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:

60

Blackfoot River Outfitters's Tip of the Week

The Clark Fork has finally turned the corner and is fishing great! After a long wait the water has dropped into a good spot to fish the entire Clark Fork. Focus your efforts on the lower end tight to the banks, willow lines and eddys. Above Missoula target wood structure and tight to the banks to find hungry fish.

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 6/19/26

In Missoula, expect a mix of sunshine and clouds this weekend with temps in the 70s. Next week will have lots of sunshine with a few partly cloudy days with temps in the 70s and possibly the 80s.

Techniques & Tips as of 6/19/26

The dry fly bite has the ticket recently. We are seeing a steady mix of Golden Stones, PMDs and a few Green Drakes. Rig up a dry-dropper using Plan B, Henry’s Fork Golden, or Chubby Chernobyl, and drop a nymph like a Zirdle Bug, Jiggler, Frenchie or a Jig TNT PMD. If the trout are keyed specifically into PMDs or Drakes in the flats, scale down your leader and present a Flash Cripple, Sparkle Dun, or an Extended Body Drake.

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

  • Fish Icon

    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):
Stimulator N/A #10-12
Big Sky Salmon Fly N/A #6-10
Elk Wing Caddis N/A #12-16
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

Stimulator

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Item #0928

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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:

Goldenstones and PMD

Best Time to Fish:

Mid Morning through the evening

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