The Missoula area still has some spring fishing opportunities left, but soon runoff will show up and we will be out of commission until late June. There are several options when our local rivers look like chocolate milk that generally will produce some pretty exciting fishing at times.
We’ll start with the obvious, The Missouri. The Missouri is a tailwater fishery located approximately two hours away from Missoula between the cities of Helena and Great Falls. Holter dam provides consistent water temperatures, flows and food for the fish below it. Recent fish counts have listed fish numbers on the upper river (Dam-Craig) somewhere around 6400 fish per mile, a historical high. Fish size also impresses many first time visitors as well. 16-20″ is the norm. From nymphing for numbers to targeting fish sipping Baetis to chucking streamers this fishery has something for everyone, but don’t expect to be alone.
There are some short windows on upper reaches of our main area rivers that fish pretty well until the surge of water hits. The West Fork of the Bitterroot can be a very good option as flows out of Painted Rocks Reservoir are usually held back until late May. Concentrate around the upper West Fork (Nez Perce Creek and above) as many tributary streams add water volume quickly. Expect great hatches of March Browns, Grey Drakes and lingering Skwalas through early May. In the complete opposite direction lies the Upper Clark Fork. The area around Warm Springs is well known although great fishing opportunities exist downstream as well, so go explore a bit.
Lake fishing outside the Missoula area usually takes place as soon as the ice starts receding from the shores. Anywhere from early April till early May. The first option to open up is Brown’s Lake located just East of Ovando. As soon as open water appears near the banks, huge rainbows begin cruising and the sight fishing can be phenomenal. Keep your ears open, because you want to be there around the first few days of open water. It’s starting to get very popular. Georgetown lake is another great option. Fish numbers have been outstanding when the ice comes off, which is generally a little later in May as this lake is fairly high in elevation. Good patterns for these lakes generally include chironomids ( red, black 10-16) egg patterns (pink, orange 12-14) Seal Buggers (Black, Olive/orange, olive 6-10) and buggers (black, olive, brown 6-10). A floating line will get the job done, but often times fish will move to deeper water as more ice recedes. In this case, carrying anywhere from an intermediate to a type 3 sink tip will cover the bases for you. Check the regulations as many of the bays are closed to protect spawning trout.
Pike are becoming a very sought after fish in the Missoula, and for good reason. Sight fishing for these beasts can be unparalleled. As the area rivers are on the rise, many backwaters and sloughs will gain more water and pike can be found patrolling such areas. The lower Bitterroot provides excellent sloughs for pike as does the Clark Fork just below town. Most are best accessed by boat as private property can prohibit access. The Seeley Lake chain also provides excellent Pike numbers with the odd big trout thrown in. Once all trout through this system, pike were introduced and easily found their place in the food chain, above the trout. Even though Pike are an awesome species to target we must remember the havoc they can reek on wild trout populations, so don’t feel bad whacking one over the head. They taste great!
One last piece of advice is to pay attention to the USGS streamflow graphs, especially on upper sections and forks of rivers. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/MT/nwis/current/?type=flow. Many times these areas will clear quickly and will be overlooked until the major hatches arrive. So cheer up, summer and Salmonflies will be here soon!
