Here in the shop, we have been receiving several questions about the recent “Hoot-Owl” restrictions on the upper Bitterroot. These restrictions require anglers to be off the water from the hours between 2 P.M. and midnight. Most of us have become accustomed to the restrictions that Montana FWP imposes to protect our fisheries during periods of low flow and high-water temperatures.
These new restrictions only affect a few stretches around Missoula as most hoot owl temperature requirements stay the same as they have been in the past. FWP is working towards a goal of protecting native Cutthroat in certain high priority sections of streams.
In most situations, FWP will apply Hoot Owl restrictions when temps are over 73 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 consecutive days. Measured flows may also be a factor in determining when to restrict afternoon and evening fishing. Unfortunately, these restrictions have become all too common in the past 10 to 15 years. Anglers have come to utilize the USGS current conditions webpage to track flows and temps. Anglers have become accustomed to looking for the 73-degree mark.
That’s why the recent restrictions on the Bitterroot have raised a lot of questions. The temps have not reached 73. In August of 2022 FWP decided to set different Hoot Owl triggering temps for streams with high populations of native cutthroat. In short, there are a few streams that restrictions will be triggered by three days over 66 degrees. As far as we know, the Bitterroot and North Fork of the Blackfoot are the streams in the western district that Hoot Owl will be triggered by the 66-degree threshold. You can read about the reasoning for treating cutthroat streams differently here.
In addition, FWP has changed the way that they lift Hoot Owl restrictions. In the past, Hoot Owl was lifted September 15th. There is no longer an arbitrary date. FWP will now use temperature and flow to determine when restrictions are lifted. A few days of cooler temps will not trigger lifting Hoot Owl restrictions avoiding situations where restrictions are implemented and lifted and then implemented again.
As always, if you are not sure if the water you are headed to is under Hoot Owl restrictions or not, stop by the shop. We will have the latest closures and restrictions posted.
One of the WORST things I ever did in a fly shop happened in early summer 2000. Yes, I remember the year- surprised I don’t remember the date. A guy came in the shop simply bouncing, telling me he had the best day he ever had on Rock Creek. It was epic! He’d never caught so many fish! He was so excited. I joined in his excitement, and said, “Hey, you must have caught like 40 or 50!
He looks at me and says, “I caught 6”
You can imagine his face. You can imagine how bad I felt. In one sentence, I’d crushed his day. Just crushed it. Still, to this day, I think about that. He’d HAD a good day….until he talked to me. I’m still haunted.
About 2007, I found myself back on the Bighorn in a 7 boat guide trip. I’d fished the Bighorn in the early ‘90’s, and spent two guided days following a huge polypropylene indicator. I caught 50 fish a day. It was terrible. I vowed I would never do that again.
That morning in 2007, the guide introduces himself and says he’d like to take a look at my rod. I said, “Don’t touch my fly rod. Do not put a bobber on my line.” You can imagine the look on his face. He starts to tell me it’s the best way to fish, catch the most fish, etc. I say I don’t care, I don’t care how many fish I catch, do not put a bobber on my line. By this time, every guide in the group is watching this exchange, wondering what it’s going to be like having this @sshole in their boat, and who could blame them. After about 2 more minutes of the same conversation with my guide, including asking him to keep my friend Tom on all the fish, I reach into my wallet and tip the guide $150. In the parking lot, before the boat is wet. He looks at me and says, “I guess I have to believe you.”
I caught 7-8 fish that day, including a smallmouth bass, the guide’s first in that watershed. I was casting my streamer into some REALLY random water! Meanwhile, Tom is hooking up consistently. It must have looked pretty funny, the boat pointed into the bank for Tom, while I’m flipping a streamer behind the boat. Once in a while, I floated a dry fly, fruitlessly, and watched it drift along the bank. It was a great day on the water.
What’s up with that? 50 is terrible, 8 is good? It’s what I wanted on the water. It can’t be any simpler. I like fishing the way I like fishing. That makes a good day on the water.
