Well so far 2020 has been an interesting year to say the least. With restrictions in Montana and the rest of the Country, there are few things that we have control over right now. Just like fly fishing in Montana, things can change very quickly and we all hope things turn for the better.
The one thing that has changed in Montana spring fishing is the guides are off the river and most of the college students have gone back home, which leaves the rivers with a little less company. For our Missoula fly fishing guides it has been a tough spring and we’re not really sure what the summer has in store for us. While this is a tough spring to swallow for all Montana fishing guides and outfitters, it’s leaving the rivers to the rest of the Missoula anglers to enjoy. Our Missoula fly shop staff have talked to lots of folks who have had stretches to themselves on some of the most beautiful days.
You would be amazed to see how many college students come into our shop to gear up to go fly fishing and as a business we do miss them but as anglers, we like seeing the rivers a little less crowded and less fishing pressure means uneducated fish which we also like.
If your one of those anglers that doesn’t dust off your rod until the Salmon flies hit the Missoula rivers in June then maybe this is the time to explore the best spring fly fishing in Montana. From throwing big bugs like Skwala’s to tiny mayflies like BWO’s, the spring has a little bit for everyone’s taste. Not to mention some of the best streamer fishing can be had on the rivers around Missoula in the spring.
Let’s face it, the world is a different place then it was last year, many of us are out of work for the time being, we’re being told to shelter in place UNLESS it’s for essential travel or outdoor recreation like fishing. Why sit at home and watch the doom and gloom news all day worrying about the same thing you did the day before. It’s not only important to get physical exercise in these times but it is even more important to stay sane and mentally healthy. What better way to get away from this stressful situation we are all in then to get out and enjoy some of the best Montana fly fishing of the year.
Take the family out, go enjoy the river on your own, just don’t get caught up in the doom and gloom mindset that many have right now. It’s not healthy for you or your family. 2020 doesn’t seem like it can get much worse so the only way is up from here. Go catch a few fish and enjoy the wonders of Montana and all the things that make life so special. After all life is to short and as my grandma use to say “this to shall pass”.
We get it, there’s a huge problem out there, and we’re all
feeling a bit nervous, a bit helpless and buffeted about things we can’t see or
control. How tired are you of hearing about the new normal?!?!?!?
The old normal is out there- it’s on the Clark Fork River,
Bitterroot River, Blackfoot River and Rock Creek. The bugs have no clue.
Neither do the trout. It’s spring, the trees are budding, and it’s snowing in
the mountains. You can get knee deep in a river and feel the water wash around
you. You can gaze at the mountains, snow capped and magisterial as they watch
over the valley in their slow, patient way. You can marvel at the rising trout,
the sly underwater wink that could be Mr. Big, or just a whitey. But that’s why
we fly fish, for the fascination, for the chance at Brother Two Foot, to catch
and release to be there again.
The cold nights have the Missoula rivers in perfect shape. They’re lower than normal, which means the fish are where they should be. The Blackfoot River is actually getting a bit warm and fishing. The WMB’s are coming off on Rock Creek, along the edges just where you expect them. The Clark Fork is fishing great, and the Skwalas and WMB’s are making their presence felt. And of course, Skwalas on the Bitterroot river. The conditions are a clarion call to listen to Governor Bullock- social distancing is protocol, but let’s not forget to recreate, let’s not forget to take advantage of what surrounds us.
There are a lot of places not as well off as Montana when it
comes to the issues we face today. If you’re there, and not in Montana, you’re
on our minds. We hope the social distancing is working as well where you are as
it is in Montana. That means you’ll be here sooner than you think for some Missoula
fly fishing. Don’t worry! The rivers will still be here, that favorite bend in
the river, or that awesome bucket where you hooked one you never even saw, that
you think about even today. That trout is still there, and will be when we get
back to the old normal.
