Spring Fishing

A nice foam chugger brown.

Spring dry fly fishing is here and getting better. We are still waiting for some warmer weather to kick the Clark Fork into gear but there are rising fish in the afternoon looking for skwalas on the Bitterroot. Skwala, nemoura and leuctridae stones are fluttering and crawling the banks in the afternoons bringing up some nice fish that are willing to take a well presented fake. There are also some March browns and BWOs starting to show. The Mayflies will intensify over the next few weeks and the dry fly window will widen as we get some warmer days. It’s been busy, cold and windy, and it ain’t amateur hour out there. Bring your A-game, a reach mend, and some low-pro natural fiber-ed bugs in case they’re snubbing your foamies.

The Bitterroot and Clark Fork will be the place to be over the next few weeks. If you want to take advantage of good dry fly fishing on the freestones before run-off season starts then you better get on it. We have lots of low level snow so who knows how long it’s going to hang in there. You can chase a gumball down the Missouri soon enough, but for now, do yourself a favor and go stroke a few with a foam fly.

The Flathead River has been fishing decent as well. Still more like winter up here with nymphing and slow deep-swinging streamers as the go to tactics. Standard stonefly nymphs and princes with a SJW is all you need. We’ve been utilizing our jet boats for the most efficient way to cover the good runs. Give us a call and book one of our licensed USCG captains for a jet boat trip on the Flathead, Missouri, or Clark Fork.

Don’t forget your gloves and puffies because you never know what spring will throw at you.