When the Missoulian Angler fly shop books a guided fly fishing trip, we ask a lot of questions, trying to find out what the guest wants from his/her day on the water. Instruction? A shot at a legit 20” trout? A lot of trout? Only dry flies, or do they want to Euro nymph?
Can we guarantee a big trout, or a lot of fish? No. It’s fishing! But we guarantee our guides, the best fly fishing guides in Missoula, will do everything possible to make the day live up to expectations. We can’t stress this enough- talk to your guide, tell them what you’re looking for in a day. No matter what it might be. Our guides are good, but you’re input makes them better. That information will do a lot to make your day on the water a good day.
My Dad traveled the west for years, alone and being guided. He was happiest tossing a dry and catching fish 8-13” long. It made him happy. One day a guide, who knew my Dad was a “stick” (Guidespeak for a good angler) was floating Dad down a river. He stopped, and said, “George, let’s take a walk.” 45 minutes later, they’ve come to a slough. The guide gets excited, and ties on a little dry. “Cast it just above that log.” So Dad casts just above the log, and a 28” Brown Trout slides out from under the log and starts to rise… but halfway up, decides against, drifts back down and back under the log. “OOOOHHHH, that’s the farthest up he’s ever moved!” groans the guide. And then says, let’s get back to the boat.
About 2 hours, one cast. That was absolutely NOT what my Dad wanted. That was his memory of the day. The guide thought it was a magic chance for a huge Brown on a dry! That was his memory of the day. Straight up miscommunication. Just that simple.
There are anglers who go fishing for the Instagram moment. (Not my Dad!) They’ll walk or float anywhere to take one trout that garners the Big Looks! A day without big is a bad day. A one fish day over 20 inches, and it’s a great day. Like it or not, social media is here to stay. It’s changing the concepts of fly fishing and fly tying. Some is good, some not so good.
We have pictures lining the ceiling beam at the MAngler. What shop doesn’t have a bragging board! Big trout and happy anglers! We get questioned about those pictures all the time. Is that the average size of trout around here? Were they caught this week? And the answer is always no. They got on the wall because of their rarity. But it gives some anglers an inferiority complex, because they’re not catching those trout. Sometimes it crosses my mind to take those pictures down, because it raises expectations and may make an angler’s trip less enjoyable. Not always, but it does happen.
The same happens with magazine articles. In the mid ‘90’s, I worked at a catalog fly shop in New Hampshire, where I spoke with anglers all over the country. I got a call from a man in Texas. He’d just finished reading an article about trout fishing on the Housatonic River in Connecticut. I’d fished the Housatonic fairly often- the Smallmouth Bass fishing was pretty good. He was asking me about lodging, and when the best time to come for the Housatonic trout fishing.
I was baffled. I barely drove 3 hours to get there, and thought it was a bit of drive for the fishing. I went because one of my best friends lived close by, and I would hang out with him and his Dad (who still remembers me as “the guy who falls in the Housatonic.” It was very slippery, and I was too young to need a wading staff. Hence, falling). I asked the customer why he was even considering coming? He said he’d read the article, and was ready to make the effort for that type of fishing. I zipped out front of the shop, got the magazine, and started to read the article. Hmmm….
I’ve been to exactly ONE place where the fishing was as good as the magazine said, and that was New Zealand. What I was reading about the Housatonic was as close to fiction as you could get, without downright lying. I’m sure what was described happened on one magic day, but it was not anywhere close to what I experienced on that river in my 14-15 times fishing it. Think about magazine articles you’ve read about rivers you’ve fished- was the reality anywhere close to the actual experience?
That’s what I thought.
I told this gentleman about my experience on the Housatonic. I told him he was going to an airport, and standing at a gate. He had a lot of gates to choose from! Missoula. Bozeman. West Yellowstone. Colorado. So many options where I KNEW the fishing was actually good. None of those gates included Hartford, CT. No dis on the Housatonic, but there are better rivers in the United States. Yet someone had written an article about it, and people from away were reading it and believing it. I think he would have had the worst days of fishing there- the reality would never have matched the expectations created.
