We have gotten a bunch of warm weather in Missoula lately. It is raining in the valleys and snowing up top. The edges of our rivers are starting to clear and while Skwala stoneflies are far from imminent there has been some freestone nymphing opportunities that are emerging.
This is the time when we start getting the itch to start getting out and burning off the dark Missoula winter. For now we are mainly nymphing the mainstream water, but in the right weather we have some excellent afternoon dry fly fishing to trout sipping midges and on the best days chasing our Capnia stonefly hatch. You have to time up the weather to get the right water temps, but if you are a fishing guide without clients to row yet that can be very achievable. Its a nice time to be on the water as solitude is everywhere to be enjoyed.
In another month the opportunities will expand greatly with the entrance of Skwala Stoneflies trickling in the first few days of March on the Bitterroot River. This is a misunderstood hatch so I wanted to share my thoughts on the overall timetable for the Hatch:
The Skwala hatch last for about 6 weeks and travels through our system based on water temps in each drainage.
March – The hatch starts in the Mid Bitterroot around the 1st week of March. At first we get medium numbers of bugs on the Bitterroot, large browns, and stable water. The weather is cooler so our pre-run off water is very stable. By the end of the month this river will have the whole hatch the length drainage and highest numbers of Skwalas for the Bitterroot. Some bugs on the Lower Clark Fork start to show later.
April first two weeks – Usually the 1st week of April is around peak on the Bitterroot, but the hatch is starting to move down to the Clark Fork by the 2nd week.
April last two weeks into May – The hatch peters out of Bitterroot and spreads to the Clark Fork, Rock Creek, and on a warm year the Blackfoot. This is the peak numbers of bugs by a 10x factor because of the habitat on the Clark Fork. The downside is weather will be warmer and can move our water out in April. In that case we move our trips to the Missouri, for very productive nymphing. Unreliable and sparse dry fly fishing is on the Missouri river in March and April.
Any of these six weeks can be great dry fly fishing, or it can be a dropper bite based on air temp and flows. Because Spring weather is unpredictable it can have a large effect on angling success.
I personally like the first part of the hatch in March because of the stable water and the chance at a brown over 2 feet. I also like the end of April because if our water holds the Clark Fork Skwala fishing is the best of the year. It seems like our client base likes best the last week of March and first ten days of April.
Sorry for not being able to give an exact date, Skwalas are our slowest burning hatch and daily conditions always trump seasonal trends. If you would like to focus on the Bitterroot and don’t mind cooler weather then, I recommend coming in March. If warmer weather with more river options and more bugs interest you then April is a nice fit, but some years we move around 25% of our trips to the Missouri to nymph fish because our water will go out for a bit later in the hatch cycle.
