During the season anglers in your boat often ask, “What’s the best time to fish Missoula?” Each month March through October has unique advantages.  Depending on what you enjoy as an angler the answer can be any month within the season. With March rapidly approaching there are a few potential highlights that are worth pointing out.

Top end predatory trout are vulnerable early in the year, and are prone to making rare mistakes that often don’t happen again later in the the summer. Larger class browns and rainbows are sensitive to pressure and drifting the fly over them while their metabolism is firing up, fresh out of the winter lull, can produce beautiful trout sliding into the net.  That same fish later in the season returns to its usual elusive ways, remembering past encounters, and is far more selective when feeding.

With our rivers fluctuating up and down due to the springtime temperature swings, the trout reset more quickly in their feeding lanes.  Their seemingly shorter memories and quicker resets between feeding affords us more opportunities to get the perfect drift to them and find success.  A large skwala pattern tucked in tight to an undercut bank, is a tough meal to pass up after a long winter.

Additionally, most tourism in Missoula takes place during the summer and early fall with people looking to experience a variety of activities outside of fly fishing alone. For serious anglers who enjoy quiet rivers, dry fly fishing, and don’t mind cooler temperatures, the spring can be a fantastic time to get your fly rod out of the tube again.

The name of the game for us in the early season is to be flexible.  Weather conditions and water levels can widely fluctuate, and a veteran team of guides who have experienced these different conditions in the past is key. Springtime weather is more unpredictable than mid-summer, and we range from the possibility of snow to sunny blue bird days in the 60s.  This unpredicatability is the reason we offer discounted trips in March and April.  Spingtime trips offer the advantage of travelling outside the height of summer tourism, and produce great fishing at a lower price point.

With the momentum of 2021 behind us, 2022 is booking up quickly. We would love to help you plan a trip and share our water with you!