While not a game fish, the sculpin is a very important fish in our local rivers. Abundant and slow, they provide excellent forage for Trout in the Blackfoot River, Clark Fork River, Rock Creek and the Bitterroot River. Sculpins will grow up to six inches long, though the majority are way smaller. The sculpin has no swim bladder, so they spend their entire lives on the bottom. When you fish a sculpin imitation, that’s where it needs to be. The sculpin makes a big meal to a trout, and having some sculpin imitations will pay off when fly fishing Missoula rivers.

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Photos By Trout Unlimited Canada