Technical Spring Creek Waters

Challenge Your Inner Angler in Paradise Valley
For anglers that want to test their skill on some of the most prolific and technical waters in the world you can visit the famous spring creeks near Livingston (about 45min drive) including DePuy, Nelson and Armstrong. These wade fishing streams are born from underground springs and are infested with aquatic insects and other macroinvertebrates that result in an amazing density of trout. Hatches on the creeks are spectacular but expect to work hard to fool the often highly selective trout.

Depuys Spring Creek
DePuy Spring Creek is considered by many to be one of the finest spring creeks on the planet. Its productive waters located in the heart of Paradise Valley draw anglers from far and wide. DePuy spring creek is actually the bottom half of Armstrong spring creek that begins on the O'hair ranch. The creek ranges from 30 to 100 feet wide and has a wide variety of trout habitat including riffles, deep runs, glassy flats and a spring fed pond. Few places on earth can match the picturesque beauty of the DePuy ranch with the Absaroka Mountains towering above a valley filled with deer, swans, cranes and bubbling trout waters.

Fly fishing on the spring creek is good year round and is arguably the best winter fishery in Montana (along with the other Livingston spring creeks). Fishing really heats up in the spring when large numbers of rainbows run out of the the Yellowstone River to spawn in the spring creeks. Unusually high catch rates can be experienced during April and early May as a result. 

Hatches at Depuys are stronger and more prolific than on larger Montana rivers. Dry fly fishing begins in the late winter of midge hatches. Cloudy days in the spring produce outstanding baetis hatches. Pale morning duns make a regular appearance during the first half of the summer and eventually give way to solid terrestrial fishing with hoppers, ants and beetles. 
Nymph fishing is productive year round for anglers that can produce a solid drift in the tricky currents of the creek. Spring creek trout are notoriously fickle and a day spent plying the waters at DePuys is similar to playing a game of chess. There is no better place to match wits with some of the most technical trout in Montana than DePuys!

Armstrong Spring Creek
Armstrong spring creek is one of the triad of legendary Montana spring creeks near Livingston. Located in the heart of Paradise Valley, the scenery located along the spring creek is some of the best in the state. Armstrong originates from a series of underground springs on the O'hair ranch. The portion of the creek on the O'hair ranch is filled with riffles, pockets and runs. The large amount of faster water is often a bonus when fishing a spring creek since the trout have a bit less time to inspect our flies. Spring creek fly fishing is always very technical an any advantage that we can gain is welcome. 

Fishing on Armstrong is good all year round. The creek is an insect factory and produces an ample supply of mayflies, midges, caddis flies and freshwater crustaceans. Water temperatures are cool in the summer and warm in the winter do to the springs. The water temperatures encourage fish to feed throughout the winter season making Armstrong a great destination in the colder months.

Hatches are robust and prolific on the spring creeks and Armstrong is no exception. Dry fly fishing begins in earnest in March when late morning midge hatches frequently bring trout to the surface. As spring progressed the blue winged olive hatch takes precedent. Cloudy days are especially explosive and the hatch brings nearly every trout in the creek to the surface. Pale morning duns and caddis become dominant food sources in the early summer. In the late summer and fall terrestrials become important and eventually the fall baetis starts again around mid September. 

Nelson Spring Creek
Nelson Spring Creek is hallowed in many fly fishing circles, primarily dedicated dry fly anglers. The creek is located on the opposite side of the river from Armstrong and DePuy and is fed by an underground aquifer that pumps constant, cool temperatures year-round into the steam. Three-quarters of a mile of private spring creek fishing is available for anglers to fish. To sustain a great fishing environment, the folks at Nelson limit the number of rods per day to six. This helps spread the amount of fishing pressure throughout the stream.Other water sources to Nelson include a sizable pond spring and a few marshes in which the water will drain into the creek. Because the spring water always stays within a constant temperature (48-54ºF) throughout the year, it translates to an extremely healthy trout stream where aquatic insect life prospers. The creek originates on the Dana property, which is right above the Nelson. It then snakes its way for approximately one-and-a-half miles before linking with the Yellowstone River.
Nelson is famous for the marvelous mayfly, midge, and caddis hatches. There is a core following of Paradise Valley spring creek anglers that will book the exact dates year after year. While it can be technical fishing, everyone should experience these fascinating spring creek fisheries at least once in their life. If you arrive on one of those days where every trout in the creek seems to be rising, it most likely won't be your last time fishing it either.
The rainbow, brown, and native cutthroat trout in Nelson average about 15-19 inches; however, some larger trophy-sized fish breach the highly sought-after twenty-inch mark. These larger fish, primarily brown trout, require the ultimate stealth coupled with precise casting and fly presentation. Fishing long leaders and light tippets here is essential. There are plenty of microcurrents caused by weed beds and numerous other structures that can challenge even the most well-seasoned dry fly anglers. But don't let this intimidate you! With a good guide, even novice anglers can expect to land a few fish. The single best piece of advice when fishing a technical spring creek for trout or a permit flat in Cuba is to have confidence that you'll get the job done!

Private Spring Creeks

Small Trout Streams

Yellowstone River

Stillwater River

Boulder River