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Western Montana Fishing Report
Final Report, 2011

Sorry for the great gap in these reports. Things... boxes of electronics that want to quit, die or otherwise be complete downers... have seemed to conspire against us this season. Of course, had I been able to send these reports out, it probably would only have confused most folk. This has been the strangest season I can remember. Trying to figure out when anything is going to come off has been nearly impossible. Right now, we are basically in late September hatches. Our blue winged olives are just now really getting going strong, and most days fish well on small mayflies from around noon till 5.

This will probably be our last report for the season, however, definitely stay tuned for next year. We are hoping a few new things take place. Look for us on Facebook under our Backdoor Outfitters page... as well as here on our web page. With luck, in the future, we will be including such things as a river condition section (a guide for new boaters to our area on definite hazards one should be aware of), other things to do in the area, and... with luck... a new concept I've been playing with called the environmental page!

Anyway, all in all it's been a pretty good year. Despite the highest water most of us can remember, hatches that wanted to be a week to a month late, and the summer that never came... then never left... it's been fun. Thanks to all of you who made the trip out, to those that didn't... we'll look forward to next year. For those of us at Backdoor Outfitters have a great winter, drop us a line periodically, try to get out on your local waters as often as possible, and May Your Fly Always Match the Hatch!

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Western Montana Fishing Report
August 15 thru 29, 2011

Sorry about last week. Computer took a dump on us. Not sure if it's really fixed yet... Though seems to be working for a while.

Anyway, what can I say. Summer is moving along slowly. Our weather finally heated up, but thankfully not to the levels of the last few years. So far this year, those highs are still only in the low to mid 90's... Way better than 40 plus days over 90 and of that, about 20 of them over 100!

The low temp, high snow pack this year has led to the best flows we've seen in years here in western Montana. Flows at Darby are still over 500, and on the West Fork still over 300. What this has meant is the best year in recent history for the fish in our streams!

As for how things are fishing? Well, pretty good! Though hatches are just starting for the small mayflies (bwo's and trico's) it has been good for pmd's all summer. Add to the pmd's a few caddis in the evenings, and terrestrial activity most the day, and all in all, it's been a great summer for fishing. With luck, it should hold right on thru the fall!

 

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Western Montana Fishing Report
Aug. 8 thru Aug 15, 2011

Water still remains higher than normal on all of our systems. That my friends is great news. Even better... To my way of thinking... Is there is still a little bit of snow in some of the pockets up in the mountains. Ok, enough of my idle comments, down to some fishing news.

Since it's been awhile since our last report let me try to fill in a bit. Hatches have been reduced to pmd's, smaller stones, caddis, and terrestrials. Though not officially in the 'dog day's' of summer from a fishing standpoint (I like to think these days are when temps are in the high 90's, low 100's) it seems like it some days. While almost everyday the fishing is great for smaller fish, those larger fish are starting to get a little weary of being stuck in the mouth every time they sample a fly.

Right now, it's pound those banks with something in a hopper pattern and stay ready. Following 10 or 20 small guys, one of those larger fish is going to spank you eventually. The difficulty seems to be staying ready for those
moments when the bigger fish decide to play. Of course, when a hatch of pmd's or caddis take off, the fish get much simpler to entice.

Though fall feels like it's starting to arrive, we're still waiting for the trico's to appear. Once they show up, it's kick back, lengthen those leaders, lighten that tippet, and hang on. With luck a week or two and the little mayflies will start showing.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
July 21, 2011

The Bitterroot is fishing very well, and water levels are holding nicely. Things are happening at Backdoor Outfitters!

Note - The web guy is going to Alaska for a week - so there won't be a fishing report for a bit, but will resume about Aug. 1.

Good luck, and may your fly always match the hatch!

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Western Montana Fishing Report
June 27 thru July 4, 2011

While this week might not have been the best fishing week I can remember, it was at least decent most the week. Some nice fish (over 21) were landed, plenty were missed, and things began to return to some sort of normalcy.

Water levels are now about where they would normally be around mid-June (right now about 5,000 at Darby). This is down considerably from their highs of nearly 9,000 only a few weeks ago. As I've been telling folks for several weeks now, I do believe the worst is behind us. With the amount of snow we have left, I expect our levels to stay somewhere around where they are now for the next week or so, then continue to drop the remainder of the year.