This dovetails with a fascinating conversation I had with the caretaker of DePuys Spring Creek in Livingston, MT. I found myself on this amazing stream in early August in 2009. I was there with two friends, and there was a fourth rod on the water, but he was gone by noon. My two friends went to their spot and stayed there. I basically had 3 miles of spring creek to myself. It was amazing!
In my wanderings along the river, I saw the caretaker and we started talking. I said how pleased I was to be there when so few where fishing, and he said yes, that’s the new way of fly fishing. When I asked for an explanation of that statement, he told me this.
He’d been the Depuy’s caretaker for 20 years, and had seen a huge change in booking patterns. He said at this point, when the hatch chart said there was a strong hatch, all 16 rods were filled. But when there were no hatches, no one booked a rod. In early August, no hatches, so no anglers. Again, I was baffled. He elaborated, and it has stuck with me.
20 years ago, people came to Montana to fish when they could. They went fishing, and caught some trout. But since The River Ran Through It, a lot of anglers needed a REASON to be there. It wasn’t enough to go fishing, there had to be a reason to go fishing. To come when “nothing” was happening didn’t have enough ROI, it didn’t have punch, not enough to be GOOD. It made me think about my experience in destination fly shops and booking trips, and saw his insight was correct. There are many anglers out there who travel to something. Not to the fishing, but to the expectations of what fishing could be. There needed to be more than just fishing. An event was needed.
I caught about 30 fish that day, all on the surface. Hoppers, ants, beetles, micro caddis and there was even a rusty spinner fall for about 30 minutes. No, the rises didn’t make it look like it was raining. But if you think 30 fish on the surface isn’t a good day, you and I aren’t calibrating our fishing days the same way. The sky was iridescently blue, the mountains so close you thought you could touch them, but so far away. A good cast was rewarded often enough that subsurface never crossed my mind. It was a great day.
When nothing was going on.
Instagram and Facebook. So many magazines about fly fishing. I get it, I’m old and crotchety. I’ve been fly fishing for 49 years, and I was taught that a day on the river is better than a day doing anything else. Sometimes you hit it right, and lite the world on fire. Other days you got your fanny handed to you, and went home smelling of skunk. But it was never about the end result. It was always about the journey.
I feel that’s changed in the last 25 years. Now, it’s less about the process and more about the result. Guides have reported getting in a boat with anglers who have a counter with them. Yes, a finger activated counter. When they caught a trout- not a fish, a trout- the counter was clicked and the event recorded. Next.
Some of those anglers return year after year, and they will definitively let you know they had better fishing 8 years ago. As you speak with them, you find they aren’t enjoying the fishing as much. It didn’t meet their expectations. It can get a bit crazy. I’ve been told that the 25 fish day just wasn’t as good as the 40 fish day they had in the past. I get it. This is their vacation- it needs to be what they want. But every year is different, hell, every day is different.
I get a unique perspective in the shop. I see guides every day, I know how the fishing is. Everyone in the shop does. I know when a 5 fish day is a GOOD day. Here’s a thought. Missoula is blessed with over 300 miles of floatable water an hour’s drive from town. That means everyday, Missoula’s best fly fishing guides have a big decision in front of them. Some days, you make the call and you’re the hero. Some days you’re the goat. It’s all part of the experience. The experience………
I try not to be old and grouchy. Older is actually easier to deal with! We’re lucky enough to be close to a college- I see young, enthusiastic anglers every day. I wish I still had their legs! They go places and do things I used to do, and it makes me happy. It keeps me young. When asked (and often unprompted!) I’ll tell them something I think is important. Sometimes they think it is, sometimes not.
Grouchy is tougher some days. When the going gets tough, some customers get grumpy. Not enough surface action, not enough fish, not enough big fish, too many people. I want to ask them, did you look at the iridescent sky? Did you watch that little cloud form, and then simply fade away across the vast panorama of the mountains? Did you watch a storm move up the valley? Were you aware of the herd of Elk behind you, watching you, wondering what you might be doing in their river? What did you miss in your quest for fish?
