Finally (?) On the Drop... - Missoula on the Fly

We’re nearing the end of May, and the hydro-graphs have finally begun to tilt downward. Barely, yes, but downward nonetheless! We’ve had a ton of water, more than in, say, the past 100 years — for a visual, if you’ve ever stayed on the river at the Doubletree, you could make a fairly reasonable cast from the deck.

Clark Fork River at Finn and Porter in Missoula

As always we’ve dealt with this high water by rocking it on the Missouri. When you bite the bullet, double down and find the proper depth and bugs, it can be pretty silly at these flows. High water = GOOD over on the Mo.

Are we crazy enough to hedge a guess as to when our Missoula rivers will become fishable?

Rumor has it, folks are catching fish on Rock Creek — traditionally the first of our rivers to come into shape — and salmonflies have been seen. We’re not going to give away free Browns jerseys a la Demarious Randall if we’re wrong, but our hunch says we should have some decent options around here mid to 2/3 of the way through the month.

Get ready for an awesome year of Big Water fishing!