The Bitterroot is continuing to give up some great dry fly fishing. Salmon flies have come and gone but there are plenty of bugs emerging to keep the fish happy… Golden Stones in different sizes are coming off as well as Green Drakes, Gray Drakes, PMD’s and Caddis… Water levels are dropping fast making wading and floating much easier. June is a time of abundant hatches so get out and enjoy it…… See ya on the river!
The Bitterroot fishing is turning on with the runoff on the decline..Best action right now is on the East and West Forks but the main stem should begin to fish well as the current slows and more holding water is available for trout… Salmon flies have moved up the Bitterroot but are still emerging on the forks.. Golden Stones , Green Drakes, PMD’s are emerging river wide.. While the river is lower than normal for this time of year its still high and swift so use caution when wading and floating….
The runoff has kicked off early after a week of unseasonably warm weather at the end of April. Not a lot of fishing/floating opportunities on the Bitterroot in May… If you must fish try to find the slower runs, inside riffles and side channels to pick up some fish.. Dredging the bottom with large stone fly nymphs, bead heads, and streamers will be the most effective tactic… There are still plenty of hatches during high water but not may fish coming to the surface. There are various may flies and good numbers of Mothers Day Caddis on the water… I am focusing my attention to the tail waters primarily the Missouri. The Mo’ is dam controlled and a great option during runoff…. Fishing is excellent there in May…. The Bitterroot should begin to shape up in early June with the arrival of the Salmon fly hatch…..
We have had a week of warm temperatures in the 70’s over the last week. While some folks like the weather these unseasonably high temps have put a damper on fishing…. The Bitterroot has risen significantly with melting snow brought on by the heat… Currently the river is running much higher than normal and off color… Not much opportunity for dry flies or even wets. There is a bit of a silver lining to all this.. The next few days are forecasted to be cooler (50’s) which will slow the melting process. The Bitterroot is leveling off and should clear and stabilize. While water levels will remain high the river should fish again… Stick to the softer water and side channels… There are abundant hatches currently, Skwala’s, Nemoura, March Brown, Gray drake, and BWO’s. Be safe and we’ll see ya on the river………….
Skwalas have begun to hatch river wide in the last week.. The cold water temps have been keeping the bugs to a minimum and the dry fly action short. The weather is warming up and stream temperatures are gradually increasing. The dry fly action should improve daily as we move into spring. There are also some midges , Nemoura, and Capnia coming off as well.. Best fishing is in the afternoon at the warmest past of the day. Use a Skwala dry to prospect the slower runs to draw strikes, earlier in the day a stone fly nymph dropper should get you some fish until they begin to look up.. See ya on the river…..
Temperatures have warmed up in the last week and most of the ice is off the river. Highs have been in the 40’s and a couple days have been above 50. While we have received rain in the valley, the mountains are still getting snow.. Snow pack in the Bitterroot range is about 95% of normal. A little behind but not bad considering we have about 2 months left to add to the snow pack. A few folks have been out on the river but fishing is still slow. Fish streamers and nymphs deep and slow to get hooked up. On the warmer afternoons midges may come off and provide a short window of dry fly action… See ya on the river…………
