The Clark Fork River is still high and muddy. We would recommend Rock Creek, Georgetown Lake, or Flint Creek.
Fly fishing the Clark Fork River this time of year is not impossible, it is simply just not the best option. A short drive to Philipsburg gets you to fishable water.
That said, if you do fish the Clark Fork, look out for a few caddisflies hatching. Usually this picks up in the late afternoon and you can try tossing a dry along the flooded banks.
Here are a few tips for fly fishing the Clark Fork River:
1. Identify fishable water all the way up against the banks.
2. Try swinging a soft hackle behind a streamer in the long, walking speed runs.
3. Try double nymph rigs against the banks in slow water, with a mix of a hot bead worm, TJ Hooker, or perdigon.
Here are a few fly suggestions:
1. Olive perdigon size 16
2. Purple Haze size 12-20
3. Pink Depth Charge Worm size 10
4. Kreelex Minnow size 6, in copper/gold
5. TJ Hooker size 12-14, in coffee/black
6. Pheasant Tail Nymph size 16-20
7. Hot Bead San Juan Worm size 10, red with a hot orange bead
8. caddis pupa size 14-16
Flows and looking ahead:
Flow: 6880 cfs near Drummond at the time of publishing this report.
Here is a link to the Clark Fork River above Missoula, Montana, USGS Water Information.
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Tight lines!