7 Tips For Fly Fishing The Salmonfly Hatch

Tip #1 Slap The Dry

It's not often we tell you to do this while fly fishing in Montana, but the Salmonfly is huge, and they don't typically hit the water softly. Often a fly slapped on the water will entice trout to eat immediately. Many times you can see multiple fish come up after your fly at the same time. The heavy landing is a trigger to the fish. However, trout react differently in different situations, and they will tell you what they want. Some days an aggressively twitched Salmonfly will drive trout crazy. The next day a dead drift presentation is the only way they will eat. Whether it's an aggressive bug slap, twitching the fly or dead drifting, the trout will tell you what they want. If one presentation isn't working, don't be afraid to switch it up and try another.

Tip #2 Fish Tight In The Beginning

Salmonflies start hatching in June around Missoula. While runoff may be over, the water is still big and fast. High water limits the holding water for trout, which means you need to fish tight to the bank. The water is slower near the bank, the Salmonfly nymphs are migrating to the banks to emerge, and the adults are found in overhanging foliage. Combine that together, and 90% of the fish you catch at this time will be within 5 feet of the bank. As the rivers drop through late June and July, new holding spots form for trout and they move into more summer like runs. The lower the water, the farther the trout can roam from the banks.

Tip #3 Heavy Tippet

High, fast, off-color water is the perfect time for heavy tippet. Combine speed with no clarity, and the fish are not leader shy. Following Tip #1, you're banging the banks. An inaccurate cast can put your fly in the bushes and heavier leader improves your chances of getting your bug back! Heavy tippet also helps you hold larger fish in the fast water encountered during this Salmonfly hatch. Our guides often run a dry/dropper, and during the Salmon Flies, the dropper can be as big as the dry! Using a 1x tippet for your big foam dry allows you to use 2X tippet to your big stonefly dropper. Some years the Salmonfly hatch will go until the end of July and we've even seen a few in early August. As the hatch continues and the water clears and drops, you can size your tippet down, but we rarely go below 3X.

Tip #4 Start Low

The Salmonfly traditionally starts hatching on the lower sections of the stream, and progressively moves up-stream for the duration of the hatch. For example, the Salmonfly hatch on Rock Creek moves upstream at about a mile a day. So if the hot section is mile 7-12 today, it should be mile 8-13 tomorrow. Early in the hatch, focus on the lower sections of the stream. Being behind the hatch can provide some of the best Salmonfly fishing in Montana — the trout are hungry, greedy and very active.

Tip #5 Filled To The Brim

The Salmonfly is such a big bug, the trout can actually get too full. We've seen hot fishing turn cold even with naturals everywhere. The fish have eaten so many, they can take no more in. This explains why one day a section will be smoking hot, and the next day cold as ice. The guides usually meet at the fly shop to share reports and figure where the hatch is heaviest. Fishing behind the hatch is often more predictable and consistent.

Tip #6 Go For The Gold

When you start getting refusals to your Salmonfly, switch to the Golden Stone. By this time the Goldens have also made their appearance. Our guides often throw a tweener — a hybrid Salmonfly and Golden Stone with gold and orange dubbing on a size 8 hook.

Tip #7 Think Outside The Box

Rock Creek has a world class Salmonfly hatch, but with hype comes crowds. The Blackfoot River, Clark Fork River and the upper Bitterroot River all hold excellent Salmonflies with larger than average trout. Our fly shop staff and guides are always happy to help you hit the famed Montana Salmonfly hatch.