Bigfork Montana Fly Fishing – River Report

Friday Chance Rain Hi 53 °F

Friday Night Slight Chc Rain Lo 37 °F

Saturday Areas Fog Hi 59 °F

Saturday Night Patchy Fog Lo 36 °F

Sunday Slight Chc Showers Hi 58 °F

Sunday Night Chance Showers Lo 37 °F

Columbus Day Chance Showers Hi 54 °F

 

General Outlook. Love the weather. Some big fish around and no other boats. Cold and rain keeps the fair weather crowd at home watching football. There are bugs around and some fish looking up in the afternoon. A few fish still willing to eat the big foam bugs too. Good mayfly weather on tap for the upcoming week.

Blackfoot River:  Fewer boats on the Blackfoot with the clouds and rain. Blue wings, and mohos should have some fish up in spots. October caddis with a beahead mayfly or large cripple dropper will search. The browns and bulls should be fired up and a streamer will get a yank here and there.
Bugs / Fly Patterns: October Caddis, Hecubas, mohos, bwos / smaller fuzzies, Large parachute hazes, mayfly cripples from #18-#8,chubbies, p-tails, micro mays, Red & Purple Holo Princes, Oct caddis, Oct caddis poopas, turds, and worms

Lower Clark Fork River: Clouds, moisture, and cool weather are everything you want. BWOs and mohos should be kicking around to offer some good dry fly fishing this week. You should see more rising fish to target in the overcast conditions. October caddis patterns with mayfly cripple droppers will be a great search combo. Try a small dark streamer.
Bugs / Fly Patterns: bwos, hecubas, mohos, oct caddis / smaller fuzzies, chubbies, morrish hoppers, fat franks, p-tails, micro mays, Oct caddis, Oct caddis poooopas, turds, and worms, purple haze, mayfly cripples all sizes

Flathead River: WTF!! I guess the dam control tards decided to ruin our fishing a little early this year. If you look at the South Fork graph they are pulling water from a different depth and dropped the temp from 54 to 39 degrees instantly. Lame. That’ll put a shock on the system for a few days and kill the dry fly action for sure. Head above the confluence if you want stable conditions and rising fish. Don’t expect much from the Mainsten for a couple days and be prepared to nymph if you go.
Bugs / Fly Patterns: Terrestrials, oct caddis, fall mayflies / small pink morrish, little purple franks, ants, small home brewed foam variations, purple holo prince, golden turd, para cripples, Purple c-duns, purple haze, Quigley hecuba cripples.

Swan River: We have had some good fish eating the big dry the last few days. Dropper fishing is still king with a variety of beadhead attractor nymphs. If you want to float, head up to Piper – Fatty or Salmon Prairie – Fatty and you won’t fing much portaging. Wade fishing is great at these flows you just have to get away from the access sites.
Bugs / Fly Patterns: Terrestrials, October Caddis, Fall Drakes, mohos, bwos /  Large parachute hazes, big mayfly cripples, willies ant, chubbies, fuzzy wuzzies, fat franks, PRLs in golden/salmon/black/brown, prince nymphs, SJWs in all flavors, tungsten 20 inchers, DB poxy rubberleg stones.