Red Rock River
: Fly Fishing & Overview.gif)
Visiting
Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge? There is no lodging
or services anywhere near the refuge. If you need outdoor
gear before visiting, get your gear at the Backcountry Store.Com
which has free shipping on most orders.
Quality Outdoor Gear at Backcountry Store.Com .
 The
Red Rock River begins at Lillian Lake in the beautiful Centennial
Mountains in Montana. It flows down the mountains into
the extremely scenic, sparsely visited and wildlife abundant
Centennial Valley. The upper section of the Red Rock River
is known for its cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and a healthy
population of grayling. The river is very narrow through this
section and is not floatable.
The Red Rock River
soon leaves the mountains and enters the Centennial Valley,
where it flows through the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife
Refuge. While flowing through the refuge, it passes through
Upper Red
Rock Lake and Lower Red Rock Lake. Fishing is prohibited
on these two lakes and on the river between them. As the river
flows through large marshes in the wildlife refuge, numerous
reeds and willows are found along its bank. For those who
manage to make their way onto the lakes, waterfowl is very
abundant.
Access to the Red
Rock River in the National Wildlife Refuge and upstream is
excellent, as the river flows through federal lands. The river
is also very narrow, running around ten yards wide. Due to
the marshy condition of the wildlife refuge, many of the back
roads are primitive at best, and when wet the roads can turn
into a muddy bog. Four-wheel drive vehicles are advised for
those seeking to fish the river off the back roads in the
refuge.
After it leaves
the wildlife refuge, the Red Rock River flows quite slowly
through private property, with sparse access. Two bridges
over the river on county roads present the only access points.
The water is warm, and the banks are heavily grazed. The countryside
is very arid and open beneath the wildlife refuge, in rather
stark contrast to just upstream. This section of the Red Rock
River also provides stunning views of the Centennial Mountains.
Trout fishing is not very good between Lima Reservoir and
the wildlife refuge due to slow water and warm temperatures.
The Red Rock River
enters Lima Reservoir sixty miles from its origin. Below Lima
Dam, the river becomes more popular and somewhat more accessible,
as more county bridges cross the river. The flows increase
in this section, allowing for decent floating. Cottonwood
trees line the bank, providing a stark contrast to the arid
and somewhat barren landscape away from the river. The fly
fishing also improves with colder water and increased flows.
The Red Rock River
flows for more than fifty miles through similar country below
the dam before entering the Clark
Canyon Reservoir. The Beaverhead
River begins just below the dam.
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