The Bitterroot river is on the rise and the beginning of high water is here. There won’t be many fishing opportunities on the Bitterroot until high water begins to recede in early June… If you are looking for fishing opportunities in May , Montana has several tail waters. I usually guide guests on the Missouri near Craig, Mt this time of year. Please give me a call if you are interested.
The Bitterroot is in great shape and continues to fish well. Abundant hatches and good water conditions make this one of the best times of year for dry fly fishing. Sporadic rains and cool weather is keeping water temps down and the entire river from Painted rocks to Missoula fishing. Happy Independence Day !
Hatches:
PMD #14-16
Brown Drake #12-14
Green Drake # 8-10
Golden Stone # 8-14
Bitterroot Stone #14-16
Yellow Sally #14-16
Tan Caddis #12-14
The Bitterroot river is finally on the drop again thanks to some below average temperatures over the last few days. A week ago it looked like the runoff was underway, but spring has thrown us another curve. This drop in flows has given us another shot at some decent fishing. There are still plenty of Skwala’s emerging on the river as well as good numbers of may flies.Water temperatures have dropped as well so the best dry fly action is afternoon. You can catch some fish on nymphs before the hatches start but I’ve found fish don’t eat much at all on the cold mornings. While the river is on the drop and clear it is still running quite fast. When wading look for the softer, slower runs, and side channels… If you choose to float please be cautious in these challenging conditions and consider wearing a life jacket. A lot of wood has moved since the last push of water and some channels have changed. Particularly Hannon – Wally. Temperatures are expected to rise into the 60’s by Friday , which should get the bugs and fish moving… This may be our last weekend of good dry fly fishing until June. Be safe and have fun.
Hatches:
Skwala #8-10
Nemoura #14-16
March Brown #12-14
Gray drake #10-12
BWO #16-20
Midges #18- 20
The river ice has melted off the main river in the last 2 weeks and the Bitterroot is finally fishable. Most if not all of the action has been had by fishing nymph rigs. Large numbers of Skwala nymphs are staging along the edges of the river waiting for warmer temperatures to emerge. Water temps are barely reaching 40 degrees in the afternoon preventing much of a hatch. Dry fly action should improve over the week. Until then fish deep in the slower runs to get hooked up. Water levels should remain stable as long as we don’t get a big warm up. Dry fly fishing is right around the corner.
In most years early March marks the beginning of the spring fishing season in the Bitterroot. Skwala nymphs begin migrating to the river banks preparing for their emergence by the middle of the month. 2019 is a much different story. Last weeks storms dumped up to 3 feet of snow in the valley and we are currently experiencing record breaking lows well below zero. The Bitterroot river is currently iced over with no fishing opportunities . Looks like at least a few weeks before the river becomes fishable… I’ll continue to update reports on a regular basis as conditions change…..
I would like to thank all my customers and friends who supported Fishs Eddy O in 2018. Wishing all of you the best this Holiday season and a Happy New Year! Look for updates and fishing reports to begin in January of 2019.
