The Shields River begins in the Crazy Mountains, flowing past the small town of Wilsall and Clyde Park on Highway 89. The headwaters of the Shields harbors a healthy supply of native Yellowstone cutthroat trout along with some wild brook trout. The lower reaches of the river hold a few nice cutthroat along with browns and rainbows. Larger browns sometimes run up lower reaches of the Shields in the fall. The Shields has limited public access but anglers can park a handful of bridges along the river corridor and hike up or down within the high water mark. Spring fishing can be good when the river is not off color. After runoff there is often good attractor dry fly fishing. Late summer can produce good terrestrial fishing on good water years. On a poor snow year the Shields can get dewatered quickly in its lower reaches.
Contact Montana Angler Fly Fishing for guided trips on the Shields