Bitterroot River Fishing Report

Tip of the Week: Focus on soft inside seams, tailouts, and woody structure. If you're heading out, be ready for both: BWO dries for the slow foam lines and a box of streamers for fish that want to chase.

7 Day Outlook: Rain moves into the Bitterroot valley Saturday with a high near 51. Saturday night turns to rain and snow with gusty north winds up to 30 mph and a low in the high 20s. Sunday stays cold with rain and snow and a high near 41. Monday is partly sunny and in the upper 40s. Tuesday through Thursday warm up with sunshine and highs from the mid 50s to around 60, reaching the mid 60s by Friday. Lows in the mid 20s to around 30.

Best Techniques: The cloudy, drizzly days could produce great BWO hatches, so have size 18–20 BWO dries ready for the slow foam lines and back eddies. If the fish aren't looking up, drop a Perdigon or Duracell under an indicator in the deeper seams. Streamers like a Sculpin, Olive/Yellow Dungeon, or Sparkle Minnow along log jams and drop-offs are a great way to find aggressive fish before and after the front.

Conditions change fast! Call us at 406.542.7411 for the most recent updates on area rivers, fly selection, and gear recommendations. Local to Missoula? Swing through the shop to get dialed in with the best gear from Orvis, Patagonia, and Skwala, plus the exact bugs they're eating today.