With the weather we’re having right now, it feels like run-off, when it comes, is going to come hard and fast. The rivers are in perfect wading shape (Drift boats are finding the bottom closer to their hull than usual!) and the fish are willing and healthy. No need to be on the water as the sun appears, it’s just a tad cold still. Sleep in, fish the middle of the day. If it’s cloudy, have your BWO’s with you, and of course Skwalas, WMB’s and Nemouras. If you’re a streamer guy, then you do want to be on the water a bit earlier, to take advantage of the bite before the hatches.
Missoula spring fishing is here. Maybe it’s difficult to
pick up on, as we don’t bustle through our normal day. But it’s here, and it’s
happening. Remember to take a little time out, remember to do things for you.
As Han said to Chewee, “Keep your distance, but don’t look like you’re trying
to keep your distance.” You know, fish
casual! The rivers are there, they will be there and they will do their job as
they always do. Because when you’re fishing, the cares of the world go washing
away with the water that passes between your feet. Let the water work it’s
wizardry, allow yourself to experience river magic and lose yourself for just a
bit in the old normal . . . . . still found below the high water mark on every
river!
Brought To You By The Beef Stick Eating Brown Trout
Well it’s official, the first Skwala sighting appears and we can’t stay off the water now. To early? Yes. Good Fishing? No. Good beer and Company? You Know it.
Every year it happens to our crew, we start fishing hard in February with streamers and nymphs and by the time we see the first Skwala in March, we prematurely throw a single dry on. There’s always a few of us that go dry or die way to early. If you put a dry on your nymph rig, it might make you feel better but we all know that dropper is going to catch the majority of the fish and the dry will lull you to sleep just to be woken up by one big rainbow smashing the dry which you miss. Yes, a few fish will come up and smash the big bug but this is our way of pretending not to nymph.
What ever floats your boat right? Or in this scenario, what ever floats your nymph.
Many of you have been pretty excited coming into our Missoula fly shop after hearing that Skwala’s started too hatch. We’re excited too but I hate to tell you that the weather forecast doesn’t look pretty for Skwala adults. This upcoming weekend weather is looking a little chilly for the big bugs and even a few nights of single digits. So turn that energy into streamers, nymphs and your tying bench for the time being.
This time of year is when Missoula fly fishing guides start scouting the river for new changes in the streams from last fall, make sure their boat and gear is in working order, and buy a new cooler because the lunch from the last trip hasn’t been cleaned out since October.
Missoula Fly Shops are constantly getting shipments of flies in and stocking up for the anticipation for a good Skwala hatch. But after a lousy spring fishing season in Misssoula last year, there’s a lot less stocking to do this year.
For us at the Missoulian Angler Fly Shop, we’ve been dedicating a lot of our time in preparing for our first annual Skwala Fest. We’ve been constantly getting shipments in of donations from our vendors in the form of product to raffle off. At this point we are pretty sure we’ve annoyed just about everyone of our facebook followers with constant shout outs for the Skwala Fest. Don’t worry though, we are less then a month away from the event and then we’ll give you a rest until the second annual event.
March fly fishing in Missoula can be hit and miss with the weather and often fluctuating water but it is one of our favorite times of year on the river and in the shop. On the river big fish chase streamers and more often then not you will find yourself on a stretch of water all to yourself with some of your best friends. Being the largest fly selection and fly tying selection in Western Montana, most Missoula fly fishing guides shop at our fly shop and they are some of our favorite people. They’re patient demeanor means they can deal with Georges rants and bubbly attitude, they are excited for the upcoming season and they get just as excited about our new patterns for the season as us. Missoula fly shops get a little lonely in the winter and seeing familiar faces like the guides who often stop in the shop every day from June until October brings the life back into our shop.
Tomorrow is the last day your 2019 license is valid. Be happy, 2020 is a leap year, and you got an extra day of Montana fly fishing this year! Hope you take advantage of the extra day- the weather looks great.
This year, FWP has made some changes in their computerized licensing system. One of the ramifications of this change is 2020 licenses cannot be purchased until March 1. While this may be a bit of an inconvenience, it’s not insurmountable. You can purchase your license on-line at https://app.mt.gov/als/index/index.html or we will be open on Sunday, and happy to get you and your new license together. Again, it’s a bit of a chore, but the licensing fees help keep our fisheries in shape, as well as keeping the rivers and woods free from poachers and other law breakers. Take the time to get your license- don’t fish dirty!
