Powder River

The Powder River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, approximately 375 miles long throughout Northeastern Wyoming and Southeastern Montana.  Combined with its tributary, the South Fork Powder River, it is 550 miles long.  It drains an area historically known as the Powder River Country on the high plains East of the Bighorn Mountains.  It rises in three forks in North Central Wyoming.  The North and the Middle forks rise along the Eastern slope of the Bighorn Mountains.  The South Fork rises on the Southern slopes of the Bighorn Mountains West of Casper.  The three forks meet on the foothills East of the Bighorns near the town of Kaycee, Wyoming.  The combined stream flows Northward, East of the Bighorns, and into Montana.  The Little Powder River flows for 72 miles from the Wyoming state line before converging with the Powder near the town of Broadus.  The Powder River ultimately discharges into the Yellowstone River approximately 50 miles downstream of Miles City and just West of Terry, Montana.  The confluence of the Powder and "The Stone" is approximately 220 river miles downstream of the Wyoming border.  While Captain William Clark initially named the river "Red Stone" River in 1806, the name Powder River became more commonly used because of the sand along a portion of its banks resembles powder or dust.

The drainage is very rural and for the most part the landscape is dominated by private property, however there is a fair share of state and federal lands throughout its watershed.  Twenty seven native species provide ample fishing opportunities, including four game fish; Channel Cats, Sauger, Walleye, and Shovelnose Sturgeon.  According to MT FWP, the Channel Catfish is the only game fish present in the tributary of the Little Powder River.  The Powder River remains undammed.  Its waters continue to serve as critical spawning habitat for Channel Catfish throughout the entire river in Montana and well into Wyoming.  There are resident Catfish that will spend their entire year in the Powder, but many of its Catfish run up annually from the Yellowstone River during the pre-spawn period.  The lower Powder features very few Fishing Access sites.  The "Broadus Bridge" FAS is located just south of the community of Broadus.  It does not offer a boat ramp or overnight camping.  It is located 152 miles from the mouth and is considered a primitive Fishing Access site.  There is also an undeveloped Little Powder River Fishing Access Site that is located one mile Southeast of Broadus on Highway 212 and Northeast four miles on County Road 1.  As the river continues its flows towards the "Stone" there is another undeveloped Fishing Access Site near the town of Terry.  The FAS site is named the "Powder River Depot" and it is located six miles Southeast of Terry on Highway 10.  This site offers a carry-in boat launch for prospective anglers.