Remember… no matter what anyone tells you… we can only tell you what the fishing was like yesterday; not what it's going to be tomorrow!

End of Year Fishing Report:

As we are officially 'shut down' for the remainder of the season, we will not be furnishing any fishing reports for the remainder of 2002 and early 2003. We will again provide fishing reports in early March of 2003. Enjoy the 'off season', have a good holiday season, and enjoy the hunting season.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
Sept. 22 thru Sept. 29, 2002

Basically... with the exception of a couple days where pressure changes affected fishing... a good week here in Western Montana. BWO's dominated the hatches. Trico's, Hoppers, October Caddis, Mahogany duns, and a few fall drakes kept things interesting.

They're calling for a drop in temperatures this week, which could spur the BWO's even more. We're looking for good to excellent fishing for the next few weeks.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
September 15 through September 23, 2002

Other than a couple slow days, we experienced some pretty good fishing here in Western Montana last week. BWO’s, Mahogany’s, and just enough PMD’s, October caddis and fall drakes kept the fish looking up most the day. If you took the wind out of the equation… and two days of bright sun… we probably would have experienced a great week of fishing. We’re definitely moving into that time of the year where slurping pods of rainbows, and migrating browns are plentiful enough to set any fisherman’s blood on fire. Practice that cast however, because near perfect presentation is essential if you want to hook up on some of these monster trout feeding on a size 20 BWO. ‘God willin and the creeks don’t rise’, I look for another good to excellent week of fishing here in Western Montana.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
Sept. 9 thru Sept. 15, 2002

Kind of a mixed bag here in Western Montana last week. Bright skies and warm days made for an on again, off again week of fishing. Though we did have some good to great days, we also experienced some pretty slow ones. Mahogany duns, October caddis, fall drakes, PMD's, Trico's, and BWO's all flittered about the water, in addition, hoppers and ants were also plentiful. Unfortunately, an extremely bright sun slowed the mayfly hatch and also the fish a couple of days.

Weather forcasts for the coming week sounds much more conducive to fishing. Overcast days, cooler temperatures, and even some possible rain should spur the mayfly hatches. With luck, this could be one of the best weeks of the year. Let's keep our fingers crossed and our lines tight.
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Western Montana Fishing Report

 

Sept. 2 thru Sept. 9, 2002

A great week of fishing here in Western Montana. The weather is starting to cool down, the leaves are just beginning to color up, and more and more mayflies… as well as October caddis… are emerging from our waters. But, despite the great fishing we enjoyed this week, perhaps the most wonderful thing that took place over the last seven days was the end of summer vacation, beginning of hunting season, and significant decrease in activity on our rivers. Since the labor day weekend warriors departed, it is not unusual to float stretches of the river and see at the most one other boat. It’s no wonder the fall is my favorite time of the year. And, why not? Great fishing, wonderful weather, beautiful scenery, and a sense of solitude. It just does not get any better than that. Look for the next several weeks to continue to be wonderful times for fishing.

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Western Montana Fishing Report

 

August 23 thru August 30, 2002

Last week was pretty typical August fishing here in Western Montana. Decent trico hatches late in the morning followed by hopper fishing tight to the banks produced good catches on all three of our rivers. Toward the end of the week, a few Mahogany’s, fall drakes, and even a couple October caddis were observed fluttering along the edges of the rivers. BWO’s were also fairly common on all the rivers as well as some big PMD’s. Late afternoon caddis fishing seems to be on the downswing, but hoppers right till dark produced all week.

Some of the foliage is beginning to take on it’s Autumn coloring… especially the bushes in the lower canapé… and the mornings are just starting to take on the chill of fall. Look for the coming weeks to start producing more and more Mahogany duns, fall drakes, and October caddis. We’re rapidly closing in on my favorite time of the year, fall!
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Western Montana Fishing Report
(About 2 weeks worth)

Well, what can I say. We actually finally did it. Took a vacation, got out of town, and did some fishing on our own. Why not right here you ask? Simple. I seldom get more than a couple hours around here, during this time of the year, before the phone rings and someone else wants to go fishing. So, we did the only practical thing. Shut up shop, grabbed our rods, and headed out on our own. We had a great time. Caught some nice fish, enjoyed some fun water, and actually got to spend some time with our son, who recently began attending college. So, we’re sorry our fishing report has not been updated for the last couple weeks, but we’re back in the saddle, and hopefully we’ll get back into the swing of things.

