Freestone · Mixed · Montana, US

Rock Creek

Rock Creek on the Missoula Ranger District
Today · A proper day on the water
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Today
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
75% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Falling
1.62 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp7.8°C
ClarityClearing
Weather10°C
WindN 8 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 Cutthroat Trout
Cool — slow
8°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

12h(now) — Black Midge

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 30%
Also:Western Blue-Winged Olive21%
Peak emergence window4 food groups active

Peak activity at 10h — Black Midge (Black Midge, Peak emergence window)

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

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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 strictly protected — do not target
  • Seasonal float restrictions apply; check FWP
  • Native westslope cutthroat — handle and release gently.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Clark Fork
40 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Blackfoot River
52 km
72
Cutthroat trout · Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Bitterroot River
59 km
83
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Cutthroat trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Rock Creek on the Missoula Ranger District
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Rock Creek' (MT76E002_010), 2021 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. 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) · MT76E002_010

The full read · show the working · for Cutthroat Trout · confidence 75%
How the 71 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature63 × 28%17.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity50 × 12%6.0
Conditions total= 71
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
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.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Troisième Saturday de May → Dernier day of February
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts