Blackfoot River

This is the river Norman McClean made famous. The Big Blackfoot is more of a mountain river than any of its local cousins. Boulder strewn and lively in character with numerous rapids, you will not find yourself bored while floating the Blackfoot. The Blackfoot has made a major recovery in recent years do in large part to a concerted restoration effort between a number of government agencies and local organizations and is again regarded as one of Montana's most precious wild trout fisheries. There are 60 miles of floatable river starting near the town of Ovando and ending near the town of Bonner and the confluence of the Clark Fork.

Anglers appreciate the Blackfoot for its stunning beauty and aggressive trout. In addition to numerous rainbows and large browns, the Blackfoot has strong populations of native cutthroat and bull trout. Bull trout are a threatened species and must be released immediately. Make sure you can recognize the bull trout and understand the importance of protecting this resource.

The Blackfoot is a top-notch streamer river. Anglers fond of chucking the big stuff for big trout will appreciate the opportunities available on the Blackfoot particularly as the water begins to clear after the spring runoff. The Blackfoot also fishes well with big attractor patterns. Anglers learning to fish dry flies appreciate the Blackfoot for the numerous opportunities to hook fish on the surface with large, visible patterns. Following this theme, important hatches for the Blackfoot include the Salmonflies in mid to late June, golden stones from June into mid summer and grasshoppers in late summer. The Blackfoot is also a consistently good nymphing river through the season.

Blackfoot Fishing Report for: 10/7/2008