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Western Montana Fishing Report
End of Season:

Well, we're there again. The end of another season. Once more, we've come to that time when... Like school used to be... We look forward to it's end, yet know we will miss the folks we've gotten to know and times we've enjoyed with them. But, like the changing of the leaves, we know it is a temporary suspension of activity and come the spring, the halls (or rivers in our case) will once again reverberate with the sounds of laughter and joy.

We're ending on a good note. Our leaves have turned, and begun to fall, the mayflies are beginning to wind down, temperatures are finally starting to rescind, and those sipping trout are soon to drop toward the bottom of the
pool in a form of hibernetic apathy.

Once more it is time to clean lines, tie new flies, write a few lines, and dream of another year. Though we will remain on the water for about another week, this will be our last report for 2008.

Let us pray that the elections go the way that will best protect our fragile ecosystem, the economy will begin to strengthen, war will not find a place in the coming year, and all of you will enjoy perfect health for many years.

Until 2009, MAY YOUR FLY ALWAYS MATCH THE HATCH.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
Sept. 15 thru 22, 2008

 

Anyone that say's 'low expectations' is not a good idea, is probably missing out on a whole other aspect of life. With temps in the mid to upper 80's last week, a blazing sun, and a moon under which a man could track a wounded critter, most of us around here were not really expecting too much in the way of fishing last week.

To our amazement, it was not as bad as we thought it was going to be.

The early week produced decent opportunities on the upper rivers, and a day or two on the Blackfoot... Where that bright sun does not have quite so much effect... Was not only picturesque, but fished fine as well.

Later in the week, when the clouds finally did come and those temperatures returned to something resembling normalcy, the blue winged olives, mahogany duns, fall drakes, and October caddis appeared in great numbers. On these days we truly experienced what fall fishing is suppose to be all about. Fish were podded up on grey waters, sipping daintily from foam lines and inside curls most of the day. Although getting many strikes from wary trout often requires dropping down to 6X tippet... Which results in many of those larger fish breaking off... just a few seconds sometimes... Of that fat, purple sided or orange colored, 20" rainbow, cutthroat, or brown trout dancing in the air on the end of your line... Is enough to implant memories that will last a person a lifetime.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
Sept. 2 thru Sept. 15, 2008

 

Sorry for no report last week. Sandy, our web guy, and his wife, Susan, took last week off and came over here for some fishing of their own. I guess we can forgive them for that. Anyway, so what I'll try to do is combine two
weeks worth of reports into one, and then give my best guess for the upcoming week.

Both the last couple of weeks fished pretty good. Lot's of those fish in the 10 to 12 inch range were rising for flies, and enough of the larger fish, in that 14 to 18 inch class, were being landed to make most days very enjoyable fishing. Cloudy days made the mayflies come off strong, and likewise kept those fish on the lower rivers looking up.

Both weeks saw plenty of the fall drakes, mahoganies and blue winged olives, but trico's have been harder to find. The October caddis is still just an occasional visitor to most of our streams.

I'm not really sure what the coming week will bring. The weather forecast is for bright skies and hot days (mid to upper 80's first few days of the week and abating slightly as the week wears on). Add into this mix a moon that is
bright enough to track under, and things seem kind of bleak for fishing. However, we were out today, which was the first day of this trend, and, while we didn't see many bugs, we did manage to turn several smaller fish
and a couple of decent ones. The good news is that... Though they're still calling for warm weather toward the end of the week... They are saying we might start getting some cloud cover toward the end of the week. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
Aug. 25 thru Sept. 1, 2008

 

Cooler, damp weather seems to have encouraged most the mayflies in Western Montana to make an appearance this week. Though there are still a few stoneflies and caddis around, the hatch... As well as the trouts' diet...
has definitely switched to mayflies.

