Fly Fishing the Bitterroot River

The Bitterroot Valley holds one of Montana's most consistent dry-fly rivers: 80-plus miles of freestone water running south from Missoula through a working valley framed by the Bitterroot Range. The Skwala hatch kicks things off early and a strong fall caddis and BWO season keeps fish feeding until the snows arrive.

13 shops nearby

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When to fish

March–October

Best months: March–October

Best
Off-peak

Skwala Stonefly: March–April. Salmonfly / Golden Stonefly: late May–June.

Today's conditions

Where to fish

Missoula to Darby

Wye1 shopMissoula7 shops

Nagos1 shopGrantsdale1 shop

US-93 runs the length of the Bitterroot Valley from Missoula to Darby, with Montana FWP access sites throughout. The river is well-suited for both wade and drift-boat fishing; key access towns include Florence, Stevensville, Hamilton, and Darby. Over 80 miles of public trout water.

The water

Freestone

Key hatches

Little Black Stonefly
Blue-Winged Olive
Blue Quill
Golden Stonefly
Pale Morning Dun

Hatch calendar

Conditions

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6-day forecast

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Forecast from the National Weather Service ↗

Hatch calendar

Months each hatch is active on the Bitterroot River, with hook sizes and local timing notes.
Hatch · hook	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O
Little Black Stonefly(stoneflies)hook #12	March	April	May
Blue-winged Olive(mayflies)hook #16–20October		April	May	June			September	October
Blue Quill(mayflies)hook #16–18				June	July	August
Golden Stonefly(stoneflies)hook #8–10late May–June				June	July
Pale Morning Dun(mayflies)hook #16–18June–July				June	July	August	September
Salmonfly(stoneflies)hook #4–8				June	July
Western Green Drake(mayflies)hook #8–10				June	July
Yellow Sally(stoneflies)hook #14–16				June	July	August
Trico(mayflies)hook #20–24September					July	August	September