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Willow Creek Reservoir

Type
Lake or reservoir, Montana (West)
Designation
Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey) · Special-regulation trout water
USGS gauges
None listed
Guides
8 nearby
Shops
1 nearby

Today on Willow Creek Reservoir

No live reading for this water
Why there is no reading

Nothing live is published for this water, so there is no reading or verdict today. The readings section below says what we checked.

Regulations & access Guides & shops

Willow Creek Reservoir is a lake or reservoir in Montana, listed as Among the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey) by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

More about Willow Creek Reservoir

12 guides and 1 shop 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)

Representative photograph of similar water; not a photograph of this place.
Representative photograph, not this water.
Where it is

Willow Creek Reservoir is a lake or reservoir in Montana. Our destination hub Ennis & the Madison Valley is 24 mi away in a straight line. Montana has 4 waters named Willow Creek Reservoir in the USGS Geographic Names Information System; this page is the reservoir whose point is in Madison County, the one the agency list names.

No real-time gauge

No real-time gauge on this water. We found no active USGS gauge on Willow Creek Reservoir or on its stream system within about 25 miles, and no dam operator publishes data for it. A missing gauge says nothing about the water itself. Find the gauges nearest Willow Creek Reservoir

Check any river's flow

About these readings

Nothing live is published for this water; the note below says what we checked.

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

Willow Creek Reservoir on the map

About this

Shops and guides within 40 miles

Map of Willow Creek Reservoir: gauges, shops and guides

RestroomsAccess map

Map of Willow Creek Reservoir, and shops and guides with an exact address within 40 miles.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

Restrooms near Willow Creek Reservoir

Restrooms near Willow Creek Reservoir

Restrooms within 2 miles of Willow Creek Reservoir 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.

More water near Willow Creek Reservoir

  • 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 18 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 32 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 33 mi

    Rainbow, brown & brook trout

  • 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 50 mi

    Rainbow, brown & brook trout

  • The Beaverhead River meeting the Ruby River beside a gravel bar under a wide sky near Twin BridgesAmong the state's most-fished waters (agency angler survey)
    Photo credit

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

    Beaverhead River

    Montana · about 65 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 39 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 2026-11-05) for this water’s own mapped feature. Rounded figures; they describe the channel, not today’s conditions.

Surface area
368 acres
Watershed
Jefferson

Stocking records

About this

From the agency’s own records (Fish Stocking Records (FWP fishViewer), Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, read 2026-11-05), listed as Willow Creek Reservoir (agency stocking point). Check the agency for this season.

Past stockings, not a schedule

  • 2026: Kokanee in Apr (1 stocking, 10,000 fish).

  • 2025: Kokanee in May (1 stocking, 10,000 fish).

  • 2024: Kokanee in May (1 stocking, 20,000 fish).

Agency records

Guides and shops near Willow Creek Reservoir

About this

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

Guides

  • Madison River Guides LLC

    Mc Allister, MT · 17 mi

    Madison River

    • Unclaimed

    Nearby

  • Hooked Outfitting

    Ennis, MT · 24 mi

    Float trips · Wade trips · Madison & Missouri

    • Unclaimed

    Nearby

  • Fins & Feathers Guide Service

    Bozeman, MT · 25 mi

    Wade trips · Beginners & lessons · Madison & Gallatin

    • Unclaimed

    Nearby

  • Hatch Adventures

    Bozeman, MT · 25 mi

    Multi-day trips · Overnight camp trips · Madison & Gallatin

    • Unclaimed

    Nearby

  • Montana Troutwranglers

    Belgrade, MT · 26 mi

    Float trips · Walk-and-wade · Madison & Gallatin

    • Unclaimed

    Nearby

  • Camp Creek Outfitters

    Ennis, MT · 28 mi

    Float trips · Wade trips · Madison & Blackfoot

    • Unclaimed

    Nearby

  • Four Rivers Fishing Company

    Twin Bridges, MT · 32 mi

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

    • Unclaimed

    Nearby

  • Montana Angling Company

    Bozeman, MT · 32 mi

    Float trips · Wade trips · Madison & Gallatin

    • Unclaimed

    Nearby

All Montana guides

1 shop nearby

  • Frontier Anglers

    Dillon, MT · 56 mi

    Fly shop · Guided trips · Wade trips

    • Unclaimed

All Montana shops

How these are chosen

Guides whose own website names this water come first, nearest first. After them, fly-focused guides within 40 miles whose website does not name it. 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

What 11 nearby guide websites mention: what guides advertise, not a survey or a promise of what you will catch.

Named on 11 nearby guide websites

  • Trout6
  • Brown trout3
  • Cutthroat trout3
  • Northern pike2
  • Rainbow trout2
  • Arctic grayling1
  • Brook trout1
  • Bull trout1

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)

How we put this together

Named by guides nearby (within 40 miles), counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. No agency page we hold lists species for this water.

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 · 24 mi away in a straight line

Open the hubPlan a trip here

Gear checklist

About this

A stillwater fly-fishing checklist for lakes and ponds: a 9–10 ft 5–6 weight rod, floating and intermediate lines, chironomids and leeches, and float-tube options, with estimated prices and where to buy.

An angler stands knee-deep in a calm lake with the rod bent, playing a trout

Lakes & stillwater

9′–10′ rod, 5–6 weight, floating + intermediate lines · Rainbow, brook and brown trout in lakes

Open the checklist
Videos for this water (3)

Watch: stillwater trout basics

About this

Chironomids, leeches and where fish hold in a lake.

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

  • Catch More Trout in Lakes Using Indicators – Stillwater Fly Fishing TipsEmbedded from YouTube · Fly Fish Food · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Stillwater Fly Fishing Is Simpler Than You Think! | Introduction to Stillwater Fly FishingEmbedded from YouTube · Fly Fish Food · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Why is this Chironomid Fly Pattern So Versatile? | Two-Toner BC Chironomid | Fly Tying TutorialEmbedded from YouTube · Fly Fish Food · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on stillwater

Fish Tales

About this

Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with Willow Creek Reservoir.

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 8 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 point for “Willow Creek Reservoir” (reservoir) in the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Water type is our own classification.