Trico's, mahoganies, drakes, BWO's, take your pick... They all seem to be around in various numbers. Although it seems a little early for a lot of these mayflies, our weather conditions were definitely right. With another week of cool, overcast days in the forecast, I would not be surprised to see another week of pretty good mayfly fishing.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
August 11 thru 18, 2008

 

A great week here in Western Montana... If you like warm weather and bright days. Perhaps the warmest week we've had all summer took place last week. Needless to say, unless you were up in the headwaters with a smaller rod, fishing was difficult at best. Though there were some nice fish being taken on hopper patterns, overall, it was a difficult week of fishing.

A few trico's have been seen on the lower river, but not enough yet to get the fish really interested. With cooler weather forecast for this week, we might get a little bit of that mayfly action towards the end of the week.

I would still recommend creek fishing for a few days at least, then see what's happening with the cooler weather.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
August 4 thru August 11, 2008

 

Hot and bright pretty much sums up most the week here in Western Montana. Couple these conditions with a diminishment of insects and you probably think you can guess this weeks report.

Yep, it was pretty slow here in Western Montana... At least on the main rivers. Though the big water still had fish on those inside curls, getting them to come up consistently was difficult. To really enjoy the fishing this week, one had to hike up into the headwaters.

With a three weight, a 12 to 16 inch trout is a great fish. Add in some gorgeous water... Sparkling pocket waters interspersed by long stretches of pine shaded runs... And you've come up with a recipe for great fun. One of
the things I enjoy most about fishing these upper stretches... Along with the fact they take me back to my youth... Is that you get to watch so many different types of takes. You'll get that traditional slow rise from the
bottom on the larger fish. But, on those 6 to 10 inchers, you might get a leap over your fly, a slap of the tail, a quick belly bump, a dart and run, or even the sit below it and study it for a second or two.

Yep, I'd love to tell you the fishing was off, but I have to say, I enjoyed this week as much as any during the year.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
July 28 thru Aug. 4, 2008

 

From strictly a fishing standpoint, it was definitely not the best week I've ever seen here in Western Montana. The golden stones are all but done, pmd's are thinning, and grass hoppers are just starting to make it onto a trout's menu. Still, if you got out there early, or late, one did get several nice fish to come up most days.

For those of you venturing into Montana in the next few weeks to try your hand at fly fishing, I would strongly recommend spending a few hours on a river early in the day, then head up toward some of our cool mountain
streams and creeks during the middle of the day. Pack a three weight (it's light enough to enjoy those 8 to 10 inchers, yet heavy enough to handle that occasional 16 to 18), some royal wulffs, a few adams, and olive stimulators and you should find the fish willing.

For those of you who insist upon spending the entire day on the big waters, don't ignore those inside curls. The larger fish are really beginning to stack on these waters, enjoying the extra oxygen as well as that large
hopper that floats over them.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
July 22 thru 29, 2008

 

The goldens are starting to thin, and summer is beginning to be felt here in Western Montana. The hills are starting to brown up, and though water levels continue to drop, fishing continues to range anywhere from excellent to good.

While the Bitterroot continued to produce numbers of both large, medium and small fish, I finally had some clients that wanted to try the Blackfoot... It was the first time for me this year. It was good to get back on these
waters. Though I love the Root, it felt good to head upstream on the Blackfoot, past the Milltown Damn removal project... and dream of days when bull trout would once again dominate this system, and the cutthroat would
once more claim their native heritage.

It is not such an unusual dream, and one not necessarily viewed thru rose colored glasses. When I first began guiding on the Blackfoot, fish numbers of trout were barely 60 fish per mile. I believe the last I saw, that number
is now nearly 600. A pretty remarkable recovery even without any fish passage from the Clark Fork.

Anyway, we floated the North Fork, down into the main stem of the Foot. Fishing was decent to excellent early in the day, with mayflies being our best offering. By mid-morning those inside curls produced some nice fish on
larger foam bugs. The mid-day kind of tanked for us, though I'm still not totally sure if it was the way we fished it, the wind, or just the time of day. In any event for about 3 hours in the middle of the day, fishing was
tough at best. We hung around for the evening caddis hatch... That never materialized. Still, even without any naturals on the water, the mid-sized fish seemed willing to take caddis patterns.

