Waters · Rivers · MT · Tue, Sep 15
Gallatin River fishing report today Biting — save your energy for the evening.
Worth a cast.
Today's bite windows
Sunrise 7:03 AM · sunset 7:35 PM · tomorrow's first major 4:17 AM–6:17 AM · windows on every water
Conditions right now
Nearby gauges
These sit on connected water, not on Gallatin River itself.
- Second stretch — 406 cfs · 50°F USGS 06052500 updated 6:00 AM
What this means
Gallatin River water level today
4.83 ft down 0.01 ft in 24 hours
That sits 20% of the way up the band it has held over the last 8 days, between 4.82 and 4.87 ft. Over the week it is down0.02ft.
The week ahead
| Wed | 5 | Picky | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | 6 | Biting | |
| Fri | 7 | Biting | |
| Sat | 6 | Biting | |
| Sun | 6 | Biting | |
| Mon | 6 | Biting | |
| Tue | 6 | Biting |
Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.
Before you go
A Montana fishing license covers this water — $21 a year for residents. FWP sets the rules and is the one that counts.
What it costs, and who is exempt →Nearby waters today
- 7 Biting Yellowstone River MT · 39 km
- 7 Biting Madison River MT · 43 km
- 5 Picky Canyon Ferry Lake MT · 156 km
- 6 Biting Green River UT · 509 km
- 4 Picky Hiwassee Lake NC · 2541 km
Questions people ask about Gallatin River
Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Gallatin River.
- Is it worth fishing Gallatin River today?
- 6 out of 10 — biting. Worth a cast. The strongest stretch is 3:29 AM–5:29 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.
- What time should you fish Gallatin River?
- Today's major windows run 3:29 AM–5:29 AM and 3:53 PM–5:53 PM, with minor windows at 11:53 AM–12:53 PM and 8:46 PM–9:46 PM. Sunrise is 7:03 AM and sunset 7:35 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
- What is the water temperature at Gallatin River?
- 46.4°F, read at 6:30 AM from USGS station 06043120. That is 2.0 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago.
- What is the water level at Gallatin River right now?
- 4.83 ft, read at 6:30 AM from USGS station 06043120. Over 24 hours it is down 0.01 ft.
- Are water levels rising or falling at Gallatin River?
- Holding steady. The lake is down 0.01 ft in 24 hours and down 0.02 ft over the week. Over the last 8 days it has held between 4.82 and 4.87 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.
- Can you eat the fish you catch in Gallatin River?
- That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, with the health and environmental departments publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where issued as one statewide document rather than a searchable database, with 21 new or revised PFAS advisories in 2026. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.
- Do you need a licence to fish Gallatin River?
- Yes. A Montana fishing license covers this water, required from age 12. FWP sets the rules and is the one that counts.
- What size fish can you keep in Montana?
- It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: combined trout (brown, rainbow, golden, cutthroat and grayling), largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.
Combined trout (brown, rainbow, golden, cutthroat and grayling) limits · Largemouth bass limits · Smallmouth bass limits · Northern pike limits · Check a length against the rules
Where these numbers come from
- Solunar computed 6:58 AM
- NOAA KEKS Ennis - Big Sky Airport 6:35 AM
- NOAA TFX gridded forecast 4:41 AM
- USGS 06043120 Gallatin River above Deer Creek, near Big Sky, MT 6:30 AM
No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.