Though the major (almost only) show in town is still the forks of the Bitterroot, I expect the Blackfoot to clear up... At least up high... fairly soon. Odds are it's still a few weeks out for the Clark Fork, but we'll see.

As for the bugs, take your pick. Salmon flies and giant goldens are still the major player, but the smaller goldens, pmd's, and drakes are beginning to become more important on the trout diet. I'd suggest a mixture of all the
above if you're venturing this way. Good luck, and may your fly always match the hatch!

 

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Western Montana Fishing Report
June 20 thru 27, 2011

"It's been a long time coming... Hopefully, not going to be a long time gone'. These have been the words playing in my head for nearly two weeks now. And, yes it had been a long time gone. The good news is, 'BUGS ARE
FINALLY HERE, AND FISHING IS PICKING UP!' While we are still struggling to find that good water... As flows are about what they should be in early June... Now that the bugs have shown up, a fisherman has ample opportunity
to find a fat old cuttie or red striped rainbow coming out of the depths and engulfing his fly.

Yep, I'd expect a few fluctuations from here on in, but I do believe the worst is behind us when it comes to flow. I think we hit our peak two weeks ago when it got to almost 8,000 in Darby. Right now, it's about 5400, and
will probably drop to around 47 to 5,000 today. The best news is the trend is starting to move downward on those peaks rather than up.

With salmon flies, golden's... Both sizes..., pmd's, and a few drakes starting to show, I look for fishing to get nothing but better over the next few weeks. And, yes, it's been a long time coming.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
June 13 thru 20, 2011

For those of you who stayed home last week, or are thinking about it this week, I suppose it's a 'toss up'. There is absolutely no question the water was (and probably will continue so for most of the year) higher than many
years, the weather hovered somewhere between cool and cold, and the bugs were about as mild mannered as any species living upon planet earth. And, that was the good news. From a fishing standpoint, while the fishing remains excellent, the catching remains slim to nonexistent.

Ok, now it's time for my pitch on why you should still be coming to Montana... And yes, on a fishing trip. Everyday on the water, we encounter things to make a person pause with wonder. Simple things, such as a mother deer peering intently at you as you pass along a seam while a pair of newborn fawns prance unafraid thru waist high grasses; or, a moments old Big Horned Sheep wobbling upon unsteady limbs in search of a mothers teat, are
just a couple reasons why a day on the water still beats watching it on the National Geographic Channel. Or the more mysterious things, such as what caused that mountain lion to come to rest there, on the inside edge of a
current line, where, only a few years earlier, a fellow 'Bitter-rooter' had met his tragic end, make a person ponder thoughts not ordinarily envisioned in all walks of life. We wondered, had the lion been hit by a car, fallen
off a ledge in pursuit of one of these newborn sheep, or perhaps, merely gotten in over his head and found the current too swift to escape. And, would he become entombed in this base of sand, only to be found millennium later by some probing entity, and would their guess upon his demise be any sounder than ours?

Of course, if you're not catching fish, how can you be learning anything about fishing? Perhaps a few moments studying the habits of the birds along the water might help. A good question to begin with might be, what draws the tanagers to this location every year around the middle of June? And, are there really less this year than on other years? Then, if there truly are fewer tanagers, is that because they don't anticipate a salmon fly hatch,
or, merely the masses have not arrived because they know the cool weather will delay the hatch? Of course, if it is the later, are they therefore intuitively smarter than us?

This week, the weather man is predicting warmer temps... In the low to mid 80's. That should keep the salmon fly's popping for a few days. Of course, that will probably also raise water levels again as we have not seen but one day at 80 this year and I think that was in May. If they don't jump too high, too fast, and the water doesn't get too milky, we might get some fishing in... We'll just have to see.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
June 6 thru 13, 2011

In all likelihood, the worst week of fishing we've ever experienced has just taken place. Four days of torrential rains swelled the rivers to near record highs. Combine these flows with very few bugs... And you have a recipe for
disaster.

I'd like to say things look better, but, for the next few days at least, I'm afraid it's going to still be tough. While we are getting a few salmon flies on the water, they still have not made it into the forks... Where water
levels, though high, are adequate for some good fishing. Until the bugs make a strong appearance, I'm afraid fishing will remain tough. Let's hope that happens sooner than later.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
May 30 thru June 6, 2011

Well, the roller coaster has begun. With what we have for snow pack, and the weather patterns we've been under for the last several months, we have officially started the 2011 salmon fly season on what I expect to be a long season of up's and down's when it comes to flow.

