About Montana Hatch

What you'll find

Real-time flows & water temps

Live discharge, gage height, and water temperature from USGS gauge stations across each river, updated every 30 minutes. 7-day flow charts with 95-year median overlay so you can see how conditions compare to normal.

<60°F · 60–66°F · 66–73°F · >73°F

Weather forecasts

Per-gauge weather from the National Weather Service — temperature, wind, sky conditions, and precipitation chance.

Wind: 0–5 · 6–10 · 11–15 · 16+ mph

Precip: 0–15% · 16–40% · 41–70% · 71–100%

Fishing reports

Fly pattern consensus aggregated from local shop reports. See what's working on each river, grouped by technique — nymphing, dry fly, streamer — along with water clarity and trend.

Hatch charts

Seasonal insect activity for each river — when hatches start and peak, hook sizes, and water temperature triggers. Color-coded by category: Mayflies Stoneflies Caddis Midges Terrestrials Browse all hatches.

Interactive maps

Every river and section has an interactive map showing gauge stations, fishing access sites, and nearby fly shops. Click any marker for details, directions, and links. Access sites include boat ramp info, camping, and downloadable FWP maps.

Data sources

• Flow & water temperature — U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Real-time readings from 20 gauge stations, plus 95-year daily statistics.
• Weather — National Weather Service (NWS). Gridded forecasts updated every few hours.
• Access sites & restrictions — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP). Fishing access site data, hoot owl restrictions, and closures.
• Fishing reports — Local fly shops across Southwest Montana. Reports are aggregated into consensus patterns — we never reproduce original shop content.

All data is provisional and subject to revision by the source agencies.

Rivers we cover

We currently track 8 rivers across Southwest Montana — the Gallatin, East Gallatin, Madison, Yellowstone, Big Hole, Beaverhead, Jefferson, and Ruby — covering 17 sections and 20 USGS gauge stations.