Area Rivers
Gallatin River | Madison River | Missouri River | Ruby River
Gallatin River, Tributary of Missouri River.
The Gallatin River is about twelve miles long from its origin at the confluence of the West and East Gallatin rivers to Three Forks, Montana, where it joins the Jefferson and Madison rivers to form the Missouri River. The river flows through a narrow valley consisting of agricultural and grazing lands at elevations less than 5,000 feet. The banks are primarily undercuts, and long, deep pools provide much of the fish cover. Except for the East and West Gallatin rivers, tributaries to the Gallatin River are limited to a few spring creeks. Water can be slightly turbid year-round due to the sediment input from the East Gallatin. The Gallatin River below the confluence of its forks suffers from sedimentation, warm water temperatures, dewatering, and the presence of M. cerebralis, the causative agent of whirling disease. Trout populations decline in the lower river due to these factors and a variety of other cumulative impacts.
Total Length: 97 miles
Species Present: Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout
Fish Count:
GVO’s thoughts: But more importantly, two words, Brad and Pitt. The bulk of the movie A River Runs Through It was filmed on the Gallatin. If you’re really lucky, we’ll take you to stand on “Brad Pitt Rock” and let you cast in every which direction.
Madison River, Tributary of Missouri River.
The Madison River originates in Yellowstone National Park at the junction of the Firehole and Gibbon rivers and flows in a northerly direction for 140 miles to Three Forks, Montana, where it joins the Jefferson and Gallatin rivers to form the Missouri River. From its source in the park, the Madison flows across a high conifer-forested plateau, its journey interrupted by two man-made impoundments: Hebgen Reservoir, located one and one-half miles below the park boundary, and Ennis Reservoir, 58 miles downstream from Hebgen. Just below Hebgen, the Madison feeds Quake Lake, a natural lake formed by an earth slide during a major earthquake in 1959. From Ennis Reservoir the Madison flows through Bear Trap Canyon before entering the lower Madison River valley for its final 18 miles. The Madison is one of Montana’s premier wild trout rivers. Due to its national reputation, heavy fishing pressure, good access, high scenic value, and excellent wild trout populations, it has been classified as a “Blue Ribbon” trout stream. The Madison is also the home of “wild trout management,” where the results of a controversial study in the early 1970s introduced a shift in management emphasis nationwide, from stocking trout to population monitoring, harvest regulation, and habitat protection. A number of challenges exist to wild trout fisheries in the Madison River, such as whirling disease, increased angling pressure, and drought.
Total Length: 132 miles
Species Present: Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout
Fish Count:
GVO’s thoughts: lajsdhf
Missouri River, Tributary of Out-of-state.
America’s longest river gets it’s start in Montana near the town of Three Forks. Right from the start the Missouri is running big and wide on it’s long journey across North America to join the Mississippi over 2300 miles away. The swift currents of late spring and summer make it a popular river for floaters. The land the Missouri slides by has substantially the same appearance as when it was explored by the Lewis and Clark expedition over two centuries ago.
Total Length: 726 miles
Species Present: Black Crappie, Brown Trout, Burbot, Channel Catfish, Mountain Whitefish, Northern Pike, Paddlefish, Rainbow Trout, Sauger, Shovelnose Sturgeon, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch
Fish Count:
GVO’s thoughts: lajsdhf
Ruby River, Tributary of Beaverhead River.
The Ruby River originates at the convergence of its East, West, and Middle Forks and runs in a northwesterly direction for 97 miles. In its upper section, the river flows through Beaverhead - Deerlodge National Forest between the Gravelly and Snowcrest mountain ranges. Fourteen miles downstream it veers gradually west to run alongside the Ruby Range and into Ruby River Reservoir, which was built in 1939 to store irrigation water. The upper basin’s grasslands, historically a summer range for American bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorns, and grizzly, are prone to erosion and mass wasting, leading to turbid water flows in the river. Below Ruby Reservoir the stream meanders past Alder and just west of Nevada and Virginia cities, three of Montana’s historic gold mining towns. The Ruby completes its last 45 miles below the Ruby River Dam in a wide, open agricultural valley and joins the Beaverhead River near Twin Bridges, Montana. Gravel roads which parallel the upper river allow excellent access. Hunting, camping, timber harvesting, and mining join fishing, and cattle and sheep grazing as traditional uses supported by the Ruby River.
Total Length: 97 miles
Species Present: Arctic Grayling, Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout
Fish Count:
GVO’s thoughts: lajsdhf
(From the MT FWP website)