Freestone · Mixed · Montana

Blackfoot River

A raft with three anglers floats the Blackfoot River past a rock cliff and pine forest near Missoula, Montana.

The Blackfoot is the river Norman Maclean made everybody want to fish, and the remarkable thing is that after a century of mining abuse it came back.

Poor · Rainbow Trout
Parachute Adams · 12-18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River dropping into shape after a lift. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.92 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp21.1°C
  • ClaritySlightly colouredClearing
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams12-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.92 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp21.1°C
ClaritySlightly coloured
Weather31°C
WindW 16 km/h
Pressure1011 hPa
Rain · recent5.5 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
21.1°Cideal 1018°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 21.1°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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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
  • Bull trout are strictly protected — do not target, release any incidental catch unharmed
  • Honour the native-species catch-and-release reaches.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here at 21.1°C. Nothing cooler within range.
Gallery · 2
  1. A raft with three anglers floats the Blackfoot River past a rock cliff and pine forest near Missoula, Montana.
    Blackfoot River in Missoula, Montana
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Blackfoot is the river Norman Maclean made everybody want to fish, and the remarkable thing is that after a century of mining abuse it came back. Westslope cutthroat and rainbows hold in the canyon pocket water and the long valley runs, and there are bull trout you must never target — they're protected, and the fishery's recovery rides on them. It's a wade-and-float freestone that fishes best from July on, once the runoff has come and gone. Big country, big sky, and a fish or two that feels like a small redemption.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic lifeImpaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Blackfoot River' (MT76F001_031), 2021 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature, Sediment, Nutrients. 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) · MT76F001_031

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 80%
How the 21 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature23 × 28%6.4
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity90 × 18%16.2
Feeding Time50 × 13%6.5
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity61 × 12%7.3
Limiting factor: Water temperature (21.1°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 59
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
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
Seasons & zones
  • TroutThird Saturday of MayLast day of February
Related guides
Booking & contacts