Bigfork Montana Fly Fishing – River Report

Happy kid with guide Andy Guy.

General Outlook – Most everything is fishing good right now. Clouds and cool weather have been providing overcast skies and near perfect conditions for most places….Unless you like flip flops and t-shirts. The sun is coming out again and planning to scorch us for several days with 90s. The Flathead drainage is still fussing up and down with flows but should cheer up soon.

Blackfoot River Report: Quite a bit below normal for this time of year. Getting tougher to role with the huge dry all day. Cripples and realistic goldens are the ticket.  Off bank holdling water is becoming more important as the river continues to drop. Deep/weighted droppers in the heavier/deeper troughs are a good bet off a big dry.  Boat dodging will likely be challenging with the heat wave approaching.
Bugs / Fly Patterns: Golden stones, salmon flies, yellow sallies, caddis, pmds, green drakes… / Furmimsky drakes, Mayfly cripples big and small, P-chute Haze, Para caddis, J-slams, Willies, fuzzies, chubbies, rogues, foam whatever, streamers in all colors on cloudy days, stonefly nymphs, SJW, larger princes,

Lower Clark Fork River Report: Great fishing. It might slow with the first day of blasting sun this week but once they acclimate it should be all good. Foam attractors with droppers works all day. If they eat the foam more than the dropper, clip the dropper and add another smaller dry. Good numbers of PMDs have fish up and a cripple will take them if they don’t crush the golden first. Caddis in the evening…
Bugs / Fly Patterns:  Caddis, PMDs, Green Drakes, goldens, sallies / Para caddis, Mayfly cripples big and small, Willies, fuzzies, chubbies, rogues, J-Slams, foam whatevers, Urchin buggers, Pats Rubbers, Double Beads, SJW, Tung 20 inchers, p-tails,  princes / attractor nymphs,

Flathead River Report: Flows are still up and down with the weather. It should start to drop again this evening and according to NOAA, it should not come up again with the near 90 heat this weekend. We’ll see. The fishing has been decent the last few days despite the fluctuations. PMDs are coming off in the afternoon and fish are willing to eat the dry fly. If NOAA’s prediction holds true it should start to fish great with big dry.
Bugs / Fly Patterns:  Caddis, PMDs, greendrakes, golden stones, yellow sallies / Mayfly cripples, parachute mayflies, para caddis, elk hares, Willies, fuzzies, chubbies, rogues, J-Slams, foam whatevers, Urchin buggers, Pats Rubbers, Double Beads, SJW, Tung 20 inchers, princes / c-johns  / attractor nymphs.

Swan River Report:  Looking good color wise. Fishing decent if you don’t mind digging them out on tandem nymph rigs and streamers. A few fish swiping at the indicator but mostly twinks looking up.
Bugs / Fly Patterns: PMDs, caddis, golden stones, brown drakes(lower), Willies, fuzzies, chubbies, rogues, J-Slams, rubber legs, prince nymphs, SJWs, 20 inchers, double bead stones, Hare on Fire nymphs, Urchin buggers, articulated streamers in black & olive, Flash Minnows