Fishing the Ruby River in
in Southwest Montana's
Madison County |
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Fishing the Ruby River
The Ruby River begins in the Gravelly Range of southwest Montana. The river flows down these mountains into a broad, arid valley, where it flows into Ruby Reservoir. Below Ruby Reservoir, the river flows in a valley that lies between the Ruby Range to the south and the very scenic Tobacco Root Mountains to the north. The river ends with the confluence of the Jefferson River at Twin Bridges.
The Ruby River has very difficult access in comparison to other Montana rivers. Except for the very upper stretch of the river, which lies in National Forest land, the river flows primarily through private property.
And for whatever reason, many of the landowners along the Ruby River tend to be less than cordial to anglers who are fly fishing, in stark contrast to other regions of the state. Gaining access to the Ruby River by roads is also quite difficult above Ruby Reservoir, as only a few roads cross the river. Finally, the river itself is located in a remote section of the state.
However, for those willing to tackle the difficulty of accessing it, the Ruby River provides very good fly fishing with lots of solitude for those who are floating or for the wade angler willing to venture away from the few public access sites.
The Ruby River itself tends to be quite narrow and very meandering, with bushy banks that can make casting difficult. The river also has undercut banks and some deep holes.
Due to the difficulty of access and the fact that the Ruby River is found within striking distance of better-known rivers such as the Big Hole, Beaverhead and the Madison,
the Ruby River does not get extensively high fly fishing pressure. However, the best fly fishing will be found away from the fishing access sites, particularly in the upper portion of the river where access sites tend to be few and far between.
The Ruby River, despite some battles with Whirling Disease and a massive fish kill in the lower stretches in 1994, continues to provide some excellent fly fishing.
The upper stretch of the Ruby River, above Ruby Reservoir, has excellent fly fishing for average sized Rainbows, Cutthroats and Grayling.
The lower stretch of the river, below Ruby Dam, provides excellent Brown Trout fishing. The average size of Browns run between 10-14 inches, with some fish stretching 18-20 inches. While the Browns may not get as large in the Ruby as in other better known nearby rivers, the lower fishing pressure on the river makes the fish somewhat easier to catch.
(source: flyfishingconnection.com)
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