“Poets talk about “spots of time,” but it is really fishermen who experience eternity compressed into a moment. No one can tell what a spot of time is until suddenly the whole world is a fish and the fish is gone.”
-Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
Nobody captures the beauty and agony of fly fishing like Montana-raised author Norman Maclean.
Most of the fishing in his novella took place on the Big Blackfoot River, which joins the Clark Fork on the eastern edge of Missoula. Properties for sale here look like the quintessential Montana fishing dream: rolling hills of pine forests that drop to waters filled with trout.
The fly fishing waters of Montana provide endless options for anglers looking for properties near public land. In the northeast part of the state, the South Fork of the Flathead River flows out of one of the most remote regions in the continental United States and boasts genetically pure westslope cutthroat trout, a rarity for this threatened species. Flathead Valley real estate, whether out along a branch of the Flathead River or in town, means that you’re never far from a waterway to cast your flies in.
America’s longest river, the Missouri, begins just west of Bozeman and winds its way east across the state en route to its convergence with the Mississippi in St. Louis. Many people looking for land for sale in Montana are drawn to the big fish and beautiful views of the Missouri, where sections of the river boast 3,500 to 5,500 trout per mile.
The Madison River begins in Yellowstone National Park and runs for 183 miles before joining the Missouri. Consistently ranked as one of the best trout fly fishing rivers in Montana, a large section of the river also runs through the jaw-droppingly beautiful Madison Valley. Serious fishermen keep an eye on Ennis real estate, looking for a piece of paradise near this river teeming with rainbow trout.
Though the long, warm days are drawing to a close, great fall fishing is just beginning across the state. Preparation is the key to late-season fishing, both in terms of clothing and gear: Pack all your layers, as temperature and precipitation can vary wildly (often within the same day). Bring a wide variety of flies as well—with the low, clear waters of fall rivers, you’ll need to have just the right fly to match the hatch or conditions. Or consider picking up a piece of land in western Montana and setting up a home base next to your favorite fishing hole.
Explore additional information about fly fishing across Montana in PureWest's 2021 Pure Montana magazine.
Top photo by Tim Foster on Unsplash
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