Fishing on the Flathead River is improving daily. We are seeing the flows drop at a steady pace and the fishing is spectacular. In the last week we have moved almost completely over to dry fly fishing. This has been a hot week in the valley, look for the river to continually drop. The lower the water, the better the fishing.
The trout are looking up to pale morning dun (pmd’s), mayflies, some gnats, and stoneflies. We have consistently seen large stoneflies near the river. Fishing a Chubby Chernobyl along with other large terrestrial flies has produced plenty of feisty Cutties. Drop a small nymph such as a hare’s ear, copper john, or lightning bug a little ways down. This is a popular dropper rig to fish with the Chubby.
When fishing slows down try a streamer. These have brought a couple nice fish to the net. Small shiny streamers such as a sparkle minnow or kreelex minnow. Fish these with a slow retrieve. Look for deep, soft, water to fish these streamers in. Give the fly time to sink in the water column to better target the trout.
As the summer progresses look for the fishing to get better and better. The forks of the Flathead River continue to improve in clarity and accessibility for the wade fisherman. On the main stem in the evenings we have seen some incredible hatches. For about an hour in the evening every fish in the river is looking up, rising to a small mayfly hatch.
Enjoy your time on the water and happy fishing from Wild Montana Anglers.