Your new license is going to look a lot different this year as well. Instead of the water-proof paper we’ve all become accustomed to, a Montana fishing license will now be printed on a plain piece of white paper. This may cause issues for some, especially hunters who will need to tag their game. FWP recommends carrying your tags and licenses in a Zip-Loc bag, which needs to be provided by the license holder.
New for 2020, your license is now valid if you carry a copy
of it on your smart phone. While we understand not all license holders utilize
this technology, for those who do this is very convenient. If you’re looking to
reference this, on page 12 of the 2020 Fishing regulations, this statement is
made- “A license on your smart phone is acceptable.” While the paper license
may be a bit of an inconvenience, the ability to legally carry your license on
your phone will make the use of paper much more acceptable.
Be ready for a few hiccoughs as we all gather to get our licenses. Keep in mind that this too shall pass, and long after we’ve forgotten it was a tiny hassle to schedule getting our licenses, we’ll be casting skwalas, dreaming of Salmon Flies and hoping for BWO’s through November. Happy fishing!
MAngler Guides Chase Harrison and Matt Robb enjoying the last few days of February fly fishing in Montana.
If you’re here to find secret Missoula fishing spots, you can stop reading! Not that we won’t be talking about plenty of different spots to fish near Missoula. Don’t get us wrong, we are more than happy to share some of our favorite spots in person, but the internet is not the place to do that. We’ve seen it happen. Publish a spot, and 30 anglers descend on it. When you visit our Missoula Fly shop, we can spread the love around the area, not send every angler to the same rock in the Bitterroot River.
Here’s the thing about finding fly fishing spots in Missoula- there are 340 floatable miles of river within an hour’s drive of Missoula. If you’re a wading angler, there’s a lot more! Of course, some spots are more popular than others, but with very little work you can separate yourself from other fishermen. Because of the massive amounts of river mileage, anglers spread out and often you’ll have a section of river or stream completely to yourself.
An absolutely amazing thing about Missoula area fishing,
and throughout Montana, is our river access laws. We feel they are the best in
the country. Simply stated, if you access a river legally, and stay below the
established high water mark, you may travel up or downstream as far as you
would like. Unlike other states, where the water is public but the streambed is
owned by the landowner, below the high water mark is public land in Montana.
Legal accesses are from other public lands, including bridge abutments or
highway crossings. When you see the T-Shirts all over Missoula that say Public
Land Owner, this is one of the reasons! Private water? Not really in this
state.
Before we get into some of the best fly fishing near Missoula, MT, let’s take a minute to talk about places you might not want to wade. First is the lower Clark Fork River, which we classify as below Missoula where the Bitterroot River enters. While there are some wading opportunities west on the Clark Fork, much of it is too big to effectively wade fish. The banks are steep, the water fast and deep six feet from shore. On foot, you can get into a lot of trouble in a hurry on the lower Clark Fork River. If you have a boat, that’s a whole different story!
The Blackfoot River is another one that has some very tricky wading situations. I know, I know, Brad Pitt waded it in the River Runs Through It. It’s a movie, not a documentary! It’s wonderfully dramatic to float down the river while fighting a fish, but truthfully, it might not be your best move. Don’t be a hero like Brad! While the Blackfoot is one of our favorite rivers in the Missoula area and Western Montana to float, wading is tough sledding. The banks are steep, the river deepens rapidly, high gradient means it’s quite fast and if you’re not paying attention, you can make one step and go from knee deep to over your head. When you do find a place to access and wade, it’s often very limited. Just like the Clark Fork River, there are spots where you can wade but they are few and far between.
Now that we’ve saved you a bit of time on places that may
be less productive to explore as a wade fisherman, let’s touch on a few
Missoula fishing spots to get you started catching trout. Again, these places
that we are about to mention are no secrets and more often than not, you will
have some company. But all of these streams we talk about have plenty of room
to spread out and you shouldn’t have a problem finding a spot all to yourself.
