CFS: 1120
Water Temperature: 56-62 °F
Dries: Pale Morning Duns, Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Drakes, Purple Attractors, Brindle Chutes
Nymphs: Hare’s Ears, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Pheasant Tails, Perdigons
FISHING REPORT
It’s finally starting to feel like actual summer here in Western Montana. The month of June was good fishing but colder and wetter than usual. We had several downpours throughout the month, leaving the water higher than normal.
Even now, at the beginning of July, the water is still flowing at over 1000 cubic feet per second. Although it is getting more wadeable each day, there are still spots that are tricky to ford. As we move into July, wading will improve rapidly, but in the meantime, be careful when walking out there and choose your wading spots wisely.
As of today, the floating season is officially done on Rock Creek. Guides and other float fishermen are now primarily on our neighboring rivers; the Clark Fork, the Blackfoot and the Bitterroot. This creates a major reduction in fishing pressure on Rock Creek, and I suspect this is part of why our stream is considered blue ribbon. Without constant float fishing, the trout get a bit of a break from lines constantly hitting the water. It is a wade fisherman’s dream from July onward.
We have several different bugs out on the water right now. Although salmon flies are gone, we still have golden stones and yellow sallies for our stonefly hatches. The sallies in particular are one of my favorite patterns this time of year. They can range anywhere in color from yellow to a bright green chartreuse and are only about 1/2 inch in length. In prior years, we’ve had some big fish come up for these little dries.
We are also seeing our summer staples; caddis flies and pale morning duns. The caddis have been darker so far, so try an ol
ive or brown-bodied pattern. The pale morning duns have been a very light yellow color this year; even a light cahill pattern could pass for one. I personally like to fish the crippled emerger versions of the patterns just so I have something just under the water surface, which the fish are less likely to short strike. If you find you are getting lots of hits but can’t seem to set the hook, try crippled emerger versions of these hatches. On cloudy/rainy days, try Green or Gray Drakes, which are favorites of the fish in those weather conditions.
And of course, attractors really come into their own at this point in the year. Everyone knows about the purple haze, which is my go-to fly through the summer months. But another great attractor is the Brindle Chute, an attractor designed by Chuck Stranahan in the Bitterroot. It’s very similar to a parachute adams, but has a mix of tan and orange dubbing in the body, giving it a very unique, buggy look. This pattern has been gaining popularity the past couple years and is a great option to have in your fly box.
As for nymphs, the classic hare’s ear has been producing very well lately, but you can fish a number of different patterns like perdigons, pheasant tails or stonefly nymphs to great effect. Although they catch more whitefish, a purple prince nymph or a “Batman” are also great options for your subsurface fishing. If you’re into streamer fishing, that has also been effective lately. We had a newbie to Rock Creek this week who fished with one of our “Circus Peanut” articulated streamers, and caught a very nice brown trout on it (pictures in the slideshow at the bottom of this report).
With several heat waves expected for July, we will have to keep an eye on water temperatures this month, but I believe the next few weeks will have some very good fly fishing here on Rock Creek!
Things to Know Before You Go
- The dirt portion of Rock Creek Road from above Norton Campground to about the Microburst is in awful shape. It is riddled with potholes, washboard and ruts that will shake your vehicle apart if you are going too fast on it. I spoke with the Forest Service recently, and they said they are planning to grate the road within the next week or so. They’ve been putting it off due to all the rain from the past couple months. Now that the forecast is showing more summer-like weather, the road should be repaired soon. I will post on our social media pages when I learn more about the progress
- Grizzly Campground (about 11 miles up from our shop) will be closed to camping starting July 5 while the Forest Service removes hazardous dead trees. I suspect this process will take a couple of weeks before they reopen it, but they do not have a reopening ETA at this time. As with the road conditions, I will post on social media when there are any updates about Grizzly Campground.
- Speaking of camping, the rates this year are $15/night at the following campgrounds: Norton, the Dalles, Harry’s Flat, Bitterroot Flat, Siria. You will want to bring either cash or a check to pay for these at the drop boxes at each campsite. Disperse sites, which are marked by numbers instead of names, are still free to camp at but have no amenities outside of a fire ring.
Here’s to a great summer of wade fishing on Rock Creek! Stay safe out there and happy fishing!
