Mid-April Extravaganza Fishing Report

Extravagant Ones:

After a now week-long study of current Montana fishing conditions (yes, I know, “war is hell”), boy oh boy do I have a wonderfully good report to give to you this late April Friday morning before I return to the Bay Area later today:

Fishing conditions here are absolutely superb—superb not only on the major rivers that we will be fishing (see below) but also here on Rock Creek where, each afternoon for the past several days “for therapeutic reasons” I have tested out the waters behind the house and, frankly, the results have been stunning: Each of the past several days, in less than an hour (my allotted test period) I have had over a dozen hook ups (all on nymphs) with (using yesterday as an example) two (unusual for me) break offs due to the size of the fish. On Tuesday, I landed (and released) the stoutest rainbow that I have ever seen here on the Creek—he (a big buck up for spawning) was only 16 ½ “ in length but had a 5” girth to him that gave the overall appearance of a twenty incher. In addition to him, rainbows, browns, cutthroats, cutbows (a cross between rainbows and Montana’s native Westslope Cutthroat) and, yes, the famous Rock Mountain whitefish each have graced my net this week, indicating that this river, last year’s horrid fires notwithstanding, is in excellent shape!

On the other fronts (more relevantly, the rivers that we will be fishing this summer) the report is equally as good. The skwala hatch (an early season stonefly hatch limited to these parts) on the Bitterroot River has been in epic proportions. Boat after boat has reported massive takes (in both size and volume) on both dry flies and nymphs—true to form of my own Good Friday experience with our great realtor friend John “Hoover” Horton. This river is poised for a “lights out” summer of fishing.

On The (“A River Runs Through It”) Blackfoot, early fishing has been better than ever in recent years. This river, typically, is the last to “open up” for us but, already, in its lower stretches, it is fishing “phenomenally” [per our GH sources] on nymphs, with early hatches of blue winged olives and drakes beginning to make their appearance.

Lastly (and most importantly) on the now-diverted Clark Fork (of the Columbia River—Montana’s largest river), this river, diversion notwithstanding, is even fishing excellently at the mouths of incoming creeks, with pods of rainbows awaiting a higher flow so that they can begin their Spring spawn. That said, this river DOES have excessive siltation from the activities of last month and WILL further feel that in the weeks ahead. As I mentioned earlier, we will be the first to really be able to tell the near-term fate of the Clark Fork, as our Group One boats will be some of the post-runoff first to have that river as a fishing option. My bet is that those who elect to fish that river this summer will have “aces and spaces”: spots of excellent podded fish with intervening fish-dry spots…but that is the story of the Clark Fork in any event, isn’t it you veterans out there?!?

What does all this mean?

Well, with a now (of recent) legendary snow pack still laced into the mountains (it still snowing here, folks—as in “right now”) [there is estimated to be up to 40” of water in the upper heights’ snowpack], the runoff this year should be just what we need—visualize a river currently the equivalent to a garden hose that will turn into that of a fire hose—and that will (a) cleanse the rivers, then (b) activate the bug life, and then (c) activate the fishing—just about the time that the ignoble ones of infamous Group One arrive during the third week in June, carrying us right through to the departure of our last group on July 7th.

So, hold on folks…I do believe that we are in for something truly special for Extravaganza 2008…but, then again, we would have that even if there were no fish, wouldn’t we?!?

Best to all from the scene of it all,

Rock Creek Ron