Clark Fork River Fishing Report 7.17.2017
Conditions have been great on the CF. Flows are at 27,000 cfs, water clarity is excellent, and the trout are willing to eat your fly. Leave the waders at home because 80 degree air temperatures and cool river water has never felt so good.
Our primary hatch has definitely been Caddis, but I am still finding a few #12 white Mayflies. Above the Clark Fork bridge, I tend to fish more foam bugs and attractors. #10 Purple Hippie Stomper, #8 Purple Chubby Chernobyl, #12 H&L Variant, #12 Black Moodah Poodah, #14 TFP Party on Top Caddis, and #12 Light Cahill have been my go-to patterns.
Our selection of dry flies is available here.
As for below the bridge, I like to fish something with a little smaller profile. The flows are a lot slower, so the trout prefer to sip small dries with even smaller rises. #14 Parachute Adams, #14 Light Cahill, #16 Rusty Spinner, and #18 Griffiths Gnat have been producing some gorgeous brown trout. Remember: some of the smallest rises are some of the largest fish. Fishing from shore is going to be quite the challenge. Since the flows are still what I consider high for the summer, there is little room for a decent back cast.
This river is definitely best fished from a jet boat. The best time of day to be on the river is from 5pm-dark. I suspect morning fishing would also be a great time to hook some feeding trout, but I haven't made the early morning trip yet to verify.
Need some places to access the Clark Fork? Stop by our Ponderay location, and talk to one of our fly shop employees for the down and dirty details on where to go.