Big Spring Creek is a popular fly fishing destination in central Montana. Originating from an artesian spring, Big Spring Creek flows over thirty miles north and northwest, through (and at some points under) the town of Lewistown, MT before finally flowing into the Judith River.
Along the way, the river flows through miles of parks, viewing areas, and grazing lands, and runs between the Big Snowy and Judith mountains, until it reaches its final destination.
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River Overview
Big Spring Creek is considered by many to be one of the premier trout streams in the central part of the state, so if you consider yourself any sort of angler, you definitely want to put this place on your bucket list.
Why is it so great? Well, in addition to being easily accessible for just about its entire length, Big Spring Creek is chocked full of fair-sized brown and rainbow trout, with plenty of trophy-sized fish thrown in for good measure.
Best Places to Fish Big Spring Creek
Big Spring Creek is close to the town of Lewistown — even underneath it at one point — there’s virtually no worry about being trapped out in the middle of nowhere without supplies, or being stranded miles away from civilization when you realize you forgot your bug spray or something else you might want.
Basically, you have about thirty miles of easily accessible, prime trout fishing that is located close enough to a town where you can easily pop back and forth (if needed) to your heart’s content.
This makes this area great for first-time anglers who might not know exactly what they need until they get there, as well as experienced fisherman who are just looking for an opportunity and a prime spot to catch a few.
Big Spring Creek Map and Fishing Access Sites
Get Directions to the Fishing Access Points shown above with the DIY Fly Fishing Map
As I said above, Big Spring Creek is about thirty miles, and practically the entire length of this stream is relatively easy to access. There plenty of spots where the stream flows right next to roads and trails, so getting there by car is a breeze — no need to worry about long hikes or hauling tons of gear back and forth.
Montana FWP maintains seven public Fishing Access Sites on Big Spring Creek.
| Fishing Access Site | River Mile* |
|---|---|
| Hatchery | 30 |
| Spring Creek | 27 |
| Brewery Flats | 24 |
| Lazy KB | 21 |
| Carroll Trail | 20 |
| Reed & Bowles | 18 |
| Hruska | 15 |
*Miles from confluence with Judith River.
How to Get to Big Spring Creek
Thankfully, getting to Big Spring Creek is easy. The town of Lewiston is a moderately-sized town of about 6,000 people, and it’s also the seat of Fergus County. This means that getting there should be easy — in fact, there’s a small municipal airport right outside of town.
If you’d prefer, though, flying in to Billings, and then driving in through Highway 87 is a perfectly acceptable and easy solution, although one that would take a little longer as that is about a two-hour drive.
Once there, the town of Lewistown offers plenty in the way of stores, restaurants, and hotels, so you’ll have no problem stocking up and finding a place to stay.
Looking for more places to fish in Montana? Check out our DIY Guide to the Best Fly Fishing in Montana.
