Freestone · Mixed · Montana

Bitterroot River

Calm stretch of the Bitterroot River with a gravel bar in the foreground and cottonwood trees along the far bank, near Victor, Montana.
Poor · Rainbow Trout
Parachute Adams · 12-18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River high but settled. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.58 mLast reading 7h ago
  • Water temp22.6°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams12-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.58 m
Last reading 7h ago
Water temp22.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather28°C
WindS 9 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
23°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 22.6°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Montana licence
  • Spring catch-and-release and side-channel closures protect spawning — check FWP before the March skwala session.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 23°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Calm stretch of the Bitterroot River with a gravel bar in the foreground and cottonwood trees along the far bank, near Victor, Montana.
    bitterroot-river-near-victor-montana
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Bitterroot River' (MT76H001_020), 2021 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature, Hydrologic Alteration. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · MT76H001_020

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 10 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature5 × 28%1.4
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity46 × 12%5.5
Limiting factor: Water temperature (22.6°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 51
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • TroutThird Saturday of May → Last day of February
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts