Snow???????
- At April 6, 2012
- In Fishing Report
One thing that is consistent about spring weather in Montana is that it’s inconsistent. Woke up to snow falling this morning. Forecast is for 2-4″ in the valley and 9-14″ in the mountains. Maybe I put those skis away too early. No worries, highs should be back in the 60′s early next week. As for the fishing, it’s been up and down like the river. Last weeks heavy rain brought the Bitterroot up 3 times normal volume. Any significant rises in water levels usually shuts the fishing off until the river stabilizes and begins to drop. Thanks to the cold, the river has dropped big time since peaking on Sunday. Water clarity is also improving significantly. Dry fly fishing is on again but the afternoon window of opportunity is short due to the cold water temps. We caught a few fish in the afternoon on Skwala’s but they were all good fish. The spring hatches are in full swing and as we warm up I am expecting some of the best dry fly action this year. There are still lots of Skwalas, nemouras, and Capnia, but the big news is that the mayflies are emerging in big numbers. The river was covered with March Browns and a few Gray drakes. Fish what the trout are keying on or run a double dry with a mayfly behind a Skwala. See ya on the river……dress warm.
Dry fly action slowly improving….
- At March 28, 2012
- In Fishing Report
The Bitterroot continues to run a bit above normal but clear due to recent rains and some snow melt. Water temperatures remain cold and the best of the Skwala hatch has yet to come. The best time for dry fly action is mid afternoon, later if it stays warm. We are catching fish on dries but the action has been just OK.. Best time to be on the water is about noon-6pm when the water begins to warm. You can still catch good fish underneath on nymphs and switch to dries when you start seeing bugs or risers. There are lots of other hatched coming off as well as skwala, look for Nemoura’s ( small black stone ) and we are beginning to see the mayflies coming on. BWO’s, March Browns, and Gray Drakes are just getting started and will soon grabbing trout’s attention.. If we can get some stable water levels, April dry fly fishing should really come on.. See ya on the river…..
River rising!
- At March 16, 2012
- In Fishing Report
Heavy rain brought the river up last night almost doubling volume.. That should slow the fishing for the next 2 or 3 days until the river stabilizes and begins to drop. The good news is the moisture is falling as snow in the mountains and adding to our already healthy snow pack of 104%. I was on the river yesterday and did well on dry flies. We fished the upper river above Hamilton. Not many Skwala’s but there were several rising fish taking midges and Nemoura’s ( small black stone ). The lower river ( Hamilton- Missoula ) has a better Skwala hatch right now and it should continue to move upstream as the weather warms.. Looks like it will be back to nymphs and streamers if you choose to fish this weekend. A better bet would be to ski some fresh powder until next week……………….><(((*>
