that flows through the Big Hole National Battlefield. It flows nearby Montana’s highway #43 near Wisdom, Montana, near the famous Big Hole River. Its trout are mostly brook trout. It is a delightful little stream to fish.
Some may question why we included such a small stream in our Stream Section. First of all, we like small streams and secondly, this one was such a pleasure to fish, and provided great action, that we just couldn’t help but want others to give it a try. There is quite a bit of water to fish and we doubt with the many other nearby streams, including the Big Hole, that the stream will ever be over fished.
This is a good stream to sharpen your skills on. The action should be just about continuous. The brook trout are very easy to catch and exist in very plentiful quantities.
Fly Fishing Guide to Joseph Creek Montana
This is an excellent stream to teach a youngster how to fly fish. It isn’t a bad one for anyone but the fishing is very easy. There are a lot of brook trout in the stream. You can catch them on most any small attractor fly. We have just about all the popular attractors and generic flies in our “Perfect Fly” store and at a very low cost, so be sure to check them out.
We fish this little stream in an upstream direction making a lot of short cast to help stay out of the trees. As you can see in the above picture, it is not exactly a very shallow stream. It has plenty of water and probably contains some other species of trout, especially in its lower end. We just have not caught anything but brook trout.
There are probably fifty brook trout within casting distance of me in the above image. You don’t have to do a lot of moving around. It has some very good cover along its banks and out in the stream in some cases. You could catch well over a hundred brook trout, probably in half a day but certainly on any good day. It is just fun fishing and a good way to tighten up your reaction on setting the hook.
Keep in mind the Big Hole River is just down the road a few miles. You can always go there when you get tired of catching trout.
Hatches and Trout Flies for Joseph Creek Montana
I am not certain of all the aquatic insects in this stream. We did take samples of the nymphs and larvae the one and only time we fished it. Some of the hatches had obviously ended and the nymphs and larvae would be tiny of those most recent hatches, if they have even hatched from the eggs.
It is certainly not necessary to match the hatch to catch the little brook trout, but we have an ideal there are other species of trout in this stream. We just have not been able to find out. It is a tributary of the Big Hole, or it eventually flows into the Big Hole via the North Fork of the river. It may have some brown, cutthroat and possible even some rainbows in other parts of the stream. It is likely to have some cutthroats, but we haven’t verified that.
The Blue-winged Olives are there as you may expect. They were hatching when we were there. At the area of Montana they should hatch possible as early as late April and should last through June. There is almost certain to be a fall hatch in September because the baetis in the stream are bi-brooded.
There are PMD or Pale Morning Dun nymphs in the stream, so they should hatch in this area around. They probably hatch from the first of June through August or at least they do in the Big Hole River not far away.
Spotted Sedges were hatching while we were there fishing. They probably last from about the first of June until late August.
Little Yellow Stoneflies were there, but not very plentiful. They would most likely hatch in June and July.
I would certainly have plenty of terrestrial imitations if I fished it during the summer. Ants, beetles and grasshopper were all along the banks and in the willow trees.
Don’t overlook our “Perfect Flies” and the generic and attractor flies we carry. Our ant and beetle imitations are the best on the market. We hope you will give them a try.