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Fly fishing report · West
Beaverhead River at Dillon
A reach-specific Beaverhead page for anglers deciding whether the Dillon water has the flow, public access, and trout-friendly conditions for a technical brown-trout day.
Check flow & weatherToday's fishing decisionMost live data available
39
Skip today
Do not commit until the safety issue clears.
Red Flag Warning issued July 31 at 1:11PM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Missoula MT
Best supported approachNo approach recommended
Watch nextRed Flag Warning issued July 31 at 1:11PM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Missoula MT
Updated Aug 3, 1:09 AM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes
Red Flag Warning issued July 31 at 1:11PM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Missoula MT
Safety overrides tacticsNo approach recommended
The active safety or closure reason takes priority over wading, bank fishing, and floating guidance.
Check before you drive
Current flow and weather.
Look at whether the river is rising or falling, then check wind, rain, and storms. These can change both safety and fishing.
Loading current flow and weather.
Before you rely on this report
How current is this report?
Conditions can change quickly. Check these dates before you decide to fish, and open the official source when safety or rules matter.
- River conditions
- Checked Aug 2, 2026, 9:09 PM
- Fishing guidance
- Reviewed May 31, 2026
- Public access
- No reviewed map pin available
- Rules and closures
- Official rule links checked
High confidence in the current score inputs.
10 sources are listed below for you to open.
3 public access records are listed. Private spots are never shown.
Source checked Jul 30, 2026
Plan your access
Know where you can enter.
These are public parking, launch, trail, or recreation areas—not secret fishing spots. We never show an angler's private pins, notes, or photos here.
- 0
- Shown on map
- 3
- No map pin
Location checkedDescription only
01No map pin
Boat launch
Cornell Park Fishing Access Site
FWP's Dillon-area public access with walk-in opportunities and the key upstream launch for the Selway Park float.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Cornell Park and Selway Park are the cleanest public anchors for this reach. Build your day around them instead of ad hoc private-bank guesses.
Montana's stream-access law helps once you are lawfully on the water, but it does not create parking or bank entry where none exists.
02No map pin
Area description
Selway Park Fishing Access Site
FWP downstream public access used as the natural lower end of the Cornell Park float plan.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Cornell Park and Selway Park are the cleanest public anchors for this reach. Build your day around them instead of ad hoc private-bank guesses.
Montana's stream-access law helps once you are lawfully on the water, but it does not create parking or bank entry where none exists.
03No map pin
Roadside access
Named public river corridor near Dillon
Stay with signed public entries and FWP-managed sites instead of assuming every roadside bank is open.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Cornell Park and Selway Park are the cleanest public anchors for this reach. Build your day around them instead of ad hoc private-bank guesses.
Montana's stream-access law helps once you are lawfully on the water, but it does not create parking or bank entry where none exists.
How to fish it
Treat Dillon as the transition reach between the classic tailwater and the warmer irrigation valley below.
This stretch fishes best when flows stay steady enough to preserve weed edges, seams, and depth without turning the river into a heavy irrigation push. It is still the Beaverhead, but the Dillon reach is not the same all-day tailwater game as the canyon immediately below Clark Canyon Dam.
- Montana FWP describes the Beaverhead as a premier brown-trout river and notes seasonal recreation rules from the third Saturday in May through Labor Day.
- FWP's Beaverhead drainage plan says the true tailwater runs about 16 miles below Clark Canyon Dam before Barretts Diversion Dam, while the lower river near and below Dillon is more heavily influenced by irrigation demand.
- FWP's Cornell Park acquisition documents identify Cornell Park near Dillon as the only public access that allows floating to downstream Selway Park.
- Use RiverReports as the quick visual chart, but keep USGS 06017000 near Dillon as the official flow reference before you commit to wading or floating.
Why the score looks this way
Public alertLowers score
An active alert is in effect: Red Flag Warning issued July 31 at 1:11PM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Missoula MT. Check public safety sources before going.
FlowUse caution
USGS shows 124 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. Today's flow is below the normal seasonal range, which begins near 160 cfs. This is below normal, so edge depth, temperature, and pressure matter.
SeasonHelps score
Summer mornings: Still productive when flows are stable, but best handled as a short technical session.
WeatherHelps score
The NWS forecast is about 82F with Areas Of Smoke.
Fishing usefulnessHelps score
Skip or pivot when irrigation color takes over, afternoon heat makes trout handling questionable, recreation-rule timing or current restrictions do not fit the plan, or named public access is not clearly open.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
The Dillon reach is strongest when flows are stable, aquatic weeds are still fishable, and overnight temperatures keep trout active into late morning. It loses value quickly when irrigation swings muddy the river, weeds collapse, or heat turns the day into a short early window.
Steady moderate flow
Best setup for technical nymphing, weed-edge drifts, and short float coverage between public access points.
Low clear flow
Fish early, get lighter, and shorten your target water to depth, weeds, and shade instead of forcing broad flats.
Irrigation push or color
Usually a sign to avoid forcing the lower reach and move to colder, cleaner water upstream.
