Drama on the banks of the Bitterroot River

If you haven't been following the story of Harriet and Ozzy over the last few years, you've been missing out.  For the past few years, I've been linking to the Hellgate Osprey Cam on the banks of the Clark Fork in Missoula.  This year, due to an unfolding story, we'll check out on an osprey nest a couple of miles to the south in Lolo on the banks of the Bitterroot River.

The background of this story goes like this:  Ozzy and Harriet were the bonded couple that have utilized this nest on the Dunrovin Ranch for years. Ozzy was killed (of natural causes) in 2014, stuffed, and put in a museum in Helena. People wondered what would come of Harriet and if she would ever find a new mate.  Harriet had a couple of suitors and then settled on Hal (supposedly short for Hallelujah) and their first attempt at reproduction was a flop. As osprey do each fall, they took off to the south for the winter.

Harriet usually returns around this time of year.  Will Hal come back with her?  Will they succeed in making a baby osprey this year?

Plot twist: On Sunday a great horned owl was filmed in the nest.  What will happen when Harriet comes back and finds this great big owl in her nest?

You'll have to watch to find out!  I can't believe that it's already time for the osprey to coma back. Winter flew by this year!

Check out the Dunrovin ranch website to chat about the unfolding event.
Check out this Missoulian article for more detailed information.

Missoula area fishing report - Bighorn Edition - Early August

Handsome Ram

Rock Creek:  The fishing at Rock Creek is elementary and outstanding right now.  The hell with salmonflies, give me the spruce moth!  The spruce moths have cyclical hatches (like a lot of our bug friends) and this year is a heavy one.  I've been seeing them on all the local streams and the fish are more excited than me about it.

Get off the paved road and away from people.  Make sure to have decent wading boots with studs because the rocks in the creek are super slick right now and the flow is still good.  Fish the shallow faster-fast riffles with your Elk Hair Caddis selection and move your way downstream hitting above and below every mid-stream rock.  When there is good pocket water or riffle which runs up against the bank, stand in the middle of the river and cast towards the bank.  You should be catching bucket-loads of small fish with lots of bigger fish mixed in.  If not, your fishing skills need some work because it is unreal up there right now.  Honestly, your fish count will directly correspond to your ability to move up and down the stream to cover water.  I covered about 2 1/2 miles and caught fish on the dry, all day long.

While I was climbing on top of a log jamb, I looked down and saw a huge bull trout hiding in the shade right underneath me. I froze and tried to slowly reach for my camera as he slid slowly into better view.  Then, I could see him look right up at me and, POOF- gone.

Clark Fork:  The Clark Fork is in great shape and the fishing is really good, even around town, and even with the tubers.  I caught some great fish right in between tubers this week.  It's funny to have a drunken audience when your catching fish, especially because most people don't realize that there are such great fish right around town.  I just wish the tubers didn't trash the place. Anyway, the spruce moths are gonzo and the big fish are one em, big-time.  The Kingfisher Fly Shop put a great tip in their fishing reports.  They mentioned using a Prince nymph as a dropper under your whatever.  Boy, whatever the trout are taking that for, I don't know.  But the Prince nymph dropper is working like an electrofishing wand right now.  I switched over to a double Prince set-up but that was not as effective.  It seems like the trout want the dropper on a pretty short leash.  Anyway, in the afternoon, cut the prince nymph off and trail an Elk Hair Caddis of the back of your smaller hopper for the spruce moth.  The big fish are eating on top - nuff said.

Bitterroot:  The lower Root is also fishing great with smaller hoppers and spruce moths as well as some remaining PMDs and caddis in the evening.  Although it's been hotter than a two dollar pistol here in Montana, we are still maintaining good flows on all of our streams.  Hopper season on the lower Root is really fun.  There are a lot of BIG cutthroat down here love to slow-sip the hopper.

Blackfoot:  I haven't been up there in a while but with the insane amount of spruce moths I've been seeing everywhere, I'm thinking the Blackfoot would be really fun right now.

Lakes and ponds:  You tell me.  It's up in the air whether I'll be fishing an alpine lake, wildeness stream, or restored mine disaster this week.  Stay tuned.

Hey baby, why the long face?

Montana traffic jam

Smoke is your friend, wind is not

Smokey Missoula

Smoke from fires in Canada, Idaho, and Washington poured into the Missoula Valley late last week.  Just like on drizzly March days, most people see this as a reason to be negative and bitch about life.  And just like on drizzly March days, the fishing is shit-hot.  Smoke works just like the clouds to block the sun which gives our eyelid-less trout friends some shade.  They get shade, reduced visibility by osprey, lower mid-day water temps, the mayflies love it, and more!!

A solid PMD hatch on the lower Bitterroot lasted all through the day on Friday and the forecasted winds did not.  I'm talking, big browns in 6" deep water and great rainbows and cutts all day long good.  Why do browns like PMDs so much and why do they feed like that?  I think it's because they're European - it's like a trout's version of wearing pointy-toed shoes or something.  

It should also be noted that there are some angry trout in the Root that want to destroy your streamer in the morning.

The wind came yesterday and blew all the smoke away.  It will be back sooner or later, whether you like it or not.  

   

Missoula area fishing report

Downtown March browns getting pelted with raindrops

Gorging swallows

Brown water fishing report:

The rivers are all huge!  There was a drop yesterday but the upcoming warm weather is going to make everything crazy.  This spring has been tough for fishing with all the low elevation snow.  Every time it rains or gets warm, there is a huge push of water on top of the already elevated flows.

Clark Fork (around Missoula)
Big and brown with the occasional tree.  Two days ago, I witnessed a very heavy March brown spinnerfall during a light rain/snowstorm.  There was a massive showing of shore swallows.  Some dinks noticed them as well.  The large trout are eating other things subsurface.  If you just need to fish and you don't have a plan B, you can make it happen here.

Fishing the Clark Fork during high water is possible and can actually be really good sometimes.  You just have to safely locate the various places in the river where the fish go when the water is high.  When the river is high and crazy, the amount of places that trout can hold is reduced.  Find these places and you'll find happiness. Don't be afraid to fish irrigation canals, side channels, and slow winter-type water (if you can find it).  The mouths of the tribs are the safest bet.  Throw your junk into the mud and let it drift into the clean.

The Clark Fork trout are generally less put off by colored water, relative to the other streams in the area. Sometimes, they will even eat on top.  Generally though, using bright worms, large rubber legs, bead head nymphs, and eggs is the most effective.

Bitterroot River (around Missoula)
See Clark Fork Report.  The upper river is fishing great but I have not been up there to give an accurate report.

Lower Rock Creek
The creek is also huge.  It will be a struggle to access fishable water on the lower stream but if you find it, there will be a lot of fish.  Going around the P-burg way and fishing the upper reaches is the way to go.  The problem with that is, you drive right past Flint Creek.  Flint Creek fishes great during high water.  Those brown trout love it.  Anyway.

Area Lakes/Ponds
This is a great time to diversify your fly fishing world.  All of the area lakes and ponds are fishing great.  The lake hatches should start with the warm weather and I'll report on that when it happens.