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Home › Waters › Montana › Beaverhead River
River · Southwest Montana · Montana

Beaverhead River Fishing Guides

A narrow, willow-choked tailwater below Clark Canyon Dam that grows some of the largest brown trout in Montana and demands the best rowing on any of it.

An angler working a wide sagebrush river valley at dusk in the Northern Rockies

Map of the Beaverhead River

9 numbered points: 7 access points, 1 bait & fly shop, 1 USGS gauge. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 7, 2026.

Printable version →
  • Access / boat ramp (7)
  • Bait, tackle & fly shop (1)
  • USGS gauge (1)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Points are curated from OpenStreetMap and state agency sources; confirm access and hours before you go.

Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.

Open the printable map
All 9 points on this map
#PointTypeLat, LonNotes
1High Bridge
Montana FWP fishing access site		Access / boat ramp45.01781, -112.83749Top of the tailwater, about 4 miles below Clark Canyon Dam. FWP directions: 14 miles south of Dillon on I-15 to the recreation road exit, then 4 miles south under the I-15 bridge.
2Henneberry
Montana FWP fishing access site		Access / boat ramp45.05969, -112.81502Second ramp down the canyon reach. FWP directions: 14 miles south of Dillon on I-15 to the recreation road exit, then 2 miles south at the I-15 underpass.
3Pipe Organ
Montana FWP fishing access site		Access / boat ramp45.06561, -112.80037FWP directions: 14 miles south of Dillon on I-15 to the Dalys exit, then 1.5 miles to the site just over the bridge.
4Grasshopper
Montana FWP fishing access site		Access / boat ramp45.10008, -112.77756FWP directions: about 11 miles south of Dillon on I-15, Grasshopper exit, then follow the boat ramp signs.
5Poindexter Slough
Montana FWP fishing access site		Access / boat ramp45.18547, -112.67877Walk-in spring-creek side channel of the Beaverhead just southwest of Dillon, not a float access - no ramp.
6Blacktail Meadows
Montana FWP fishing access site		Access / boat ramp45.22375, -112.63780In-town Dillon access. FWP directions: from Dillon go to the I-15 interchange at the north end of town and turn on Swenson Way.
7Frontier Anglers
680 N Montana St, Dillon		Bait, tackle & fly shop45.22188, -112.63226Fly shop on the Beaverhead in Dillon. Placed on the street address rather than a mapped shop outline - check the storefront on arrival.
8Selway Park
Montana FWP fishing access site		Access / boat ramp45.23510, -112.62520North edge of Dillon. FWP directions: Selway Drive off Laknar Road.
9USGS 06018500 - Beaverhead River near Twin Bridges
USGS streamgage		USGS gauge45.38339, -112.45283The gauge this water page reads. Lowest point on this sheet; the river meets the Big Hole a few miles downstream at Twin Bridges.

Guides on the Beaverhead River

Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.

Order on this page: premium and outfitter plans first (labelled Premium placement), then claimed free profiles, then unclaimed — one published price, no bidding for position. How placement works

About the Beaverhead River

The Beaverhead is the tailwater that Montana guides talk about in terms of degree of difficulty. From Clark Canyon Dam it runs north through Barretts, Dillon and Beaverhead Rock to Twin Bridges, where it joins the Big Hole to form the Jefferson. The upper reach below the dam is narrow, fast and lined with willows, and the trout in it are heavy, wild brown trout that hold tight to cover a rod length from the boat.

The upper river from the dam to Barretts is the famous water and it is technical fishing at close range. Guides row hard, anglers throw short accurate casts under overhanging willows, and losing flies is part of the price. Below Dillon the river opens up, slows, and turns into a more forgiving float with browns and rainbows and easier casting. The crane fly hatch in late summer and the streamer fishing in October are the calendar events here.

Flow is entirely a function of Clark Canyon releases, which are managed for irrigation and change sharply between seasons. Roughly 300 to 700 cfs is the comfortable working range on the upper river; irrigation-season releases can push it well past a thousand, which makes the willow banks dangerous to row and moves the fish, and winter minimums drop it to a fraction of that. Check the release before planning an upper-river day, every time.

Dillon is the base town, with Twin Bridges twenty-five minutes north and the Big Hole, Ruby and Jefferson all within a short drive, which is why this valley supports so many outfitters. Beginners are better served on the lower river; the upper Beaverhead rewards anglers who can cast accurately from a moving boat.

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1. What you give us

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5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

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Posting to Beaverhead River.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Flow alert

Tell me when the Beaverhead River cfs

Now: 266 cfs, read 7:15 am CST, Mon Nov 2, 2026 (USGS 06018500, Beaverhead River near Twin Bridges MT).

We never use this address for anything else and never share it. See the privacy policy.

Access

Clark Canyon Dam: the top of the tailwater, boat ramp below the dam.
Buffalo Bridge and Pipe Organ: upper-river accesses in the technical water.
Barretts Diversion: the standard upper takeout and a common put-in.
High Bridge and Selway: middle river accesses above and below Dillon.
Dillon town access: parking, ramp and easy wade water.
Anderson Lane and Giem: lower river ramps toward Twin Bridges.
Twin Bridges: the confluence with the Big Hole at the bottom of the river.

Seasons

March through May: pre-irrigation flows, streamers and the first good dry fly days.
June through August: high irrigation releases up top; the lower river fishes better.
Late August and September: crane flies and hoppers, dropping flows, the best weeks of the year.
October and November: brown trout on streamers, low water and cold mornings; winter flows are minimal.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Beaverhead River?

As of Nov 2, 7:15 am, the USGS gauge Beaverhead River near Twin Bridges MT reads 266 cfs, the 18th percentile for this date. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Beaverhead River?

Anglers target Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout on the Beaverhead River in Montana.

Are there fishing guides on the Beaverhead River?

GuidedFloats lists 2 guides and outfitters on the Beaverhead River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.

Where can you access the Beaverhead River?

Clark Canyon Dam: the top of the tailwater, boat ramp below the dam. Buffalo Bridge and Pipe Organ: upper-river accesses in the technical water. Barretts Diversion: the standard upper takeout and a common put-in. High Bridge and Selway: middle river accesses above and below Dillon. Dillon town access: parking, ramp and easy wade water. Anderson Lane and Giem: lower river ramps toward Twin Bridges. Twin Bridges: the confluence with the Big Hole at the bottom of the river.

When is the best time to fish the Beaverhead River?

March through May: pre-irrigation flows, streamers and the first good dry fly days. June through August: high irrigation releases up top; the lower river fishes better. Late August and September: crane flies and hoppers, dropping flows, the best weeks of the year. October and November: brown trout on streamers, low water and cold mornings; winter flows are minimal.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Beaverhead River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Montana agency site: https://fwp.mt.gov/fish/regulations