Fly Fishing Missoula in June | Missoula Fly Water | Salmon Flies, Goldens, and PMDs

What a difference a few weeks can make. June's steady rains and mild temperatures completely transformed our water conditions, triggering some of the best hatches we've seen on all of our rivers.

We kicked off the month with a ladies' dry fly trip led by Peg M. and her awesome group of friends. They had just two requests: no deep bobber rigs and no Dam to Craig float. It couldn't have worked out better. The canyon was alive with caddis, and the trout spent the entire day looking up. The shallower the water we targeted, the bigger the fish got.

When the fishing slowed down for a bit, I entertained the group with my infamous Martha Stewart kayak story from my college days, a tale that's probably best left untold here...

Ceci with a brown trout

After a few fun filled days with Peg's crew, I headed back to the west side while Tom Gagnon and Aaron Fox stayed on for two more days with the ladies. Pictured above is Aaron's dog, Skip, who may just be the world's greatest guide dog. He spends most of the day perched on the cooler at the front of the boat and is always a favorite.

Back in Missoula, I kicked off the month with client Dan and his son, who were making their first trip to fish the Bitterroot. It was still a little early for consistent dry fly action, but the fish were more than happy to eat our droppers all day long.

Up next were longtime client David and his son, Wyatt, who enjoyed some excellent fishing in the back channels of the middle Bitterroot.

Long time client Matt and his dad, Dave, were up next for four days on the water. If there's one thing you should know about Dave, it's that he loves Cracker Barrel. Every year they stay on the north side of Reserve, conveniently close to the restaurant, in hopes that Matt will finally give in and let him eat there just once. So far, no luck.

We kicked things off on the Blackfoot, floating through the canyon with hopes of finding salmon flies. We weren't disappointed. Near the bottom of the canyon, Matt got an explosive eat that I was convinced had to be a big brown trout. Instead, it turned out to be a 24-inch bull trout that was chasing salmon flies in barely a foot of water! From there, we spent the rest of the float throwing big dry flies to fat, eager cutthroat all the way to the takeout.

The next two days were spent on the lower Clark Fork. There was enough dry fly action to keep things interesting, but most of the damage came on droppers. Matt landed an incredible 125 trout over those two days, enough to make your arm sore. Most of the fish were solid 15- to 17-inchers, making for an unforgettable couple of days.

Despite all that success, Dave still didn't get his Cracker Barrel.

Then it was four great days with longtime client Greg and his friend Thomas. Greg wasted no time getting things started, hooking an absolute tank of a 23-inch brown trout on a salmon fly on his very first cast the fish featured at the top of this report.

They were fortunate enough to hit the Blackfoot during a stretch of sunny weather, and the salmon fly hatch was in full swing throughout the canyon. The cutthroat had been gorging themselves and were more than willing to crush big dries.

Thomas was brand new to fly fishing when the trip began, but by the end of four days he was confidently laying out 30-foot casts with a dry fly and fooling trout on a regular basis. We carried that momentum onto the Bitterroot and the Clark Fork, where the fishing stayed just as good.

By the middle of June, our rivers had turned into a fly fisher's buffet. Salmon flies, golden stones, Bitterroot stones, and PMDs were all on the menu, it was simply a matter of deciding what hatch to chase.

The following week was filled with new clients each day, and I'm looking forward to seeing many of them back on the water in the years ahead. One trip that's especially meaningful every season is with Chuck and his son, Dan. Chuck was the very first person that ever cold-called me after becoming an outfitter, and it's been a privilege to watch that call turn into an annual tradition.

As the sun returned and the rivers began to drop, the Blackfoot and Clark Fork became a little less consistent for both numbers and size. At the same time, the Bitterroot was just starting to hit its stride.

New clients Tyson and Tara, visiting from Austin, found themselves in the middle of some outstanding dry fly fishing on the middle Bitterroot. From the moment we launched until we reached the takeout, we fished a single mayfly pattern almost the entire day. We also found a few riffles with spinner falls that kept fish looking up.

Tyson was especially dialed in, landing several beautiful brown trout from technical, shaded tailouts where accurate casts and perfect drifts were a must. On a day like that, good presentations made all the difference, and they were rewarded with some memorable fish.

Last but certainly not least are Dave and Terry, two guys I fish with every week who never fail to keep things entertaining. Every trip seems to include moments of absolute brilliance mixed with just enough chaos to keep everyone on their toes.

Dave has one standing request every summer, a bowl of soup on an 80-degree day. He insists he's joking, but I'm convinced there's a small part of him that's completely serious.

This past week we found a special spot on the middle Bitterroot that we decided to wade. It featured a small log tucked into a side channel that looked like it hadn't seen much pressure. Behind that log were 15 to 20 trout steadily feeding on PMDs. We hooked ten of them, and by the time we left, the rest were still happily rising as if we had never been there. They couldn't have cared less that we were standing just 12 feet away. I've never seen them not eventually get spooked. You could tell they had been untouched for days.

I even managed to miss one myself, which isn't all that surprising considering I spend most of my days on the oars instead of with a fly rod in my hand. Dave keeps reminding me that he knows how to row, so maybe one of these days I'll let him take over and finally get the chance to catch one.

With the last few days of June bringing welcome rain showers and fresh snow in the high country, we're set up for what could be an outstanding July. We haven't gone into summer with this kind of moisture or these river flows in five or six years, and it's exciting to see our fisheries in such great shape.

If you're fly fishing in Missoula with us in July, we can't wait to get you on the water. See you soon!