FLYFISHING THE BLACKFOOT RIVER

The Big Blackfoot River, made famous in the movie “A River Runs Thru It,” is a gravel bottom, boulder-strewn “Freestone” river running from the Continental Divide near Lincoln, down thru the Blackfoot Valley where it joins the Clark Fork River at Bonner, Montana. 

This is one of the most beautiful, scenic rivers in Montana and it is hard to keep your eyes on your fly when you’re surrounded by breathtaking scene of pine forests and towering cliffs.

And the fishing? Awesome!  Even first time beginners enjoy great success, as the aggressive Westslope Cutthroat is not as finicky as some trout. The prolific hatches of huge Salmon Flies, Golden Stones, big Mayflies, Caddis, and a smorgasboard of terrestrial insects work these opportunistic feeders into a fly-grabbing frenzy.

Most fishing is done from a raft using big dry flies on a short line in fast, broken, gin-clear water filled with Rainbows, Browns, and the huge Bull Trout, better known as Dolly Varden.