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Beaverhead River

Type
Tailwater, Montana (West)
Designation
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey) · Special-regulation trout water
USGS gauges
2 live
Guides
4 name it
Shops
2 nearby

Today on the Beaverhead River

Reading the gauge…

Regulations & access Guides & shops

The Beaverhead River is a tailwater in Montana, listed as Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey) by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

More about the Beaverhead River

2 USGS gauges on the water report flow; Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks lists 13 species, including arctic grayling, brook trout and brown trout. 4 guides and 2 shops nearby are listed here; the nearest destination hub is Ennis & the Madison Valley.

Updated · Sources: Montana's most-fished waters (FWP statewide angling pressure estimates, 2023 license year, top 250 by state rank), FISHMT :: Waterbody Details, USGS Water Data

The Beaverhead River meeting the Ruby River beside a gravel bar under a wide sky near Twin Bridges
Photo credit

The confluence of the Ruby and Beaverhead rivers near Twin Bridges, Montana. Photo: Mike Cline, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Where it is

Beaverhead River is a tailwater in Montana. Our destination hub Ennis & the Madison Valley is 33 mi away in a straight line and lists it among its waters.

Flow now at 2 gauges
Reading the gauges…

Check any river's flow

Follow Beaverhead River for flow alerts

Pick one of its USGS gauges and hear from us when the flow moves into or out of its usual range for the date, or crosses a flow you set. We check the public USGS reading every 2 hours and email only when it crosses, at most once every 6 hours. Flow alone is not a fishing forecast or a safety call.

Follow this water

Signed in: one step. Otherwise we email a confirmation link first. Every alert has one-click links to stop it.

Where to fish

About this

Start from the agency's public access map. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

Montana FWP fishing access sites

Beaverhead River on the map

About this

Gauges, shops and guides within 40 miles

Map of Beaverhead River: gauges, shops and guides

RestroomsAccess map

Map of Beaverhead River with 2 USGS gauges, and shops and guides with an exact address within 40 miles.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

Restrooms near Beaverhead River

Restrooms near Beaverhead River

Restrooms within 2 miles of Beaverhead River in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.

Map of the restroom near Beaverhead River

Skip the map; every place is in the list below

Map of 1 restroom near Beaverhead River, numbered as in the list, with the water’s point marked.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

  1. Restroom

    1.0 mi away in a straight line
    • Vault or pit toilet (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    Directions
    We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.

More water near Beaverhead River

  • The Big Hole River in October, with golden cottonwoods on the banks and mountains in the distanceAmong the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)
    Photo credit

    The Big Hole River near Twin Bridges, Montana, in October. Photo: Mike Cline, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Big Hole River

    Montana · about 28 mi

    Rainbow, brown & brook trout

  • The upper Ruby River tumbling over stones through sagebrush hills toward distant mountainsAmong the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)
    Photo credit

    The upper Ruby River, Beaverhead County, Montana. Photo: Mike Cline, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Ruby River

    Montana · about 34 mi

    Rainbow, brown & brook trout

  • The Madison River running green through a rocky channel below Earthquake Lake, with forested slopes aboveAmong the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)
    Photo credit

    The Madison River flowing out of Earthquake Lake, Custer Gallatin National Forest. Photo: USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Madison River

    Montana · about 49 mi

    Rainbow, brown & brook trout

  • Ennis Lake partly iced over in early spring, with the snow-covered Madison Range across the waterAmong the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)
    Photo credit

    Ennis Lake, Montana, in March, with the Madison Range beyond. Photo: Gloria Cabada-Leman, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

    Ennis Lake

    Montana · about 56 mi

    Rainbow, brown & brook trout

  • Marshy shallows at the edge of Henrys Lake, with the Henrys Lake Mountains behindAmong the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Ruby River Reservoir
    Photo credit

    Henrys Lake from Henrys Lake State Park, Idaho. Photo: James Postema, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Ruby River Reservoir.

    Ruby River Reservoir

    Montana · about 31 mi

  • Lake Billy Chinook filling a basalt canyon, with layered rimrock cliffs along the waterAmong the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Willow Creek Reservoir
    Photo credit

    Lake Billy Chinook, Oregon. Photo: icetsarina, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Willow Creek Reservoir.

    Willow Creek Reservoir

    Montana · about 65 mi

Regulations

About this

Seasons, limits, special regulations and closures for each reach are on the agency pages below. Read them before you go.

2 official designations

Each comes from the agency's own published list; where the list names a reach it is quoted. A designation applies to the listed reach, not necessarily the whole water. Listed in the finder under trout.

The water on the map

About this

Measured from the NHDPlus High Resolution (flowlines and waterbodies) (U.S. Geological Survey, read 2026-11-04) for this water’s own mapped feature. Rounded figures; they describe the channel, not today’s conditions.

