The Mother Stream
This major fork of the Columbia River, named after Captain William Clark of
the Corps of Discovery, is the mother of the Missoula rivers. In proving her
maternal resolve, the Clark Fork today flows clean and vibrant despite the
decades of mining abuses imposed upon her by a less than conservation minded
state. Often described locally as two distinct rivers, the Clark Fork
provides decidedly different characteristics on its upper and lower reaches.
In the snaking meanders upstream of Missoula, butter bellied browns explode on
baitfish darting from deadfall snags and hoppers haplessly bumping along
grassy undercuts. Following her confluence of the Blackfoot and Bitterroot,
the Clark Fork through and below town widens and slows. This is the ultimate
for anglers hunting line ripping rainbows and cutthroats on light tippets.
Here, the biggest fish sip little duns and chase swimming nymphs around over
knee deep gravel bars. No matter your passion #20 trico spinners delicately
placed in rise ring lanes, dangling a needle thin phez tail under big bushy
hoppers, even chuck'n and duck'n tungsten headed buggers the Clark Fork
offers a season and section for you. The primary style of fishing on the
Clark below Missoula consists of matching the hatch with little dries when
conditions warrant and searching with big parachutes and droppers in the down
time. Above town attractor dries go on first but streamers under the clouds
can be great.
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Cost and Itinerary
- 425.00 per day. This includes flies,
lunch, drinks, and supplies. Based on double occupancy.
You will meet your guide at a predetermined place near Missoula.
Productivity
- Typical catch on the
upper river is browns from 10-20 with fewer bows and cuts and rarely over 16,
on the lower river, Rainbows average 14-18 and cutthroats of similar size with
the occasional 18"+ brown. We look for at least a dozen opportunities per
rod/per day.
Contact Person
Steve Joyce "Out
of all the Montana streams I would have to say the Clark Fork is the single
most diverse. It's headwaters are somewhat reminiscent of the Yakima
Farmlands, but with Brown Trout! and the lower is a bit like the Missouri
except it is much closer to home."
Reservations
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My first trip to the Clark Fork was a good
one. We heard there was a killer Skwala hatch happening on the
lower end near St. Regis, so we left Ellensburg about three o'clock in
the morning and fished the Clark Fork with big dry flies all day and
it was spectacular. We landed rainbows, browns, and westslope
cutthroat. The drive was six hours each way from Ellensburg but
I would have driven ten!"
Joe Rotter, Red's Fly Shop
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