In the last week, we have seen the Bitterroot go from around 5,000 cfs at Darby, to 3500 cfs... Then back to 5,000... All within the last few days. What has precipitated these fluctuations is a combination of both
temperature and moisture. While the temperatures are things we need... At least enough to keep the salmon flies moving... Added precipitation in the form of rains... While welcome to the overall environment... Makes it tough
on the fishing.

Ok, now that I've filled you all with doom and gloom, let me get to the more enjoyable potion of this report. I will simply say, salmon flies made an appearance on Sunday. Temps in the upper 70's/low 80's got these wonder bugs
out of the river and into the air. Enough said.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
May 30, 2011

Well, as promised, it's time for our fishing reports to start filling cyber space again. So, at the risk of completely boring everyone, I'll let you know what has happened around here for the last few weeks, and a prognosis
on events to come.

First, let's get to the question which seems to be on most folks minds... RUNOFF. Although it's still a little early to declare exactly what it's going to do, I can say that so far this season we've just barely exceeded 7500 cfs at Darby on the Bitterroot system. While considerably higher than what we were fishing in April... We went from about 300 to 7 or 800... It is lower than the highest I've ever seen... Right around 13,000.

Right now we're at about 3900 cfs at the Darby check station. Over the last few days we've been dropping around 1000 cfs/day. While the lower rivers are still quite muddy, the upper stretches are definitely clearing up.

I expect the water levels to continue to drop for the next several days, then more warm weather should give them a little bump as we move ahead. What I'm hoping for... As it seems like it's been forever since I've actually
seen it... Is for the summer to be a little cool and for us to have some snow left on those peaks come next October. We'll see. Like I say, it's only a hope.

Anyway, we'll be on the water doing some scouting this week and should be able to get a feel for what's happening from a hatch standpoint. With luck we'll find a few shucks stuck to the bark of trees along the rivers edges... And if we're real lucky we might find a few flying in the afternoon sun.

We're just finishing up the final spring cleaning projects around here, and with luck will be ready to start greeting guests come the end of the week. Talk to you next week, and may your fly always match the hatch.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
May 9 thru first of June

Ok, it took forever this season... But looks like we're finally into some sort of run off. With that extended cool spring, we enjoyed more fishing than we do most years prior to the spring melt. However, with a heavy rain
early in the week, and warm weather predicted for the next several days at least, those hills are starting to give up some of their snow.

In honor of this time, we will not send any more reports till early June... When we'll actually start fishing again. In the meantime, this is a great time to catch up on flies you'll need for the next few months, check out your
line, and patch waders. We'll talk to you next month.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
April 18 thru 25, 2011

Let's do the good news first. Overall, it was a darned good week of fishing here in Western Montana. A little slower early in the week, and picking up as the week went on, to some darned good fishing.

So, how did that come about? Cool weather... Actually cold by some standards... Early in the week kept water levels low and fishable. As the week went on, the weather warmed and bugs went crazy.

Ok, remember earlier I said there were two sides to this coin and we'd start with the first. Now comes the flip side. With the warm weather, our rivers started to rise. Though still not even to normal flow levels (with a ton of
snow left up in them 'thar' hills) weather forecasts for the week are a little cooler, but wet. This could actually be the beginning of 'runoff'. We still need a couple more days in the 60 + levels to really get it going, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say we probably won't see these flow levels again until sometime this fall.

At the least I'd figure a few days of decent to good fishing this week, and see what happens by next report. Good luck, float safe, and remember... As high water creeps up on us, look further downstream and operate on those inside corners. May you fly always match the hatch.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
April 4 thru 11, 2011

I'm beginning to think I should quit sending these things... As it generally seems like I'm just repeating myself. Let's see, there were some good days (from a catching standpoint) and some marginal ones. Does that sound
familiar? Then, it should come as no great surprise... Catching seemed to have almost as much to do with river conditions as it did with fishermen skills.

The most positive things I have to say about last week are; first, the cool weather has dropped water levels significantly from late last week and second, hatches seem to have progressed despite water conditions or air
temps. We are seeing more and more march browns and grey drakes. There also seem to plenty of skwala's and the smaller stoneflies on the water. So, as I'm prone to do... copy one of my more intellectual role models, Rocky and Bullwinkle... A title for last week could be 'Improving water conditions bode well for fly fishing Montana'; or, 'Cooler temperatures shorten fishing window on Western Montana Rivers'.

