Winter Fishing

by Jeff on December 3, 2011

Well it finally happened.  Winter has finally landed in the Bitterroot Valley.  Don’t fret too much, there is still some fishing to be had, you just need a pair of ski gloves, a down parka and on any given day a pair of goggles might be helpful.  Seriously though, you can fish the Bitterroot 12 months out of the year, you just need to know where to go.  Our water is still open and ice free for now and should remain this way until we see the temps dip into the low teens – single digits.  Look for the fish to be holding in the slow deep tail outs of runs – this is where they will be until spring.  Remember that trout are a “cold” water fish, and they actually enjoy these cooler water temps.  Nymph fishing will be far and away your best option this time of year.  You might see some midges or BWO’s in the afternoon if your lucky, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Hatches:  BWO’s and Midges

Upcoming Hatches:  Snow flies and Icicles

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Fall Fishing

by Jeff on October 26, 2011

While the weather is still holding with day time temps in the mid 40′s to low 50′s our fall hatches are starting to wean off a little.  There is still some opportunity for dry fly fishing during the warmest part of the day, mostly with BWO’s and still a few Mahoganies.  Your best bet is to fish nymphs or streamers in the morning or evening with a 2-3 hour window of dry fly in between.  Look for this window to get smaller as we get later into fall.  And remember SKWALA’s are only 4 short months away….get to tyin!!

We will be having fly tying classes starting in January.  Sign up today.

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Fall fishing has begun

October 4, 2011

Our September was a little unusual.  With temps in the upper 70′s most of the month it has kept our fall hatches at bay.  There has still been very good trico fishing on the lower half of the Bitterroot and the afternoon hopper fishing has been staying pretty consistant.  We are starting to see more [...]

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Hot Weather, Even Hotter Fishing

August 20, 2011

The hopper fishing just keeps getting better.  The hot weather has these little critters hopping all over the bank side vegetation, and it’s just a matter of time before one ends up in the food line.  There will be some banks better than others, so stay with it.  A size 10 pink Moorish hopper or [...]

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Hopper Time!

August 8, 2011

As we head into August, it’s time to break out the terestrial box.  Hoppers, Ants and Spruce Moths will all be on the menu for the next several weeks.  Right now there is still a big blow off of PMD’s in the morning and a size 14 or 16 Hi-Vis spent wing spinner will take [...]

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Prime Time

July 28, 2011

This is as good as fishing gets around here.  There are still a ton of Golden Stones and Bitterroot Stones on the upper half of the river.  Plenty of fish are aggressive and willing to eat on the top.  If you feel the need you can drop a small dry or nymph off the back [...]

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Summer Fishing is here

July 17, 2011

The fishing on the Bitterroot has been very consistent.  The mid to upper river has came into shape very nicely and we are seeing more and more bugs in the form of Golden’s, Drakes and PMD’s.  A nymph rig is still a good option, especially if you want to catch a lot of fish.  Afternoon/Evening [...]

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Dry Flies, Dry Flies and more Dry Flies

July 12, 2011

With the river still dropping, the fish have been really eager to eat dry flies.  The flow @ the Darby station is @ 2600 CFS and still coming down.  This should make for incredible fishing for the foreseeable future.  All of the boat ramps are now open and the boat traffic is starting to spread [...]

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Finally, it’s only gonna get better

July 8, 2011

The Bitterroot continues to drop like a rock.  The fish are still eating salmon flies up on the West Fork, just be prepared for the rubber raft hatch that is going on as well.  The main stem is still fishing well with stone fly nymphs and worms, but we’ve also been taking some fish with [...]

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You can’t always believe what you hear

June 28, 2011

It’s been along time since I posted a new fishing report, partly because the Bitterroot has been all but blown out and partly because I didn’t want to give away the few secret fishing spots that were left.  I keep hearing it over and over…”when will the fishing start on the Bitterroot”,  well I can’t [...]

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