Dry fly fishing still at its best….

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This report may sound like a broken record but that is the way this spring has gone. Continued cold weather is prolonging the run off and we are still adding to snow pack. River levels have remained stable due to the lack of melt. Fishing has also been very consistent. We continue see large numbers of Skwala’s and small dark stones.. The may flies are really coming on strong with great hatches of March Browns and Gray drakes every afternoon from about 1-4pm. Trout really seem to be keying on those may flies when they are emerging. Before and after the may fly hatch we are bringing up plenty of fish with stone fly patterns. Looks like a another week of cool weather will keep the river in good shape. After that things should warm and get the runoff started. This should be a big one as we are now looking at 140% of normal snow pack.

Great Spring Fishing…

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The Bitterroot bumped up again after some decent rain 2 days ago. The rise in flow was not that great and water clarity is still quite good. The water has already begun to drop thanks to continued cold nights which keeps mountain snow from melting. Spring eventually has to come and start the run-off but we only had 1 day above 60 degrees this spring. Meanwhile we are enjoying some great dry fly fishing until the waters rise big time. There are large numbers of Skwala’s on the river as well as the small dark stones, may flies include BWO’s, March Browns, and Gray Drakes. Prospect with a good Skwala pattern and switch to a may fly if you get refusals or find a pod of fish working them. Get out and enjoy it while it lasts. It won’t be long until high water pushes us off the river until June………

Bitterroot River Shaping up…

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Water on the Bitterroot has dropped and cleared significantly since my last report over the weekend. Fishing has improved since and we are even taking some nice fish on dries. The cold air temperatures however, are limiting the best hatches and fishing to late afternoon. The bugs are here and ready to emerge, they just need a slight boost in temperature to get them on the move. When that happens the fish will get on them big time. I have seen small numbers of all of the usual spring hatches, skwala’s, small dark stones (nemoura,capnia) as well as march browns. When the water warms we will see large numbers of all. The 7 day forecast looks like more of the same 40’s and 50’s for highs. If we get a gradual warming next week dry fly fishing will be outstanding…

Water levels rising…

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We have finally gotten some warmer weather this week. The good news is that for a few days we had great hatches and the best dry fly fishing of the season. OK the bad news, warmer nighttime temperatures and some rain has caused some of the mid elevation (4,000 to 5,000 ft) snow to melt off. The river bumped up 3 times the volume it was at 2 days ago. This big rise in river levels will shut the fishing off for a few days. Air temps are expected to cool down over the next few days so we should see the river drop and clear over the next week. If things stabilize we could be fishing dries again in 3 or 4 days.. I’ll update the river report in a couple days……….

Skwala’s are here!

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Spring is fighting for a foothold in the Bitterroot. Large numbers of Skwala nymphs are migrating to the edge of the river waiting to emerge as temperatures warm up. A few adult Skwala’s have been seen and trout are starting to look up. If the weather holds and continues to warm we should start to see consistent dry fly action in the next week.  Skwala or attractor nymphs in various sizes are the way to go early. the best opportunity for risers will be about 1-5pm . The dry fly fishing should improve by the day. see ya on the river…………………….

Winter is a Hangin’ On

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After a few days of warm weather, winter is returning to the Bitterroot. Warm days in the 50’s are giving way to rain and snow in the valley with blizzard conditions in the mountains. Snow pack is sitting at 108 % and should continue to climb in the next week with the projected snow. A few fly fishers were out on the Bitterroot trying to shake off cabin fever.  Some fish were caught on streamers and nymphs but it is too early for any decent dry fly action. We are about a month away from the Skwala hatch. Consistent dry fly fishing should begin by mid March and last until runoff begins in late April. Its time to book your spring trip. See ya on the river……….