Kevin,
I wish I had some first-hand fishing reports to pass along but unfortunately
I can only share what I've read. According to last Friday's (8/31/01)
Spokesman-Review (Spokane's daily paper) the best places to fish in the
Missoula area are Rock Creek and the Clark Fork River. The St. Joe being
the best bet for the Panhandle portion of Idaho.
Clark Fork has been fair to good in the morning using Trico patterns, fair
with hoppers during mid-day and excellent with Pale Evening Duns and Blue
Wing Olives (#18-#20) in the evenings.
On Rock Creek big fish are being taken on nymphs, Chernobyls, and
tarantulas.
The bigger fish are concentrating in the deeper pools.
The St. Joe is not fishing very well in the mornings with the best bet being
nymphs and hoppers in the afternoon and evening.
I have also heard the fishing was very good on the Kootenai River but I'm
not sure which section. The gentleman I talked to was using a pontoon and
said he caught lots of fish in the 8-12" range. Not sure what the best bet
in the Whitefish area is. The fires have really spread this weekend. Bring
your float tube. There are a few smaller lakes near Whitefish that might be
fishing well.
Good Luck
Don
(Spokane)
