Bitterroot Fly Fishing 2022
Monday I fished with a local angler, Bob. We had planned on our annual pike fishing float, although Mother Nature threw us a curve ball. Heavy thunderstorms in recent days turned the Blackfoot river to mud and it was enough that it blew out the lower Clark Fork as well. So instead of slough hunting on the lower Clark Fork, we opted for plan B which was a long float on the lower Bitterroot.
The first slough didn’t yield any results but we had tough light so it was hard to see if there were any fish around. We found a handful of pike in the next slough and Bob got an eat that just didn’t connect in there. We had better luck in the next spot with two pikes to the boat, an eat from largemouth bass, and some follows from a few big fish.
There is still a lot of water in the river for this time of year so some of the normal spots were a bust while other places had lots of fish. The final slough of the day was loaded. Bob stuck two on two consecutive casts and then we had several follows from big pike that just wouldn’t commit.
We changed flies and worked through the slough again. Bob stuck a couple more and landed one to finish off the day. The smaller and mid-sized pike ate well when we showed them the fly, but all of the bigger fish only provided heartbreaking follows right up to the boat. We made the best of the cards we were dealt today and had a fantastic time on the Bitterroot.
Bitterroot Fly Fishing 2022
Tuesday I was out with local angler, Jim, on a stretch of the upper Bitterroot. We launched early to beat the heat and started off with a dry/dropper rig. Jim stuck a big male cutthroat on the dropper to get us started and followed that up with a couple of other trout in the next few runs.
After seeing two fish rise we decided to grab the single dry fly rod and were rewarded with trout looking up. We switched back and forth between a mayfly and a small golden stone. Early on the mayfly was raising plenty of fish but they were mostly small to mid-sized Cutts and cute bows.
We changed to the golden and some bigger fish were willing to eat the dry until we stopped for lunch. In the afternoon the mayfly was solid for nice fish in the first hour as Jim picked up pairs of nice trout in each good spot including some fish that we saw rise.
Then the smaller fish were all over it again and we switched back to the golden for the rest of the day. There weren’t a ton of bugs today, but enough to get quality fish looking up in the right spots. Jim landed a few 16-17″ cutts and cuttbows and wore his arm out on 12-15″ trout on dries today. We didn’t see hardly another soul on the river and fished single dries for most of the day. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Bitterroot Fly Fishing 2022
Wednesday I had longtime angler, Chris, and decided to take him up to Georgetown lake for the first time. It is blue damsel and caddis time on the lake and can be great dry fly fishing this time of year.
We started the day with a dry/dropper rig and had a couple of fish eat the dropper before we were both shocked when a big rainbow slammed the dry fly. It was a great eat and that fish put up a good fight for our first of the day on a dry. That spot didn’t produce much else so we moved further back in the bay anticipating the start of the damsel hatch.
In the meantime, the dry/dropper rig produced some nice fish. Chris got a couple on the dropper, but most of the trout were eating the big dry fly so eventually we went with a single dry. Then a thunderstorm moved through so we pulled into shore for lunch and the let the weather pass.
That storm didn’t do us any favors with the bugs as there wasn’t much hatching in the afternoon. We had a brief window with damsels and Chris landed a nice bow on a damsel dry. Otherwise the big caddis was our most consistent option as Chris landed a few more on that. Eventually there were no bugs and no rising fish and we decided to call it a day. It was decent action on the lake.
The weather messed with the hatches but there were enough fish eating to keep it interesting and Chris enjoyed trying something new today.
Bitterroot Fly Fishing 2022
Friday I was back out with local angler, Jim. He wanted to chase pike today so we launched early on the lower Bitterroot to give it a go. The light was still tough in our first slough so Jim was blind casting when I saw a fish blast his fly and he was tight to the first pike of the day.
A few seconds into the fight and that pike zoomed straight for a big submerged root ball. The fish was still on but it was tangled up in the roots underwater. It took a few minutes to sort through it all as I was up to my shoulders in water, but I was eventually able to get the fish in the net and the line free of the root ball. That was a good start but then I noticed the clouds rolling in that would kill our visibility.
A lot of our pike fishing is sight fishing and it really helps to have good sun so you can see the fish. I wasn’t sure how that would go with solid cloud cover, but the fish certainly responded. Jim hooked 2 right away in the next spot.
We had follows from a couple of big fish and then he stuck a couple more in the upper part of the slough. He added another on the way out, and then he had a vicious eat from a big fish in deeper water. It was a great fight as the big girl charged downriver and then back up before jumping near the boat.
Once we finally got her in the net it was a thick 36″ pike. They don’t get much bigger in the Bitterroot. That cloud cover ended up producing the best fishing of the day. Once the sun came back out I could spot the fish much better, but they weren’t nearly as aggressive. We had follows from some other big fish, but most of them had their noses pinned to the bottom.
The last slough of the day yielded two more mid-sized pike so we were able to finish strong. It was a great day of hunting predators on the Bitterroot and Jim is ready to do it again anytime.
Bitterroot Fly Fishing 2022
Saturday I had a special request from an angler that I’ve fished with for nearly 20 years. Rod had a group of friends out for their first fly fishing trip so fellow guide, David, and I took a foursome out on the Blackfoot. I was paired up with Zach and 12 year old Isiah, while David had Ian and 14-year-old Malakai.
We started off the day with a little lesson and in the middle of that Isiah brought in his first trout, a decent rainbow. After fishing a few runs with just dry flies the guys were doing well enough that we went to dry/dropper rigs for the rest of the day.
Isiah picked up a nice cutthroat on the dry just after that. Zach had a few early releases and then he got the hang of fighting fish and landed his first rainbow of the day. For their first day of float fishing the guys were doing really well. The fishing wasn’t easy today and we had to work for our chances but Isiah made the most of his opportunities.
He only lost a couple of fish that he hooked and managed to get the rest of them to the net. It was a mix of smallish to medium rainbows and cutts. Zach landed the only brown trout of the day to go along with several rainbows. Eventually is started to get hot in the afternoon which made it hard to focus on the fishing.
At that point, we sent Isiah out for a swim in the river and then coasted to the takeout. Isiah’s goal at the beginning of the day was to catch one fish, and he well surpassed his goal. Ian and Malakai ended up with some nice fish in their boat too so the day was a total success.
Bitterroot Fly Fishing 2022
Summer has finally arrived in Missoula as we have seen some hot days recently. The rivers are all still above average in flow but are quickly dropping to normal levels. We have shifted to earlier meet times to take advantage of the cool mornings, and most days the fishing is holding up well until it starts to get too hot. I have a feeling it could be a really good hopper season this August.
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Tight Lines,
Tony Reinhardt
Montana Trout Outfitters
406-544-3516