With summer finally on us, I believe it's about time to get out those bigger bugs in the middle of the day and start chucking them into those riffles above the pools. If you happen to be fishing the Clark Fork, don't be surprised if you conjure up a couple 20 inchers in a riffle... Like one of my guides did a couple days ago.

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Western Montana Fishing Report:
July 15 thru July 22, 2008

 

It was another pretty good week of fishing here in Western Montana. Golden stones, PMD's, caddis, and yellow sallies made up the majority of the hatch. The entire Bitterroot seemed to fish well for all age-classes of fish the
entire week.

We still have not ventured onto either the Clark Fork or Blackfoot... The Root just seems to be fishing well enough that clients do not want to chance the other systems... Though reports from these two systems seem to be that
if you're on the Blackfoot on the right day it can be good... Especially up thru the canyon... While the Clark Fork remains difficult.

Our summer has remained at manageable temperatures most of the year, and though water levels are now near the historic averages, the outlook for summer fishing remains optimistic. It has been several years since we've
really been able to throw hoppers, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity if it presents itself this summer.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
June 7 thru June 14, 2008

It was a pretty good week of fishing. Dry flies were all a person needed to throw, and plenty of fish were willing to take your offering. Golden stones have pretty much replaced the salmon flies, and green drakes as well as
PMD'S provided ample mayfly action.

The entire Bitterroot is once again starting to fish, and the Blackfoot is now a definite possibility for those wishing to experience it's charm. So far, no such luck with the Clark Fork. It remains muddy (though I do not believe it's all from the damn removal, and perhaps very little from that project) and probably not worth the trip yet.

As we start to say farewell to those upper reaches of our systems for another year, remember, they are still very wadeable the entire season and a lot of fun for folks to venture onto.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
July 1 thru July 7, 2008

 

It was an exceptional week here in Western Montana with regards to fishing. Plentiful hatches of both Salmon Flies and the large goldens kept fish looking up most days. While our water continues to remain higher than normal
for this time of year, the steady drop is beginning to make both the main stem of the Bitterroot as well as the Blackfoot fishable again.

Perhaps the best thing this year is the lack... Knock on wood... Of those extremely high temps that we had the last several years. The forecast for this week continues to show moderate temps (mid 80's to low 90's). These
temps are much more consistent with the averages we should be having.

With another week of moderate temps, I'm hoping to fish the large bugs for at least the majority of this week. While pmd hatches have been good in the morning, we still haven't seen many green drakes. With luck, they might show up this week or early next. The small goldens should be just around the corner as well, and with both these bugs still waiting to make a strong appearance I'm hoping for a few more weeks of good to excellent fishing.

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Western Montana Fishing Report:
June 23 thru June 30, 2008

 

I guess we'll never know. Was it the water, or was it the cloud cover? Whichever it might have been we'll probably never know as both dissipated at about the same time... Not to mention those bugs finally popped in force. At any rate this week would have to go down as fair to middlin early in the week (one day there were just so many salmon flies on the water you really could not fish to them) to down right 'silly fishing' by the end of the
week.

While there was a fair number of 'slap' takes over the course of the day, and more than the occasional miss by the fish, there was plenty of good solid takes by some pretty great fish. For a boat to turn as many as 75, or
more, fish was not at all out of the question.

More high temps early in the week should keep those salmon flies flying, and with the forecast for a few overcast days mid week... When we might find a few more green drakes drifting the seams... It could be a great week of
fishing coming up.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
June 15 thru June 22, 2008

 

It was a down week here in Western Montana. Though there were plenty of salmon flies, golden stones, yellow sallies, and the occasional mayfly and caddis, fish were reluctant to hit almost any fly. While a few folks claimed
high water was the problem, I throw my hat into the camp that felt it was just 'too damned bright at night'. I believe a brilliant summer moon, that made walking at night an occupation for both wolf and man, allowed fish to
feed at will. For, when you did hook up one of these wonderful creatures, you could not help noticing their stomach looked like something laced with cancer from all the salmon flies lodged inside.

