The Kingfisher

1) From Hannon to Darby is about a 6 mile float that is pretty
straight forward and has both a nice launch and takeout that are
suitable for driftboats. There isn't much to worry about here other
than staying alert for sweepers. If you extend the float to Wally
Crawford/Como, the drift becomes 11 miles of excellent trout water.
There is one diversion dam that's a non-event just a ways past the
Darby Bridge/access. You can almost always just run right over the top
of this obstacle without getting out of the boat. The takeout at Wally
Crawford is on the left just upstream of the metal bridge. The water is
moving fast here, so be on the left, ready to hop and hold the boat
once you see the bridgeMap

2)Wally Crawford to Angler's Roost/ Hamilton: This is another
long float of about 9 miles. There is a serious diversion dam in the
middle of this float that you'll need to portage either your raft or
driftboat around. The portage is pretty much downhill so if you have a
couple of guys, it's a doable float in a hardboat. The takeout is at
the Angler's Roost store immediately to the right after going under the
only highway bridge you'll come across. This is private property, but
if you go in and register in their book in the morning, you can launch
or take out there free of charge.
Map

3)Angler's Roost to Main St. Bridge, Silver Bridge, Blodgett
Park or Woodside: A nice launch site at Angler's allows you to choose
between 4 take outs . . . sort of. Hard boats are not an option at the
Main St. Bridge, and even in a raft, you'll be doing some dragging to
get your boat up the hill. This is a better option for personal
watercraft such as pontoon boats. The Silver Bridge is the main bridge
you cross on Hwy 93 when first entering Hamilton from the North end of
town. You can winch either a hardboat or a raft up the right side bank
just upstream of the bridge. It ain't pretty, but we do it often.
Depending on whether the Blodgett channel is obstruction free (which it
sometimes isn't), the Blodgett takeout is easy for all kinds of boats.
You'll want to inquire about this channel before you float. If that
channel isn't open, you can stay right provided there's plenty of
water, and bypass Blodgett taking you directly to the cement boat ramp
at Woodside/Corvallis. There are a couple of other things to be aware
of here. About 45 minutes after you launch at Angler's, you'll be faced
with a major fork in the river. For the past couple of years, either
fork was a viable option, but on some years, one of both of these forks
will become blocked with logs, etc… so make sure you check to see what
the latest is on that situation. There is also a nasty, boulder,
diversion dam between the Main Street Bridge and the Silver Bridge
that, in the last few years, has been made unfloatable. This causes you
to have to do a fairly obnoxious portage on the right side of the
river. Keep this in mind, especially if you're using a hardboat.
Map

4) Woodside to Tucker West: This is about a 6 mile float with
nothing out of the ordinary to worry about other than sweepers and
logjams. Where the Tucker east and west channels split, there's a new
diversion dam that is generally runable and if not, due to low water,
easily hand lined. Avoid the Tucker east channelMap

5) The Victor access is fine for a raft, ok for a hard boat if
you don't mind the smell of melting gel coat (you have to push the boat
down a rip rap bank). You throw the boat in on the southeast side of
the east bridge.
Map

6)Tucker West to Bell Crossing or Stevensville: The float from
Tucker to Bell is only about 5 miles, but it's great water. The last
couple of years, there have been some obstructions just below Tucker
which have necessitated portages, but nothing too intense and nothing
that excludes driftboats. If you continue past Bell Crossing and go on
the Stevensville, the float becomes a long 12 miles, which becomes MUCH
longer as the season gets later and water levels/speeds drop. All of
the accesses are very easy here and driftboat simple.
Map

7)Stevensville to Florence: This is a nice, long float of about
11 miles. Pretty much a straight forward piece of water with
opportunities at big fish. The launch at Stevensville is on the east
side of the river just below the bridge, while the Florence take
out/launch is just upstream of the Florence Bridge on the left. Both
are easy access for all types of boats.
Map

8)Florence to Lolo: This is great water, but another long float
(13 miles) with a really crappy takeout that involves portaging your
boat about 200 yards to the parking lot.
Map

9)Lolo to Fort Missoula: This is a great stretch of water but is
much different from the rest of the Bitterroot as a whole. The river
broadens, shallows and slows to spring creek type situations and pretty
much follows the highway the entire drift. The takeout is on the right
side, in a backwater slough, about 20 minutes after you go under the
black, metal highway bridge towards the end of the day.
Map

10)Fort Missoula to Kelly Island or Kona Bridge: The float to
Kelly Island is about 3 miles long, and you end up having to pull your
boat up the Kelly island channel to get to the boat ramp that is
actually on a braided channel of the Clark Fork that dumps into the
Bitterroot just below McClay Bridge. Mid and late season, this isn't a
problem, but when flows are heavy, getting a boat up that channel is a
real pain. If you extend the float to Kona bridge, you end up having
about a 9 or 10 mile float and using the Kona Bridge takeout that's
described on the Clark Fork write-up. The Bitterroot and Clark Fork
rivers converge just below the Kelly Island channel.
Map

Major hatches: Skwala stoneflies, nemoura stoneflies, capnia
stoneflies, salmonflies on the West Fork, PMD's, green drakes, hoppers,
caddis, mahoganies, tricos, blue wing olives.