The latest word from Kingfisher Fly Fishing, located at 926 East Broadway in Missoula, is that Rock Creek is running low, clear, and cool—which is excellent if an angler enjoys stalking trout and less excellent if that angler walks like a moose.
Flows are around 265 cfs at Clinton, with late-morning water temperatures near 58 degrees. Those cooler temps are encouraging, but the skinny water has trout on high alert. Kingfisher’s advice is simple: “Move slowly, stay low, and fish good water before stepping into it.”
This is strictly a boots-on-the-ground operation, as floating isn’t allowed. The best hunting grounds are pockets, boulder edges, riffle drops, undercut and shaded banks, inside bends, and softer seams tucked alongside faster water. As Kingfisher notes, “Trout become easier to locate but much easier to spook.” Translation: if the fish can count the flies on an angler’s hat, the approach could use some work.
The late-summer menu is also taking over. Hoppers, ants, and beetles are increasingly worth tossing tight to grassy and brushy banks, while PMD spinners and tiny Tricos can get attention in softer morning water. When daylight starts fading, caddis become the bug to watch around riffles, foam lines, and pocket edges.
Smaller dries, longer leaders, lighter tippet, and tidy presentations are the name of the game. Frenchies, Perdigons, Pheasant Tails, and small jig nymphs are solid subsurface choices, while little Sparkle Minnows, sculpins, Thin Mints, and Woolly Buggers can tempt fish willing to chase.
The Rock Creek recipe: get there early, find some shade, walk quietly, throw terrestrials near the bank, and pretend every trout has already spotted the angler—because there’s a decent chance it has. You can find their full report here from August 26, 2026.
Report information courtesy of Kingfisher Fly Shop, 926 East Broadway, Missoula, Montana.
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