Like I said earlier, there were plenty of bugs last week, and it is my belief that once that moon starts to wane, fishing will pick up. We'll keep our fingers crossed this is the case.

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Western Montana Fishing Report:
June 9 thru 16, 2008

 

There are those that say life is stranger than fiction. Well, if that is so, I suppose nature must have inspired fiction. I only say this because if any of you read this, you'll probably think I'm on drugs... Or writing a fictional novel.

Although last week was supposed to be the second week in June; a time when birds are singing, leaves are filling out, and the beginning of summer makes even the most calloused of men want to find a hammock and enjoy the warmth of the day, there was definitely little of that to report last week.

On Monday, we had good hatches of salmon flies above Hamilton. Tuesday saw snow coming down sideways and wind gusts approaching 30. By Wednesday, temperatures struggled to reach 45 degrees and the rain, while not steady, was at least an irritant. Thursday and Friday were both comparable decent days (with little to no wind, and temps near 70). Of course, to the delight of all those in Western Montana that have to work indoors for a living, the weekend broke sunny and warm.

About the only thing really good about last week was... While the salmon flies that popped on Monday, in my opinion, mostly died on Tuesday and Wed... Little to no damage was done to those that had not yet popped. Warm weather on the weekend spurred excellent hatches on the Forks, and by Sunday fish were beginning to key back to those giant morsels.

With temps predicted in the high 70's to low 80's all week, I expect the salmon fly hatch to proceed with little interruption. About the only down side I see to this week is with snow packs still well above 100% I suspect
the rivers will continue to rise steadily. This will basically eliminate most wade fishing, and for those riding the waves, precipitate the need to really fish those flies tight to the banks and obstructions.

For those of you boating the rivers this week, take extra caution. Always watch well downstream, start maneuvers well in advance of any obstacles, and remember everything happens much quicker on higher flows. Be safe and enjoy your time on the rivers. And, while alcohol and boating is never a good mix, rowers and fishermen alike should refrain from any indulgence during our high waters.

 

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Western Montana Fishing Report
June 2 thru June 9, 2008

It was a tough week of fishing if you like to dry fly. Water higher than I've seen it in the last 7 or 8 years kept the salmon flies bunched up along the edges of the stream. The really frustrating thing was, each day you went
out you kept thinking today might be the day we can drop these nymphs and go to dries. But, mother nature wasn't having any of it. Despite the numbers of nymphs along the edges (you could turn over almost any rock and find 3 to a dozen salmon fly nymphs) they refused to pop.

Although fishing dries was tough, for those that ventured into the side channels and slower waters, and were willing to drown a nymph, fishing was decent. Most of these slower waters produced fish and several of them produced good numbers of fish.

With a cool, wet week forecast by the weather people, we're just hoping those nymphs move out of the water and into the air.

 

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Western Montana Fishing Report
May 26 thru June 2, 2008

 

After a little more than a month of no reports, high water, a small vacation for Pat and I, and a lot of work around the place, it's finally time to get back to what we do best... Fishing.

Right now, water levels are about as good as I've seen them in 6 or 7 years. Couple that with the fact we've still got plenty of snow up in 'them thar hills' and those of us that live around here are beginning to think it might be one of those years where we actually have some water in the rivers come fall. Of course, it's still way too far out to know with any certainty, but we're at least hopeful.

About the only down side to this early report is the salmon flies have yet to make an appearance in any numbers. We've seen a few shucks along the bridges in the last few days... Which tends to indicate the flies are about
ready to pop in earnest... But no numbers have been seen yet. Right now, the best way to hook up fish is still with buggers or nymphs drug low in the water column. With any luck, this should change in the next few days once the salmon flies decide to take off in numbers.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
April 14 thru April 22, 2008

 

Another week of more than 'unseasonably cool' weather made fishing a challenge this week. Though most days found a few mayflies, as well as skwala on the water, temps in the mid to upper 30's most of the time made
for very few of anything actually on the water.

