Missoula Area Fishing Report - Mid November

Yep, winter came in last week and shut down the fall fly fishing for good.  All of the rivers in our area look like Alaska right now.  While most people have packed up their fly fishing gear and have started to think about getting into some powder, I have gone into fishing overdrive.

Winter fishing is awesome.  One of the biggest factors for me starting this blog was a realization that there is very little information and enthusiasm for winter fishing.  That ends now!

For instance, did you know that you can fly fish through the ice?  They even make ice rods with fly reels on them.  You use the same winter flies you would use on the river.  It's a whole different game but it is a hell of a lot better than freaking out about winter and being miserable like everyone else.

During warm spells the Bitterroot, Upper Clark Fork, and the Missouri can fish like the freaking bees knees and you can go days without seeing another fisherperson. We live in a winter wonderland, those people who get cabin fever in the winter are either just lazy or for some reason not able to be active.

So here it is, a somewhat abbreviated (for now) Missoula Area winter fishing report.

The Clark Fork:
Frozen.  However, the upper river will fish all winter.  Use Missouri River winter patterns like orange bead scuds and sows, eggs, and streamers.  There are some monster rainbows up there (pushing 30") that fall over the dam and there's always the resident browns.

The Bitterroot:
Frozen.  When we have a warm spell, this river will be scary until the iceburgs clear out, but then, it is low flows, easy wading, beautiful sunsets and stacked up fish in the winter runs; and you have it all to yourself.

The Missouri R.:
The only issue you'll have here is nasty weather.  When you get a nice day over there, it is winter paradise.  It's so pretty and odd.  I just love it on the MO in the winter.  I don't take a boat because wading is the best in the winter.  It's a nymphing and streamer deal with midges on the shoulders of the season.

And ice fishing:

Beavertail Pond:
I love this stupid pond.  As of yesterday, it had 3 inches of hard, clear ice.  I played it cautious and fished in no deeper that waste deep in case I fell through.  Ideally you want 4".  The north side of the pond is where the aquifer enters so the ice was only 2" thick.  I'd stay away from that end for a while.  The brood stock rainbows are in there and they are ready to eat.  They are huge (25"+ and up to 10lbs.) and they cruise around in swarms.  You can go a half hour without a sign and then all of a sudden there's 3 submarines headed at your fly.  In between trout swarms, you'll catch perch.  I use steelhead size egg patterns, tiny egg patterns, and jig head streamers.

Harpers Lake:
This is a small natural lake up near Clearwater Crossing.  Because it is at a higher elevation, the ice is better than Beavertail. The brood stock are also put in here.  The water is very clear which makes looking down the hole really fun.  One of the best things about ice fishing is that it is a lot like snorkeling.  Your suspended above this whole scene and you can watch all sorts of stuff and get instant feedback on the fish.  I use the same flies up here.

There are many other ice fishing ponds/lakes around here but I won't report on them until I fish them.  Stay tuned.

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.

Western Montana Fishing Report

Ancient alien monolith near St. Regis

I've been out and about all week and here is the report of what is going on.  The next couple of weeks are going to be the last chance to fish the big rivers for a while.  Once runoff gets going this year, it's going to be especially crazy for some time.

Bitterroot River:
The Root is in full recovery with the flows leveling out and the water clearing.  Today is going to be sunny with some wind.  I'd expect the best fishing will still be with be nymphs or with dry/droppers.  If you do start to see surface feeding and the trout are ignoring your big foam skwala, put on a Goddard caddis for the numora.  Things could get really good on the Root later this week with some clouds.  Hopefully, it wont rain too hard and the river won't get huge again.

Blackfoot River:
I still have yet to fish the Blackfoot this year.  I drove alongside it two days ago and it looked to be shaping back up after the last push of water.  If everything stays stable, the Blackfoot may wake up, for real, in the next couple of days.  You may see an afternoon March brown hatch but a double nymph rig (turd and worm) is the safe play.

Rock Creek:
Rock Creek fished pretty well right through that last push.  Wading safely was more of a concern than anything.  Now that it's on the drop, I'd head that way if I wanted a safe bet on catching some great trout.  At this time of year, especially in the lower reaches, once you find one, keep fishing the same spot because there are probably 10 more right there.  I would also expect some action on top here in the middle of the day. Skwalas and march browns were hatching strong during that higher flow and I'm sure the trout are ready to munch them now.  If my life depended on catching a lot of great trout today, I'd go to Rock Creek.

Clark Fork River (above Deer Lodge):
The release out of the ponds is over.  The flow is right back at the historical mean.  This is also another good fishing option for the next couple of days.  Nymphing and streamers should be productive but keep an eye out for sneaky rise forms in the foam lines.  A very small red/orange wooly bugger can be the bee's knees up here in the spring.