We know all the hackneyed phrases. “It’s not called catching, it’s called fishing” and others are bandied about when the conditions go against you. Said with a laugh, but meant with a purpose.
Again, I get it. I used to fish so hard for so long. Nose to the water, complete focus on the cast. Drift. Cast again. Drift. Cast, drift, cast, drift. Next thing I knew, it was dusk. Where did the time go?? It went fishing. And I went with it. Some days hero, some days goat. But always, at the bottom line, I went fishing. And that was good.
To sound like a jackass, I can truthfully say I’ve caught enough fish in my lifetime. I’ve been lucky, and I know it. But I’d be lying if I said there weren’t days when I go fishing and it’s important to catch fish. It’s not as often as it used to be, but it’s still there. I’ll never lose that. But it makes fishing a lot more peaceful when the day doesn’t always rely on a result. Some days are about the journey, and those are turning into my good days on the water.
Do I tell my customers I went out and caught nothing? Not a chance! I use my father’s stock phrase, “I caught a couple.” Never more, never less. But I do tell them about the eagle’s nest and the circling adult, looking for food for her babies. I think about the play of light across the water, and wonder how many crayfish might be in the shallow rocks I’m walking through. I hope I don’t see a snake, and secretly hope to see a bear…..on the other side of the river! I talk about the ones I didn’t catch, and tell them how I plan to take them later. It always requires a new fly!
So as you contemplate what a good day on the water is, think about what it is that really matters. Ask yourself if it matters all the time. Think about the things that do matter all the time when you go fishing. And think if you’re giving each day on the water a fair chance. Every day on the water is good- if you have to search a bit deeper to find it that’s OK. And never forget Robert Traver’s words about why go fishing;
“I fish because I love to. Because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly. Because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing I thus escape. Because in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing what they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion. Because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed, or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility, and endless patience. Because I suspect that people are going this way for the last time and I for one don’t want to waste the trip. Because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters. Because in the woods I can find solitude without loneliness. … And finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important, but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant and not nearly so much fun.” ― Robert Traver
And as a final note in this somewhat contained rant, I ask you to look up one of my favorite fishing stories. It’s short, fun and to the point. It defines why we fish, and why the bad days are so important. Because they are!
It’s early July in 2021. After a winter of average snow pack, and a
long, steady run-off that brought snow down from April 20th on, the freestone rivers of Missoula are feeling the effects.
Hoot Owl
restrictions are in place on the Clark Fork River from the confluence
of Rock Creek and going east to Warm Springs. The term Hoot Owl is
derived from the early 1900’s logging industry, and when in place,
there is no fishing on the affected waters from 2:00 PM to Midnight.
Hoot Owl hours are put into effect when the water temps rise above 73
degrees for three consecutive days, or the water levels drop below
the 5th percentile based on historical data.
Water temperature has a huge effect on cold water fish like trout. Warmer water holds less oxygen, (Trout Biology) which has immediate and obvious effects on trout. It defines where they are, how and when they move, and how they feed. When the water hits 73 degrees, trout are having difficulty finding areas in the river that keep them alive.
The flow levels
for the Blackfoot River, Bitterroot River, Rock Creek and the Clark
Fork River are running anywhere from 50-65% of what they should be at
this time of year, and dropping daily in the heat. This pushes trout
into fewer and fewer available holding lies. Crowding is extremely
stressful to trout. They’re free roaming, and don’t like sharing
space with competitors for food and prime lies. Lack of water pushes
trout together, adding to the severe conditions brought about by warm
water.
With no end of
the heat in sight, we expect this situation to continue and intensify
in the coming weeks. Paints a rather gloomy yet accurate picture. But
it’s not all over, far from it.