About all I can tell you today is: water levels are great, hoppers are still plentiful, trico’s are around, a few fall drakes are starting to show, and PMD’s and BWO’s are making their presence known. More details next week. Good fishing
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Western Montana Fishing Report
August 5 thru August 11, 2002

Some great cloud cover, coupled with some milder temperatures, really turned on our rivers last week. All three rivers... Bitterroot, Blackfoot, and Clark Fork... fished exceptionally well. Though hoppers were still our best bugs during the middle of the day, caddis in the evenings and mayflies early made for some excellent fishing. Water temperatures dropped and streamflows remained adequate, helping to insure the fishability of our streams right on through the summer.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
July 29 through August 4, 2002

We're definately in hopper season. Warmer days have these creatures flying from the grass with every gust of wind or movement of beast. Ranging in size from about a 12 to a 4 and color from yellow to tan, there's plenty of variety to go around. Though fishing seems to be best with hopper patterns mid-day, I've had excellent success skipping the large foam bugs right up til dark.

All our rivers are fishing decent right now and stream flows are about as good as I've seen them for this time of year. In addition to adequate stream flow, our water temperatures are well within the reasonable levels for mid-day fishing. Add this hopper action to the beginning of a few Trico's and PMD's in the morning, and some excellent caddis and pink hendrickson's at night and about all you can say is now is still a good time to be fishing Western Montana.

Just for your information, if you do decide to do a hopper trip this year, please practise twitching your bugs off the banks! A good twitch can mean the difference between a 5 or 6 fish day and a 10 to 20 fish day.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
July 21 thru July 28, 2002

Kind of a flat week here in Western Montana. Hoppers are starting to work pretty well from mid-day on, caddis are active at night for those willing to stay out til dark, and there are a few PMD's early morning.

I was out myself today, started about 4 in the afternoon, and fished about 6 miles of water on the Bitterroot. Early, we had a couple fish come up... in the 14 to 16 inch class. As the evening shadows started dropping down upon the valley, fishing picked up. In the last hour or two before dark, I probably caught about 10 fish in the 15 to 17 inch class. Most were rainbows, but one nice brown managed to find his way to my fly.

Though there weren't many fish landed this week, several nice fish presented themselves every day. All three rivers, Clark Fork, Bitterroot, and Blackfoot managed to fish decent if not great all week.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
July 14 thru 21, 2002

Another mixed bag here in Western Montana. The searing heat finally departed and we've returned to something akin to normalicy... low to upper 80's. Plenty warm for fishing and comfortable to boot, a great combination. Better yet, the fishing has been just as good as the weather.

Salmon flies and golden stones have finally given way to PMD's and Hoppers and, rather than fishing exclusivly the upper stretches of our rivers, we've moved more into the middle and lower reaches. Cloudy afternoons have helped with mayfly activity, and, though caddis at night has been a little spotty, when they do come off, it adds several good hours to a day's fishing.

All three rivers have been fishing well, and about the only down side all week was some discoloration in the East Fork of the Bitterroot. Whether this muck was due to road construction, or a slide upriver, is unsure, but either way, it made fishing on the Root's upper stretches impossible during mid week. The good news is that whatever caused the disruption, it appears to be clearing and should fish better this coming week.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
July 8 thru July 14, 2002

HOT, HOT, and HOTTER. These were the three words that best described last week in Western Montana. Record setting heat really took it's toll on us over the last couple days. Triple digit readings were pretty much the norm, and just finding a place to keep cool seemed almost more important than chasing fish.

Surprisingly, for those brave enough to stay out in the heat... after the first couple days when the fish seemed to aclimate to the temperature change... fishing was actually quite good. Decent hatches of PMD, yellow sally, bitterroot stones, golden stones, and caddis kept the fish looking up. By the end of the week, fish continued to rise to a dry even during the hottest part of the day. Attractor patterns, and matching the hatch produced as many or more fish than dredging the bottom. Still, while throwing that attractor, a small bead head nymph trailed about 18" behind your Madam X was quite effective.

For the coming week... if you can believe the weather man... temperatures should slowly start to drop. High's are reported to be in the low 90's to mid 80's by weeks end, and we should have some cloud cover every day. With mayflies coming off, these conditions usually precipite excellent fishing. All we can do is get out there and hope the old weather man is right.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
July 1 - July 8, 2002

Another good to excellent week of fishing here in Western Montana. The Root continued to produce good action on salmon flies up in the headwaters, while the lower and middle river began to produce on golden stones, green drakes, pmd's, and caddis. Though the water is still up slightly, above historic averages, it is dropping fast and fish are beginning to move out of those quiet areas into a little more of the river.