Clark Fork River (below Missoula):
I did a great float yesterday with a former and well known Clark Fork fishing guide and his friend yesterday.  It was a day in the classroom for me.  I love chances to fish with people that are worlds better at fishing than me. Just like with any skilled craft or art, fishing with folks that are better than you is the best way to learn and get better.  The Clark Fork is on the drop overall although, there was a small bump yesterday.  The water has still got a bit of color, but is shaping up.  There was a solid march brown/grey drake hatch in the afternoon but it went mostly unnoticed by the trout.  We were hoping to hit the flying skwala hatch but we didn't even see one big bug.  The hatch must be right on the cusp though because the hot fly was the rubberleggs.  It out-fished the worm so....  During the hatch, the fish were higher up in the water culumn and the dry/dropper rig with a rubberleggs or p-tail/hare's ear dropper worked good.  Most of my fish were caught when the dropper was getting dragged.  I suspect that swinging a size 16-12 soft hackle in some swirlies could be tons-o-fun.  Then, later in the day, the deeper nymph was more effective. 

Area Lakes and Ponds:  
Beavertail is fishing great.  Bring a box of buggers and get to it.  In the next couple of weeks, there will be hatches of really large chrironomids.  They are about a size 16.  The fish target the huge nymphs right as they are hatching. All of the fish are brood stockers and have live thier entire lives in a tank so don't think to hard.  I just grease a hare's ear and give it micro wiggle in the film.  One fun thing that happens at the pond is when there are large flying skwala hatches on the Clark Fork which is just across the highway.  A handfull of the skwalas actually fly over and oviposit in the pond.

Harpers Lake is also fishing great for brood stockers.  They are a bit more picky here than at Beavertail.  I think that the only logical reason for this is that the water is crystal clear and they can see better.  A brown wooly bugger has been the key here.  You'll want to have a boat for fly fishing although, it is not absolutely crucial.  These fish will also eat on top but they are stupid fish so don't over-think it.  I was eating sunflower seeds and spitting the seed shucks in the water.  The huge brood stockers were eating them off the surface.  I guess they look like hatchery pellets.

Browns Lake is currently having some access issues.  The majority of the shoreline (especially where people like to fish on the eastern banks) is private.  I guess the landowners are now enforcing their no trespass rights.  Stream acsess does not apply to lakes, so don't go here if you don't have a boat.        
    

Will You Do The Trick?

This is a great song from Dr Dog's Be the Void album.  If you plan on fishing the streams around Missoula anytime soon, you may need something that does the trick.  It's tough out there right now.

Bitterroot River:
The flow is pretty huge for this time of year.  The river is closed from Woodside to Tucker due to the dangers of that low head dam.  I'm sure you could get into some fish on the Root but your going to need a boat, some nymphs and split shot, and long drive up to the forks area.

Blackfoot River:
Again, you could probably get into some fish here but it will be very difficult.  The Blackfoot is also carrying a bit of color as well.  All standard nymphs and streamers fished on inside bends and right of the banks (if your in a boat).

Clark Fork River (near Warm Springs)
The folks that run the gate opened it up last week.  The water was as big as I've ever seen it there and was carrying a bit of color.  Mill Creek was low and clear.  Weird.  The fishing was tough but I did hook into some giants.  The river becomes pretty silted by the time it gets to Deer Lodge.  Stay tuned to the RBM Chronicles as I will be posting a report on the toxic sediment mediation and bank restoration that is taking place up there and closing part of the river.

Clark Fork (around Missoula)
Huge and colored.

Rock Creek
Even the Creek got huge with the push of flows starting last week.  I bet a bunch of big Clark Fork trout moved on in with these great spawning conditions.  You'd be very limited for fish-able water if your wading but it should shape up soon, I hope.  You can go way up high.

Area Lakes/Ponds
Beavertail is fishing great.  I caught another 30+" rainbow last week and had fun losing others and getting those hits that feel like you stuck into a log.  For fat old hatchery fish, they are really fun to catch.  One of the larger ones I caught actually did a double tail-walk like a brown trout on the MO.  I yelled and laughed, more because I was surprised that the fish could do it, rather than the fact that he did.  You better go to the pond soon though because the bait fishers clean it out quick.  By the time the weather gets warm enough for swimming, Beavertail Pond should only be considered if you are physically handicapped or want to take a kid out.

I don't fish Frenchtown pond and now that it has thawed, I've got nothing to tell you until it freezes in the fall. There's ditch pickles bass in there.

Harpers Lake has to be thawed by now.  I've been meaning to get up there but it has been so windy it hasn't been worth it.  Harpers is managed just like Beavertail so, look for huge brood stock and throw a variety of buggers at them.  Harpers lake is a macrophyte dominated system so it is very clear.  It is also a natural lake and is quite pretty.  It is in a deep pothole so the wind isn't as bad down in there.  Sometimes, when it gets too windy at Browns Lake, Harpers Lake shines as a less windy alternate.

I imagine Browns is ice free too but the wind up there must be horrendous.  You got to fish early before the wind starts.  Browns Lake has always been a bit of a puzzle for me.  I want to work on that puzzle; maybe this week.