How To Fish It
- Fish deep and slow along the bottom where trout are holding in cold water.
- Use Double nymph rig with heavy split shot.
- Favor Beadhead, sparse dubbing, and natural coloration.
Bugs & Best Matches
What's active
Fish this
BWOs, size 16-18, Midday (10:00 AM–2:00 PM)
Pheasant Tail, size 16-18, nymph; Sparkle Baetis, size 16-18; Micro May, size 16-18
Midges, size 18-22, Midday (10:00 AM–2:00 PM)
Zebra Midge, size 18-22, nymph; Disco Midge, size 18-22; Top Secret Midge, size 18-22
Stoneflies, size 10-14, Afternoon (2:00 PM–6:00 PM)
Rubberlegs, size 10-14; Girdle Bug, size 10-14; Twenty Incher, size 10-14
Caddis, size 14-16, Midday (10:00 AM–2:00 PM)
No matching fly supplied
Terrestrials, size 12-14, Evening (6:00 PM–10:00 PM)
No matching fly supplied
Current Conditions
Flow683 cfs and falling
Water Temp42°F
WeatherOvercast
Rating6/10 · Fair
Today's Feeding Pattern
Cold water temperatures and overcast skies mean trout will stay deep and feed primarily on subsurface nymphs and midges. Focus your drifts right along the bottom in slower runs.
Forecast Location
Related Rivers
Read the conditions: USGS flow charts, trout water temperature, and the seasonal hatch reference.
About The Blackfoot River
The Blackfoot flows northeast of Missoula and is known for classic freestone structure: boulders, wood, deep bends, and long riffle-to-run transitions. It is a river that fishes on mood and clarity more than on a rigid tailwater schedule.
Westslope cutthroat, rainbow, brown, and bull trout all occur in the system, though regulations and seasonal considerations matter depending on the reach. Many anglers think of it as a streamer and attractor river, but there are real hatch windows when conditions stay stable.