Southwestern Montana offers some of the best and most famous rivers in the state. Their close proximity to each other make fishing more than one river a possibility, even on the shortest of visits. With good numbers of Cutthroat, Rainbow, and Brown trout and some of the state's most scenic floats.
Bitterroot River Guided Fly Fishing Trips and Tours
The Bitterroot River runs 80 miles along HWY 93, making for easy access to one of Western Montana’s premiere dry fly fishing rivers. The East Fork and the West Fork are two very scenic forks, which merge to form the Bitterroot River just south of Darby, MT. The river runs north along HWY 93 thru the Bitterroot Valley, which is known as the Banana Belt of the state, eventually dumping into the Clark Fork River in Missoula, MT. The Bitterroot River is usually the first river in Montana to have the Skwala stonefly hatch in early March and continues thru April. Usually in early May, the Bitterroot River gets blown-out by the spring run-off making fly fishing next to impossible. The Bitterroot River generally clears up by the end of May, early June, and fishes well thru October. Quality trout are found throughout the Bitterroot River with good numbers of Cutthroat, Brown, Rainbow and the occasional Brooke.
West Fork of the Bitterroot River Guided Fly Fishing Trips and Tours
The West Fork of the Bitterroot River, below Painted Rocks Lake, is chalked full of log jams, deep undercut banks and boulders making for a perfect trout habitat. It is full of native Cutts, Rainbow, Cuttbows and Browns that eagerly take dry flies. Running clear most of the year, the West Fork is a great scenic float and a must see when visiting the Bitterroot Valley.
