The Jefferson, in Montana is formed at the confluence of the Big Hole River and Beaverhead River roughly two miles north of Twin Bridges, Montana. From there it flows 80 miles through a variety of different landscapes before joining the Madison fishing River and Gallatin fishing River to form the mighty Missouri near the town of Three Forks. The Jefferson is often over-shadowed by more well-known fishing rivers in the area such as the Madison, Beaverhead, Big Hole, and Ruby; however, it still can offer up some incredible fishing throughout the year. We love taking people over here for two main reasons. The first is that it receives very little pressure, and the second is the quality and size of the fish. While the trout population in the Jeff is about half of what you’ll find on the Madison, there are some absolute pigs that inhabit this fishing river. We target these fish using streamers and large dry flies, and tend to focus our efforts on the upper 60 miles.
With all the great water and solitude that the Jefferson provides, a very common question that we receive is why aren’t there more people fishing here? For one thing, the Jefferson is not as consistent of a fishery as its neighbors and can be a little “finicky” to put it bluntly. Another big reason is that the Jeff is not always an option due to low flows and warm water temperatures during the summer months when most anglers are out on the water. That being said, the Jefferson remains one of our favorite rivers in South-West Montana, and one that provides the type quality fish and solitude that our customers truly appreciate.