The fishing is actually pretty darn good in the morning. At 5:45 am, the air temps are in the low 60’s, and if the wind is blowing, you need a light jacket. A far cry from 5:45 pm! The water has dropped in temps all night, and trout are active in the cool morning. All four Missoula trout rivers are fishing well at that time of day, so you have your pick. The water is staying within acceptable fishing temperatures until about 12:30 -2:00. The water is still warm especially in the upper Clark Fork, lower Clark Fork and lower Bitterroot, however, and there are things anglers can do to help alleviate the rigors brought about by the heat.
As an angler, There are things you can do to help alleviate the stress of high temps and low flows. To start, fishing isn’t so much a matter of where you go, but when you go. Make the effort to rise with the birds. Be on the water early, like 5:30-6:00 am early. Put your 6 hours in and then give the trout a break in the heat.
When you hook a
fish, put the screws to it. Fight that fish to the limits of your
tackle. Yes, you may lose a few, but the faster you get the fish to
hand, the faster it recovers from its exercise. Trout recover faster
from a shorter fight. Don’t lengthen the process.
The rivers are
warmer near the surface and shore. If you pull a fish from the
middle, or the middle and deep, you’re taking that fish from cool
water into warmer (less oxygenated) water, while making it fight. A
bad combo. If you can avoid that scenario, you should. If you do find
yourself bringing a fish from cooler water to warmer water, fight
hard. Make sure the fish is capable of swimming away powerfully. If
it’s too stressed to swim upright, you’ll need to resuscitate the
trout.
The best way to
resuscitate is to hold the trout by the “wrist” (juncture of tail
and body) and under the belly. Move to the deepest water you can
comfortably get to. Face the trout into the current, and get the
trout as deep as you can. Gently move the trout forward and
backwards, moving it only enough to flare the gills. Depending on the
fatigue factor, the trout may give a feeble attempt to flee. Keep
resuscitating through the first attempt. Trust us, you’ll know when
the fish is well and truly ready to leave! This process can take
anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, depending on the fatigue and
fish.
When prospecting
for trout, whether wading or floating, self-impose a three fish limit
from each hole. The river has crowded the fish together. The trout
are easy to find, and once you’ve located one you’ve usually
found a few. But the fighting and crowding is very stressful. Limit
your time at each hole to give the trout a break. If you come across
a pod of risers, go for it. The three fish rule really only applies
when you’re fishing the water looking for fish.
Now we go a
little deeper. What are the ethics of fishing later into the day when
no hoot owl hours are in place, but the water is getting up to 70
degrees. Where do you draw the line? The Missoulian Angler is opening
at 6:00 am, to facilitate getting anglers on the water early. Our
guides stop fishing when the water temps on their stretch hits 68-69
degrees. They run a dry only for the last hour or so.
Yesterday, we had
two anglers in the shop just before closing. They’d just gotten off
the water, and said they’d had a great afternoon of wade fishing on
the Blackfoot with droppers. One guy said, “We were killing them!”
in an excited voice.
All we could
think about was how correct that statement was. Bringing a trout up
from the cold bottom to the hot surface and then to shore……..
yes, they were killing them all right. We tried a bit of gentle
reprimand, a bit of advice for fishing in the hot weather, but
unfortunately it fell on deaf ears.
This is not about
right now, this is not about being a downer, this is not to deter you
from going fishing. What it’s about is how fishing will look in
three years. Carrying capacity is a biological term used to describe
how many fish a river can support at its worst time. Many fish won’t
survive this summer, whether they are fished for or not. When
carrying capacity falls, that affects spawning numbers for years to
come. In three years, the recruiting class will be lesser than in
good water years.
We write this
blog to make sure anglers are aware of the ramifications of angling
in the heat. What it does to the trout, how it will affect fishing
for the next 2-6 years. As a shop, the Missoulian Angler takes the
long view of the resources. The rivers are our lifeblood, the trout
our business partners. More importantly, river and stream health are
a Montana legacy, a legacy worth protecting now for the future
generations who live in and travel to Missoula. We get it, it’s a
wrench right now. It’s not how you envisioned your fishing day. But
a little trout TLC when needed will pay big dividends for the rivers
that provide us so much joy, peace and pleasure..
