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.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Spring Source of Big Spring Creek - Lewistown's water supply | Spring | 47.00250, -109.34357 | One of the largest freshwater springs in the United States. The creek starts here at about 1,269 m and runs roughly 60 km north-west to the Judith River; the whole fishery below this point is spring-fed and fishes year round. |
| 2 | Fish Hatchery Road First crossing below the spring | Bridge crossing | 47.00815, -109.34987 | Upstream of the state hatchery, about 1.3 km down from the spring. |
| 3 | Hatchery Montana FWP fishing access site | Access / boat ramp | 47.00765, -109.35074 | The uppermost FWP site on the creek, at the Big Springs trout hatchery about 5 miles south of Lewistown on Big Spring Creek Road (MT 466), bearing right at the Y onto Fish Hatchery Road. Wade access - this is not a float stream. |
| 4 | Dill Lane | Bridge crossing | 47.01633, -109.35479 | Road crossing about 3.2 km below the spring. |
| 5 | Fish Hatchery Road Second Fish Hatchery Road crossing | Bridge crossing | 47.02204, -109.36166 | The road crosses the creek twice; this is the lower of the two, about 4.3 km below the spring. |
| 6 | Spring Creek Montana FWP fishing access site | Access / boat ramp | 47.02936, -109.38066 | About 3 miles south of Lewistown on Upper Spring Creek Road (MT 238). FWP's own site name is just 'Spring Creek' - it is on Big Spring Creek. |
| 7 | Swan Lane | Bridge crossing | 47.03323, -109.38590 | Road crossing about 9.6 km below the spring, upstream of Lewistown. |
| 8 | Foxfarm Road | Bridge crossing | 47.03384, -109.39067 | Road crossing about 10.2 km below the spring. |
| 9 | Green Bridge Named bridge on the upper creek | Bridge crossing | 47.03332, -109.39479 | About 10.7 km below the spring, just upstream of the Brewery Flats reach. |
| 10 | Brewery Flats Montana FWP fishing access site | Access / boat ramp | 47.04711, -109.41233 | 1 mile south of Lewistown on Upper Spring Creek Road (MT 238). The reach here was re-meandered in a well-known stream restoration project and is the most walked water on the creek. |
| 11 | Jaycees Park Lewistown city park | Park / conservation area | 47.05037, -109.42301 | Creekside park on the south edge of town, at the foot of the Brewery Flats reach. |
| 12 | Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge Refuge headquarters, Lewistown | Agency / conservation office | 47.05144, -109.44232 | USFWS office about 1.6 km west of the creek; the refuge itself is on the Missouri, not on this creek. |
| 13 | Frank Day Park Lewistown city park | Park / conservation area | 47.05797, -109.41836 | On the creek where it enters town, next to the Lewistown trail system. |
| 14 | Bureau of Land Management - Lewistown Field Office BLM field office, north-east Lewistown | Agency / conservation office | 47.07080, -109.40067 | About 1.6 km from the creek. The field office covers the surrounding public land, not the creek itself. |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Weir in Lewistown Unnamed in OSM | Dam / hazard | 47.05982, -109.41606 | A weir on the creek inside Lewistown, beside the trail system. It is mapped with no name and no operator - read it on the ground before wading through it. |
| 16 | Lewistown Trail System footbridge Pedestrian crossing | Bridge crossing | 47.05978, -109.41647 | Trail bridge next to the weir; the town trail follows the creek from here north. |
| 17 | Sport Center Sporting goods, Lewistown | Bait, tackle & fly shop | 47.06558, -109.42470 | Sells fishing tackle; the shop's own site carries a fishing department. OSM name is 'Sport Center'; the business trades as The Sport Center. About 100 m from the creek in the middle of town. |
| 18 | Hawthorne Park Lewistown city park | Park / conservation area | 47.06886, -109.42963 | |
| 19 | Mill Ditch Park Lewistown city park | Park / conservation area | 47.06880, -109.42257 | Right on the bank, about 60 m off the water. |
| 20 | East Main Street US 87 business route through Lewistown | Bridge crossing | 47.06853, -109.42144 | The main crossing in the middle of town. |
| 21 | Lazy KB Montana FWP fishing access site | Access / boat ramp | 47.07390, -109.42728 | On the edge of the Lewistown city limits off US 191. |
| 22 | Kendall Road | Bridge crossing | 47.07500, -109.42900 | Crossing at the north edge of town, just below the Lazy KB site. |
| 23 | Judith Park Lewistown city park | Park / conservation area | 47.07386, -109.43129 | |
| 24 | Carroll Trail Montana FWP fishing access site | Access / boat ramp | 47.08176, -109.44549 | 1 mile north of Lewistown on Joyland Road. |
| 25 | USGS 06111800 - Big Spring Cr at R&B Trading Post nr Lewistown Live flow and gauge height | USGS gauge | 47.08783, -109.45750 | The creek's only USGS gauge, at the Reed & Bowles (R&B) Trading Post site. Coordinates are the USGS station record. |
| 26 | Joyland Road | Bridge crossing | 47.09306, -109.46087 | Crossing just below the gauge and the Reed & Bowles site. |
| 27 | Reed & Bowles Montana FWP fishing access site | Access / boat ramp | 47.09463, -109.46530 | 2 miles north of Lewistown on Joyland Road, at the historic Reed and Bowles trading post the USGS gauge is named for. |
| 28 | Hruska Montana FWP fishing access site | Access / boat ramp | 47.11126, -109.50574 | The lowest FWP site on the creek - 6 miles north-west of Lewistown off Hanover Road (MT 426) on Scott Crossing Road. Below here the creek runs about 28 km of mostly private ground to the Judith River. |
Gauge: USGS 06111800 — Big Spring Cr at R&B Trading Post nr Lewistown MT. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Westslope Cutthroat Trout, White Sucker
Regulations: fwp.mt.gov/fish/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Lewistown - the town on the creek, with lodging, fuel, tackle and fly shop support.
Big Spring Creek Trout Hatchery - the state hatchery at the spring source south of town.
Brewery Flats - a restored reach with public access and walk in fishing near Lewistown.
Machler and Ackley fishing access sites - state access points along the drainage.
Judith River - the river the creek joins north of Lewistown.
Big Snowy Mountains - the range south of town, source of the limestone aquifer.
Crystal Lake - a small mountain lake in the Big Snowies for a change of pace.
Spring: the creek stays fishable while freestone rivers blow out, with midges and early mayflies.
Summer: weed growth peaks, terrestrial fishing is strong and cold spring water keeps trout active.
Fall: brown trout colour up and move to spawn, and the creek fishes very well in cooling weather.
Winter: much of the creek stays open and ice free, and midge fishing continues on milder days.