Posts by Anthony VonRuden

On Chasing (Or Not Chasing) the Salmonfly Hatch: Out here West of the Continental Divide, we’re lucky to have a salmonfly hatch on each of our Big Four Rivers — the Clark Fork, the Bitterroot (primarily on the East and West Forks), the Blackfoot, and Rock Creek. In some places, the hatch is fairly localized […]

Runoff hasn’t been overwhelming this year, but the last week of melting snow has muddied local rivers enough to send our boats over the hill to the Missouri, where the fishing has been steady both underneath and on top. Rock Creek has stayed relatively steady flow-wise, and the biomass of salmonflies this river is producing […]

This has already been a late spring with plenty of quirks but we saw a Salmonfly and a March brown floating down the same run the other day.  It’s true.  Salmonfly chasers unite. It’s time to ready the big bugs and decide whether you like to be in the thick of the hatch or upstream […]

It’s been another fortunate week West of the Divide, with a dropping flows precipitated by cooling temps–and big fish back on the feed. Overall, our hatches have waned a little, but the Missoula Fishing Report is happy to predict –with more certainty than a weatherman — a ramp-up in bugs this coming week. Everything is […]

Salmonflies on the lower Clark Fork? Caddis on a spiking Bitterroot? It’s been a strange week in Missoula, and this fishing report is a tough one to write, let alone bet on. (Was your money on Mayweather or Pacquiao last weekend?) We were able to scratch out another fine week of good late April fishing, […]

The old guides are at it again: throwing around phrases like “Best spring fishing in a decade,” and “Never seen better hatches,” that kind of stuff.  In all truth, it’s been hard to argue with the grizzled vets. The past week or so has indeed offered some of the finest April fishing in memory, and […]

Keep it simple, stupid, my old basketball coach used to say. The Missoula Fishing Report is an easy one to write this week: Fishing has been good to really good–sometimes even great. Our water everywhere’s been on the drop, and the fish and bugs have been happy with these conditions, coupled with consistent water temps. Lots […]

Missoula Fishing Report Ask any veteran guide, and they will tell you the fishing has been good, but not necessarily easy.  Every Spring seems to bring its own unique set of challenges.  This year is no different.  For the last few weeks we have had plenty of bugs hatching to get the fish looking up.  […]

The makings for a perfect skwala fishing day–Sunny in the morning, high clouds in the afternoon. Missoula Fishing Report It’s snowing sideways in Missoula right now, turning the old adage for March — “In like a lion and out like a lamb” — on its head. Frankly, the weather was more pleasant two weeks ago, […]