Freestone · Limestone · Montana, US

Smith River

Rafting the Smith River

The Smith is the one you have to win a lottery to fish.

Prime · Brown Trout
Parachute Adams · 16-20
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.99 mLast reading 5h ago
  • Water temp9.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams16-20
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.99 m
Last reading 5h ago
Water temp9.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather7°C
WindS 19 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown 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
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water clarity particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October 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
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Montana licence PLUS an FWP launch permit (annual lottery)
  • The flow window is short — too low and you drag boats, too high and it is unsafe.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Missouri River
50 km
84
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Dearborn River
57 km
81
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Cutthroat trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Rafting the Smith River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Smith is the one you have to win a lottery to fish. It's a 59-mile limestone canyon you float over four or five days, camping on gravel bars under walls that close in around you, and Montana hands out the permits by draw because that's the only way to keep it from being loved to death. Browns and rainbows hold in the runs between the cliffs. The flows have to be right — too low and you drag the boat, too high and it's gone — so the season is short and the planning is real, but people talk about a Smith trip for years afterward.

  • Limestone
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
  • Recreation: Impaired
What this classification means

Recreation: Bacteria/pathogen advisory — mind wading cuts and immersion.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Smith River' (MT41J001_010), 2021 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Nutrients, Hydrologic Alteration, Pathogens. 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) · MT41J001_010

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 81 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature85 × 28%23.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Third Saturday of May → Last day of February
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts