It's officially summertime in Montana, which means lots of sunscreen, cold drinks, big hats and happy trout. June brought us some fantastic fishing this season but also left us with some earlier than usual heat and very little precipitation, so flows on some of our rivers are lower than we like. Hoot Owl restrictions are in effect on the Blackfoot, Clark Fork, Bitterroot, Jefferson and Big Hole Rivers already, and to protect our important wild trout populations we will be limiting our fishing time to the morning and early afternoon until things cool down a bit. So pack your alarm clock, plan on early starts and a nice afternoon siesta after your day on the water. Adapting to conditions is a key part of rewarding fishing, and this season we'll all need to adapt to lower than normal flows and hope for some cooler temps and moisture in the coming weeks.
That being said, fishing has been consistently good to great statewide and we expect more of that as we move toward August. The hunt for worthwhile fishing while also being thoughtful about the health of the trout that brought us here in the first place is our goal. For more information check out these drought angling guidelines from Montana Trout Unlimited.
The good news is that cooler weather is in the forecast, nothing has gotten dire yet, Big Sky Country is still gorgeous, and there are about a million trout here that half to fill their bellies every day before winter comes. The trico mayfly emergence has begun on the Missouri, and should be in full swing sometime this week we hope. Here's a little trico teaser to get you ready to do battle with all those rising trout.
There is still time to plan a fantastic summer or fall trip to Montana, so give us a call today and let's get it started together.
Tight lines!
Garrett and Pat
406.431.5089 ~ 406.439.4545
