Warm Springs Creek Fishing Guides
A spring-influenced creek dropping out of the Anaconda Range past Anaconda into the upper Clark Fork, with wild brown and rainbow trout and a recovery story tied to the cleanup of the valley below.
Guides on the Warm Springs Creek
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About the Warm Springs Creek
Warm Springs Creek falls out of the Anaconda Range west of Anaconda and runs east through town toward its confluence with the upper Clark Fork River. The upper creek is a mountain stream in a forested canyon; the lower reach flattens into the valley floor and picks up spring inflow that moderates its temperature and steadies its flow. The gauge near Anaconda reports discharge and stage, and both are useful on a creek that carries real snowmelt in June and settles into spring fed baseflow by late summer.
The creek matters beyond its own banks because of where it goes. The upper Clark Fork valley carries one of the largest environmental remediation efforts in the United States, the legacy of a century of smelting and mining around Anaconda and Butte. Warm Springs Creek enters that system near the Warm Springs Ponds, and decades of cleanup work on the ponds and the river corridor have gradually improved conditions for trout in water that was once badly compromised. Fishing here is bound up with that history.
Above town the creek is pocket water and plunge pools in timber, fished short and close, holding brook trout, rainbows and westslope cutthroat. Through and below town the character changes to longer riffles and deeper runs where brown trout dominate and grow well on the steadier flows. Mountain whitefish are common throughout the lower reach, and their numbers are a fair sign of how far water quality in this valley has come.
Access is good, with Forest Service road and trail access up the canyon and public reaches near Anaconda, though anglers should read current advisories for the remediation area.
Anaconda itself sits right on the creek and makes an easy base, with the Pintler country to the south and the Clark Fork within a few minutes’ drive for anglers who want options.
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Access
Anaconda - the town on the creek, with lodging, fuel, food and tackle.
Warm Springs Creek canyon - Forest Service road access west of town into the upper creek.
Warm Springs Ponds - the remediation and wildlife area near the Clark Fork confluence.
Upper Clark Fork River - the mainstem the creek joins, with its own recovering fishery.
Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness - high country south and west at the creek's headwaters.
Georgetown Lake - a productive trout lake a short drive west over the pass.
Butte - the larger city east, with full services and guide access.
Seasons
Spring: snowmelt raises and colours the upper creek while the spring fed lower reach stays fishable.
Summer: flows settle, terrestrials work well and the lower creek fishes coolest in the mornings.
Fall: brown trout move to spawn and the creek fishes strongly as pressure disappears.
Winter: cold and largely iced in the canyon, with limited open water low down on mild days.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Warm Springs Creek?
As of Oct 18, 5:30 pm, the USGS gauge Warm Springs Creek near Anaconda MT reads 58 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Warm Springs Creek?
Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Westslope Cutthroat Trout on the Warm Springs Creek in Montana.
Where can you access the Warm Springs Creek?
Anaconda - the town on the creek, with lodging, fuel, food and tackle. Warm Springs Creek canyon - Forest Service road access west of town into the upper creek. Warm Springs Ponds - the remediation and wildlife area near the Clark Fork confluence. Upper Clark Fork River - the mainstem the creek joins, with its own recovering fishery. Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness - high country south and west at the creek's headwaters. Georgetown Lake - a productive trout lake a short drive west over the pass. Butte - the larger city east, with full services and guide access.
When is the best time to fish the Warm Springs Creek?
Spring: snowmelt raises and colours the upper creek while the spring fed lower reach stays fishable. Summer: flows settle, terrestrials work well and the lower creek fishes coolest in the mornings. Fall: brown trout move to spawn and the creek fishes strongly as pressure disappears. Winter: cold and largely iced in the canyon, with limited open water low down on mild days.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Warm Springs Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Montana agency site: https://fwp.mt.gov/fish/regulations