Length
85.1 mi (77.8 in MT)
Drains
6,390 sq mi
Drop
928 ft · 10.9 ft/mi
Flows into
Jefferson River
Watershed
Beaverhead, Red Rock

Public land along it

About this

Areas the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), public access (U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Project, read 2026-11-05) lists as owned or held in easement and open to the public, crossed by the mapped channel. Boundaries are mapped, not surveyed. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

6.3 of 77.8 mi on public land

  • Clark Canyon ReservoirBureau of Reclamation · 2.1 mi
  • Montana State Trust LandsUnknown · 1.8 mi
  • Henneberry Fishing Access SiteState Fish and Wildlife · 1.5 mi
  • Poindexter Slough Fishing Access SiteState Fish and Wildlife · 0.7 mi
  • High Bridge Fishing Access SiteState Fish and Wildlife · 0.2 mi

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

Guides and shops near Beaverhead River

About this

Listings marked Unclaimed are built from open map records and the business's own website: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.

4 guides name it on their website

Guides

  • Anderson & Platt Outfitters

    Dillon, MT · 11 mi

    Float trips · Wade trips · Madison & Big Hole

    • Unclaimed

    Names this water

  • Four Rivers Fishing Company

    Twin Bridges, MT · 36 mi

    Beginners & lessons · Multi-day trips · Madison & Missouri

    • Unclaimed

    Names this water

  • Greater Yellowstone Outfitters

    Livingston, MT · 113 mi

    Float trips · Wade trips · Missouri & Madison

    • Unclaimed

    Names this water

  • R R 406 Fly Fishing Guides

    Missoula, MT · 143 mi

    Float trips · Drift boat · Blackfoot & Clark Fork

    • Unclaimed

    Names this water

All Montana guides

2 shops nearby

All Montana shops

How these are chosen

Guides whose own website names this water come first, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Shops: fly shops first. A distance is shown when the shop’s website gives its location (within 60 miles); otherwise the shop is in one of the towns within 25 miles of the water.

Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories.

Species and hatches

About this

The species the agency lists here; presence varies by reach and season.

Listed by the state agency

  • Burbot
  • Longnose Dace
  • Longnose Sucker
  • Mottled Sculpin
  • Mountain Sucker
  • Mountain Whitefish
  • White Sucker

When the bugs come off

Regional hatch months: Northern Rockies
About this chart

5 hatches charted for the region, not measured on this water. From Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

  1. January: no charted hatch
  2. February: no charted hatch
  3. March: no charted hatch
  4. April: no charted hatch
  5. May: 3 charted hatches
  6. June: 2 charted hatches
  7. July: 2 charted hatches
  8. August: 1 charted hatch
  9. September: 1 charted hatch
  10. October: no charted hatch
  11. November: no charted hatch
  12. December: no charted hatch

Mother's Day caddis (Grannom) (May) · Salmonfly (May to June) · Salmonfly (May to July) · Salmonfly (July) · Trico (August to September)

Ennis & the Madison Valley

About this

Ennis is the town on the Madison River between Quake Lake and Ennis Lake, with the Ruby, Beaverhead, Big Hole and Jefferson rivers to the west.

Destination hub · 33 mi away in a straight line

Open the hubPlan a trip here

Fish these abroad

About this

Matched on the fish the agencies list for both waters first, then the same water type, an official designation or flagship listing on both, and a similar mapped size where USGS hydrography covers both.

At most two waters per country. A shared fish is a listing, not a promise: presence varies by reach and season.

Like the Beaverhead River? Same fish, overseas.

  • The Meander River curving between willows and parkland at DeloraineFlagship water
    Photo credit

    The Meander River in Deloraine, Tasmania. Photo: Gary Houston, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Meander River

    Tasmania, Australia

    Same fish: rainbow & brown trout · also a tailwater

  • The Grand River running wide and blue between grassy, wooded banks north of ParisTailwater
    Photo credit

    The Grand River just north of Paris, Ontario, looking upstream. Photo: JustSomePics, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Grand River

    Ontario, Canada

    Same fish: rainbow & brown trout · also a tailwater

  • The straight, turquoise Tekapo–Pukaki canal running between gravel banks toward distant hillsFlagship water
    Photo credit

    The Tekapo–Pukaki hydro canal, Mackenzie Country, Canterbury. Photo: Avenue, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Hydro Canals

    Canterbury, New Zealand

    Same fish: rainbow trout · also a tailwater

  • The lower Clutha River's channels winding across green farmland towards the seaTailwater
    Photo credit

    The lower Clutha River / Mata-Au and Inch Clutha from Kaitangata. Photo: Andrewrutherford, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Lower Clutha River / Mata-Au

    Otago, New Zealand

    Same fish: rainbow & brown trout · also a tailwater

  • The wide, calm Río Toltén past rounded boulders on the bank, low hills beyondTailwaterRepresentative photo · not Río Calcurrupe
    Photo credit

    The Río Toltén at Pocoyán. Photo: Maxbalter, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Río Calcurrupe.

