Bitterroot River Fishing Report

Bitterroot River Fishing Report

Bitterroot River Fishing Report

Updated Monday, March 18 at 9:18AM
Noted for exceptional dry fly fishing throughout its 80 mile course, the Bitterroot wonders through cottonwood bottoms in the shadow snow capped peaks.  Major hatches of stone flies, mayflies, and caddis start early in March here and continue on right through November.  The braided nature of the Bitterroot provides for delightful combination float/wade trips affording anglers to get out of the boat periodically to ply seldom fished side channels and backwaters.  Fly fishing the Bitterroot seldom disappoints.

Conditions At-a-glance

Our Report

Tip of the Week:

Long drifts close to structure are the name of the game when fishing Skwala imitations.  We are talking about inches making the difference between a hungry fish crushing your foam bug or not.  Cutting off the dropper and committing to the dry fly will certainly reward you with more dry fly eats, and potentially your best fish of the year.  Tuck it in tight and don’t forget to twitch it!

*See our 7 Day Outlook for updates on blockages jamming up the Bitterroot. 

7 Day Outlook:

Fishing forecast looks great!  Get out there and plan to maximize the afternoon hours.

If you are floating please use extreme caution. This river changes rapidly and is known to produce fatal log jams. Give us a call for an updated obstruction report. If you see any issues be sure to call us or send pics so we can share the same. Thanks.

*There are currently MANY obstructions on the Bitterroot. 

Hannon-Wally: Several sweepers in this section.  It is getting tougher as water drops.

Wally-Anglers: flows over Sleeping Child dam are always dicey!  Don’t consider running after a scout unless you are highly skilled.  The channel around the left side is too low to consider.

Veterans-Woodside: More wood down between New Bridge and Blodgett Park.  The river right channel will require careful scouting and likely boat dragging. The left channel was open this past week.

Woodside-Tucker: the left channel at the split is open but be sure to choose your splits wisely, and the right channel over the diversion dam may need to be portaged. Have a look before you run it.

Tucker-Bell: Still a few sketchy spots in here that require you to walk the boat. Follow the water and proceed with caution.

Bell-Stevi: Follow the sign that says “GO LEFT” to miss the log jam.  A new log is exposed in the “clear” channel so proceed with caution.

Best Techniques:

Skwalas are… here (in limited numbers)! Lots of nemouras and midges around and a few skwalas on the water.  Spring fishing on the Bitterroot is a great time to fish various techniques all in the same day.  If you are on the water early, start your day with streamers stripped slowly or dead drifted, or try a nymph rig in the deep slow stuff.  As the day warms and you shed your first layer it’s time to give the dry-dropper rig a shot.  A foam skwala imitation with a light to moderately weighted nymph will allow you to prospect likely water and maximize chances of an eat.  Once fish start rising to your dry, cut the dropper and fish a single or double dry fly rig.  This can also be a good time to try March Brown imitations if you are seeing them.  

*Traveling or in a hurry?  Let our knowledgeable staff pick a fly selection for you!

*The Online Store is updated daily!  Check it out!

*Call us for up to the minute updates at 406.542.7411 or if you are in the area stop in for all your Orvis gear and the right bugs.

Local Forecast

Deer Lodge, MT, USA

Conditions

Conditions are looking good

The Hatch

Midges. Nemouras. Skwalas.

Fly Patterns

DRIES

  • Griffiths Gnat #16-18
  • Goober Midge #18-20
  • Emerging Midge #18-20
  • Purple Haze #12-20
  • BWO Cripple #18-20
  • March Brown Cripple #14-16
  • Rolling Stone Skwala #10-12
  • Fools Gold #10-12
  • Plan B #10-14

NYMPHS

  • TJ Hooker #8-12
  • Duracell #12-14
  • Jig Pheasant Tail #12-14
  • Jig Prince #8-12
  • Frenchie #12-14
  • Perdigons and Bullets #12-14
  • Soft Hackle Hare's Ear #12-14
  • Rubber Legs #8-12
  • San Juan Worm #8-10

STREAMERS

  • Lil' Kim 04
  • Wooly Bugger/Thin Mint #6-10
  • Sparkle Minnow #4-8
  • Kreelex #4-6
  • Chicago Overcoat #8-12

USGS Water Charts

Specifics

Water Flow

794CFS (below average for this time of year)

Visibility

36"+

Water temperature at mid-day

47F

Water Condition

Clear

Best time of day to fish

Afternoon

Best stretch

The upper river will have cooler water and more consistent dry fly fishing. See our fishing report above for the most updated information on obstructions.

Best access point

Multiple fishing access points along the river.

Fish Species

Rainbows, browns, cutthroats, cutbows, pike minnows, suckers, pike and whitefish.

Fishing Season

All Year

Nearest airport

MSO (Missoula International Airport)

Recommended fly fishing leader

From a boat - 7.5' 3x-4x. Wading step it up to 9'

Recommended fly fishing tippet

3X, 4X and 5X will cover 90% of our fishing applications. 1-2X is great for punching out large, wind resistant dries in high dirty water. Don't drop lower than 12lb for streamers (we recommend a 4-5' 12-16lb tapered leader with a sink tip fly line). Leave the 6X at home.

Best fly fishing rod

The 9' 5WT is our do it all rod. Fast action rods will be best for most of our fishing; foam dries, dry-dropper fishing and nymphing. A fast action 6WT will be useful for large foam dries, small streamers, heavy nymph rigs and punching bugs through the afternoon wind. Bring a 7WT if you plan to fish large articulated streamers.

Best floating fly line

Scientific Anglers MPX or Rio Gold

Best sinking fly line

Scientific Anglers Trout Express or Rio Predator F/I/S3

Recommended Gear based on this report

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