The Smallmouth Bass is found in the lower Clark Fork River and Flathead River. These hard fighting fish are not the easiest to target, but down by Superior and west on the Clark Fork, they can be found in the long lake areas. They will take big dries like hoppers, poppers or a streamer, and they can attain some size down there. If you want to target Smallmouth Bass relatively close to Missoula, the Flathead River has some of the finest Smallmouth Bass Fishing in Montana. When the summer weather hits 90 for a week straight, and the troutin Missoula start to feel the heat, think about the Flathead. Smallmouth love those temperatures, and readily come to the surface all day long. It can be an exciting day of fly fishing, having Smallies slash at your fly as you rip it from the banks. The bigger ones are subsurface and can easily reach 5 pounds. If you’re looking for a break from trout, or just chase Smallmouth Bass because you love it, Missoula fly fishing has you covered!