Clark Fork River Report 11.3.16

Expectations were high when we hit the water yesterday afternoon. I have heard a couple reports of Kokanee running up the Clark Fork River, so I figured other trout would be closely following. With several rods on the boat ready to rock, I did not see how we couldn't hook into a few beauties.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous. Air temperatures were in the low 50s, and the sun was out. It didn't take long for me to shed my jacket, and fish with just a long sleeve shirt. Water clarity was excellent, and there wasn't a breath of wind in the air.

Curious how river is doing? Check out the current river flows here

Our minds were set to swing and strip streamers the entire time. Looking back now, I wish we tried nymphing. After 4 hours of heavy swinging, we had 2 grabs. Color didn't seem to make a difference because we tried every color in the rainbow. There was the occasional rising trout that would eat once, and never be seen again. Every now and then, we would spot a lonely October Caddis, other than that, there wasn't a hatch. If I were to fish the same stretch again tomorrow, I would leave my streamer rods at home, and pack my trusty 6wt. I believe a #8 October Caddis Pupa, #16 Purple Lightning Bug, #18 Micro Mayfly, or a #18 Red Headed Step Child would do the trick for those fussy Cutthroat.

Need to stock up on your favorites flies? Check out our fly selection here

Although the fishing was poor, catching a sunset is something I haven't been able to do in a while. We fished until the sun was just a slight glow over our beautiful mountains, and called it a day.