Clark Fork River

• Near Drummond
• Above Missoula
• At St. Regis

The Clark Fork boasts nearly 300 miles of meandering river between its unassuming headwaters at the confluence of Warm Spring and Silver Bow Creeks near Butte and its mouth at Idaho's Lake Pend Oreille. Trout fishing water on the Clark Fork can be divided into two major sections-- the upper 125 miles above Missoula and the 120 miles below the confluence of the Blackfoot River at the Milltown Dam site to the confluence of the Flathead River near Paradise, Montana.

The upper river grows from a small easily-waded stream at Warm Springs to a modest-sized river by the time it reaches the confluence of the Blackfoot River just above Missoula. The upper Clark Fork is characterized by meandering and braided channels with frequent oxbow back channels that move from open ranch land into pine forests and cottonwood bottoms as it nears Missoula. The upper river is less hatch dependant than its downstream reaches and is well suited for streamer fishing for its numerous brown trout, nymph fishes consistently well, and is an excellent place to slap your favorite hopper patterns to the bank from late summer into early fall. The summer season also offers excellent caddis fly action top to bottom on the Clark Fork.

The lower Clark Fork is characterized by big riffles and long slow-moving runs. It is a large river best suited to fishing from a boat with some wading opportunities around the riffles. The lower Clark Fork is prized for its opportunities to cast to pods of large rising fish. Anglers often have the chance to target the 20 inch beauties the Clark Fork is known for. It has predictable hatches and offers consistent dry-fly fishing from April through November. You can expect scenic, big, open-water stretches with long bars and wooded islands, large eddies, deep holes, cottonwood bottoms, and low elevation pine forests with occasional rock outcroppings.

September into October is the glory season for Clark Fork dry fly fishing. Anglers during this season can expect to tempt risers with baetis and mahogany mayfly patterns that match the predictable afternoon hatches. Other major lower Clark Fork hatches include Skwala stoneflies in late April, golden stones in early to mid summer, prolific summer evening caddis hatches, Pale Morning/Evening Duns from mid to late summer, Tricos in late summer, and excellent late summer grasshopper activity.

Clark Fork Fishing Report for: 10/7/2008