The Clark Fork river is by far the most
consistent river in our area. This river is
absolutely fabulous for the dry fly
fisher. There are at least two to three
hatches at all times during the spring,
summer, and fall and sometimes many
more. When the heat is on in late July
and early August and other rivers in
the state have little to no hatch
activity this river shines. With an
abundance of cold springs, the
hatches continue right through the
hottest weather. Lets not forget the
great hopper fishing this time of the
year as well. Large pods of rainbow
and cutthroat trout work the surface
very consistently from late June to the
end of October with some of the best
trico fishing occurring during August
and September.
The Bitterroot river wanders through a
panoramic valley between the
Bitterroot/Selway and Sapphire
mountains. This river has more than 20
miles of catch and release only water.
We catch some tremendous browns
and rainbows here along with
Cutthroat and the occasional brook
trout. More large browns are stalked
and caught here than on any other of
our rivers in the Missoula area. The
Spring fishing on this river is second to
none starting about March 15th until
spring runoff in early May.
The Blackfoot river has a completely
different character than the Clark or
Bitterroot. It is fast and boulder strewn
and boasts the best scenery around.
While we fish it at all times of the year,
it is at its absolute best from June 15th
until the second week in July. This
coincides with the salmonfly, golden
stone, and green drake hatches.
Some days all three are on the water
at the same time and it is spectacular.
The Missouri river is a classic tailwater
fishery. It fishes like the Lower Clark
Fork with large pods of rainbows
working the hatches and big browns
working the banks and tail outs. While
crowds can be a problem here, we
typically fish this river in January and
February and in late April into July. This
allows for less crowded conditions and
the weeds and algae are not a
problem yet.
Winter fishing. You might be
surprised at the mild temperatures that
can occur between Nov. 1st and
March lOth. Often daytime highs hit
the forties. The days are shorter and
the fish feed during the warmest part
of the day. We typically start our day
around lOam and fish until 4-6pm.
Due to the short day we offer reduced
rates during this period. If you can
easily get to Missoula on short notice
you can have excellent winter fishing
with little competition. Keep an eye
on the forecast and in touch with me
and we can make it happen.
The Bitterroot with it's wide
gentle valley and abundance of
springs is our river of choice in winter.
Its warmer water temps make it the
best choice here in Missoula area. This
is a time of very large fish. The big
boys that feed at night during the
summer are on the prowl at midday.
We have landed several 24" class trout
this time of the year.
The Missouri is our other winter
destination. Due to warmer tailrace
conditions dry fly fishing is an option
here. On the right day large midge
clusters bring up big fish for a 2 hour
feeding frenzy. The rest of the time
streamers and nymphs take care of
business. Due to the warmer water
temps these fish are active all day
long on this river. It is not uncommon
to catch a dozen browns and
rainbows over 16" on a winter day. If it
is warm enough to fish the action is
very consistent.