Bitterroot River
First Impressions
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about fly fishing the Bitterroot River in Montana can be found right here.
The Bitterroot River is one of the most interesting fly fishing destination in Montana. To start, it flows south to north. It’s always fun to say you’re not going “down” the Bitterroot as you go south, you’re going “up’! As you head south, upriver, you’re flanked by the Sapphire Mountains, one of the most beautiful ranges in Montana. The Bitterroot River is a freestone river, deriving most of its streamflow from snowmelt, and averages about 700 trout per mile along its length, with trout over 23 inches being caught yearly. Great fly fishing and great scenery is the Bitterroot’s calling card.
Sections Defined
The main stem of the Bitterroot River begins in Conner, MT, where the East Fork and West Fork of the Bitterroot come together. The river flows north for 84 miles, joining the Clark Fork River just below Missoula. The Bitterroot River varies in temperament along its length, with the upper stretch having a higher gradient than the lower section. For our purposes, we consider Bell Crossing to be sort of the dividing line between the upper and lower Bitterroot River. The higher gradient sections have more riffles and pools, more like a classic Montana fly fishing adventure, while the lower section can be long, flat glides with sizeable riffles separating them, providing a completely different Bitterroot River fly fishing experience.
Characteristics
An amazing characteristic of the Bitterroot River is average depth for size of the river. Once you’ve gone south to Florence Bridge and above, the average depth of the Bitterroot is about three feet. This is on a western Montana trout river that can be over 125 feet wide in places. The upshot of all this is you have a river that wades much like a small stream, with all the characteristics of a big river.
It’s a given that larger rivers hold bigger fish. The lower Clark Fork holds the largest Brown Trout in Missoula, Montana. Rock Creek has the most trout per mile for any river in our area, but as the smallest watershed the average size fish is lesser. The Bitterroot River fly fishing has the best of both worlds. With its average depth, there’s often an easy way to range both sides of the river while wading. Wherever you are on the Bitterroot, unlike the Blackfoot River or Clark Fork River, within a quarter mile up or downstream, you can usually find a place to cross. It gives the wading fly fisherman an opportunity to cast for truly large Montana trout in a comfortable wading environment.
If you’re bringing a boat to fly fish Montana, that average depth should be something to be aware of. All those easy places to cross while wading, those 6” deep riffles, can play merry hell with Montana float trips. Many of the best guides in Missoula prefer a raft. Not for comfort, but for ease of dragging, and resistance to rocks and other river impediments. A raft, especially with an inflatable floor, will slide over shallows more easily than a drift boat. Depending on the season and water flows, a drift boat can be a very interesting proposition above Stevensville.
First Impressions
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about fly fishing the Bitterroot River in Montana can be found right here.
The Bitterroot River is one of the most interesting fly fishing destination in Montana. To start, it flows south to north. It’s always fun to say you’re not going “down” the Bitterroot as you go south, you’re going “up’! As you head south, upriver, you’re flanked by the Sapphire Mountains, one of the most beautiful ranges in Montana. The Bitterroot River is a freestone river, deriving most of its streamflow from snowmelt, and averages about 700 trout per mile along its length, with trout over 23 inches being caught yearly. Great fly fishing and great scenery is the Bitterroot’s calling card.
Sections Defined
The main stem of the Bitterroot River begins in Conner, MT, where the East Fork and West Fork of the Bitterroot come together. The river flows north for 84 miles, joining the Clark Fork River just below Missoula. The Bitterroot River varies in temperament along its length, with the upper stretch having a higher gradient than the lower section. For our purposes, we consider Bell Crossing to be sort of the dividing line between the upper and lower Bitterroot River. The higher gradient sections have more riffles and pools, more like a classic Montana fly fishing adventure, while the lower section can be long, flat glides with sizeable riffles separating them, providing a completely different Bitterroot River fly fishing experience.
Characteristics
An amazing characteristic of the Bitterroot River is average depth for size of the river. Once you’ve gone south to Florence Bridge and above, the average depth of the Bitterroot is about three feet. This is on a western Montana trout river that can be over 125 feet wide in places. The upshot of all this is you have a river that wades much like a small stream, with all the characteristics of a big river.
It’s a given that larger rivers hold bigger fish. The lower Clark Fork holds the largest Brown Trout in Missoula, Montana. Rock Creek has the most trout per mile for any river in our area, but as the smallest watershed the average size fish is lesser. The Bitterroot River fly fishing has the best of both worlds. With its average depth, there’s often an easy way to range both sides of the river while wading. Wherever you are on the Bitterroot, unlike the Blackfoot River or Clark Fork River, within a quarter mile up or downstream, you can usually find a place to cross. It gives the wading fly fisherman an opportunity to cast for truly large Montana trout in a comfortable wading environment.
If you’re bringing a boat to fly fish Montana, that average depth should be something to be aware of. All those easy places to cross while wading, those 6” deep riffles, can play merry hell with Montana float trips. Many of the best guides in Missoula prefer a raft. Not for comfort, but for ease of dragging, and resistance to rocks and other river impediments. A raft, especially with an inflatable floor, will slide over shallows more easily than a drift boat. Depending on the season and water flows, a drift boat can be a very interesting proposition above Stevensville.
