August Rain
Just when we thought our late summer fishing was going to be a drag, the rain showed up! It happened, we got our precipitation. It was not the amount I was hoping for but enough to limp us through a low water year. I think the resilience of our drainages have shown this year with what was produced in late July and early August with a dry year. Hoot Owl restrictions came early along with thin water and hot temps. It was adding up to be quite the pitiful late summer. However, in the last week we have seen a significant amount of rainfall that dropped our water temps to a reasonable level for fish survival. I would have loved to see a few inches that would have blown us out for a while and kept the rivers higher but I will take what I can get. Today marks the 5th straight day with water temps below 68 on the Lower Clark. Yesterday I wrapped up an overnight float with my family on the Blackfoot and noticed the water temps were doing better as well, but with as low as that river is I believe they will still see temps above 70 degrees in the upcoming days.
In the past few weeks I have narrowed my scope of view towards the fisheries I know best, the nocturnals seem to have vanished with some sporadic days here and there where the shucks litter the bridge pillars and rocks. The hoppers are chirping and the tricos are buzzing. If you know where to go you will still have epic fishing. I’ve been tying on single hoppers in the afternoon the past two weeks and watched big fish sluuuuurp them up! I have run my hopper dropper setup with a tight 16” midge/trico dropper and picked up some shallow feeding trout. With the rain came the early stages of our Hecuba which can be a fantastic late summer mayfly. I picked up a handful of big browns on it. I watched my lady client slam a giant 2ft rainbow on a nocturnal stone. I have yet to have a bad day of fishing this entire season and I don’t plan on it. I still stay nomadic, bouncing around in my drift boat and my raft, never repeating the same float in a week, letting my spots rest. I don’t like chasing my shadow around so I will continue to stick and move. The smallmouth bass fishing has been insanely good, even a 6 year old can get them! Soon my dry fly clients will be here and I will spend the end of the month hopper fishing and trico fishing, looking for heads and slapping banks with giant terrestrials.
Although there is fresh water in the system I still feel the weight of the low water, my go to floats have decreased, my back is sore from dragging my boat, the sun still haunts me in my first year of outfitting. I will prevail, the fish still eat, the nights get longer and the air temps get cooler. I have moved most of my trips to half days, giving clients great early opportunities with a cut cost. We save the fish when we can and we save ourselves from the misery of the heat of they day. There are plenty of outfitters out there who will not be frank or honest with clients, they may not even offer a half day because it cuts into their profit margins. At what cost do we put money before the fishery? Should the state continue its “use it or lose it” irrigation rule? I am an optimist. I don’t see things in black or white. We can find middle ground but changes must come. Beat the heat, fish early, fish the epic trico hatches I am seeing, fish bass, fish pike. There is a lot we can do as anglers and guides and outfitters to preserve our resource but we need to think outside the box, even if it means taking a little loss. If you are looking for a good time on the river give me a call! I can promise we will have a good time and slay some fish while being responsible stewards of the river at the same time. I can say staying in the gym has helped me stay strong for long low water floats; keep hydrated, keep the beers in the fridge and save them for the cooler days, work hard and sleep hard-those are the keys to surviving a long summer as a successful guide in Missoula!
