Blackfoot River Fly Fishing Guide
Tuesday I was back on the water with local angler Jeff. I decided on a stretch of the middle Blackfoot that is filled with boulders and pocket water. At this water level it is a challenge to get through with 2 anglers so it doesn’t see much pressure.
As the sun was coming up we started off dry/dropper and Jeff picked up a decent rainbow just below the put in on a dropper. That was our best fish for a while with a bunch of dinks following that. Just before lunch the bigger fish started to get active and Jeff boat a pair of nice rainbows.
I really enjoy fishing hoppers in all the pockets on this stretch of water, and we gave it a solid effort in the afternoon. The dry fly fishing wasn’t what I hoped it would be. Mostly little trout and not a lot of action overall on a variety of different hoppers and ants.
We switched back to the hopper/dropper rig and it wasn’t long before Jeff connected with the fish of the day. A big brown at the dropper in shallow water and then Jeff had a rodeo of a fight trying to keep the fish out of all the rocks. It was a gorgeous 19″ specimen. We ended up with a couple more in the net in our last few runs.
It was a beautiful day on the Blackfoot with not another boat in sight. There were a handful of nice fish and lots of little ones.
Blackfoot River Fly Fishing Guide
Wednesday I fished with local anglers, Marcelo and Constance on the upper Clark Fork. It was forecast to be another hot day, but the weatherman missed the mark as it was cool in the morning and perfectly comfortable in the afternoon.
We started off with single dry flies and early on it was only a few little guys looking up. Eventually I switched Constance to a dry/dropper while Marcelo stayed with the single dry. The dropper started to move some fish and they started coming up for the dry too.
We had a nice stretch where Constance picked up a couple rainbows on the dropper, including a bright 18″ hen, and then Marcelo picked off a healthy cuttbow tight to a logjam. The trout never really got fired up all day. The dropper action fizzled so I put Constance back on a hopper and we continued to find fish in certain spots.
A couple of good looking runs would be vacant and then we would get 2 or 3 strikes in the next spot. It was another nice weather day on the river, with fishing that was a little subpar.
Blackfoot River Fly Fishing Guide
Thursday I had local angler Jim on a stretch of the upper Bitterroot. Flows on the Bitterroot are low right now, but it is still a good option for single anglers. There’s just not much room for a second angler in the back of the boat. With the Hoot Owl restrictions lifted we met a little later and started with a single dry.
Jim stuck a cutthroat in the first run to get us started and then picked up a couple of bigger fish on the next long bank. The first 2 hours of the morning were very consistent with trout coming up in most all of the likely spots. That action tapered a bit as we neared lunch.
I switched up the fly for the afternoon, and a black ant was the ticket. Jim raised nice cutts to the dry in the next few spots. The best fish of the day proved to be an exciting and somewhat humorous situation. We were coming down a very shallow chute with a good seam at the bottom.
Jim was in the middle of his cast when the boat unexpectedly bumped a rock hard. Jim had to brace himself from being knocked out of the boat while simultaneously setting his fly down. The fly landed in bad glare that was hard to see, but it was perfect and a big fish sipped it down.
I yelled “set” and Jim came tight, but the boat was racing toward the fish at Mach 2. I have no idea how Jim managed to stay tight to that fish, but after a good fight he had a 19.5″ bow in the net. We both had a good laugh at that one.
The ant continued to produce well for the next hour before we went back to a bigger bug to finish off the day. It was pretty consistent action from start to finish with a good number of 14-16″ cutts and cuttbows today. Not another boat in sight and crystal clear blue Montana skies.
Blackfoot River Fly Fishing Guide
Friday I fished with local angler Martha and after the action yesterday we went right back to the upper Bitterroot. The big dry was moving fish early again today as Martha was hooked up in most of the likely spots. We switched to the ant a little earlier to see if we could find fish in some of the slower water and that paid off with a few great visual eats.
Martha really wanted a chance at just one big fish, and she made the most of it when a big head came up and sipped the dry. It was a good battle before she slid a great 18.5″ cuttbow into the net. In the afternoon I noticed a couple of the big fall drakes, Hecubas, around.
