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Jefferson River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The forgotten fork: brown-trout water the crowds drive past, where the Big Hole and Beaverhead marry and float traffic disappears.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
398 cfs
Air / High
78 / 80 F
Wind
WNW 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06036650, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Jefferson River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 398 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 4 mph, rising pressure near 1005 hPa and a high of 80. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 81 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Jefferson River near Three Forks.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06036650.

249345440398 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp78 F
High / Low80 / 52 F
WindWNW 4-19 mph
Pressure1004.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 3%
Sunrise / Sunset06:51 / 19:58
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 80/52 F, wind 16 mph, rain 3%

Fair or better. A 16 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Jefferson River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Jefferson River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Jefferson River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 77 F, wind to 17 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 26 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 83 F, wind to 26 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 85 F, wind to 12 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Montana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Montana license + AIS pass. Hoot-owl and closure watch in hot summers: check FWP region 3.

Access

Hells Canyon, Mayflower, Cardwell, Sappington, Drouillard FAS accesses.

About this water

83 miles from Twin Bridges to Three Forks, MT. The unsung brown-trout fork of the headwaters.

Fishing Jefferson River: the full guide

The quiet confluence

The Jefferson forms where the Big Hole, Beaverhead and Ruby merge at Twin Bridges: and inherits their browns without their fame. Anglers rushing between famous forks skip it: which is precisely its value: 80 miles of cottonwood bends, undercut banks and brown trout that see a fraction of the pressure their cousins endure.

Brown-trout water, honestly

The Jeff fishes warm and moody: summer flows drop with irrigation and the river suffers in drought years (hoot-owl closures come here first): but spring and fall it becomes what it always was: streamer water for 20-plus-inch browns hunting the banks, hopper flats in wet Augusts, and crayfish-pattern floats through the Cardwell canyon.

Where to work it

The upper river (Twin Bridges to Silver Star) runs coldest and fishes most reliably: the Cardwell-to-Three-Forks canyon adds scenery and deeper holding water. Access sites space generous floats: Hells Canyon, Mayflower, Sappington: and wade anglers work the riprap and bend pools at each between hatches.

Timing the Jeff

April-June: the prime: pre-runoff streamers, then caddis as it clears. July-August: watch temperatures (our Three Forks gauge tracks it): fish dawn or rest it: the river repays restraint. September-October: the payoff: big browns eating streamers in empty water while the crowds queue on the Madison. The Jefferson rewards anglers who think in seasons, not hatches.

Common questions

Why is the Jefferson less famous than the Madison?

Warmer, moodier and harder to time: the crowds follow reliability. In its windows (spring, fall, wet summers) the Jeff's browns match anything in the valley: with the banks to yourself.

When should I float the Jefferson?

April-June and September-October: streamer seasons bracket the year. Skip hot low-water weeks: the river needs the rest and fishes poorly anyway.

Is fishing good at Jefferson River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Gallatin River4 miEnnis Lake33 miCanyon Ferry Lake37 miMadison River39 miYellowstone River50 miBig Hole River58 mi
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