Seasons of the Blackfoot
Early season on
the Blackfoot is much less predictable than either the Bitterroot or
The Clark Fork, but when it fishes, it fishes BIG!! If the water temperature
warms up to the point where the fish are active, Skwala stoneflies and
grey drakes will motivate fish to the surface that will range from 6"
up to 30". This is a great river for novices and expert alike since
littler fish will keep the action hot and heavy while adept casts and
drag free drifts can bring up fish that will scare you! Nymphing and
streamers are almost always effective this time of year on the Blackfoot.
This is definitely
the time of year when you should be on the Blackfoot. This river has
a salmonfly hatch that is very intense and lasts longer than any other
river in the area.....Rock Creek included. While we don't have the consistent
praise for the Blackfoot in April/May that we do for some of our other
rivers, in June, it's one of the hottest! This is also one of the best
times of year to fish streamers for big fish and end up having fish
with heads the size of Donald Trump's come up and eat your size 4 salmonfly
dry.
Very consistent fishing to be had this time of year on the Blackfoot,
even when the dog days of summer have slowed down the midday fishing on
some of the other rivers. A wide variety of hatches that include
salmonflies, caddis, grasshoppers and many different mayflies make for
some great dryfly fishing on one of the most scenic rivers in the area.
The water remains very cold all year long on the Blackfoot and because
of this, fish are almost always willing to eat on the surface during
the summer. The flip side to this is that the Blackfoot tends to shut
down to good dryfly fishing sooner than most other rivers and usually
by mid to late September it's all over with. From the time it begins
fishing, however, until it shuts down in the fall, the Blackfoot is
hands down the best terrestrial and streamer river in the area.
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