Loading

  • Trout eye
  • Angler on Armstrong Spring Creek
  • Angler casting
  • Angler with net
  • On Armstrong Spring creek
  • Icy creek
  • Angler with trout
  • Flybox
O'Hair ranch brand

Armstrong Spring Creek

The best spring creek fishing in Montana

Our world famous spring creek is one of the most sought after destinations by fly fishermen anywhere in the world. With over 1.5 miles of fishable riffles, runs, and pools, the spring creek is a classic trout stream offering great dry fly, nymphing and even streamer water.


The Creek

Angler's hand holding a Brown trout

Nice brown trout

Spring creek fishing is like nothing else in fly fishing. Consistent cold temperatures create an ecological niche for insect hatches that feed a healthy trout population in a clear riffle-and-pool creek meant for wading. The challenge of sight fishing to large and wary trout is something that must be experienced by every trout fisherman.

Dryfly enthusiasts will be delighted by our regular hatches of Pale Morning Duns, Blue Wing Olives, midges, and a host of other insects in their nymph, emerging, and dun stages.

While guides are not required, they are recommended any anglers during their first trip to the stream.


A Bit of History

In the '50's and '60's, the creek was managed by the local Joe Brooks chapter of Trout Unlimited and fishing was open to just about anyone who asked. Then, in the 70's, after several articles in fishing magazines, demand and the number of anglers increased. During these years, the Orvis company, along with a number of other fishing companies, leased and managed the property for the O'Hair family.

A few years later, the ranch took over management and began to charge a small fee for the use of the creek. Right from the start, our family encouraged catch and release fishing to ensure that others would have the same enjoyment of the stream. For all these years, Armstrong's Spring Creek has been recognized as one of the best spring creeks in the world.

This jewel of a stream was almost lost in 1996 after one of the worst Yellowstone River runoff floods threatened to envelop the creek. Our family undertook massive amounts of earth work and habitat restoration to save the creek. A large portion of the rod fees associated with fishing the creek are used to pay for the work that was done in the 1990's, right along with constant maintenance and improvements to the health of this quality spring creek.

top
Find us Directions


The Armstrong/O'Hair ranch was settled in 1876 by Missourian O.T. Armstrong, who was flooded out and decided to move west. Arriving in Montana, he started the ranch on 350 acres with a small number of cattle.

Today, under O'Hair family management, the property operates as a working cattle ranch counting over 1,000 head grazing on about 30,000 acres, split equally between deeded and leased ground.

Ranch hand working cattle at the O'Hair Ranch

Working cattle