Fisherman’s Mercantile at Rock Creek has the latest Rock Creek fishing report here:
CFS: 297
Water Temp: 55-63°F
Dries: Mid-sized hoppers, small ants, beetles, Sz 14 or smaller mayfly, attractors
Nymphs: Double-bead prince, pheasant tails, hare’s ears, streamers
Happy Labor Day! Despite the more moderate temps we saw at the end of August, there were surprisingly few people going up the road to take advantage of Rock Creek. With the coming of September, it will start to get more crowded here, especially on the weekends. However, the weekdays (particularly Monday thru Thursday) should still be on the quieter side of things, so if you are looking for a place to go without a ton of pressure, Rock Creek at the beginning or middle of the week will be a good option.
For now, we are still using lots of terrestrials. Small to mid-sized grasshoppers with an ant dropper have been a good combo to use in the late mornings and into the afternoons. The best dry fly fishing has been in the evenings, however, and that’s the time to fish those small mayfly patterns. To cut through the glare on the water that comes with that evening twilight, we’ve been using a parachute adams with a pink post:
I like to fish this little guy until I can’t see any longer in the evening, so consider this an option for your last bug if you are out late. Little PMDs, tricos, and other mayfly imitations on the smaller side have been producing well lately. Missoula local Jake Lee caught the above nice cutthroat on a small dry.
Later this month, we will begin to see mahogany duns and October caddis, and you can likely use their nymph/emerger equivalents right now and catch fish with them. With the water and weather conditions being what they are, it looks like it’s going to be a great September of fishing on Rock Creek!
