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Bigfork Montana Fly Fishing Forecast

Dropping flows and warming water/air temps should provide good fishing on the Flathead River and lower Swan River the next few days. If the rain in the forecast doesn’t bump flows we should have decent fishing for at least the next week or so on the Flathead system. Check our river flows page for all the graphs in one place.

Flathead River Fly Fishing Report

Midges, BWOs, March browns, Winter stones( capnia, nemoura, leutridae), maybe even a skwala, could all be out on any given day at this point. We’ve had good luck with small foam flies over midging fish this time of year so that’s a good place to start if you find risers. Otherwise, a purple Craze, purple Haze, or purple Rocky Mtn Mint will take the risers. Start with a 12 and work down in size til they eat it. If you’re fishing a midge pattern you’re trying too hard. It’s probably the drift , not the pattern.  Look for rising fish in the afternoon in slower eddies, tail outs, and soft seams but don’t expect to find a bunch. Fish should start to spread out a bit more with the hatches and dropping flows. Nymphs are the most productive method but streamers will also produce some fish. Pats rubber legs, prince nymph variations, SJWs, smaller Mercer epoxy stones, p-tails, C-johns, and the like will all catch fish . Try a short leash rig with some lighter weight nymphs(small PRL or Prince) down some of the slower shallower banks, it works. Buggers or whatever else you have will likely work for streamer fishing…try something bright, try something dark, try them both at the same time.

Swan River Fly Fishing Report

The lower Swan has been producing a few fish here and there all winter and should continue to do so over the next few weeks. Nymphs and streamers are the way, all the standard stuff will work. Brent said there were BWOs in the bay the other evening and he saw a few fish rising…Rain and rising flows don’t matter here so it’s always a good backup if the Flathaed gets some color or rising flows.

We are hoping to get the shop back open sometime next week…

 

 

Jason Lanier
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