Runoff happens every year. And EVERY year we hear the same 2 questions. “Are the rivers blown out?” and “Are the rivers still fishable?”
Both of these questions illicit the same answer: Of course they are! The water running high is a GOOD THING for our rivers. And that’s no reason you can’t fish.
It’s not like the fish get to go on vacation when the water gets high. The trout are still in the Blackfoot River, Clark Fork River, Rock Creek, and the Bitterroot River, doing the same things they always do.
You just need to change your tactics.
Changing tactics means revisiting some basic principles. A trout can’t survive expending more calories than they take in.
The high water has dramatically changed the nature of the river, and for a trout to survive, it must find shelter from the fast-flowing water. While it might be obvious, the faster the water is moving, the more energy a trout must expend to maintain its lie.
As you approach the river, you’re looking for places where the water is eddying, or very slow, as that’s where the trout must be to conserve calories. Use the foam on the surface to locate these places.
Another basic principle is 80% of the fish are found within 10 feet of the bank. That is SO important during high water.
The currents are always lesser near the banks, and since trout are looking to avoid the pressure of the water, they are hugging any shelter they can find.
This is so much more prevalent near the shore, so much easier for the trout to locate. So you’re working the shore, looking for eddies and slower water.
When you’re standing at the river’s edge, it’s not always easy to see where the eddies are moving, or where the slower water will be. To get a better perspective on where the slower water is try standing on a high bank, a bridge or just walking up the bank a bit to get a better view.
As you get further from the river, the patterns of current become clearer.
Once you’ve identified the slow water and places of trout shelter from above, then head to the river’s edge and look at those same places up close. It will soon become apparent what the best holding water looks like up close.
Another factor comes into play near the shore once you’ve identified the better holding lies. As the water moves more slowly next to shore, the mud, dirt and everything else the river is carrying will begin to precipitate out. This means near the shore, visibility will be better. We didn’t say good, only better.
Because fish have to eat even in run-off, any advantage they can find they’ll take, so slow water next to the shore offers better sight as well as requiring less energy expenditure to stay there.
Keep an eye on the weather. A couple of colder days will slow down snow melt, and the slower water will get more visibility as less debris is entering the water.
Finding access to the edge of the river can be challenging during high water. Gone are the days of long gravel bars and easy access.
During run-off rivers are full to the bank. And even running through the vegetation that is normally 25 feet from the bank. Run-off fishing is often about where can you get to the river and safely access casting to trout.
Safety is no accident in run-off. Not only is the water moving as fast as it will all year, which of course makes wading VERY dangerous, the high water is moving all the debris that’s gathered on the rivers edge since last June. That means logs, downed trees and other flotsam are floating down the river as well.
So even if you’re in shin-deep water, if a tree or log goes by and you don’t see it, it will sweep you into the river. Be smart, stay dry during run-off!
It also takes some planning to actually land a fish in run-off. You might find a place to access the river, but you also need to plan how you’re going to land a fish when you hook one.
The first move is to use tippet about two sizes heavier than you usually would. Not only are you fighting the trout; you are also fighting the current.
A little extra pound test will help you bring the fish to the net, which is a critical piece of tackle for high water. It’s just too dangerous to get so close to the water so that you can grab the fish. Bring your net and use it.
Before you cast, think about how you’re going to land the fish. Check for impediments, and make sure you have a clear, safe space to bring the fish to hand.
99% of run-off fishing is going to be subsurface. Sure, the stars might align, and you’ll run into a Mother’s Day Caddis hatch or an early Stonefly hatch, and even water where they’re rising. But don’t count on it.
Be ready for nymphs and streamers. The most important part of your rig may be lead weight. You don’t have much room to cast, and your flies don’t have a long time to sink.
