High water has come to town! The bitterroot is swollen with runoff but is still in a very fishable state. Currently it is sitting at 4450 CFS and is trending downward after a spike on the fourth though we anticipate it climbing steadily again with this coming hot week. Water clarity is a bit colored up, but it’s clearer than the Clark Fork in town at the moment and is fishing well by comparison.

The dry fly fishing has been great, warm sunny afternoons and rising water have made for some wonderful afternoons dry fly fishing. The golden stones are going off in the evening, so foam stonefly patterns in the 12-14 range are a great pick, especially for running with a small nymph as a dropper. Grey drakes, BWOs, Mothers day caddis, and midges are all hatching as well so there are a few hatches to pursue throughout the day.

Nymphing is always a reliable move no matter the season, but especially in this early spring high water fishing where water clarity is an obstacle. Clarity isn’t too bad at the moment, but a burst of high water or heavy rain can change that in hours. Running a small nymph as a dropper for a dry fly can be a great way to search for fish keyed in on emerging nymphs. Running a double nymph rig under an indicator is also an ever-reliable method to getting fish in the boat when nothing else is getting it done.

Streamer fishing is another great option to combat the poor water clarity, much like our nymphs we opt for big dark colored streamers that contrast the muddy water. If targeting big browns concentrate on the faster flows and undercut banks. The pike are also in full spawning mode, and will be stacked up in the sloughs on warm days or holding in slack water at the slough mouths and inner river bends on cooler frosty days. Taking the time to paddle up a slough can make for some killer sight fishing. Many of the sloughs in the bitterroot are spring fed and stay crystal clear even when the main river is blown out, so you can see massive pike cruising