Strike indicator that is…
It has been an epic start to our early season and the front end of our annual run-off here in troutopia. Some rivers have already seen near record-breaking flows, while the high water destiny of other watersheds remain unknown. One river in particular, the Blackfoot, already topped out at 19,000cfs; which nearly missed the historical record set in 1964. At this time, we are currently looking forward to the dropping flows and the fantastic fishing ahead. Eventually the bobbers will come off and we will be spending the majority of our time fastening dry flies to the end of our line.
For now, most of us are out there chasing large and brightly colored floating pieces of foam that are suspending large amounts of lead and a couple of sinking flies. While you can describe most of our rivers using adjectives like: enormous, muddy, un-fishable, not safe, off-color, and fast there are still some great fishing opportunities for those in the know.
The Missouri has been steady and relatively clear this past week and the fishing is consistently good. Lots of nymphing going on out there, but streamers and the occasional rising fish can be part of a day on the river. Besides the Mo, anglers who have been out on the Madison and Paradise Valley spring creeks are reporting successful days on the water as well.
Although it’s a tricky time of year, with a little planning, it is a great time to fish Montana. You just have to be willing to adapt and remain flexible. Many groups of anglers continually return this time of year and leave with smiling faces and fish stores to share at home, even in high water seasons like this. It is going to be interesting to watch the water game play out for the rest of the month and into June. While we don’t know exactly when and how conditions will change, what we do know is that we will be out there enjoying our time on the river. See you in troutopia soon my fishy friends.
