The Sun River is a tailwater in Montana, listed as Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey) by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
4 USGS gauges on the water report flow. 2 guides nearby are listed here; the nearest destination hub is Craig & the Missouri.
Sun River is a tailwater in Montana. Our destination hub Craig & the Missouri is 30 mi away in a straight line.
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.
Signed in: one step. Otherwise we email a confirmation link first. Every alert has one-click links to stop it.
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.
Gauges, shops and guides within 40 miles
Map of Sun River: gauges, shops and guides
Map of Sun River with 4 USGS gauges.
Restrooms within 2 miles of Sun 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.
No restroom mapped within 2 mi yet — add one you know.
Campgrounds, fishing access sites and boat ramps often have one that isn't on the map yet.
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.
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)The Missouri River by the Craig Frontage Road, north of Helena (1991). Photo: Lankyrider, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Montana · about 35 mi
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Dearborn RiverThe Smith River canyon in early-season snow (US Forest Service work trip, 2010). Photo: USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Dearborn River.
Montana · about 22 mi
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Nilan ReservoirEnnis Lake, Montana, in March, with the Madison Range beyond. Photo: Gloria Cabada-Leman, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr Not Nilan Reservoir.
Montana · about 28 mi
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Little Prickly Pear CreekRock Creek on the Missoula Ranger District, Lolo National Forest. Photo: USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Little Prickly Pear Creek.
Montana · about 35 mi
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Holter ReservoirHenrys Lake from Henrys Lake State Park, Idaho. Photo: James Postema, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Holter Reservoir.
Montana · about 38 mi
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Lake HelenaLake Billy Chinook, Oregon. Photo: icetsarina, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Lake Helena.
Montana · about 56 mi
Seasons, limits, special regulations and closures for each reach are on the agency pages below. Read them before you go.
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.
On the Montana's most-fished waters (FWP statewide angling pressure estimates, 2023 license year, top 250 by state rank) list (Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, read 2026-11-05). All waters with this designation
Measured from the NHDPlus High Resolution (flowlines and waterbodies) (U.S. Geological Survey, read 2026-11-05) for this water’s own mapped feature. Rounded figures; they describe the channel, not today’s conditions.
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.
11.8 of 104.3 mi on public land
Nothing on this page grants or implies access.
Listings marked Unclaimed are built from open map records and the business's own website: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.
Wolf Creek, MT · 29 mi
Float trips · Wade trips · Yellowstone & Blackfoot
Nearby
Craig, MT · 30 mi
Float trips · Drift boat · Missouri River
Nearby
No shop nearby yet.
What 2 nearby guide websites mention: what guides advertise, not a survey or a promise of what you will catch.
Named on 2 nearby guide websites
5 hatches charted for the region, not measured on this water. From Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Mother's Day caddis (Grannom) (May) · Salmonfly (May to June) · Salmonfly (May to July) · Salmonfly (July) · Trico (August to September)
Craig is a small town on the Missouri River in Lewis and Clark County, below Holter Dam and the town of Wolf Creek, between Helena and Great Falls; the Dearborn River joins the Missouri to the north.
Destination hub · 30 mi away in a straight line
What to bring on a guided float fishing trip: rain gear, polarized sunglasses, sun protection, a dry bag and your license. Most guides supply rods and flies. Estimated prices and where to buy.
Usually supplied by the guide; a 9′ 5–6 weight if you bring your own · Trout on most western float rivers
Open the checklistSeams, 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.
Not sponsored All videos on reading water
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.
Not sponsored All videos on nymphing
Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with Sun River.
No stories from here yet.
Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.
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 Sun River at Simms MT. Water type is our own classification.
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)The Missouri River by the Craig Frontage Road, north of Helena (1991). Photo: Lankyrider, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Dearborn RiverThe Smith River canyon in early-season snow (US Forest Service work trip, 2010). Photo: USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Dearborn River.
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Nilan ReservoirEnnis Lake, Montana, in March, with the Madison Range beyond. Photo: Gloria Cabada-Leman, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr Not Nilan Reservoir.
Montana · about 28 mi
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Little Prickly Pear CreekRock Creek on the Missoula Ranger District, Lolo National Forest. Photo: USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Little Prickly Pear Creek.
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Holter ReservoirHenrys Lake from Henrys Lake State Park, Idaho. Photo: James Postema, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Holter Reservoir.
Montana · about 38 mi
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)Representative photo · not Lake HelenaLake Billy Chinook, Oregon. Photo: icetsarina, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Lake Helena.
Montana · about 56 mi
