Moths

Westslope cutthroat on a spruce moth.

It’s moth season! Both Spruce and Umber moths are present this time of year and are providing some good dry fly fishing on our western freestone rivers. The Blackfoot River Spruce Moth hatch is the most well known and prolific, but the Swan River and Flathead River also get good numbers of these terrestrial bugs to get the attention of our fishies. Small (#12-#16)  pale caddis style patterns are a good match for the Spruce, and a bit larger orangish caddis or stimulator type patterns are a good match for the larger Umber moth. This hatch doesn’t usually last long but it’s great fun if you can hit on the right day.