Montana
Bitterroot River fishing guide
This Montana river system supports five recorded fish species: Rainbow Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Brown Trout, Bull Trout, and Cutthroat Trout. Anglers can access the Bitterroot River via five boat ramps—Lena Lane, Woodside Bridge, Wally Crawford, Hannon Memorial, and Darby Bridge—or fish from public bank access points distributed along the river. Both float and bank fishing are viable options for working different sections.
Current conditions
As of September 3, 2026, Bitterroot River is running around 713 cfs with water around 62°F. Conditions look good for fishing right now.
- State
- Montana
- Public access
- Yes
- Access points
- 8
- Species recorded
- 10
These conditions are read from our data about once a day and may not reflect the current moment. For real-time conditions, open Guidepole Fish.
Public access & launches
- Lena Lane Boat RampBoat launch
- Woodside BridgeMontana FWPBoat launch
- Wally CrawfordMontana FWPBoat launch
- Hannon MemorialMontana FWPBoat launch
- Darby BridgeMontana FWPBoat launch
- Forest CooperMontana FWPFishing access
- John & Nancy Owen FASMontana FWPFishing access
- DemmonsMontana FWPFishing access
Regulations
- All trout
- Season
- Extended Season Dec. 1 to third Saturday in May
- Gear
- Artificial lures, maggots and/or aquatic insects only. All other live/dead bait prohibited.
Catch-and-release for all trout Dec. 1 to third Saturday in May.
- Northern pike and whitefish
- Season
- Extended Season Dec. 1 to third Saturday in May
- Gear
- Artificial lures, maggots and/or aquatic insects only. All other live/dead bait prohibited.
Extended season for northern pike and whitefish open Dec. 1 to third Saturday in May.
- Combined trout (rainbow or brown)
- Season
- General Season (third Saturday in May through Nov. 30)
- Bag
- 3 rainbow or brown trout daily and in possession
Rainbow or brown trout only 1 over 14 inches.
- Cutthroat trout
- Season
- General Season (third Saturday in May through Nov. 30)
Catch-and-release for cutthroat trout.
- Brown trout
- Bag
- 3 daily and in possession.
Brown trout: 3 daily and in possession.
- Brown trout
- Season
- General Season (third Saturday in May through Nov. 30)
- Bag
- 3 daily and in possession
- Cutthroat trout and rainbow trout
- Season
- General Season (third Saturday in May through Nov. 30)
Catch-and-release for cutthroat trout and rainbow trout.
- Northern pike and whitefish
- Season
- Extended season Dec. 1 to third Saturday in May, with aquatic insects, maggots and/or artificial lures only.
- Gear
- Aquatic insects, maggots and/or artificial lures only.
Extended season for northern pike and whitefish and catch-and-release for trout open Dec. 1 to third Saturday in May with aquatic insects, maggots and/or artificial lures only.
- Rainbow trout and cutthroat trout
- Bag
- Catch-and-release
Catch-and-release for rainbow trout and cutthroat trout.
- Western Fishing District
Catch-and-release for Rainbow Trout and Cutthroat Trout. Brown Trout: 3 daily and in possession. Extended season for Northern Pike and Whitefish and catch-and- release for trout open December 1 to third Saturday in Maywith aquatic insects, maggots and/or artificial lures only.
As of 2026-08-28.Guidance, not legal advice — always confirm current rules with the state.Official Montana regulations
What’s in it
Recorded in/near this water. Occurrence-based unless a higher-confidence source is shown — see it per-species in the app.
More Montana fishing
Montana field notes
Bozeman, MT
Bozeman Built a Trail System Out of Handshakes and Easements
Nearly 100 miles of trail start inside Bozeman and run to the mountains, and most of it exists because a land trust spent thirty-five years negotiating easements across private ranchland one landowner at a time. The M and Drinking Horse are the famous pair. The system behind them is the actual story.
Missoula, MT
Missoula Hikes You Can Walk To From Downtown
A university town of 78,000 people sits where five valleys meet, with a mountain rising straight off the campus and a 61,000-acre wilderness up the road behind the houses. The famous hike takes forty minutes and most of the town has done it drunk at least once.
West Glacier, MT
The Highline Trail's Hand Cable Is the Least Frightening Part
Every photograph of this trail shows the same thing: a narrow ledge, a garden hose of steel cable bolted to the rock, and a very long way down. In practice that section takes four minutes and the tread is excellent. The parts worth thinking about come later: the shuttle you must book, the parking cap, and the grizzlies.
Babb, MT
Grinnell Glacier Before It's Gone: The Boat Shortcut, the Bears, and the Best Light
A trail cut into a cliff above two turquoise lakes, ending at a glacier that has been measured shrinking for a century. There is a boat that removes 3.4 miles of it, a mid-July opening date that catches people out, and enough grizzly activity that bear spray is standard equipment rather than a precaution.
West Yellowstone, MT
Fly Fishing Yellowstone National Park: Cutthroat in the Meadows, Wolves on the Ridge, and the Strangest Trout Stream on Earth
Yellowstone holds the largest concentration of wild cutthroat trout in the world, a river that flows past erupting geysers, and backcountry meadow streams where you fish with bison grazing behind you and wolves howling at dusk. It's not just fly fishing. It's fly fishing inside the world's first national park.
West Glacier, MT
Fly Fishing Glacier National Park: Native Cutthroat, Wild Rivers, and Backcountry Water That Hasn't Changed in a Thousand Years
Glacier National Park holds 700 miles of streams and over 130 named lakes, most of them holding native westslope cutthroat trout that have never seen a hatchery. The fishing is wild, the setting is the most dramatic in North America, and the native fish are counting on you to handle them with care.
Bitterroot River fishing — FAQ
Can you fish the Bitterroot River?
Yes — the Bitterroot River in Montana has public access (8 public access point(s)). Open the guide to see the public access, launches, and current regulations.
Do you need a license to fish the Bitterroot River?
Yes — Montana requires a valid fishing license for most fishing. The current official state regulations are linked on this page.
What fish are in the Bitterroot River?
Species recorded in the Bitterroot River include Brown Trout, Seatrout (Freshwater), Steelhead, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout. The full list is on this page.
Where can you access the Bitterroot River?
Access points include Lena Lane Boat Ramp, Woodside Bridge, Wally Crawford. See every launch and access site on this page.
Get detailed fishing conditions for the Bitterroot River on your phone
The full access map, live conditions, and an agent you can just ask — on your iPhone.
Get Guidepole Fish