BITTERROOT RIVER FLY FISHING — Angler's Guide

Offering some of the most gorgeous scenery in our area, the West Fork of the Bitterroot River is a fly fisherman’s paradise. The “West Fork” begins beneath Painted Rocks Reservoir before trickling down to its confluence with the East Fork near Conner. Before then, several fishing access sites and pull-offs give anglers the opportunity to wade this small, yet mighty river. Although the West Fork is high and nearly impossible to wade during May and June, the West Fork is an idyllic wading river during much of the season. Driving down West Fork Rd, fishing accesses like the Job Corps and Applebury lead anglers into the charming freestone stream, where native westslope cutthroat readily take dry flies from spring until early fall.

A lesser-known, yet charming small stream is the East Fork of the Bitterroot River. While maybe not as prolific as its larger, reservoir-fed counterpart, the East Fork is like the West Fork in that they are both perfect for anglers that enjoy small freestone wade fishing. Anglers that venture up the East Fork will adore it for its juicy pocket water and small-stream character, with plenty of westslope cutthroat looking up.

The Bitterroot begins to pick up steam and grow in volume at the confluence of the East and West Forks. There, the Bitterroot will run past Hannon Memorial bridge, through the town of Darby, and snake through the upper Bitterroot Valley to the town of Hamilton. From this point to its headwaters, the Bitterroot River is considered a “cutthroat stronghold,” yet is home to several species. This is often referred to as the “upper Bitterroot.” It’s unique, riffly and quick character lends itself to be fished from both the boat and the shore depending on the time of year. Throughout the season, this stretch of the Bitterroot boasts some of the most impressive aquatic insect hatches by volume and lends itself to be fished well with big dries and nymphs. Anglers here will find both a mix of native westslope cutthroat, as well as many rainbows and browns.

Often referred to as the “middle Bitterroot,” the Bitterroot between New Bridge in Hamilton to the town of Stevensville is characterized by many braided side channels and snaky logjams. This maze-like section of the Bitterroot is home to amazing fishing structure with woody debris, logjams, and cutbanks. Wade and float anglers alike can spend days picking apart all of the available water in this stretch. While the fishing here can be lights out, sometimes too much “structure” can be dangerous. It’s important to check with our fly shop before exploring this area as it can be dangerous at certain water conditions.

The lower Bitterroot, downstream of Stevensville bridge, is characterized by big, wide stretches of river. Depending on the time of year, this is likely the least wade-friendly stretch of the Bitterroot River. That being said, we love the lower Bitterroot for its long runs, deep pools and challenging dry fly fishing. While this stretch of the Bitterroot has fewer fish per mile than the upper river, it’s typically home to a larger average sized fish. Cutthroat are still prevalent here, but large rainbows and browns roam here more commonly (with the occasional pike, too.)

No longer the secret that it once was, the Skwala hatch motivates anglers and trout alike out of winter’s slumber. Fish have a hard time passing up such a large meal and some of our biggest trout of the year, especially browns, are taken during the Skwala hatch each spring

• MARCH: Marking the change of seasons, from winter to spring, March is the real start of the Bitterroot River fly fishing season—notably marked by the emergence of the skwala stonefly hatch during the first warm weather of the year.
  
• APRIL: As April approaches we start to see regular mayfly hatches of Grey Drakes, March Browns, and Blue-wings. This is a favorite time of year for our guides as sheer dry fly gluttony ensues. Anglers who fish the spring once usually return year after year for the opportunity of big trout on big dries.
• MAY: While May typically brings spring runoff, it can be a challenging time to fly fish the Bitterroot River. If weather cooperates early in the month, fishing can be spectacular. Most often, the Bitterroot will blow out after the first real heat of spring and become difficult to fish to unfishable.

Intro, hatches, expectations, where to fish, strategy, recommended flies, etc.

• JUNE: This is big water and big bug time.The action starts early in the month on the East and West Forks with giant salmonfly patterns. Characterized by fast flows and short drifts this is the best time to find large trout gorging on the daily feast of stoneflies. By mid-month Golden stones and Green Drakes can be found throughout the system and cloudy June days can provide some of the most epic fishing of the season.
• JULY: The big stoneflies and drakes will linger into the early part of July gradually giving way to consistent hatches of Yellow Sallies and PMDs. The trout will start to congregate in pods to feed on the daily emergence of mayflies and little stones.
• AUGUST: The peak of summer is hopper time. Trout lie in wait along grassy banks and under logjams to ambush these hapless terrestrials when they hit the water. The morning trico hatches provide ample targets on the lower river that will test your skills. These fish feed willingly regardless of weather, but they demand a good fly with the proper presentation. The Hecuba, or Fall Drake, will show up mid-month and can provide some of the most exciting fishing of the summer. Trout have a hard time passing up a juicy mayfly when all they have seen is hoppers drifting over them for weeks.

Arguably the most gorgeous time of the year, fall on the Bitterroot is an angler’s paradise. Fall dry fly fishing on the Bitterroot can be some of the best of the year. As the season goes on, streamer fishing heats up for those big, predatory browns and rainbows.

• SEPTEMBER: Hopper fishing is a mainstay throughout the fall, but you can expect solid trico hatches early in the month and technical dry fly fishing with long, fine leaders can be especially exciting for the angler who wants to test their skills.
• OCTOBER:  Mahoganies and Blue-wings offer some magical dry fly fishing later in the fall. The trout seem to become a little less wary as the temps fade, and feed heavily on the afternoon mayfly hatches.
• NOVEMBER: While most of the fall mayfly hatches have tapered off for the season, November (and much of winter) offers an opportunity to chase the big fish of the river with streamers. 

Winter fishing on the Bitterroot is arguably your best option when it starts to cool off. While your window can be short, epic days can be had nymphing deep pools and dead drifting streamers.

• DECEMBER: When the conditions are right, December can be an exceptional month to fish. The crowds are gone and solitude can be easily found, making this one of our favorite times of year to fly fish the Bitterroot River. While most of your fishing will be nymphing, if the weather is right, you can find some great streamer fishing and a potential for short windows of midge dry fly fishing in the afternoons.
• JANUARY: The doldrums of mid-winter in the Bitterroot Valley brings spotty fishing when the weather is right but often it ices up and is unfishable for periods of the month. When the weather has been mild for a few days, the fishing can be decent, but anglers will find the most success fishing deep holes with nymph rigs drifted nice and slow.
• FEBRUARY: Much like the rest of winter, February is a spotty month for Bitterroot River fly fishing. Weather is the key factor in whether the river is fishing well or fishable at all. If the weather lines up, nymphing in the deep "winter water" or deep, slow holes will produce. February can be an excellent month for streamer fishing, and the hardcore angler will focus on this month to produce their personal best for the year as the larger trout are looking for easy meals after the long, cold Montana winter.