Freestone · Mixed · Montana, US

Blackfoot River

A raft with three anglers floats the Blackfoot River past a rock cliff and pine forest near Missoula, Montana.
Good · Cutthroat Trout
Parachute Adams · 16-20
Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
River steady at a fishable height. A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.64 mLast reading 5h ago
  • Water temp6.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams16-20
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.64 m
Last reading 5h ago
Water temp6.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather3°C
WindE 5 km/h
Pressure1022 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 Cutthroat Trout
Cool — slow
7°C est.ideal 9–15°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Cutthroat 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
Good — water clarity is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 10h

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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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
Fly box · Cutthroat Trout
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
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
Other water nearby · 2
Clark Fork
34 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Rock Creek
52 km
63
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Cutthroat trout
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
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
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 Cutthroat Trout · confidence 90%
How the 71 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature62 × 28%17.4
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity56 × 12%6.7
Conditions total= 71
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Warmer water — toward the 9–15 °C ideal band — would lift the temperature score.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Troisième Saturday de May → Dernier day of February
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts