Fishing Spring Creeks

Five miles outside Dillon, a sign welcomed me to the McCoy Ranch and Spring Creeks.  Eager as I was to get to the creek itself, the bobbing tail of an American kestrel and the silky flight of a rough legged hawk slowed my approach along the bumpy half-mile dirt road that leads to the fishing shack. 

I heard a song of fecundity--the call of the western meadowlark, my first of the season. It would be a good day.  

Wearing a welcoming smile, Steve Beilenberg greeted me from the cedar porch of the shack.  Introductions exchanged, we jumped in his old beater of a truck and snaked our way through a sea of Red Angus cows.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was in the presence of a sage.  A longtime fishing guide and manager of the McCoy Spring Creeks, Steve displayed an uncanny knowledge of each hole as he introduced me to them.

The water was clear, the riffles slow, and the holes deep.  The lofty peaks of the Pioneer Mountains, still covered in snow, framed the landscape, and the first trout of the day bubbled to the surface, welcoming the onset of the midge hatch.

Mention “Montana” and the words “fly-fishing” soon follow.  Montana is home to some of the most famous trout rivers in the country, names that conjure up fishing bliss for anglers all over the world:  the Yellowstone, Madison, Bighorn, Beaverhead, Bighole, Clark Fork, Missouri, and Bitterroot.  

Lesser known, but equally worthy of fly-fishing acclaim, are Montana’s pristine and bountiful spring creeks.  

Fish don’t like change.  It disrupts their feeding habits.   Along with fluctuations in water level and clarity, temperatures in freestone rivers like the Yellowstone fluctuate drastically throughout the year, from the mid 30’s in Winter to the high 60’s in Summer.  Spring creeks in Montana, however, maintain a stable water flow, clarity, and temperature -- hovering around the 52-degree mark throughout the year.  The consistency provides optimum year round breeding grounds for the aquatic insects trout feed upon.  The fish grow accordingly.  Further enriching the water is the fact that most of Montana’s spring creeks flow over a layer of Paleozoic Madison Limestone -- rock rich in calcium carbonate, which percolates into the creek, adding nutrients.      

And then there are the stories and history of the people who occupy ranches bisected by spring creeks, which are as varied and rich as the waters themselves.  Spring creeks are most often located on private ranches.  Six miles south of Livingston, in the heart of the dramatic Paradise Valley, lie three such creeks.  Each year anglers from all over the world pay the $40-$100 rod fee (prices vary throughout the season) to descend upon Armstrong, DePuy, and Nelson’s Spring Creeks and experience the ultimate in fly-fishing tradition.  

In 1876, a farmer from Missouri by the name of O.T. Armstrong bought the O’Hair ranch.  One hundred years and five generations later the family still owns the ranch and runs over 1,000 head of cattle, continuing a family tradition while protecting the world famous Armstrong Spring Creek.  Only 1.5 miles in length, with flat translucent water, Armstrong has a reputation as the classic western spring creek.  The upper creek twists and turns its way through a lush cottonwood riparian area on its way to the end of the property where its flow straightens through deep banks topped with grasses waving in the Paradise Valley breeze.    

After leaving the O’Hair Ranch, Armstrong Spring Creek changes both names and character, becoming DePuy Spring Creek.   Though all three of the valley creeks boast rainbows, browns, and cutthroats, over the course of its three mile flow, DePuy boasts the most varied water and offers something for each angler -- from the novice wanting his first shot at a spring creek rainbow to the advanced spring creeker who desires the challenge of fat and picky brown trout.  

Across the Yellowstone River, on the old highway, lies the shortest of the three Paradise streams, Nelson’s Spring Creek.  What the creek lacks in length it more than makes up for with the monster browns and rainbows that call the crystal-clear waters home.  Arguably the toughest of the three streams to fish, Nelson’s is a creek where one wants to pay great attention, making stalking approaches and pinpoint casts for this match-the-hatch fishing.  For the advanced spring creeker, a day on this little jewel, with the Absaroka Mountains at your back and the opportunity to catch the trout of a lifetime, is a day one will never forget.

The fisheries of the Paradise Valley may be more renowned, but just two hours to the north, in the ranching community of Lewistown, flows one of the West’s greatest marvels.  Big Spring Creek differs from Montana’s other spring creeks in a number of ways.  For locals the most important difference may well be the fact that Big Spring Creek is a public resource -- with no rod fee.   As one of the largest freshwater springs in the world, Big Spring Creek provides untreated drinking water to the city of Lewistown.  Yet this pristine water also creates the necessary environment to produce one of the state’s finest fisheries, running for over twenty miles through fertile agriculture land, hemmed in by three island mountain ranges.  The hatches on Big Spring Creek may not be as prolific as those on many of the smaller waters in the state, but according to Matthews, “it is certainly a jewel in central Montana, and something to be really proud of.”

The hospitality of Lewistown makes it difficult for any angler to hit the road, but a two hour drive back to Livingston plus a short thirty minute shot over Bozeman Pass will land one in the very heart of trout country.  Bozeman has a reputation as the staging sight for some of the grandest trout adventures the West has to offer.  Yet few anglers realize that one of the most challenging and rewarding stretches of water flows just 25 minutes outside of town.  The Milesnick MZ Ranch provides anglers dramatic views of the Bridger, Madison, Gallatin, and Tobacco Root Mountains along with the opportunity to sight fish to one of the oversized wild rainbows and browns in its tranquil waters.  And Steve Summerhill, co-owner of Rivers Edge Fly Shop in Bozeman, labels the Milesnick Ranch, “the best of them all in terms of wildlife.”  

Though smaller than the famous Paradise Valley creeks to the east, both Thompson and Benhart Spring Creeks produce some of the most prolific hatches our state has to offer.  But these are not fisheries for the novice fisherman.  An experienced fishing guide can aid in any angler’s ability to fool one of the leery trout sipping on early July Trico’s; whereas, one or two bad casts may put the fish down as quickly as it began rising.   For the experienced spring creeker who seeks the ultimate test -- where delicate presentation and fine tippets are a must -- the fulfillment of fooling one or two of the stocky trout found in Benhart and Thomspon Spring Creeks may be just what the doctor ordered.