Montana Fly Fishing Playbook 2026 (the main guide)
The main guide: how Montana water fishes, then a chapter per river covering access, seasonal strategy, flies and a starting rig.
Montana Playbook
2026 Field EditionMontana Fly Fishing Playbook
A practical Montana fly fishing field kit: where to fish, when to go and what to bring for thirteen Montana waters, river by river, so you leave the house with a plan instead of a dozen open tabs.
$8.99
One-time purchase in USD · No subscription · No account needed
- Secure checkout with Lemon Squeezy.
- Instant download.
- 6 PDFs.
What’s inside
Six PDFs. One download.
Six purpose-built pieces, each answering a question you would otherwise be researching the night before a trip.
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Montana River Quick-Info Cards
One page per river: when to go, the flow range to look for and the gauge to check it on, flies, a starting rig, what to watch and a regulations snapshot.
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Montana Hatch Calendar
Which insects to prepare for month by month, in what sizes, and whether to cover them with a nymph, an emerger or a dry.
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Montana Seasonal Cheat Sheet
Month to water to bugs to rig, in a few screens sized for a phone, for the truck and the riverbank.
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Montana Trip Planner
One sheet for the day, plus the checklist of what to confirm before you leave.
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Montana Fly Box Checklist
A practical one-box list for Montana water: which patterns, which sizes, how many of each.
Preview
See what’s inside
Actual pages from the Montana Playbook.
River chapter
One page per river: where, when, flies, a starting rig and the regulations snapshot. This is Madison River: Hebgen Dam to Lyons Bridge.
Hatch Calendar
Twelve months of hatches at a glance, then hatch by hatch: sizes, stages and where each one matters.
Fly Box Checklist
About thirty patterns with sizes and quantities for Montana water, the essentials starred.
Trip Planner
One sheet for the day: water, flows, weather, rigs, access, and the checks to make before leaving.
River Quick-Info Card
One phone-sized card per river: when, flow, flies, rig, watch-outs and regs.
Seasonal Cheat Sheet
Month to water to bugs to rig, sized for your phone.
Coverage
13 Montana waters
A river card for each, and its own chapter in the Playbook.
- Madison River: Hebgen Dam to Lyons Bridge Madison River: Madison — Below Hebgen in River Alerts
- Madison River: Lyons Bridge to Ennis Madison River: Madison — Varney to Ennis in River Alerts
- Madison River: Bear Trap Canyon & the Lower Madison Madison River: Madison — Beartrap Canyon in River Alerts
- Gallatin River: Gallatin Canyon Gallatin River: Gallatin Canyon in River Alerts
- Yellowstone River: Paradise Valley Yellowstone River: Yellowstone — Paradise Valley in River Alerts
- Missouri River: Holter Dam to Cascade Missouri River: Missouri — Below Holter in River Alerts
- Beaverhead River: Clark Canyon Dam to Dillon Beaverhead River: Beaverhead — Clark Canyon Tailwater in River Alerts
- Big Hole River: Divide to Twin Bridges Big Hole River: Big Hole — Melrose in River Alerts Big Hole River: Big Hole — Glen to Twin Bridges in River Alerts
- Bighorn River: Afterbay Dam to Bighorn Access Bighorn River: Bighorn — Afterbay Tailwater in River Alerts
- Rock Creek: I-90 to the Upper Canyon Rock Creek: Rock Creek — Lower in River Alerts
- Blackfoot River: Roundup to Bonner Blackfoot River: Blackfoot — Lower Canyon in River Alerts
- Clark Fork River: Turah to Missoula Clark Fork River: Clark Fork — Missoula in River Alerts
- Bitterroot River: Darby to Hamilton Bitterroot River: Bitterroot — Darby to Hamilton in River Alerts
The Playbook is a planning guide. It does not report live conditions or flows, so always check current flows and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regulations before you fish. River Alerts follows current conditions for the rivers you choose.
Who it’s for
Built for anglers planning Montana days
This is a planning guide, not a live fishing report. Hatch windows here are typical, not promised: timing moves one to three weeks with snowpack, elevation, heat and dam releases. Everything perishable (flows, hoot-owl restrictions, closures, regulations, access) is marked with what to verify and where. Flow numbers on the cards are USGS median flows for context, not today's river. Use the book to get 90% of the way to a plan the night before; spend five minutes online for the last 10%.
A good fit if you are
- A weekend angler with limited days who wants each one to count
- Visiting from out of state and planning a trip to Montana
- A beginner or intermediate angler who knows how to cast but not where to start
- Tired of scattered, contradictory online research
Not the right fit if you want
- Live flows or a fishing report. It is a planning reference, not a report service.
- A printed book. It is a digital download, and nothing ships.
- A promise of fish. No hatch, no flow and no catch is guaranteed.
- Water outside Montana. Every river it covers is in Montana.
- To skip checking regulations. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is the authority, and the rules change.
What the Playbook is not
It complements live river reports, current regulations, weather forecasts, USGS flow data and your local fly shop. It does not replace them. Regulations, access, closures and conditions all change; check them with the relevant authority before you fish.
AnglerTrove is independent. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks or any government agency.
How delivery works
Pay, download, done
No account to create and nothing to install. The whole kit arrives as one download.
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Step 1
Check out securely
Payment is handled by Lemon Squeezy, our Merchant of Record. We never see your card.
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Step 2
Download straight away
As soon as your payment is confirmed, which usually takes a few seconds, your download is ready on the confirmation page.
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Step 3
Get the link by email
Two emails follow: a payment receipt from Lemon Squeezy, and a separate one from us with your download link.
- What you get
- One ZIP file containing all six PDFs. Read them on any device, or print them for personal use.
- How long the link works
- Up to 10 downloads, for 30 days after purchase. Save the files once and they are yours to keep.
- Lost or expired link?
- Email [email protected] from the address you paid with and we will send a fresh one.
Get the field kit
The Montana Fly Fishing Playbook
Six practical tools in one download. One payment, no subscription and no account to keep.
Montana Fly Fishing Playbook - 2026 Field Edition
$8.99
One-time purchase · Instant download · USD
Secure checkout with Lemon Squeezy
14 days to ask for a refund, no justification needed. Read the refund policy or get in touch.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Still have a question?
Email [email protected] or use the contact page. The refund policy has the full terms.
What do I get?
Six PDFs in one download: Montana Fly Fishing Playbook 2026 (the main guide), Montana River Quick-Info Cards, Montana Hatch Calendar, Montana Seasonal Cheat Sheet, Montana Trip Planner and Montana Fly Box Checklist.
Is this a physical book?
No. It is a digital download. Nothing ships to you.
Does it include live river conditions?
No. The Playbook is a planning and reference resource. It does not include live flows, current river reports or real-time conditions of any kind. River Alerts is the AnglerTrove product that follows current conditions.
Do I still need to check regulations?
Yes, always. Regulations, access and closures change. Check the current Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regulations for any water before you fish it.
How will I receive my files?
As soon as your payment is confirmed, which usually takes a few seconds, your download is ready on the confirmation page. We also email you a download link, separately from the payment receipt Lemon Squeezy sends. The link works up to 10 times and expires 30 days after purchase.
Who handles the payment?
Lemon Squeezy, our Merchant of Record, runs the checkout and takes the payment. We never see your card details.
What is the refund policy?
You have 14 days to ask for a refund, no justification needed. A full refund ends access to the download. See the full refund policy.