!! Weigh Station to Sha-Ron float is closed until October 31st !!

The Clark Fork above Missoula is up from the last report and sitting around 1,650 cfs. That is a nice early-fall level and gives the river more life than it had during the lowest late-summer flows. The river is still technical in slow, flat water, but the added flow and cooler water should help fish use banks, seams, riffles, and foam lines more confidently.

The weekend weather helped the Clark Fork. Rain on Saturday, cooler nights, and softer conditions all helped freshen the system. The forecast now turns warmer and drier early this week around Missoula, with highs near the upper 70s and low 80s through Thursday. A cooler shift Friday into the weekend, with shower chances returning, should improve fish comfort and may help the dry-fly and streamer bite.

Look for trout on riffle edges, current tongues, foam lines, inside bends, soft banks, tailouts, side-channel seams, and deeper green lanes. This is a river where watching before casting pays off. If fish are working the surface, match the lane and pace of the rise. If not, nymphing a small mayfly, caddis pupa, or jig pattern under a terrestrial or indicator should stay productive.

The hatch menu is changing into fall. Terrestrials are still worth fishing, especially hoppers, ants, and beetles along grassy banks, islands, and soft edges. BWOs are the next major hatch to watch when clouds, drizzle, or cooler afternoons line up. Anglers are already seeing October Caddis, and Mahogany Duns and Hecubas should become more important in the coming weeks.

Streamer fishing deserves a serious look as we move deeper into September. Cooler water, cloud cover, and a little color can make better fish more responsive to movement. Try small to medium sculpins, Sparkle Minnows, Thin Mints, Kreelexes, and compact articulated patterns along banks, shelves, and soft inside seams.

What's Working

Dry Flies

• Hoppers #8-12
• Ants #12-18
• Beetles #12-16
• Chubby Chernobyls #8-14
• Water Walkers #8-12
• BWO Dries #18-22
• Elk Hair Caddis #14-18
• X-Caddis #14-18
• Corn Fed Caddis #12-18
• October Caddis Adults #8-12
• Mahogany Duns #14-16
• Hecubas #10-12
• Parachute Adams #14-20

Nymphs

• Frenchies #14-18
• Pheasant Tails #14-20
• Perdigons #14-20
• BWO Nymphs #18-22
• Prince Nymphs #12-16
• Caddis Pupa #12-18
• October Caddis Pupa #8-12
• Jigged Hare’s Ears #14-18
• Small jig nymphs #16-20

Streamers

• Sparkle Minnows
• Mini Dungeons
• Peanut Envy
• Sculpzilla
• Thin Mint
• Woolly Buggers
• Kreelex
• Barely Legal
• Small sculpin patterns