Good news is finally here as far as both the Clark Fork and Blackfoot river systems. Water color has finally cleared up enough to fish these rivers. A day on the Blackfoot last week gave us pretty good fishing... considering we had to fish in 30 to 40 mph. winds. Still, despite the difficulties, several fish in the 16 to 18 inch class were landed, and a big bull trout (well over 20 inches) were taken on salmon fly patterns. Look forward to continued good fishing on these systems for the next few weeks.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
June 24 thru July 1, 2002

Another good to excellent week of fishing here in Western Montana. Though the Bitterroot still remains about the only game in town, it's producing enough fish to keep most people busy. Salmon flies still sporadically flutter among the trees and on the streams, green drakes are starting to make an appearance, as well as PMD's, golden stones, and yellow sally's. Evening fishing is dominated by caddis.

I look for the coming week to begin fishing on the lower portion of the Bitterroot, and with any luck at all, we'll also start making trips up into the Blackfoot. Salmon flies are still prevalent through the canyon, and green drakes should be popping anytime.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
June 17 thru June 24, 2002

This week turned out to be one of the better weeks so far this season. Though most of our rivers were still high and, in some instances muddy, such was not the case for the West Fork of the Bitterroot. Clear, cool water, coupled with some seasonal temperatures really had the salmon flies popping. Of course, with the emergence of the salmon fly, about every big trout within thirty miles was up there gorging themselves. Our boats found thirty fish days not uncommon, and at least one boat managed to land 4 fish in the twenty inch or better class along with the normal 14's to 18.

By the end of the week, much of the frantic salmon fly activity was tapering off in the air, and I kind of expect this week to signal the end on the West Fork. I'll be heading up to the Blackfoot today... on a scouting mission... to see if some of those orange giants are flying around on it's headwaters. I also look for this week to bring improved green drake, golden stone, and PMD activity.

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Western Montana Fishing Report:
June 11 thru June 17, 2002

About the only word I can think of to describe last week was fantastic! Though it started out a little slow... meaning you still had to chuck a few streamers and nymphs... it finished real strong. Salmon flies were popping everywhere you went on the upper Bitterroot and it's headwaters. We started fishing dry patterns about 10 in the morning and finished chucking them about 10 at night. The only real downside to all this was the end of the week saw three days near the 90 degree temperature mark. This did bring the rivers up a little and meant fishing anything but the soft water, back eddies, bottom of shelfs, and ends of bars was basically a waste of time. Good news is the temps are suppose to dip back into the mid 60 to low 70 degree range this week... providing plenty of warmth for emergence and cool enough to drop these rivers again.

Expectations for the coming week are more salmon flies most the week. I wouldn't be surprised if we start getting a little green drake activity, some golden stone, and more yellow sally, pmd, and bitterroot stones. If this weather really does cool, and the streams stabilize, it should be great fishing again this week.

Stream flows:
Bittterroot: 3,580
Blackfoot: 5,820
Clark Fork: 19,000

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Western Montana Fishing Report
June 4 thru June 11, 2002

Sorry about the delay in getting this out. My computer got sick, and trying to get rid of a virus takes longer than one thinks. Anyway, knock on wood, we're all clean again, and let's get back to fishing.

Last week was one that saw streamers coming back into vouge. Cold weather really put a halt to the salmon fly action... snow, rain and temps right around the freezing mark were the norm. Still, for those brave enough to be out there, some nice fish were taken. The good news is as follows. The weather is warming up (today's high is suppose to reach mid 70's and the rest the week in the 80's), the snow pack is dropping down, the rivers are really dropping, and the salmon fly's are beginning to pop like gang busters.

At the end of our day yesterday, we pulled into the Darby bridge and it looked like a smorgasboard of salmon fly's in various stages of metamorphisis. There were probably more than a 100 of them climbing up the concrete abuttments, and today should spark even more activity. Look for some great fishing the rest of the week.

Stream flows:
Bitterroot: 2680
Clark Fork: 15,500
Blackfoot: 4,830

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Western Montana Fishing Report
May 27 thru June 3, 2002

Although the salmon flies are beginning to pop, I'm going to spend most of my time talking about water conditions. Last week... we think... saw the crest of runoff. From a peak of about 6400 cfs, around Darby on the upper Bitterroot, in mid-week, things started turning around. The river was beginning to drop (nearly 1000 cfs/day) when some heavy rains hit. This spiked the river back up to the 6,000 plus mark going into the weekend. A slow-down in the rains began to drop the rivers again by Sunday. Right now, everything is again on the drop and... although only nature knows for sure... if the rains don't get too heavy this week, we should be in for some great fishing by mid to late week. I'll know a little better after Thursday, as a couple of my guides and I will be out fishing the Clark Fork and Bitterroot Tuesday and Thursday, and we'll start running trips again on Friday. Keep your fingers crossed, but it looks like salmon fly season is about on us.

