Missoula, Montana Fly Fishing Report

Another perfect day...

We weathered another fire season, put up with hoot-owl restrictions that went on far too long, tolerated gaggles of mouth-breathing inner-tubers, and caught oodles of big trout on dry flies. The Clark Fork was, and is still , very good.  The Bitterroot flows were pathetically low, due in large part to irrigation demands for the acres and acres of alfalfa grown for cow fodder. In other words, EAT MORE BEEF. Maybe we can reduce the numbers of cows on the planet through mass consumption of their tastiest parts. The Blackfoot fished really well in spite of the low water conditions. The inner-toob boobs did little to enhance the ambiance, save for the innumerable empty beer cans littering the stream bed, the single lost flip-flops that appeared as though they were put there by Flip-Flop Appleseed, and the inability to park a Subaru Outback in an orderly fashion. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're an inevitability. 

So the current report looks like this:

Blackfoot River-rubber legs brown, purple prince, czech nymphs, if you're going to be a dropper dangler. Purple haze, smaller hoppers, October caddis patterns late in the day, if you want to actually use your fly rod to cast. We love the smaller white Coffey fly if you want to pitch a streamer. 

Bitterroot River- The trico fall has been good, but I'd bet this is coming to a close. Choose a good mayfly pattern when you grow weary of casting to sipping trout. Like that would ever happen. Hecuba are out but they are out but there aren't many. In the right spots, the fish will be on them. Peep show, P.t., purple anything.

Clark Fork-Hoppers are still on the menu. Purple haze 14 will get it done, even as a searching pattern.      

We've been throwing straight dries, but I'm sure the usual dropper suspects will work. White streamers have been good early in the day. Fish them light and keep them high enough to  see the takes. It's more fun that way. 

Rock Creek- Word has it that the fishing has been good along it's entire length. Big Goddards, purple haze, light colored Wullfs, small Adams. Check in with Deb at Trout Bums, as she gets good daily info from other anglers. 

-Predator

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