Fishing for the most part ranged from down right miserable... To what some folks claimed was 'epic'. I was actually skunked on a boat with a couple of folks for what I believe was the first time of my guiding career.
Fortunately, for both myself and that couple of gentlemen, they followed a couple of tough days with their 'epic' day. Rumor has it they might have brought to hand as many as 100 trout... Not a bad day considering when they
weren't landing fish they were chipping ice from their guides.

Overall, it was a strange spring. Temps seemed to average about 20 degrees below normal most the spring, and are not improving yet. I'd expect about another week of good fishing before some of that snow that's packed good in the high country decides to make it's way westward. Since we're not doing any more trips until salmon fly season, this will be our last report until late May. Until then.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
April 7 thru April 14, 2008

 

It's been another weird week here in Western Montana. The temps early in the week hovered around the mid 40's... Only to see them jump up to the mid 70's by weeks end. The weird part, as if temps alone weren't weird enough, is the fishing remained good to excellent all week long.

We're still seeing plenty of skwala on the water and along the banks, the blue winged olives are thick most days there's any kind of cloud cover, and the March Browns are showing in good numbers. Add a few nemora into that
mix, and the beginnings of some caddis, not to mention abundant midge, and you begin to see why spring fishing can have it's good points.

With temps forecast to remain in the low to mid 70's thru Monday, I'd look for the rivers to spike a bit for the next few days. However, the outlook is for the temps to drop back into the low to mid 50's Tuesday, and remain that
way for the next several days. This should drop water levels right back down, and allow us to fish on stable or dropping water for the majority of the week.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
Mar. 31 thru April 7, 2008

 

Unseasonably cold weather made fishing early in the week a game for the rugged, as temperatures hung in the high 30's to low 40's from the weekend thru Friday. Though the temps made fishing difficult... Many days the
fisherman was dipping his rod in the water to remove ice that had collected in his guides... Other than the last day of cold weather, fish responded well to flies.

As we moved into the weekend, temps climbed into the balmy mid-forties range. Along with the warmer weather we began to see a few blue winged olives, a lot of midge, and even the occasional March Brown. The Blackfoot
is fishing decent on midge clusters, while the Clark Fork and Bitterroot continue to produce on skwala patterns as well as midge imitations and the occasional mayfly imitation.

With temperatures this week forecast in the upper forties early in the week, rising to the low 60's by week's end, I'd expect more of the mayflies to start popping on all our waters. For those venturing over to Montana this
week, I'd also have a few caddis patterns tucked away... Just in case we start to see a few of the Grannum start to pop.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
March 17 thru March 24, 2008

It was an on again, off again week here in Western Montana. The early half of the week produced some excellent fishing days, with strikes in the 20 plus per rod rate. Later in the week, and especially on Saturday, prior to
Easter Sunday, the skies produced blue bird weather with temps in the high 40's, low 50's, and it seems everyone who owned a rubber ducky or K-mart rod decided to take to the river and declare themselves a fisherman.

Needless to say, Saturday was tough fishing. Fortunately, Sunday saw most these folks back in church and glued to their televisions or computers... Playing hunting or fishing games... And the rivers were once again much more
friendly.

There still has been no sign of March Browns or Grannum caddis, though I would expect a few to start showing any time. Main hatches are still the nemora, capnia and skwala stoneflies. If venturing out on your own, I'd have
several styles of skwala tucked away in my pocket. Not only would I carry several of the traditional large and bulky patterns, I'd also include a few in the more subtle ties... For those fish that seem a little finicky.

With this weeks weather forecast for temps in the mid to upper 40's most the week, I'd expect another week of good to excellent fishing on the Root and upper Clark Fork.

