How To Fish It
- Focus on slower runs, riffle seams, and drop-offs where trout are holding in moderate flows.
- Use Technical Nymphing.
- Favor Realistic profiles, muted beadheads, sparse dubbing.
Bugs & Best Matches
What's active
Fish this
Baetis, size 16-20, Morning (6:00 AM–10:00 AM)
Jig Baetis Nymph, size 16-20, dry; Pheasant Tail, size 16-20, dry; RS2, size 16-20, dry
Midges, size 18-22, Morning (6:00 AM–10:00 AM)
Zebra Midge, size 18-22, dry; Top Secret Midge, size 18-22, dry; Disco Midge, size 18-22, dry
Caddis, size 14-18, Morning (6:00 AM–10:00 AM)
Elk Hair Caddis, size 14-18, dry; Caddis Pupa, size 14-18, dry; Cased Caddis, size 14-18, dry
Stoneflies, size 8-12, Variable
No matching fly supplied
Terrestrials, size 12-16, Variable
No matching fly supplied
Current Conditions
Flow734 cfs and falling
Water Temp55°F
WeatherClear Night
Rating7/10 · Good
Today's Feeding Pattern
Clear water and moderate fall temperatures on the Blackfoot River point toward reliable subsurface activity. Nymphing with imitative patterns offers the most consistent connection to feeding trout.
Forecast Location
Related Rivers
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.
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