Fly Fishing Report Brought To You By Our Missoula Fly Fishing Guides And Fly Shop Staff.
Enjoy and Good Luck!
Bitterroot River
The Skwalas are moving on the Bitterroot river. While not epic, they’re out and the fish are starting to look for them. The Purple Chubby in 12-14, as well as the Half Down Skwala and the Emma’s Stone Skwala aae shallows has been very effective, while the 20 Incher and Black/Brown TJ Hooker have been getting deep and taking fish.
The Nemoras are also out, though you need to look closely for them. They will also take the occasional fish on top, and we recommend the Mangler Nemora. But again, the sub-surface action to the SR Bullet and Duracell in size 16 has been much much better.
The BWO’s are out and the fish are eating them, especially in cloudy weather. The Last Chanced Cripple, Film Critic and the Olive Hackle Stacker are all working on the surface. The SR Bullet Olive and the Jig Pheasant Tail in 16 and 18 are working well beneath the surface as well. Make sure when you find rising fish they are on the BWO’s, the midges are still coming off and the trout won’t switch from one to the other just for the angler!
If you choose to run a streamer, keep the profile slim, while getting the fly deep and moving slowly. While the Bitterroot is warming up, the temps are still cold, and the fish won’t sprint for a rapid streamer retrieve. The Skiddish Smolt, Sculpzilla and the Rusty Trombone have been effective in the last week.
On sunny days, the pike will wake up later in the day. Probably not worth a day focused on pike, but have your pike rod with you just in case.
Scroll to the bottom of this page for additional fly patterns and tips for each hatch
Blackfoot River
Just like every year, the Blackfoot river is the last river to wake up to Spring. It’s all subsurface up here, and the fishing has been spotty. It’s indicator season up here, and the best rigs have been big and dark as point, with a small dropper. Pick your flies, add a foot more to leader length, and get down deep.
Same for streamers- low and slow is the name of the game. Pick a well weighted streamer, or use a sink tip, and get the fly down. Fast retrieves haven’t been too productive, but fish are being taken.
Right now, the biggest draw to the Blackfoot is the spotty fishing has fewer people heading there. Be ready to work for a few fish.
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Clark Fork River
The Clark Fork river is just starting to show some life at this point. The streamer and nymph fishing have been fairly consistent, with sporadic BWO’s being seen on the lower river. However, it’s still not a consistent surface river at this point.
The top performing nymphs have been the Brown/Black TJ Hookers, San Juan Worms and Jig Pat’s Rubberlegs. We’re setting our indicators 7 feet from the point fly, because the fish are deep. A few fish have been taken on Skwala type nymphs (Pats Olive/Brown, 20 Incher) in the shallower water, but it hasn’t been consistent. The skwalas are staging before they emerge, so the shallow nymphing will only get better.
If you come across rising fish, make are they’re on BWO’s before tying your fly on. The midges are still being taken, so make sure what the trout are eating before making the first cast. The Tilt Wing BWO and the Film Critic have been working when the BWO’s do appear, and that hatch will only get better as the spring progresses.
There’s been no consensus on streamers on the Clark, with everything from white to black working at times. The only consistent streamer attribute has been size- smaller streamers have been working better than the bigger Dungeons and Fatheads, though the biggest trout we’ve heard of this spring came on an Olive Dungeon. Big flies will drop fish count, but may bring a more memorable experience.
The pike haven’t really started to move. As the main drainage, the Clark Fork stays a bit behind in temperature, so the pike won’t really get on the bite for a week to 10 days. Put the road in the boat just in case, but don’t expect to make a day with pike.
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Rock Creek
Rock Creek is starting to get active, with most of the action being subsurface. There’s some midge action in the slower sections, but be ready for fussy fish. The trout have been looking at midges for a while at this point. The BWO’s are out on cloudy days, again in the slower sections. A Last Chance Cripple or a simple Tilting Dun have been working well.
However, most action has been sub-surface. While a few Skwalas have been seen, wouldn’t call it a hatch just yet. While a dedicated angler may get a rise or two over the course of the afternoon, we strongly recommend a dropper. Work an Olive Bullet in size 14-16 or the Jig Pheasant Tail with a yellow spot. If you decide to go with an indicator, the 20 Incher and the Double Bead Peacock Stone have been working their magic. If you’re working the shallows for the staging skwala nymphs, a Pat’s Rubberlegs Olive/Brown will keep you off the bottom.
Streamers have also been working, but as with all early spring streamer fishing, low and slow is the way to go. The Sculpin Sparkle Minnow and the Rainbow Baby Gonga have been performing well, and if you want to throw a change-up, think about a Chicago Overcoat on an indicator.
Scroll to the bottom of this page for additional fly patterns and tips!
Spring Hatches
Click any photo below to find out more information on each individual hatch. Includes life cycle, best fly patterns, helpful tips and where to find these hatches in your Western Montana fly fishing adventure.