For those of you who might be following the Milltown Damn project, this is the week they expect to begin sending water around the damn... Making it the first time in nearly 100 years fish will be able to pass up and down the Clark Fork drainage. No one is completely sure how much fish kill might take place due to the process of removing the damn, but most estimates show a high mortality... At least as far down stream as where the Bitterroot joins the Clark. For those of us that supported the removal of the damn, we feel a slight, short term loss should be far outweighed by the long term benefits of uninterrupted fish passage. Time will tell, but I'm optimistic.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
March 10 thru March 16, 2008

 

Well, it looks like those skwala decided it was time to get moving. They started popping early in the week, and obviously, the fishing began to improve almost immediately. Though the hatches are still just a trickle, there have been enough coming off to get the fish turned on to them, and almost every day this week a well placed skwala or nemora pattern could elicit a strike from a hungry trout.

Weather conditions stayed up in that 50 degree range early in the week, then dropped back into the low to mid 40's by weeks end. The forecast for this week is mid to upper 40's all week. These temps should be fine as far as
keeping the fish and bugs active. If the breeze stays down, it should also be fine for the fisherman or woman.

I guess what I'm taking so long to say is the following, 'If you've been waiting to get over to Western Montana and wet a line for some great dry fly action, the time is finally here.'

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Western Montana Fishing Report
March 3 thru March 10, 2008

 

Definitely a transitional week here in Western Montana. Still enough winter in the air to keep most bugs subsurface, though enough warmth to get them at least thinking about venturing out into the great unknown. About mid-week, goodly numbers of nemora were reported around the Bell Crossing bridge, and numerous skwala nymphs were found moving around in the gravel alongside the shores. To me, this indicates we're not too far from some top water action.

If you couple this earlier activity to a weekend where the ambient temps reached mid to upper 50's, combined with similar weather for today, all indications are we very well could see skwala floating along at least a few
of the currents by the weekend if not mid week. Though this is just a guess, I sure would not hesitate to give it a try almost any day from here on in. To be safe, however, I'd make sure there were at least a few nymphs in my
fly box for the next few days. With luck, I'll be able to venture onto the water myself shortly.

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Western Montana Fishing Report
March 1, 2008

 

Well, here we are. It's another year, and the sun's still coming up, the birds are once again migrating, and the ice is beginning to depart. I guess it's time for Backdoor Outfitters to get back into the fishing mode, and
start getting out some reports.

What I can tell you at this time is the water is great. Clarity is fine... Though temps are still a bit low. About the best temp I've heard of is one taken last week, when the ambient got up to about 55. Late afternoon yielded
a stream temp of about 38, a few degrees short of that magical 40 to 42 needed to get those stoneflies really moving about and hatching. Most, if not all, activity so far this spring has been with a nymph or streamer. Some
nice fish have been being landed for those who like fishing sub surface.

As for when things are going to get started on top. Well, you might not want to rely upon me for that prediction. After all, I predicted the Patriots were going to win the super bowl... though I was beginning to wonder if
anyone could go 18-0 in professional football, and was thinking the Giants were looking tougher every game.

Anyway, what I'm thinking is, if we get a couple days in the mid to upper 50 bracket, it should get those Skwala up and about. Our snow pack is pretty good this year. Most of it is about 5,000 and up, but we're sitting at about
119% snow water equivalence and 111% precipitation for the year. My guess is this will keep the waters a little cooler... At least for this spring... And set back those early March/late Feb. Skwala hatches we've been having the last few years while snow packs were low and temps were up. It might be one of those years where the Skwala really get going later in the month, with Nemora and Capnia dominating the early top water action here in the Clark Fork drainage.

On a different note. For those of you who have not heard, our son, Cody, is getting married this March (the 14th. To be exact) to a very nice girl from here in Stevensville, Katie Brown. We're looking forward to the happy date.

Finally, Pat is continuing to improve in health, and my surgery seems to have gone well. My shoulder is once again functional, and the constant pain has definitely lessened. My hope is to spend many more days on the water
this year.

 

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