Brought to you by CrossCurrents Fly Shop (Helena & Craig)
3,300 CFS | The Sky: Rain and 50s/60s now, sunny 70s later.
Peak season is fully cooking. The upside is that the Missoula crowd should be heading home soon as the Westside clears up. Flows remain way below average, meaning wading is incredibly easy and accessible right now.
Here is your playbook for the week:
1. The Nymphing Game: Strong but Deep
Subsurface fishing is producing well, provided you don’t mind working through some whitefish. Start your mornings with a trusty worm/sowbug combo, then downsize your flies around 10:00 or 11:00 AM as the bugs start popping.
- The Setup: Run 5 feet to your first bug over 4-to-6-foot gravel bottoms.
- The Adjustment: Short-leash at 2–3 feet on the flats, banks, or right through rising pods.
- The Weapon: The Zirdle Bug is on fire—fish it in the fastest, shallowest water you can find.
- Box Checklist: Red Bead Duracell, Frenchie, Green Machine, Zebra Midge, Wire Worm, Brown Perdigons.
2. The Dry Fly Transition: Size Down
The PMD hatch is grinding to a halt, but columns of Tricos are stepping up to take their place. Dry fly action has been hit-or-miss, but the upper river near Holter and Wolf Creek Bridge is seeing massive Caddis hatches at sundown. Crucial tip: Go as small as possible with your Caddis imitations. These fish are highly educated by now and will snub anything that looks unnatural.
- Box Checklist: Corn Fed Caddis, Missing Link, Sparkle Dun, Film Critic, Elk Hair.
3. Streamers: Throw Meat Now
The incoming rainy front and temperature drop mean streamer fishing is about to go crazy. Grab the heavy artillery and swing some big meat under these dark skies before the summer weeds take over the river.
- Box Checklist: Kreelex, Sparkle Minnow, Sex Dungeon, Lil Kim (Maddin-style articulated).
