Alright alright! We are starting to get somewhere again! It's great to see all this water running through the Bitteroot, even though it's only May. However, it has made the fishing pretty difficult! We saw the Root peak at 11,600 CFS on friday the 15th and it has been steadily dropping with this colder weather. Nice! The BItteroot is still dropping and as of this morning, it's at 6,200. With these flows comes mud, which we've all seen  by now. The Bitteroot is still holding on to some of the color but I imagine within the next few days It'll be up and fishing again! The upper section is definitely fishing well, better than the mud garbage in the lower sections! The Woodside access is partially closed due to flooding. 

Subsurface, nymphing continues to produce solid numbers. Focus on deeper runs, seams, and transition water where fish are still holding and feeding. As water temps climb, activity below the surface is picking up—stonefly nymphs, Pat’s Rubber Legs, TJ Hookers, and smaller mayfly patterns like Perdigons, Pheasant Tails, Frenchies, Blowtorches, and Duracells are all getting it done. Focus of soft water pockets on the bank, get your bugs down quick... yadda yadda yadda. After the rain I bet fish will be looking for... you guessed it.. Turds and Womrs!

We're getting really close to some awesome dry fly fishing. The bug cocktail that comes offthis time of year will soon return and ignite fishnig for the rest of spring. On the menu are BWO's, caddis for sure. Fish these with a Corn Fed, PMX, or elk hair. Try dropping a last chance cripple, smaller Parahute adams, or a BWO emerger at rishing fish. Make sure to keep an eye out for Drakes, Salmon bugs, and Golden Stones. With these next few hot days in the week and plenty of water in the river, we might begin to see those orange bastards ermerge!

Fish are beginning to look up with more consistency, particularly during evening windows when hatch activity peaks. BWO's, March Browns, and maybe even a cheeky midge cluster. While mornings can still be hit-or-miss, the evening dry fly bite has been the highlight—making it well worth keeping a dry box handy if you’re out there.

Streamers are still very much in play as well. Fishing larger, darker, high-contrast patterns slowly through structure and deeper buckets has been effective for moving fish. Sparkle minnow, goldie, kreelex, mini dungeons, masked avengers, two tones... Anything that is small-medium, flashy and can get down quick.

As always this time of year, conditions can change quickly. Keep an eye on flows, watch for debris, and be cautious wading—especially around known hazards like the obstruction near Poker Joe.