While both titles would be accurate, I prefer the former. With water conditions clearing and the river dropping, I'll take my chances on a shorter window. After all, I'll still take 3 or 4 hours of good dry fly action, and take my chances on the other 6 or 7.

With the middle of April basically upon us, I'd start really watching those weather forecasts and river levels. Though I still think we're a week or two away from real runoff, the later you get in the month, the stronger your
chances that things will be coming up. Enjoy this week of fishing.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
Mon, April 4, 2011

A definite mixed bag again here in Western Montana. Early in the week saw decent to good fishing, with the consistence of excellent size and condition on the fish. An unseasonable high... Coupled with some heavy rain somewhere up the East or West Forks... Made fishing on the Root difficult and on the border of impossible.

The good news is that by Monday most our rivers are starting to drop back into shape. With a forecast of cooler weather coupled with a minimum of precipitation... If they're right... I'd expect good fishing this week on
both skwala and nemora as well as some march browns and grannum. Let's hope those forecasters are right.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
(Last couple weeks)

Hey, sorry about that. I just now realized I completely spaced sending last weeks report out. Guess that's what happens as you get older... At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Things out here have been what I'd like to say is 'on the cusp' the last few days. It's beginning to seem like these fish have seen more skwala flies than they have naturals. Or, as Rocky and Bulwinkle used to say, there were a lot of boats on the water the last few days for the number of fish being caught.

While we have had a few good to decent days on numbers of fish, overall, it's been more quality and less opportunities the last few days. Smaller patterns that resemble the nemora and capnia seem to be working about as well as skwala patterns to those selective fish. There are also days... Especially on the Clark... Where midge is definitely the fly of choice.

There are still a ton of skwala nymphs along the edges and under the rocks, so my guess is the best skwala fishing is still to come. For now, be prepared to fish some smaller flies until either the skwala come on in force, or march browns, grey drake or grannum caddis hit the waterways. Still, when forced with relatively slow fishing, it is nice to discover a fat 18 or 19 inch bow at the end of your line.

May Your fly always Match the Hatch

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Western Montana Fishing Report
March 7 thru 14, 2011

A typically atypical spring week here in Western Montana. Don't quote me on this... As I'm beginning to have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast... Last week started unseasonably cold, and finished unseasonably
warm. Unfortunately, the days that turned unseasonably warm were over the weekend, and all that did was bring out a few bugs and one heck of a lot of 'weekend warriors'. The good thing, it was early in the season, and a
marginal day of catching does wonders for the weekend boat hatches.

This week is forecast to be much more typical for this time of year here in our neck of the woods. Temps in the upper 40's, low 50's all week, with evening temps back into that freezing... Or near... Range. This does a couple good things for our fishing. First, it warms things up enough for decent to excellent mid to late afternoon hatches; Secondly, it cools things back down enough to slow runoff.

While a few skwala's are starting to show, as well as nemora, capnia, midge and olives, it is just beginning and should continue to improve as the spring moves forward.

If you like tossing dries at hungry trout on days when you might find yourself as likely to be in the middle of a snow storm one minute... And lathering sun screen the next... Don't hesitate to head this way. As the Bitterroot and the Blackfoot continue to warm, and once the Clark clears back up, things should get fun.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
Mar. 1 thru Mar. 7, 2011

Well folks, here we go again. Another year, another series of fishing reports. Where to start.

I guess, at the risk of angering the gods, I'll begin by saying it's actually starting to feel like spring might be finally coming to Western Montana (boy, that was a mouthful). Towards what we're hoping will be the conclusion of the winter that never wanted to end, we've been blessed with the one of the best snowpacks on record. Now, don't go reading a whole lot into that. Remember, it's still just early March... And there's still a whole lot of water that's going to go under a whole lot of bridges before summer. But, I'd sure rather be going into the season with a good snow pack, than the meager amounts we've been facing the last decade or so.

On another front. Yes, as most of you have probably heard. Kurt did win the first on a dry (skwala pattern) contest this year. Took a nice 16 incher a couple days ago on the Root down around Missoula. Overall a slow day... But good enough to record the first out of our lodge this year. As the weather continues to improve I expect the reports of fish being taken on top will continue to improve.

Watch those weather forecasts, and if they look good for a couple days go ahead and bust over... The mountains are especially beautiful in their covering of snow this year... and wet a line. I'll go out on a limb and say 'you won't be disappointed'.

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