Missoula Area Fly Fishing Report 7/22
Summer has officially set in and it's hot out there! Water temps are on the rise and fish are starting to move into their typical summer haunts. This past week I have bounced around quite a bit, even made it down to the Beaverhead River for a couple days. All I can say there, you need to fish it, the river is primed up and the fish are very impressive. Check out my Instagram posts from the past week, a couple dandy fish on there from the Beav. We also have some open dates if you want to check it out!
The Beaverhead River is fishing about as good as I’ve ever seen it. The fish are getting a steady diet of PMD’s and Yellow Sallies everyday and man do they have the feed bags on! Nymphing is the game, small brown Splitcases, Hunchback Infrequens and little Yellow Sally nymphs will get you into fish. As you get below High Bridge you can jump your fly size from an 18 to 16 as the fish aren’t as picky down there and will get you a better percentage of fish in the net. Most people run a drop shot type rig with split shot on the bottom and flies tied on tags off your fishing knots up from there. I usually run my first fly about 15” from the weight and then second fly up the leader about 18-20” from there to get a good spread. Target the dropoff and depressions and be careful about wading out too far, all the fish in front of you will swing in below you and feed off the debris you’re kicking up. I always tell my people to stick and move, there’s so many fish that it doesn’t really pay off to just grind the same drift over and over. Make a few casts, move up, move out, move back, work it all til you hook up and start over. I would recommend using at least 3X tippet and if you’re not getting many hook ups you can drop down to 4X, it’s a risk/reward situation and don’t be surprised if you get broke off before you even set the hook. There are some freight trains that don’t like their picture taken! Also if fish are really keyed in on a particular nymph, just fish two of the same fly. I ended up doing that on Thursday and our hookups increased a bunch.
There are some dry fly opportunities here and there as well, I like to have a couple different PMD dries as each fish can be a little different. I have found that a plain Jane Parachute PMD will get eats if you present it right and give them enough drifts, they will mess up and eat it. These eats are super slow, wait until you can’t wait anymore and then wait a little longer before you set. You will feel like you have missed it but will be pleasantly surprised when you set the hook.
Dry Flies: Parachute PMD (size 16,18), PMD Cripple (size 14, 16), PMD Spinner (size 16, 18), Yellow Stimulator (size 18), Elk Hair Caddis Yellow (size 16,18)
Nymphs: Brown Split Case (16,18), Hunchback Infrequens (16,18), Parrot Nymph (16, 18), Epoxyback Golden Stone (16, 18)
The Clark Fork River is fishing pretty solid. Getting on early is the key, there are still a fair amount of PMD’s poking around and the fish are eating them in the back eddies, swirl seams and here and there in the pools if you keep an open eye. I’m not sure it’s a full time gig so I would have a rod rigged and ready with a PMD so you can take advantage when you see them and fish a dry/dropper rig inbetween. Water Walker by itself (early morning) or a Chubby/Dropper is a good play the rest of the day. If it gets warm you may even just throw on the bobber and get down and dirty under the surface. Fish will chase a streamer a little in the early morning hours but once the sun gets up that game is over. Rainbows are starting to surf the swirl edges, pulling in and running some drifts with the dry/dropper rig can be really productive.
Dry Flies: Chubby (size 6,8,10), PMD Cripple (size 12, 14), Purple Haze (size 14,16), Elk Hair Caddis in the evenings (size 14,16)
Nymphs: Pat’s Rubber Leg (size 8,10), PT Jig (size 14,16), Prince Nymph/Jig (size 14,16), Perdigons (size 12,14,16), Tungsten Beaded Red San Juan (size 10)
The Blackfoot River is fishing decent, I feel like you have to grind it out a little to get into the fish. I have found the best spots are the deeper runs and trenches in the rocks. Dry/Dropper game with a long leash to get the nymph down deep will be your best play. You’ll have to fight through some whitefish but you’ll find some trout as well. Beetles and Ants will probably get some eats in the afternoons as well, I usually just fish them over the same spots you would the dry dropper and see what comes up to greet you. Be ready for some slow cutty eats!
Dry Flies: Chubby (size 6,8,10), Water Walker (size 8,10), Yellow Stimulator (size 10,12,14),Purple Haze (size 14,16), Black Beetle (size 10, 12), Red or Black Ants (size 14,16), Grasshopper (Size 8,10)
Nymphs: Pat’s Rubber Leg (size 8,10), PT Jig (size 14,16), Prince Nymph/Jig (size 14,16), Perdigons (size 12,14,16), Copper John (size 14,16)
Bitterroot River I did not fish this past week. I do know there have been some decent fish caught on nocturnal stone patterns. I imagine there are probably some PMD’s still bouncing around in the morning on the West Fork. Get an early start and you might get a good morning of dry fly fishing there. Main river it’s hard to beat a chubby/rubber leg fished tight to cover. I always say let the fish bail you out from getting snagged up on roots and branches. Also if you ever see a fish come under your chubby in the swirl edge, it’s probably eaten your dropper fly so make sure to give it a set!
With all these hot days the water temps have been pushing higher and higher. Remember to be smart with your fish, keep them wet and in the water as much as possible. If you’re going to take a picture, get everything set up while the fish rests in the net in the water. Pull the fish out just long enough to get a couple shots and then let it go. It’s also a good idea to walk them out into the current and not let them go in the edges where the water is much warmer. The moving water will be cooler and hold more oxygen so the fish to recuperate faster.
Another week in the books! Be safe out there!
