The Bitterroot River

The Bitterroot is known for big fish on dry flies! Just South of town, the ‘Root’ is almost always the first river we begin to fish each spring. The Bitterroot valley is more temperate than the other valleys in the area. Best known for the Skwala stonefly hatch that begins in early March, there is a reason why the spring fishing has gained so much notoriety in recent years. The Bitterroot runs through a miles-wide floodplain. Thick forests of Cottonwood trees cover a loose substrate of polished granite river rocks formed by eons of shifting river paths. Each Spring the force of the river, swollen by the rain and melting mountain snow, moves gravel and redirects river currents. As runoff recedes in early summer every year, we have the unique opportunity of learning new braids of the river and finding all the new trout habitat that is created in the process. The mellow gradient of the Bitterroot creates a target rich environment for anglers to cast at and presents a variety of different challenges for even the most skilled of anglers.