Fishing Season: Year round; some tributaries closed December 1-third week of May. Check regulations before fishing.

Clark Fork River - MT

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

34

Blackfoot River Outfitters's Tip of the Week

Adding split shot to your indicator nymph rig is very important when wade fishing. The added weight of the split shot will get your flies in the strike zone faster, resulting in more opportunities for fish to eat on each drift. We like to use split shot even when fishing tungsten bead flies. Shot is less important when fishing from a drift boat or raft because you can achieve much longer drifts, but we still use it when fishing flies that are weightless or have small beads.

Directions open in app

Map of Clark Fork River

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Blue Damsel Lodge
Linehan Outfitting Company
Blackfoot River Outfitters
Bitterroot Fly Company

5-Day Outlook as of 1/28/26

It’s looking like a grey week on the water near Missoula, with cloudy skies and highs ranging from 38°F to 44°F. Winds are going to be negligible, mostly drifting at 2 to 3 mph, though you might see a slight bump to 7 mph on Monday. Overnight temps will settle between 26°F and 32°F, with just a minimal 10-20% chance of rain or snow throughout the week.

Techniques & Tips as of 1/28/26

While you may see a few fish rising to midges, subsurface fishing is going to be the most reliable way to get into fish. Focus on the many deep, slow areas of the Clark Fork. Swinging a streamer will keep the bobber haters busy. Streamers: Kreelex, Chicago Overcoat, Wooly Bugger, Sparkle Minnow, Micro Dungeon, Sculpzilla Nymphs: San Juan Worm, Trinas Squirm, TJ Hooker, Sili Leg Stone, Prince Nymph, Duracell, Jig PT, Spanish Bullett, Zebra Midge Dries: Midges

Local Species Available Year round; some tributaries closed December 1-third week of May. Check regulations before fishing.

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    Rainbows

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    cutthroats

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    cutbows

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    browns and white fish

Blackfoot River Outfitters's Recommended Fly Patterns

"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:

Name: Colors: Size(s):
Midge N/A #18-22
Birchell's Hatching Midge N/A #18-22
Vernille San Juan Worm N/A #8-12
Bead Head Caddis Pupa N/A #12-14
TJ Hooker N/A #8-12
Rubberlegs N/A #8-12
Tunghead Pheasant Tail N/A #12-14
TH 20 Incher N/A #8-12
Spanish Bullet N/A #12-14
Duracell N/A #12-14

Midge

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Item #0836

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Blackfoot River Outfitters's Recommended Gear

Description: About Clark Fork River

This major fork of the Columbia River, named after Captain William Clark of the Corps of Discovery, is the mother of all our local rivers. In proving her maternal resolve, the Clark Fork today flows clean and vibrant despite the decades of mining abuses imposed upon her by a less than conservation-minded state. Often described locally as two distinct rivers, the Clark Fork provides decidedly different characteristics on its upper and lower reaches. In the snaking meanders upstream of Missoula, butter-bellied browns explode on baitfish darting from deadfall snags and hoppers haplessly bumping along grassy undercuts. Following her confluence of the Blackfoot and Bitterroot, the Clark Fork through and below town widens and slows. (A dam was recently removed from this location and the river should continue to get better for years to come!) This is the ultimate for anglers hunting line-ripping rainbows and cutthroats on light tippets. Here, the biggest fish sip little duns and chase swimming nymphs around over knee-deep gravel bars. No matter your passion – #20 trico spinners delicately placed in rise ring lanes, dangling a needle-thin phez tail under a big bushy hoppers, or chuck'n and duck'n streamers – the Clark Fork offers a season and section for you.

Nearest Airport:

Missoula

Hatches:

Midges

Best Time to Fish:

The warmest hours of the day

Best Stretch:

The entire river is in play. Be wary of Beavertail-Kelly and the Alberton Gorge if floating.

Best Access:

Multiple access points all along the river