Hot bright afternoon
The river can still look good but fish far smaller than the morning window if temperatures climb.
Your trip plan
Know when to go—and when to skip it.
Best flows
Use RiverReports and USGS 06017000 near Dillon together. Stable moderate flow that keeps weed edges and seams defined is the best signal; dirty irrigation color, a sharp push, or hot low water should move the day.
When to skip
Skip or pivot when irrigation color takes over, afternoon heat makes trout handling questionable, recreation-rule timing or current restrictions do not fit the plan, or named public access is not clearly open.
Local plan
Start with the Dillon gauge and one named access plan such as Cornell Park or Selway Park. Fish a short technical window early, then either float legally or move upstream if the lower valley feels too warm or flat.
Backup water
If Dillon is warm, dirty, crowded, or too flat, compare the upper Beaverhead for colder technical water, Twin Bridges for a float-oriented lower-river look, or the Big Hole for a different southwest Montana trout plan.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
SpringMidges, BWOs, and early caddisZebra midge, BWO emerger, soft hackle, caddis pupa
Fly pattern · report suggests “Zebra midge”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Fly family · report suggests “BWO emerger”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box Early summerPMDs, caddis, yellow salliesPMD cripple, sparkle caddis, pheasant tail, yellow sally
Fly family · report suggests “PMD cripple”Pale Morning Dun PatternsPMD names an insect group, not one fly. Pale nymphs, trailing-shuck emergers, upright or low-riding duns, cripples, and spent-wing spinners stay visibly separate.See family guide ↗
Fly family · report suggests “sparkle caddis”Caddis Patterns by StageCaddis is not one fly. Larvae live below, pupae and emergers rise through the column, tent-wing adults ride or move on top, and spent forms create other silhouettes.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box SummerTricos, caddis, terrestrialsTrico spinner, ant, hopper-dropper, caddis emerger
Fly pattern · report suggests “Trico spinner”Trico SpinnerThe reviewed dry form is extremely sparse and flat, using a black body or thread head and pale spent wing. A weighted Sunken Trico Spinner is a separate variant.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Fly family · report suggests “ant”Ant PatternsAnt patterns can be foam, fur-bodied, winged, or sunken. The narrow waist and paired body lobes matter more than one material recipe.See family guide ↗+ 1 more reviewed guide in the Fly Box FallBWOs, midges, streamer windowsParachute BWO, zebra midge, small sculpin, leech
Fly family · report suggests “Parachute BWO”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗Fly pattern · report suggests “zebra midge”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box 01
Start with the Dillon gauge, then decide whether the river still has enough shape to justify technical fishing instead of a blind confidence stop.
02
Fish the seams beside weed beds, cutbanks, and defined bucket water rather than trying to cover every inch of the valley channel.
03
If you float, keep it disciplined and centered on named public access instead of assuming convenient pull-outs are legal.
04
When the lower river gets warm or inconsistent, move up the drainage rather than convincing yourself the Beaverhead name will save the day.
Rules & closures
Check the official rules before you go.
Open the agency page to confirm the exact river section, species, season, tackle rules, limits, and emergency closures.
Official links checkedRules for this river or sectionNo special rule found
We did not find a special rule for this river.
We checked the state source but did not find a clearly supported exception for this river. Check the official rules for the exact section you plan to fish.
Rules checkedJul 30, 2026
Report a correction ↗Always follow the official rule
This summary helps with trip planning. The linked agency rule is the one you must follow.
Updates from anglers
What anglers are seeing.
Recent observations from general areas of Beaverhead River at Dillon. We review every update before it appears and never publish exact fishing spots, private access details, or photo locations.
Angler updates are not loading right now.
You can still use the river plan above. Check back later for recent observations from other anglers.
Where this report comes from
Open the sources we checked.
Fishing guidance checked: May 31, 2026
Site check: Jul 14, 2026. We regularly test report links, live scores, flow and weather data, and page loading. The content date changes only when the fishing guidance or its sources change.
flowRiverReports: Beaverhead River near DillonflowUSGS Beaverhead River near DillonregulationMontana FWP fishing regulationsregulationMontana FWP restricted-use river permitsbackgroundMontana FWP Beaverhead River drainage planaccessMontana FWP Cornell Park Fishing Access Site acquisitionaccessMontana FWP Cornell Park streambank restoration EAaccessMontana FWP Selway Park Fishing Access Site mapaccessMontana stream access lawsafetyNational Weather Service forecast point near Dillon
Common questions
Before you leave.
What should I check first on the Beaverhead at Dillon?+
Start with RiverReports and USGS 06017000 near Dillon, then check current Montana regulations and any FWP closure or restriction notices.
Can I float from Cornell Park to Selway Park?+
Yes, that is the main public float connection FWP identifies for this Dillon reach, but confirm current access status and low-clearance hazards before you launch.
Is this the same as the classic upper Beaverhead tailwater?+
No. The Dillon reach is still technical brown-trout water, but it carries more irrigation and valley-season influence than the tighter tailwater closer to Clark Canyon Dam.