“Where should I fish on the Gallatin?” That’s a question we here multiple times a day in the shop, and my answer is usually the same…”I don’t know.” The Gallatin is a great river, with lots of access, and varying types of water from top to bottom, and can fish great at any access at a given time. The question is, where is everyone else fishing on the Gallatin?
From here at Four Corners to the canyon the river needs to be accessed at one of the bridges that cross it, whether it be here in Four Corners, Axtell Bridge, Gallatin Gateway, or Williams Bridge. But keep in mind that these bridges are congregation points for people. The Axtell Bridge access can fish great, but I stopped there the other afternoon and there were 11 vehicles. I would imagine the fishing for the first car was probably a little better than the eleventh. So for the bridge accesses, if there’s nobody there, try fishing there. If there are 10 cars, well…
As far as the water in the canyon is concerned, there are many turnouts and pulloffs, and you’re now in Forest Service land, so you can access the river wherever (except for someone’s obvious yard). Now some spots topographically speaking are going to be better than others, but as you drive along Highway 191 you can see much of the water, and you can also see where cars are parked and where other people are fishing. So what I usually do is just start driving, with no set destination in mind, and when I see a spot that appeals to me I stop and fish it. Simple as that. If it fishes well, great; if it’s slow, I try another spot. That may sound elementary, but it allows me to find my own space and explore new water on a familiar river. Perfect.
We don’t mean to sound evasive when people ask us where they should fish, but some people really want to know what specific rock to stand on. We really don’t have the special rock, and even if we did, someone’s probably already standing on it. Also, we really don’t want to assign spots to people. That’s not what it’s about. Take a ride up into the canyon, look at the water, see a spot you like, and go fishing.