We just finished up an incredible June, and the Missoula Montana Fishing Report looks good for the days ahead. We have had cool, wet weather for the last 10 days and that has kept our trout happy. Water levels are a little below average for this time of year, but water temperatures are still good and there are a lot of options around Missoula right now.
The Bitterroot has been our most consistent dry fly option. The upper river has been most consistent with great PMD hatches and afternoon golden stones. The mid and lower river is seeing the same bugs and certain days the dry fly action has been great while others it is a little more spotty. Dry/dropper rigs have been producing numbers when the fish aren’t looking up.
The Clark Fork has been another popular option lately. On cloudy days the dry fly fishing has been exceptional with PMDs, a few Green Drakes and Golden Stones. Big goldens in the fast water and more technical PMD fishing in the slow stuff. A deep dropper has been helping on sunny days.
The Blackfoot still has big Salmonflies up in the canyon and Golden Stones through the mid-river. Some days the big bug dry fly fishing has been great and others it is hit or miss. If you want to swing for the fences looking for a giant fish on a dry fly then this is a good option right now. Mid and lower river has been good for numbers of smaller to mid-sized trout on dry flies and droppers.
Rock Creek is closed to floating for the rest of the year and the upper river is a wade fisherman’s paradise right now. There are Golden Stones, PMDs, and Green Drakes still coming off in good numbers. Afternoons are the best and anglers who cover a lot of water with a single dry fly have been rewarded.
The best thing about fly fishing in Missoula is the diversity and right now there are more options than at any other time of year. There are a lot of different bugs hatching and plenty of fish looking up. It won’t last forever but we will take what we can get for the moment.