Think about it this way. If your flies sink at a rate of one inch per linear foot of river covered, you will need to cast 60 feet upstream to get your fly 5 feet deep to a trout’s lie. But if your fly sinks at one foot per linear foot of river covered, you only need to cast 5 feet above that trout suspended 5 feet deep.
It makes a huge difference, so have your lead weights and tungsten bead flies.
The Wire Worm, Pat’s Rubberlegs or any dark DoubleBead Stone are great flies to use during run-off. These are some of the fastest sinking flies we carry, and they will be very useful for getting deep quickly.
But just because the water is big and fast, that doesn’t mean the fish only take big flies. Make sure to drop off a SR Quill Bullet, TH Duracell Jig or any other quick sinking smaller nymph off of the larger, heavier point fly.
Most insects in the river are small- so don’t be fooled by the thought big water, big fly. Make sure to run smaller bug off the back of the big one. Don’t worry about using a heavier tippet and fouling up your drift. In fast water, the fish need to make a quick decision to eat or not.
Add the difficulty of locating food in stained water, and you’ll find the fish to be a bit less fussy than mid-August. The heavier tippet also helps control the cast when you have an indicator, two flies and two split shot running along your leader.
When choosing a streamer, fly choice depends on the line you’re using. If you have a sink tip or sinking leader, a bulkier fly that may not sink as rapidly is very effective.
The bulky fly helps the fish find it in off-color water. If you’re using a floating line, a sparse fly with weight and maybe even a split shot or two will get the fly to where the trout are. (Dirty Hippie). Whatever streamer you choose, make sure you allow the cast to fully extend downstream.
Work it as close to the shore as you can, for all the reasons that have been mentioned before. Fish where the fish are, so make sure your streamer spends as much time as close to the bank as possible.
It’s not easy to find the prime spots during run-off. The access points are few and far between, and it seems to change every day.
A few cold days and nights, and the water starts to drop. Warm temps of course bring the water levels up.
What’s good today may be gone in two days. While the access points may be few and far between, so are the anglers! If you’re looking for solitude, it can be easily found in May.
It’s 8:30 pm on a late July evening in Western Montana. You just got done with a short after work trip to the river, throwing a dry and putting a few smaller fish to hand, then switching it up to a streamer, but no slam pig brown like you’ve always dreamed of. The sun is just starting to tuck behind the mountains, so you figure you’d better head back towards the car. . . or should you? Is the best trophy trout fishing of the day about to begin? Is that monster of a brown trout just starting to slide out from a deep hole to feed? Well, there’s only one way to find out.
Morrish Mouse
One of the most overlooked methods of fly fishing for big trout around Missoula starts when the sun goes down. It may seem foolish and difficult to fumble around attempting to cast in the dark, but the payout can be extravagant. First, let’s establish why this works, and why it’s worth giving a shot. Big trout, and I mean BIG trout (23-32 inches) didn’t get big by being stupid. After living in a system for anywhere from 7 to 20 years, they know where and when they are in danger from predators, they know what actions put them in a vulnerable position, and they know one simple solution to eliminate these life-threatening factors. Eat. At. Night. Simple as that, feeding after sundown allows big trout to roam nearly any part of the river as they wish without a care in the world about the eagle that lives a quarter mile upstream. However, protection is not the only reason that huge trout choose to feed almost exclusively at night, there is another factor that is more seasonal. As you may have noticed the last time you fished the river in 100 degree weather, trout aren’t too fond of hot water temps. The biggest and smartest fish in the river are no exception. These fish live with 4 things in mind: get big, stay big, make babies, don’t die. The ‘stay big’ portion of this lifestyle is not particularly complimented by exhausting vast amounts of calories trying to chase baitfish through the shallows under the scorching hot sun. The air becomes cool at night in the Missoula area, and so does the water. Yet another reason why the 10+ pound trout of your dreams isn’t sipping BWOs at 2:00pm.
