Blackfoot River : Fly Fishing.gif)
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 The
Blackfoot River was one of the forgotten rivers by visiting
anglers in Montana prior to the release of the popular movie
of A River Runs Through It in 1992. Following the release
of the movie and the placement of the Blackfoot River on the
ten-most endangered rivers due to the potential threat of
a large mine at the time (the mine never got full approval
due to a state wide initiative that killed the practice of
cyanide gold mining, thankfully), the Blackfoot River rose
from obscurity to national prominence almost overnight. Today,
the Blackfoot River ranks as not only as one of the prettiest
rivers in this part of Montana but also one of the most heavily
used as well. Excellent fly fishing, combined with its close
proximity to Missoula that attract lots of recreational floaters,
can turn the Blackfoot River into a very crowded place on
a summer weekend.
While the Blackfoot
River does see its share of use, a good portion of the use
is on the weekends by either local fisherman or recreational
floaters from the Missoula area. Arriving on the Blackfoot
River during mid-week or before Memorial Day or after Labor
Day will find the river empty of much of the weekend crowd,
providing for a more pleasant fishing environment - especially
for wade fisherman (who need to do battle with all the "flotation
devices" that make their way down the Blackfoot River
on a summer weekend).
Of course, another
reason the Blackfoot River is so popular is because it is
both very scenic and diverse. Excellent fly fishing for brown
trout and rainbow trout is found throughout most of its length
in a very nice, relaxing setting.
Thankfully, the
Blackfoot River has both very good access and is quite long
(130 miles), helping to spread the use around and to keep
the fly fishing pressure down to manageable levels. Any angler
who has the time and plans on fly fishing either the nearby
Rock Creek
or Bitterroot
River should plan on taking a trip up to the Blackfoot
River, as excellent fishing in a wonderful setting awaits.
Blackfoot
River : Origin to Lincoln
 This
short stretch of the Blackfoot River, which runs for 22 miles,
is the only part of the Blackfoot River that has very poor
fishing. In this stretch, the river is very narrow and quite
shallow. During cold, dry winters, parts of the river in this
stretch can either dry out or freeze-up completely - events
not conducive to good fishing. The handfuls of fish that struggle
to survive in this harsh environment mainly include some small
cutthroat and brown trout that will be found in the vicinity
of Lincoln. Basically, on this stretch, the closer you get
to the origin, the worse the fishing becomes and the better
it will become as you near Lincoln.
Blackfoot River
: Lincoln to Mineral Hill Fishing Access Site
The Blackfoot River
flows for twenty-five miles in this section of the river through
some very scenic countryside. Downstream from Lincoln the
Blackfoot threads its way through some small, forested mountains.
It twists and turns extensively in this section. Access is
also very good in this stretch. Highway 141 closely follows
the Blackfoot River in this section, allowing easy road access.
Despite the easy access, this stretch of the Blackfoot River
has the least pressure of any section on the river save the
portion above Lincoln.
The low pressure
on the Blackfoot River here stems from its distant location
from Missoula, its difficult floating conditions and because
the quality of the fly fishing, while good, is not as good
as found further downstream.
Fly fishing on
this stretch of the Blackfoot River can be a challenge. Brown
trout make up most of the fish in this section. While the
numbers of brown trout in this section are only average, the
size of the brown trout can be well above average. Brown trout
stretching up to twenty inches can be found all along this
section of the Blackfoot.
Like brown trout
everywhere, though, they are not the easiest to catch. Streamers
are the fly of choice when chasing these brown trout, throwing
them around the many undercut banks, around the extensive
downed timber and into the few holes that can be found.
 This
section of the Blackfoot River is best wade fished. While
this portion of the Blackfoot River can be floated, the many
logjams can be both frustrating to portage and can provide
for more than a few surprise encounters. Additionally, during
low water periods later in the summer, it is not uncommon
to end up dragging larger rafts or drift boats over the gravel
bottom of the river. Shallower drawing boats, such as small
inflatable rafts or kayaks, work better for late season or
low water float fishing.
Blackfoot River
: Mineral Hill FAS to Cedar Meadows FAS
This stretch of
the Blackfoot River looks quite close together on the map,
but yet stretches for more than eighteen-miles. The river
twists and turns so extensively that six air miles between
the two fishing access sites end up being eighteen river miles.
Additionally, the current of the Blackfoot River is quite
slow in this stretch. Large rafts or drift boats, unless you
truly have all day or enjoy lots of rowing, are not recommended
in this stretch. Instead, either a canoe or inflatable kayaks
are the boats of choice on this stretch, as they are much
easier to paddle for long stretches of slow water.
The fly fishing
on this stretch of the BlackfootRiver is not much different
than found just above Mineral Hill. Brown trout dominate in
these waters, and will be found in the same locations as before:
the holes, undercut banks and around downed timber. Streamers
are once again the best flies to use on this section of the
Blackfoot River.
Unfortunately,
access is somewhat spotty on this stretch of the Blackfoot
River, with only one fishing access site (Aunt Molly) found
between Mineral Hill and Cedar Meadows. Since the Blackfoot
River temporarily leaves the roads behind, no easy road access
exists. Thus, floating this section of the Blackfoot River
is the best way to cover as much water as possible. Just remember
to bring the proper boat along for a more enjoyable float.
Similar to further upstream, later in the summer or during
drought conditions this section of the Blackfoot River can
get very low, leading to some portages and some short drags
over the river bottom. To avoid this, consider float fishing
on this stretch between the end of spring run-off a (anywhere
from late-May to mid-June) to the middle of July.
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