Rock Creek
Our most popular blue ribbon stream in Montana for wade fishing is Rock Creek. If you know anything about Missoula area fishing, then you’ve probably heard of Rock Creek. There’s good reason, as Rock Creek is a wade fishing paradise filled with naive Cutthroats, big Brown Trout and feisty Rainbows. While there is a short season for boats during higher water, the wade fisherman has Rock Creek to themselves for most of the season. We usually tell people that the first of many streams you should explore in Missoula is Rock Creek. Rock Creek Road parallels the Creek for over 50 miles, with multiple access points along the length. With 3,000 fish per mile, it doesn’t really matter what access point you choose. Figuring out where to fish on Rock Creek is as simple as driving up the road and picking a spot that makes you happy. It’s the smallest river in the Missoula area, which means wading opportunities abound. Honestly, the whole stream fishes great during all seasons from the bottom all the way to the top. The lower 11 miles is a paved road and after that it turns into a dirt road (sometimes it feels more like on continuous pothole!) with access points along the whole way. With Moose, Deer, Bighorn Sheep and thousands of trout per mile, there’s no wonder why Rock Creek in Montana is a destination for fisherman all over the world.
Bitterroot River
Another river to explore is the upper Bitterroot River.
The main stem of the Bitterroot can be heavily used (at least by Montana
standards) by boats, and can be a less than spectacular wade fishing experience.
You can make your main stem wading experience better with this simple trick.
When you get to an access point in the morning, head upstream. All the boats
are going downstream, and the boats from the next access point above haven’t
gotten that far. About lunch time, head back to the access point and go
downstream. Most of the boats have passed, and you’ll miss the boats coming
downstream. If you have a raft, there are many stretches of the Bitterrroot
River you can get to with very few anglers. While there are wade fishing spots
throughout the main stem that fish very well for the angler on foot, it is the
upper stretches, into the East and Westfork of the Bitterroot River. Typically
the West Fork of the Bitterroot holds bigger fish and takes a little more
pressure, while the East Fork of the Bitterroot holds smaller fish with a bit
less pressure. If neither of these are your jam, then explore one of the many
great tributaries that drain into the mainstem as you drive toward the East and
West Forks.
Clark Fork River Through Town
Some of the best fly fishing near Missoula, Mt is found
in downtown Missoula. Urban fishing is often ignored when talking about fly fishing
spots in Missoula. Many of our guides float this stretch to get away from other
boats, and are often rewarded with some of the best fly fishing in Missoula.
From East Missoula all the way down to Kona Bridge, the town section of the
Clark Fork can offer some great fishing for the angler with a time budget, and
College students without a car and fishing between classes. With plenty of
breweries and restaurants nearby, it’s easy to take a break and catch a quick
meal or beverage, and then get right back at it! Some of the biggest trout
we’ve seen come out of the Clark Fork in Missoula. Just because the
surroundings are more urban than expected, the fishing in town can be
absolutely exceptional.
Missoulian Angler Fly Shop owner Taylor Scott with a big Rainbow Trout in downtown Missoula
Many of our Missoula fly shop staff have fished these streams their whole lives, and know Missoula rivers like the back of their hand. Ron, our longest tenured employee, has worked in the shop since the late 80’s and has fished Montana for over 40 years. He spent many summers when he made it a point to fish a new stream every week, and he is the most knowledgeable person you will find on the local waters. He’s a walking encyclopedia of Western Montana fly fishing. We encourage you to explore in the same manner. Grab a map, pick a stream around Missoula and go. You would be hard pressed to find a strem in Western Montana that doesn’t hold trout and you may just find your own secret spot, where you never see another angler, or even footprints.
We said we weren’t going to get specific on a lot of streams on the internet. That being said, we love sharing some of our favorite fishing spots when you stop by our fly shop in Missoula . We’re more than happy to help you find a great fishing spot, even if you don’t need to purchase anything. Advice is always free at the Missoulian Angler and we love meeting new people who have the passion to explore Missoula fishing spots.
