Fishing Report, April 30

Montana’s been treating us to some classic April weather lately – a little bit of everything, from sunshine to snow flurries, and the fishing across our local rivers, lakes, the Clark Fork, and the Missouri has been fantastic. Looking ahead, we’ve got a couple of days of clouds and rain on the way, but then it’s sunshine all the way through the weekend. So, how will this upcoming weather play out on the Flathead River?

Fishing Report, Whitefish

Heads up, the Flathead River is officially on the rise! It held steady for a few days there, but today it’s a no-go. We’re looking at 12,500 CFS and it’s still climbing, so expect the river to be blown out for a bit. Of course, you never know with these spring flows, so I’ll keep you posted on how it’s shaping up.

So, where’s the action? The local lakes have been a fantastic Plan B, offering some great fishing for grayling, cutthroat, and pike. The grayling are loving those balanced leeches and chironomids right now. For the cutthroat, leeches seem to be the top pick – try stripping them under an indicator or ditch the bobber and go for a slime line slow retrieve. Pike have been a bit hot and cold, but if they’re acting finicky, try some slow strips to get more grabs.

Fishing Report, Missouri River

The Missouri is really fishing well right now! We saw a bit of a rollercoaster this morning with the flows – jumped from 4100 to 5000 CFS pretty quick when they cranked open those gates. It stirred things up with some debris and murk for a bit, but thankfully, the flows have backed off and the clarity’s back to its usual good self. Those Missouri rainbows didn’t seem to mind the flow spike too much and were still eager to eat. Sow bugs and those ‘green machines’ were the hot ticket. On the dry fly front? BWOs and midges are everywhere, and the fish are definitely looking up for a drag-free drift, especially later in the day if you’re a dry fly fanatic. Streamer fishing’s also in the mix – you just gotta experiment and find what they want. My best advice? If what you’re throwing isn’t working, don’t be afraid to switch it up… and keep switching until you find the magic! The magic is out there, you just have to find it.

Guide Trips

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