Missoula Area Fly Fishing Report 6/9

As we progress into our first full week of June the fly fishing around the Missoula area is starting to take off.  The upper reaches of the Bitterroot are starting to see some salmon flies and it won’t be long until we start to see them on the Blackfoot.  Let’s take a look at this past week and also look ahead to what we might see in the coming week.

This past week I floated on Sunday and Tuesday, having very good success on both of those floats.  Let's start with Sunday, we did a main Bitterroot float above Hamilton.  Fishing started off a little slow, starting with a rubber leg/pink worm rig, we could not get anything to the net for probably the first half of the day.  I tinkered around with different flies and also the color of worms.  Eventually I switched to a dry/dropper rig (chubby/pink worm) and something clicked, fish started eating and we had a great finish to our trip, including half a dozen or so dry fly eats.  The Main Bitterroot is taking shape and fish are starting to push off the banks, into a little faster water than what I was seeing a week ago.  

Tuesday I floated the East Fork of the Bitterroot.  We fished a salmon fly with either a pink worm or rubber leg dropper, they ate them about the same.  We saw an even draw on dry fly to dropper eats for the first half of the float and once we got out of the canyon almost all fish were on the dropper.  Fishing was spotty in my opinion, we would go through sections, not getting any action and then go on runs of 5-6 fish in a ten minute span.  The majority of the fish we landed were bloated with nymphs so I suspect that had a lot to do with our sporadic fishing.  We found fish in the typical East Fork holding spots, off the willow banks, inside corners, boulder gardens and seams on the back eddies.  

Looking at the week ahead I believe the fishing is only going to improve.  There were a lot of golden stone nymphs on the banks of the main river and the salmon fly hatch is going to improve on either of the forks up high.  Chubby/dropper is a hard game to beat right now and don't be afraid to get down and dirty with the nymph rig if you see a good run you can pull over to hit.  Pick nymphs that will sink or you’ll just be wasting your time while the water swirls them around near the surface.  If you’re looking for Walter, don’t be afraid to throw your favorite streamers on those cloudy days, it’s a good time of year to find a big boy before they hunker down in their favorite summer hideaways. 

The only negative I see over the next few days are the afternoon thunderstorms.  Always good to check the river flows, storms can dump a large amount of water in the mountains, resulting in some large bumps or even off colored water from the smaller tributaries, both of which can have poor impacts on the fishing.     

This is what I’m fishing for this coming week on the Bitterroot River. I'm targeting golden stones on the main river and salmon flies on the East and West Forks.

Dry Flies: Chubbies in orange, root beer, golden stone or purple size 4,6,8 (black foam with burnt orange is my favorite color combo); salmon fly or golden rogues size 4,6; stimulators in orange, yellow or royal 8,10 as second dry if you cut off your dropper nymph. 

Nymphs: Pat’s Rubber Legs, Larger Prince Nymphs, San Juan Worms (Pink is my favorite on the Bitterroot)

The Blackfoot is now clear enough to go fish, however there are not any hatches going on at the moment.  Stick to your nymph rigs, making sure they are getting down and you’re going to have to lose some flies to play the game this time of year.  Work the edges, drop offs and slower pools and you’ll find some fish.  Don't be afraid to dead drift a streamer with a little twitch here and there, that can pull out some great fish looking for an easy meal.  Trail a worm off it for added success.  It’s just a matter of time and the Blackfoot will be in full swing.

Flies I’m fishing for this week on the Blackfoot River.

Dries: Chubbies in orange, burnt orange, golden or purple in 4’s or 6’s.  Rogues in 4 or 6 if I see some salmon flies.

Nymphs: Pat’s Rubber Leg, bigger prince nymphs, San Juan’s, Zirdles.

Streamers:  I like to fish white or a cream color with lots of weight so I can get it down, adding a zonker to a nymph rig is a favorite play of mine.  

The Clark Fork is still big and muddy, it’s always the last river to shape up and start fishing.

Always remember to stay alert out there, the rivers are still changing everyday which can create new hazards and obstacles.  If you have not floated a particular section since runoff, there’s bound to be some changes, especially on the Bitterroot between Hamilton and Missoula.  Be smart, keep your eyes up and on the river ahead.  

Another piece of advice is keeping an eye on the weather, as I mentioned before we are forecasted to have afternoon thunderstorms into early next week.  Be prepared with rain jackets and gear that can keep you dry and warm.  Pull over and get off the water, keep your rods low in the boat and find a good spot away from the river to hunker down and wait out the storm.  Lightning is a serious thing and that can strike anywhere around the storm.  It’s also something I know very well, my wife was struck by lightning in 2019, luckily she survived with some nasty burns and a little PTSD to boot.  

Be smart out there and stay safe!