Creeping Into View

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 each day is mind-boggling. While driving up the river from the bottom yesterday, we saw literally a ton of salmonflies in the willows. Give or take, of course. But what an amazingly healthy fishery! Overall, it’s nice to see the hatches stalled by the cold snowmelt flowing down the river corridors — this means slim pickins this week around Missoula, but much more to look forward to in June and July.

Missouri River:

Katy’s first day fly-fishing!

Solid nymphing riverwide and decent dry fly fishing when the weather is right.

Clark Fork:

Other than the mouths of the creeks where the post-spawn rainbows are fattening up on their own eggs (gluttons…), this river’s pretty blown. Color resembles dog food.

Blackfoot:

Other than real dedicated, hero-or-zero streamer chucking, we suggest waiting a week on this river.

Bitterroot:

Ditto except for the springs.  Maybe some Salmonflies up high?

Smaller Rivers Floatable for Only a Few Weeks a Year with Great Salmonfly Hatches, etc:

Go get em, and keep em under your cap! Facebook’s for flirting with your old high school flames, not divulging angling secrets!!!