Now that we’ve discussed why this works, lets address how. There are two commonly used methods when it comes to fly fishing at night; mousing/topwater and streamer fishing. In most freestone rivers like the Bitterroot River, Blackfoot River and Clark Fork River, when trout reach a certain size, mayfly nymphs and caddis flies aren’t going to sustain the calorie intake that these pigs require. When the fish reach this point in their life, some will start to shift from a BMI (Benthic Macro Invertebrate) diet, to a baitfish and juvenile fish diet. Not only this, but these trout will also predate on mice, rats, small water mammals, frogs, crawdads, snakes, birds, the list goes on. Anything that offers a significant number of calories, a large predacious trout will eat if it can get its jaws on it. That being said, larger 4-7 inch articulated streamers have become a standard imitation for these large piscivorous trout, and anything from a single hook Moorish Mouse to a triple articulated rat pattern stripped across the surface will go as a rodent imitation. Oh, and ideally bring at least a 6 or 7 weight rod or you’re ‘gonna have a bad time’. Now, it’s not necessarily true that one of these fly selections will work better than the other, because when a trophy trout is the target, it’s more-so about being in the right place at the right time. However, as exciting as it is to hear a 6 pound brown Trout break the silence of the night with a belly flop on a mouse pattern, the number of hookups are less than ideal. If comparing the hookup ratio of a mouse pattern to a streamer, it’s probably 1:5. . . Regardless of which fly option you choose, the strategies that follow both are relatively similar. First off, it all starts with finding the right body of water. You need to find a system that has big fish potential. This can mean a few things. . . the system has at one point or another produced a giant fish or two, the system regularly produces larger fish (say 18-22 inch trout in this case) and you’re looking to uncover something greater, or maybe something as simple as a big fish story. Two crucially important factors that arise while night fishing rivers, is familiarity with the water, and finding safely wadable water. Don’t go trotting out onto a river you’ve never laid eyes on before in the pitch black. Not only can this be incredibly unsafe, but you also will have little clue what you’re casting to, tremendously lowering your efficiency. Keep in mind, it’s important to keep your headlamp off as much as possible, so casting into complete darkness is much easier if you’ve walked the water a time or two in the daylight. Additionally, try and choose a stretch of water where you can either easily navigate the bank, or walk through shallow and calm water that won’t sweep you off your feet and take you for a midnight swim. Now, with disclaimers out of the way, lets say you find a familiar stretch of river that you are convinced will produce a 28” brown trout. Focus on fishing moderate/slower pace water, anywhere near obvious structure or cover such as undercut banks, overhanging trees, downed logs, and rip-rap banks. Another major river feature that should be noted while night fishing, is big shelfs and drop offs. Often, large predatory fish will sit down on the deep end of a drop off during the day to rest. When nightfall hits and they’re ready to feed, they will move up onto the shelf and scan the flat water for minnows and juvenile fish . . . so, don’t be hesitant to pull a streamer or mouse through a stretch of knee deep water. Additionally, big fish will also move into side channels and sloughs where their prey has less room to escape.
Mousy Mcmouse Face. One of our favorite mouse patterns.
From here, there’s only a couple things left to consider; commitment and persistence. Night fishing is different, and not particularly convenient or appealing to the average angler. However, it is by far the most effective manner of targeting big fish exclusively and not worrying about numbers. Furthermore, the determination to pursue a big fish comes with some downfalls. Other than the few giants, most fish usually stop feeding around sunset. This means you’re going to get skunked more times than anyone likes to admit along the journey of chasing a trophy. Those willing to bite the bullet and put fishless (and sleepless) hours on the clock are the ones who will be rewarded. So . . . next time you hit the river for evening outing of fly fishing, bring a few streamers, a couple mice, and a headlamp. Stay a few extra hours and you may be surprised what kind of magic happens after the sun goes down.
We do offer guided fly fishing trips in Montana for Mousing. Due to safety of issues of fishing at night we typically start at first light in the morning which can be one of the best times to mouse. If this is something you would like to do then please give us a call at 1 (406) 728-7766.
