Use The Bump Time To Prepare For Montana Spring Fishing

Blake Hasquet enjoying some Montana spring fly fishing.

One week the fishing will be incredible with bugs, stable flows and beautiful weather and the next week you’re dealing with rising water, snow/rain and frozen guides. Like the saying goes “if you don’t like the weather in Montana, wait 10 minues” the same goes for Montana spring fly fishing.

We are dealing with this issue right now. Just when things started warming up and the rivers started to fish really well, we get hammered by rain after a brief warm up and the the rivers start to bump in flows. The last few weeks have been amazing fishing, big fish on big dries all day long. The good news is the flows will level off again and the fishing should continue to be productive after these daily bumps in flow. The bad news is that this weekend isn’t looking great for fly fishing Missoula rivers with rising flows, wind and cold nights.

We are hoping by next week the Bitterroot river and Blackfoot river should level off and begin to clear unless the weather man changes his/her thoughts. Rock creek is also seeing a bump but fishing is typically less effected on this stream then the rest of the Missoula rivers when flows bump due to spring conditions. The Clark Fork river is always a bit behind the other rivers to clear up and hopefully it comes back into shape by the end of next week because it was fishing really well on top for the last week or so.

Your best options for fishing right now are the Bitterroot and Rock Creek if you do plan to go fishing this week. To be honest, it might be a better weekend to tie, organize fly boxes, study entomology and check out our online menu and give us a call or email to put in an order for needed supplies for better fishing next week. Skwala, March Brown, Neumora and BWO are the primary insects that will be hatching for the rest of April, so focus on tying these or loading your fly box for some of the best Montana spring fishing of the year coming,

Many of us have a lot of extra time on our hands lately and fishing is a great way to pass the time. The inconsistency of spring fly fishing in Montana is something we live with every year and those who prepare now will maximize their fishing time when rivers stabilize. The last thing that you want to happen is getting out on the river and realize that you’re out of 3x tippet or the right pattern and fish are feeding in front of you. We are more then happy to put together a variety of flies that will work this time of year for you if you would like. A dozen professionally picked flies will go a long ways for your Missoula fly fishing adventure. Our doors may be shut but we are still open to call in or email orders and are here to help like we always have. Don’t hesitate to reach out for an order or just some needed advice. We miss seeing everyone come into our Missoula fly shop and at the very least, we would still love to hear your voices.

Get out and go fish, enjoy the time to yourself or family and enjoy Montana spring fly fishing.

Bitterroot River Fly Fishing

The Best Spring Fly Fishing In Montana

Missoula Montana spring fly fishing is like few others in the west. Some of the best fishing of the year starts in March, and it starts on the surface! That’s correct, we have stellar dry fly fishing in March and April. Whether you’re a fan of throwing a big dry fly like a Skwala stonefly, searching with a Nemoura or take pride in hatch matching with a Western March Brown or Blue Winged Olive, Missoula’s spring dry fly fishing will make you smile. The Bitterroot River and its epic Skwala hatch is famous in Montana, and for good reason. What’s less known is Rock Creek and the Clark Fork River also have strong Skwala populations, along with excellent WMB and BWO hatches. While most anglers are focused on the Bitterroot River, the adventurous angler will find spring dry fly fishing throughout the Missoula area.

You can expect surface action from late morning through the afternoon. Missoula’s fly fishing in March and April is temperature dependent, meaning the warmer it gets, the sooner the dry fly fishing starts. If the day stays on the cold and wet side, that activates the BWO’s to epic hatches! Montana’s spring dry fly fishing is focused on Missoula, due to our warmer early season weather. It’s tough to find better spring dry fly fishing in Montana. It’s a lot of fun to be able to start the season on the surface!

Coming off the cold winter, the big dogs are coming out of hibernation, and they’re looking to feed. Every angler knows big flies take big fish, so if you’re looking to see Brother TwoFoot, you may want to turn that dry into a streamer! Many who take advantage of spring fly fishing in Missoula will start their day with the big rod and the big flies, working the edges and holes to sting those big, hungry trout. When the dry flies truly establish later in the day, some anglers will put the big flies away, but don’t kid yourself. The longer you fish the streamer, the longer the Big Dog barks! We love to take those early spring streamer junkies to the Blackfoot River, letting those steep ledges and deep holes divulge their early season secrets.

Which brings us to old reliable. Why does the nymph get such a poor rap, when it’s hands down the most effective way of putting trout in your net. Spring fly fishing in Missoula offers multiple nymphing opportunities, including shallow water sight nymphing with a Skwala or Nemoura nymph, or working a little deeper with your Pheasant Tails and Hare’s Ears. For the first time since late fall, there are lots of nymphs on the move, and early season trout will key on this new and abundant food source. You can get way serious and run a double nymph rig, or you can combine the great spring dry fly fishing with your subsurface hunting and rig up a dry/dropper. However you plan to approach it, the nymph is always the workhorse, the producer, for any angler.

When you start the season early, the weather can be as exciting as the fishing, so be prepared for a Montana Spring fly fishing! But no matter what the weather is above the surface, the trout are eating, and eating hard.

The Missoulian Angler Fly Shop is offering three great deals for experiencing the best spring fly fishing in Montana. Click the button below to see more details.

Spring Special Guided Fly Fishing In Montana – Discounted Rates

Take advantage of our Spring Special Guided Fly Fishing discounted rates. March and April is some of the best dry fly fishing of the year. Our guides love this time of year because of the big fish eating dry flies. Come enjoy a day on the river with Missoula’s best fly fishing guides.

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Missoula Fly Fishing Guide Chase Harrison