Missoula Montana Guided Fly Fishing Trip
Come enjoy a day on the river with Missoula’s best fly fishing guides. We float the Bitterroot River, Blackfoot River and the Clark Fork River. All gear, lunch and transportation provided.
If you’ve gotten to this far in your research, you may have decided to come to Missoula for your fly fishing vacation. With that decision, your next question is where do I find the best fly fishing guides in Missoula Montana? That’s a seriously loaded question, and it may in fact be the wrong question. Here’s why.
The Missoulian Angler fly Shop been outfitting guided fly fishing trips in Missoula for over 30 years. Our shop staff has a combined 110 years of fly shop and industry experience. The owner and outfitter of The Missoulian Angler Fly Shop is a fifth generation Missoulian, with a family history of over 100 years fly fishing in the Missoula Valley. We have literally seen it all. Not only do we hand pick the very best fly fishing guides Missoula has to offer, but we also make it a point to handpick the right guide for our guests. It’s our goal to make you want to come back to Missoula year after year, and that starts with the best guide….. for you.
When you book with us, we ask you a series of questions, ranging from how much do you fish to dietary restrictions. These questions may not mean much to you, but they are critical to us. It allows us to match you with the best possible fly fishing guide for your needs. We have guides who’ve fished the Missoula rivers their entire life, and guided for 20+ years. We have guides who are just starting out in their careers. Believe us, it’s not always as simple as “I want the best fishing guide”.
As an example, we have many guests just starting their fly-fishing journey, and while they want to catch fish, they also want what we refer to as FlyFishing 101. These guests may not be the best match for that intense guide who is consistently catching the biggest and most trout in Missoula, but has been there and done that with beginners. It takes a lot of patience and teaching ability to put a beginner on trout. The Missoulian Angler has many guides who love teaching beginners, love seeing the look on their face as they catch their first Montana trout.
That intense guide, however, may be just perfect for the seasoned fly fisher. Experienced anglers know what they’re doing. They know how to fish, and how they want to fish, be it streamers, nymphs or dries. They’ve gotten a guide to put them on the best fish at the opportune moment. The fishing experience they’re looking for is completely different from the novice angler, so their guide is chosen completely differently.
We excel at
booking multi-boat trips for people with widely divergent skill levels and
interest. When a family makes a booking, we know there’s usually one or two
serious fishermen and then those who will fish but aren’t going to put 8 hours
in, which are usually the kids. We put the less intense fishers with our most
fun, most talkative guides! We have guides who school teach in the winter, then
guide in the summer. They know kids. They bring squirt guns, extra cookies and
all kinds of things that will be of interest to those who might be floating,
but not fishing full time. Want to jump off the raft into deep water? Go for
it! At the end of the day, the less interested fisherman has had an amazing
experience. They want to go “fishing” again.
At this point, we hope you’ve realized asking for the best fly fishing guides in Missoula Montana may not be the best question. Instead, what fly fishing guide will fit your specific needs, and make the most of your Montana fly fishing trip. Many of the shop’s staff have guided the Missoula area for years, so we know what goes into making your float or wade fishing trip memorable. That’s what we love to do, and we take tremendous pride in doing it. Our goal is to give you the experience of a lifetime fishing our beloved Missoula Rivers like the Bitterroot River, Blackfoot River, Clark Fork River, Rock Creek and Missouri River.
When you call to book your guided fly fishing trip, let us know exactly what you want out of your day on the river, and give us as many details as possible. The more you chat, the more we understand what you’re looking for. While you chat, we’re taking notes! After all, the day is yours and we’re here to help you, and your guide, get the most out of your day on the water. If you want to maximize your fish count, you need to tell us. If you want to learn new techniques like streamer fishing or nymphing then we’ll match you with the appropriate teaching guide. If you want one big fish, again we need to know. And if you just want to go float some of Montana’s best rivers and enjoy the scenery with a little bit of fishing in the mix then we will make that happen for you.
Missoula Montana is blessed with some amazing fishing guides. We hire from a pool of over 50 Missoula guides, so there is a match for everyone, whether you’re wading or floating. We’re here to make sure the guide you get is the best guide in Missoula……. for you.
