Montana Fishing Calendar
What's biting month by month, and how many Montana charters on Unreel target each fish.
| Fish | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trout88 charters · May to October | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: off peak | April: off peak | May: peak | June: peak | July: peak | August: peak | September: peak | October: peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
 Salmon20 charters · April to June and September to November | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: off peak | April: peak | May: peak | June: peak | July: off peak | August: off peak | September: peak | October: peak | November: peak | December: off peak |
 Northern Pike3 charters · May to June | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: off peak | April: off peak | May: peak | June: peak | July: off peak | August: off peak | September: off peak | October: off peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
Shaded months are the typical peak for a charter trip. The outlined column is this month.
Montana fishing, month by month
- January
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
- February
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
- March
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
- April
- Salmon
- May
- Trout, Salmon, Northern Pike
- June
- Trout, Salmon, Northern Pike
- July
- Trout
- August
- Trout
- November
- Salmon
- December
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
Before you book
- Trout: May and June runoff can blow out freestone rivers, while tailwaters keep fishing. In hot spells Montana can close rivers after 2 p.m.
- Salmon: Idaho sets chinook and steelhead seasons, limits and open days by run size, and changes them during the season.
How this calendar is built
The charter counts are live from the Unreel directory: each one is a Montana charter that lists that fish as a target. A fish only appears here if at least three local charters target it.
The shaded months are general peak windows for the Mountain West, not fishing regulations. For ocean species, the spawning, migration and federal closure notes were checked against NOAA Fisheries species profiles, and for inshore and freshwater species against state wildlife agency guidance and rules. Seasons, closures and limits change every year and can differ by water, so check Montana's current regulations and ask your captain what is running before you book.