Short answer: yes, go. BlueStreamFly.com grades the Blackfoot River a 72/100 as of 9:36 p.m. on Oct. 28, 2026 and it’s refreshingly honest that there’s no single correct way to fish it — wading and floating tied at the top, which means the river isn’t going to make that call for you. Access, footing, weather, and the local rulebook get the vote instead. The numbers behind the score are reasonable: 690 cfs holding steady for about six hours at the Bonner gauge, water sitting at 43.9°F, air climbing toward a 46°F high under areas of fog, and only a 15% chance of rain. Late-October terms, that’s an honor roll.
The asterisk is a construction-related floating restriction running from the Weigh Station Fishing Access Site down to where the river slips under Interstate 90 — in place since mid-July — so a good day can still be a closed day if you don’t check Montana FWP before you rig up. Fish it accordingly: banks and inside seams first while the trout stay shy of the heavy mid-channel push, and walk away if the regs, water temps, or runoff turn pushy. The seasonal menu is blue-winged olive, sculpin, and leech patterns — starting points, not gospel, so match what’s actually coming off the water. Conditions and advisories courtesy of BlueStreamFly.com.
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