Fishing Report 6-8-19
Big Water
The Flathead river sure is looking good right now. We have good visibility and the flows have plunged down to 18,300 CFS. Let us hope we are at the end of runoff season. Fish are starting to eat well but they are holding in specific areas due to our high volume of water in the river. Look for slow inside turns, as well as side channels to find fishy water. These types of waters still allow trout easy access to food without having to exert a lot of energy to feed. Get those bobbers out and long leaders with heavy nymphs like Pat’s Rubber Legs, anything pink, and the infamous worm to dredge the bottoms but don’t be afraid to toss the dry. You might be pleasantly surprised! We are fishing to Cutthroat trout for goodness sake. They just can’t help but want to eat on top. Chubby Chernobyls in various colors, Purple Haze, and PMX are likely to give you a good smile when they are inhaled by a rising cutty.
Small Water
Our local creeks and small rivers are fishing really well right now. West of town we have been seeing a lot of big mayflies and the last remnants of Salmon flies. Dry fly fishing is pretty good with Drakes and other mayfly dries getting the most attention on top. Throwing a buoyant drake or foam attractor with mayfly nymphs and soft hackle droppers has been pretty effective. Small streamers have also been getting the attention of some above average fish. Fishing a conehead streamer on a floating line with a 4-6 ft leader has moved some really impressive trout. Nymphing has also produced good results lately. We have seen trout this week eat caddis pupa, mayflies,( both swimmer and clingers), and stonefly nymphs under a bobber. Keep your bobber setup consistent with the depth of the water you are fishing and you should see your bobber plunging quite often.
Stillwaters
Stillwater fishing continues to be great around the Flathead Valley. Large fish are still eating on the regular. Long leaders (12-20ft) with bobbers and balanced leech are still getting smashed by nice trout. Heavy sink tips (T-8 – T12) and larger streamers with slow retrieves are also getting some really nice fish to hand. The most productive balanced leech and streamer colors have been black, maroon, black/red, greens, and purples.
Have fun out there and as always if you have any questions or want to know more about the fishing in our area please feel free to give us a call (406) 261-4343 or stop by Lary’s Fly and Supply. Mark
