Wild Rainbow Trout Bitterroot River
Bitterroot River Montana December 2018 Fishing – Sort Of
The pace of a Missoula fishing guide’s life slows down quite a bit in the winter. Most of us take on odd jobs while our rivers sleep. We do watch the Missoula weather and the magic number we like is a winter day over 40 degrees with the slush fully cleared. If a few flexible schedules open up we go fishing – sort of.
Launching on the Bitterroot River
Bitterroot river near Victor Montana
The great winter hatch that can show up on the Bitterroot River is the capnia stonefly. They are unreliable at best and it takes an equally intermittent midge hatch overlap to create pods of sippers. Those are the great days when easy pods of risers feast in the glass water for a few hours in the low winter afternoon light.
Glassy Pool Bitterroot River
We lucked into some warm weather on Friday, but the bugs didn’t show. Fishing then devolves into nymphs under the dreaded “bite indicator.” Enthusiasm twists and wanes quickly when you are dragging san juan worms through the slow winter pools and riffles.
Do I really have to nymph?
Winter days can quickly turn into a strong doses of anti shack nasty medicine. The warm low south hanging sun on the back purges the monotony of grey of inversions. The bite indicator going down or not doesn’t effect the potency of the medicine.
Winter Sun on the Face
Conversations divert to catching up with friends rather than which fly to use.
Laughing over coffee
Its not like we don’t fish at all. Catching a few always makes for a nice re-connect with our friends who spend their winter wet.
Vampire Trout Bitterroot River
Getting a rod back in your hand doesn’t hurt either. That it is more a casting tool, than an instrument of catching doesn’t seem to matter when fishing is taken as only a small part of the day.
Letting a cast sail in the Montana winter sun
And you do get a few if you want to fish enough. The right build of the water where you can pick up a fish are just as unreliable as the stoneflies that would make for exceptional bobber less fishing.
Youngster Brown Trout
The topic of boat talk can get a little weird. We have too much time to think this time of year. Nate and I were informed that Brooks is developing a fish kissing program. He believes this will soon become his signature move destined to take over social media #fishlicker . Up until Friday it was only a theory.
From what I have seen in practice he still has some kinks to work through.
#thefishlicker
Good to be outside floating a river in Montana with friends again.
Blog post created by Joe Cummings. For bio please visit Missoula Fishing Guides.