Stream Flows:
Bitterroot: 4,760
Clark Fork: 25,100
Blackfoot: 7,100

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Western Montana Fishing Report
May 20 - May 27, 2002

Whoa, the old rivers really rockin and a rollin this week. The Bitterroot went from 2420 cfs on Monday, to over 5600 cfs by late Tuesday afternoon. Of course, in this years tradition for western Montanta, it dropped to just over 2700 cfs by Sunday. Needless to say, during the early portion of the week, not very many people were out there fishing. What fishing there was this week was confined to lakes and tailwaters around the state. There has been some rumors of a couple salmon flies spotted down on the Clark Fork, and with any sort of luck, they should get going this week, or early next.

Stream Flows:
Bitterroot River: 3580
Blackfoot River: 5020
Clark Fork River: 16,300

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Western Montana Fishing Report
May 13 through May 20, 2002

Well, it's going to be a short one. This week finally saw some warm weather, and runoff has officially begun. I'll therefore keep it short and say for the moment, we're sitting at home, tying flies, doing yardwork, and painting cabins.

Streamflows:
Bitterroot: 2,420 cfs
Blackfoot: 3,830 cfs
Clark Fork: 10,300 cfs

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Western Montana Fishing Report
May 6 thru May 12, 2002

Finally, a solid week of good to great fishing. The smorgasbord was out there last week, and the fish... as well as the fishermen... were taking advantage of it. Daytime hatches of March Browns, Grey Drakes, and three different types of caddis had the fish looking up from about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, right up til dark.

I'd love to tell you an average of how many fish were being landed by fishermen, unfortunately, the only thing I have to go on is how I and my guides were doing... as we don't book trips during the month of May due to historic high water conditions. Well, just to break the suspense I'll say this. Most days, during the hatch, we were fighting a new fish about every five or ten minutes. Oh yea, most were in the 14 to 18 inch class. Even for a bunch of amateurs like us, it was pretty darned good.

Stream flows as of 13 May, 2002

Bitterroot: 1.030
Blackfoot: 1,980
Clark Fork: 5,090

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Fishing Report for Western Montana
April 29 thru May 6

Rivers are rising at a snails pace. A cool spring has kept runoff to a minimum, at least so far this season... thus we've been fishing much longer than expected.

Good hatches last week of three different caddis, grey drakes, and some march browns meant decent fishing for most people on the water. In all likelihood, the only thing separating the fishermen from some really great days was a combination of cool water and extreme wind.

The following streamflows were recorded Monday morning, May 6th. (These flows are measured in cfs... cubic feet per second)
Bitterroot river: 1,460
Clark Fork river: 7.410
Blackfoot river: 2,830

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Western Montana Fishing Report
April 22 thru April 28, 2002

Another crazy week in Western Montana. It looks like the Skwala and Nemora, as well as the March Browns, are about finished with their annual emergence. Thankfully, the Grey Drakes and Mothers Day Caddis are filling in the slack. Water levels remain good all week and fishing varied from down right poor to quite good.

As daytime temperatures finally start to rise, expect more and more snow to begin flowing out of the mountains and filling our rivers. For the next few weeks, we'll start providing stream flows for the three major rivers we fish... as we think this will probably be more indicitive of our situation than anything else.

Stream Flows:
Bitterroot: 1260
Clark Fork: 5570
Blackfoot: 2150

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Western Montana Fishing Report
April 15 through 22, 2002

Another week of ups and downs characterized fishing here in Western Montana. High water early in the week following some heavy rains quickly began dropping with winter like temperatures. By mid week the water was clear enough to fish... though fishing was slow at best. Nymphs and streamers were about the only thing producing with any sort of consistency, and that was not even on a regular basis.

Fortunately as the week progressed, each day improved slightly with more and more of the fish being taken on top. By the end of the week decent emergence of March Brown and Blue Winged Olive mayflies produced fish in the runs where you could find insects hatching. In addition to the mayflies, caddis emergence just before dark produced more top water action for those willing to put in the extra hours. With still an ample number of Skwala and Nemora skittering across the water, indications are for some great fishing this coming week.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
April 8 - 14

This week saw more of the unusual weather patterns that have dominated our spring season. Heavy rains spiked river flows to nearly three times historic averages. Of course, in harmony with everything else that has been going on this insane year, unseasonably cold weather followed on the heels of the rain, and rivers began to drop almost as quickly as they spiked.

