Over on the main historical family homestead, Riverside Ranch is the Smith River, which is actually just slightly bigger than Sheep Creek. If you’ve heard about the famous Smith River Canyon float trips, this stretch is far upstream, and too small to float. That means you’ll have private fishing on this incredible 5 mile stretch. It winds through pasture, and is fed by several small springs, which results in spring creek-like conditions. Deep cut-banks, smooth pools, shallow gravel riffles, and oxbows are the main features. Deer and the occasional moose hang out with the cows that browse along its banks.

Wet wading here is easy throughout most of the Montana fishing season, although the grass and brush can be a little tough on bare legs, we suggest bringing your waders.  A 4 to 6 weight rod, 8 feet or longer, is probably best. Nine foot leaders tapering to 4x will work in most cases, but you should bring 5x-6x just in case there is the need to cast small delicate dries.

Like Sheep Creek the Smith boasts three species of trout, but there are few if any cutthroat. Instead, you’ll find beautiful brook trout, thanks to the cold flows from the spring creeks. Brookies up to 18″ have been caught, which is a notable size for that species in the West. Brown trout are the most populous, with a good number of rainbows as well. This stretch has produced some very big fish for small water – browns up to 30″ live here, and there are good numbers in the 18-26″ class as well. This river tends to require more technical skill than Sheep Creek, so plan to stalk your fish quietly, try to move through the pools with a minimum of disturbance, and use light leaders. And be ready – you never know when that cut bank holds a hungry brown just waiting for your fly.

Sheep Creek

The North Fork of Smith River

The North Fork is very similar to the main Smith although it has swifter water much like Sheep Creek, as it flows down from the mountains as a spring creek. It’s mainly a Brook Trout stream but boasts of some large Rainbow Trout due to the reservoir it feeds into at the edge of the property. The water temperature is always cool, and the average fish is 10-14 inches, with Rainbows exceeding 20 inches. Due to the occasional brush cover and tight spots a 3-4 weight 7-8.5 foot rod is best to use as casts are more challenging here. One of the best feature of the North Fork is the wildlife. Elk and deer are seen here abundantly, and if your lucky you’ll see the famous Albino Moose. There is about 4 miles of private , exciting and very active fishing.