Valley Changes
You can feel it every morning right now. The snow in the hills is disappearing quick, the rivers are pushing hard, and every day seems to bring a little different look to the water. Spring in western Montana is officially here, with summer right on its heels.
The local Missoula fishery is a little too blown out at the moment to really settle into consistent fishing. The Clark Fork is moving a lot of water and the Blackfoot has been big, dirty, and tough to predict day to day. Some stretches honestly look more like chocolate milk than trout water right now. Local reports have flows on the Blackfoot pushing well above normal runoff levels with changing clarity depending on overnight temperatures and how fast the remaining snowpack melts off.
That being said, the Blackfoot feels like it’s right on the brink of coming back into shape. A couple cooler nights and a little stabilization and we could be looking at some really good windows. There have already been moments where the fishing turns on for a few hours and reminds you exactly why this season is worth waiting for.
The fishing overall has been pretty good at moments, but definitely inconsistent. You’ll grind through slower periods and then suddenly move a couple really quality fish in softer water. The bigger browns have definitely started showing themselves. We’ve seen some big fish lately, especially on streamers and heavier nymph setups fished tight to the banks and slower seams. Running a short leash set up in the clouds has shown some promise along with a dry dropper allowing those shallow big fish to get drifted to proper.
Bugs are trying to get going too. We’re seeing some BWOs, March Browns, and a few caddis around during the warmer parts of the afternoon, but honestly we could really use some steady rain. The rivers need it and so do the bugs. A nice stretch of moisture would help stabilize things, add some color back to the valleys, and hopefully keep water around later into the summer. When the caddis show up this early I start to get nervous that our BWO season is over but with promising cooler weather in the forecast I feel we still have time with our early mayflies.
There’s definitely a little more boat traffic than usual for this time of year too. People are anxious to get out there and take advantage of any decent window between runoff surges. You can see people skaing the winter cabin fever around town. Boat ramps are busy, shops are full in the mornings, and everyone seems ready for summer to finally settle in.
Still, even with the tougher conditions, this is one of my favorite times of year to be on the water. Everything feels alive again. The cottonwoods are greening up, the valley is waking up, and every day brings the possibility that things finally click into place.
We’re close.
Bring on some rain, a little stability, and a few good bug days. The next stretch could get really interesting.