We switched to a big mayfly and Martha had a bent rod in the very next spot. It’s one of my favorite hatches of the year and has been delayed this season with he hot, dry weather. It was just cool enough and with the smoke moving back in provided just enough cover to get a few bugs moving.
The trout responded and Martha picked off cutts in every run down the river. Late in the day the fishing turned a little spotty. We changed flies a few times, but the big mayfly proved most consistent. Martha was still finding trout, but instead of every spot it turned into a fish out of every second or third spot.
As we rounded the corner to the takeout I could see 6 pontoon boats fishing below us. That gaggle of boats might have affected our fishing down the homestretch. Still it was a great day with a pile of 12-15″ cutts and cuttbows and a handful of bigger fish all on dry flies.
Blackfoot River Fly Fishing Guide
Saturday was the start of the annual Grizzly Ride and I was out with long-time angler Bill, and local Warren. The guys stay in Missoula the first night before heading up to the E bar L dude ranch on the Blackfoot river for the rest of the trip.
Since we started in Missoula this morning I picked a stretch of the upper Clark Fork. We fished a dry/dropper setup most of the day and Bill got us started with a decent rainbow in a fast bucket on the first bank. That was a good start, but the fishing proved to be hit or miss for most of the morning.
We had some fish come unbuttoned on us and a few little ones before Warren finally connected with a decent cuttbow on the dropper. As we moved into some faster water the fishing picked up a little. Warren cleared out the smaller trout in the front of the boat and Bill came in behind and picked up a pair of really nice rainbows including a thick 19″ fish on the dropper just before lunch.
At lunch we had a special treat as a cow moose and two calves crossed the river just below us and worked upstream toward the boat before heading into the brush. In the afternoon the dropper fishing remained spotty. The guys connected with the occasional fish but there was no consistency so we changed out to single hoppers.
It’s easier and more fun to fish the single dry. We picked up a couple of decent fish in the fast water right away. Below the confluence with the Blackfoot, Bill had a big fish just sip his hopper. He fought that trout all the way to the boat and it was a thick rainbow over 20″ that spit the fly right at the net. That was our big fish that got away.
We managed a couple more on the hopper in the last few runs to the take out. There were some big fish in the net today, but overall not a lot of action on the upper Clark Fork.
Blackfoot River Fly Fishing Guide
Sunday I was back on the water with Bill and today we were joined by local angler, Paul for a float on the Blackfoot. We started off with hopper/dropper rigs and Paul picked up a couple of decent fish on the dropper in the first few runs. Then the river was quiet.
I switched droppers a bunch in the morning and we picked up a few small fish, but the trout didn’t really want to play. I eventually swapped Bill out to a hopper and put Paul on an ant. The ant was the ticket as Paul picked up a couple nice fish in the next two spots. As soon as I put Bill on the same fly he started raising fish too.
From there the action was steady up to lunch. The ant continued to produce in the afternoon, but the smoke cover created a tough glare on the water and it was almost impossible to see the fly in faster water. I put Bill on a hopper pattern and he had some great fish crush that fly in faster water.
The hopper was productive for Paul too as he picked up some quality trout in the back seat. The morning was certainly slow, but the guys made up for it with some solid dry fly fishing the rest of the day. There were lots of smaller 10-13″ cutts and bows with a handful of bigger 14-16″ trout mixed in. Bill and Paul had a great time on the Blackfoot today.
Blackfoot River Fly Fishing Guide
It looks like we are finally turning the corner on fall fishing. We have some rain in the forecast for the next few days and high temps in the 60’s and 70’s on the horizon. The smoke is still with us, but I suspect that will fade with the moisture and cooler temps.
The fall hatches of mahoganies, blue wings, and October caddis should get rolling in the days ahead. Fishing has been a little hit or miss this past week, but we are starting to see some of the bigger trout on the prowl and that urge to feed before winter hits will start to motivate more and more fish.
Book Your Next Fishing Trip Today! – Click Here
Check out our Fishing Packages – Click Here
Tight Lines,
Tony Reinhardt
Montana Trout Outfitters
406-544-3516