Early in the week muddy water made fishing tough. Mid week found the rivers clearing a bit and though fishing was still marginal, some top water action was found by throwing large skwala patterns tight to the banks and off the rocks. By weeks end, rains hit and flood water conditions decended upon us... making fishing virtually impossible until the waters subside to something approaching normal.

In the midst of all this turmoil, one thing remained constant. The bugs were hatching. On a scenic trip I made down the Bitterroot during maximum flood stage, March Browns were observed floating across the surface of almost every run we floated through. A couple more days of cool weather, and no rain, and we might just be able to fish them before they finish their annual emergence. Another piece of reassurance was the condition of the Blackfoot river. Waters seem to be clearing on this waterway, and enough midge activity was observed to make me think fishing this scenic corridor just might pay some good dividends.

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Fishing Report for Western Montana
April 1 - April 7, 2002

Another mixed bag here in western Montana. Early in the week we saw cool temperatures and spotty fishing. As the week progressed, the temperatures started to rise, and so did the fish. Skwala, nemora, capnia, midge a few BWO's and a spattering of March Browns really triggered the trout to dry flies. Unfortunately, as the weather continued to warm, it also got the snow moving and began to raise our rivers. Work by the road department up the East Fork of the Bitterroot started pushing some muck downriver about Wed. By Saturday, between road work and early runoff, most the Bitterroot was running about 1 to 2 feet of visability.

Historically, we experience a few early runoff situations... as the lower snowpack melts. After a few days of higher water and limited 'vis', we usually get back to decent fishing. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this year follows historic patterns and by mid to late week, we'll be back to fishing as usual. Keep your eye on the weather channel, and let's hope for some cooler days and cold nights. There's too much good fishing left in April to blow it off yet.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
March 25 - 31, 2002

A kind of mixed bag this week. Improved weather really helped the hatches... as well as the dispostion of fishermen. The Bitterroot fished from marginal to great this week. Though rods with 20 fish were reported, most fishermen seemed to average about half that. Size of fish continues to be good with several fish over 20" taken and a few in the 24 to 26" class recorded.

Patterns that worked best are still Skwala or Nemora trailed by some sort of dropper. While searching was definately spotty, when you found a fish feeding and presented your fly to it, 9 out of 10 times you were rewarded by a healthy strike.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
March 18 - March 24, 2002

I am a little reluctant to even say it, but it looks like fishing season might actually be sneaking in the Backdoor. Though most the week was snowy and cold, the end of the week provided some pretty nice days, and some good fishing.

On Saturday, one of our guide boats reported a thirty fish day... with most in the 16 - 18 inch class. On Sunday, it was a twenty fish day... again most fish in the same size class. The lower Bitterroot is really beginning to turn on to Skwala; the upper 'root' is more of a mixed bag. Skwala intersperced with Midge.

If this weather holds, or improves slightly, expect more Skwala activity and, not too long down the pike, some mayflies and caddis should appear on the scene.

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Western Montana Fishing Report:
March 11 - March 17

Well, what can we say? Another week of unseasonably cold temperatures, and minimal bug activity pretty well sums up conditions in Western Montana last week. Still, despite these conditions, some nice fish were coming up to Skwala imitations. Midge, Nemora, and nymphs also worked well at times. Let's hope this week begins to warm, and fishermen will not have to spend quite so much time warming their hands, and chipping ice from their guides!

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Western Montana Fishing Report:
March 3 - 10

Another week of unseasonally low temperatures... combined with some heavy snowfall early in the week... added up to another week of slow fishing here in Western Montana. On the upside however. Heavy accumulations of snow in the upper mountains have brought our annual snowpack up to just about 100% and our water content is flirting with that magic number also. Additionally, by Sunday, the northern low that was sitting above Montana seems to have moved out, and temperatures are beginning to climb to historic averages (in the upper 40's and 50's). Sunday did see some pretty good hatches of Nemora and Capnia, as well as midge, and, though not many, fish were being picked up on top. Also, the Skwala nymph is moving in the river, and with a few more days of warm weather, look for the Skwala to start popping anytime on the Bitterroot.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
Feb. 24 thru March 3, 2002

Though we'd love to tell you the fishing is great in Western Montana... the truth is, we're sitting under about 6" of snow on the valley floors, and our rivers are producing more ice than either bugs or fish! Temperatures are running highs of about 22 degrees in the day, and lows of about -10 in the evenings. I guess, until this cold front out of the arctic decides to move east, we're going to be spending more time tying flies than we are floating our rivers. Let's hope next week's report is a little more optomistic.

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See 2003 reports HERE

See 2001 reports HERE

Current Fishing Report