    Río Calcurrupe

    Los Ríos, Chile

    Same fish: rainbow & brown trout · also a tailwater

  • The South Esk River running dark and still between steep rocky wallsTailwaterRepresentative photo · not Brumbys Creek
    Photo credit

    The South Esk River, Tasmania. Photo: Michael Coghlan from Adelaide, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Brumbys Creek.

    Brumbys Creek

    Tasmania, Australia

    Same fish: rainbow & brown trout · also a tailwater

Fish it when it's winter here

Southern seasons open while ours close.

  • Lake Taupō's blue water framed by yellow kōwhai and bush, hills across the lakeFlagship water
    Photo credit

    Lake Taupō. Photo: Ériugena, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Lake Taupō

    Waikato, New Zealand

    Season open all year · DOC

  • Penstock Lagoon's open water below a shoreline of tall eucalyptsFlagship water
    Photo credit

    Penstock Lagoon, Central Highlands, Tasmania. Photo: Mike Cline, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Penstock Lagoon

    Tasmania, Australia

    Season open Aug–May · Inland Fisheries Service

  • The clear turquoise Río Limay flowing past green willows and rock outcropsTailwater
    Photo credit

    The Río Limay, Argentina. Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Río Limay

    Río Negro, Argentina

    Season open Nov–May · Patagonian fishing regulation

  • The broad blue-green Río Puelo between forested banks, mountains beyondFreestone riverRepresentative photo · not Río Petrohué
    Photo credit

    The Río Puelo at Las Gualas, Cochamó. Photo: Nicolás from seno de reloncaví, Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Río Petrohué.

    Río Petrohué

    Los Lagos, Chile

    Season open Nov–May · SERNAPESCA

  • The Río Simpson running past the edge of Coyhaique under cliffs and hills in AysénLake or reservoirRepresentative photo · not Lago Llanquihue
    Photo credit

    The Río Simpson passing Coyhaique, Aysén. Photo: Manxuc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Lago Llanquihue.

    Lago Llanquihue

    Los Lagos, Chile

    Season open Nov–May · SERNAPESCA

  • Lago Nahuel Huapi's blue water and wooded islands below snow-capped Andes, framed by conifersLake or reservoir
    Photo credit

    Lago Nahuel Huapi from Llao Llao. Photo: David, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Lago Nahuel Huapi

    Río Negro, Argentina

    Season open Oct–May · Patagonian fishing regulation

  • The braided Oreti River across green farmland, mountains on the horizonFlagship waterRepresentative photo · not Mataura River
    Photo credit

    The Oreti River near Lumsden, Southland. Photo: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons Not Mataura River.

    Mataura River

    Southland, New Zealand

    Season open Oct–Apr · Fish & Game NZ

  • Old timber pilings reflected in the still water of Great Lake, a low wooded shore beyondFlagship water
    Photo credit

    Great Lake, Tasmania. Photo: Peripitus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Yingina / Great Lake

    Tasmania, Australia

    Season open all year · Inland Fisheries Service

Gear checklist

About this

A wade-fishing checklist for big western trout rivers: a 9 ft 5–6 weight outfit, nymph, dry and streamer setups, waders, boots and a wading staff, with estimated prices by tier and where to buy.

A woman in waders and a sun hat wades a broad river and casts, bluffs on the far bank

Big western rivers (wade fishing)

9′ rod, 5–6 weight, floating line · Rainbow and brown trout, whitefish

Open the checklist
Videos for this water (5)

Watch: reading a trout stream

About this

Seams, shelves and soft water, shown on real rivers.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • How I Learned to Read Water (Fly Fishing)Embedded from YouTube · Mad River Outfitters · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • How To Read The Water with Tom RosenbauerEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Reading the Water to Successfully Locate TroutEmbedded from YouTube · Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on reading water

Watch: nymphing basics

About this

Indicator rigs, depth and detecting the take.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • 90° Nymph RigEmbedded from YouTube · Huge Fly Fisherman · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Casting with an Indicator & Better Nymphing TechniquesEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on nymphing

Fish Tales

About this

Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with Beaverhead River.

No stories from here yet.

Write the first story Share your day

Sources for this page

Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.

Something wrong?

All 19 sources and dates

A water page organises discovery. It does not assert public access, legal access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.

Flows, gauge statistics and flood stages come from USGS and the National Weather Service when the page is shown. Regulations, stocking, species and season statements link to the agency that publishes them; this page copies only the species names and the quoted sentences. Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories. Position: the USGS gauge Beaverhead River at Barretts MT. Water type is our own classification.