WadeNot advised
Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.
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Fly fishing report · West
Blackfoot River
A Blackfoot River report for anglers checking Bonner flow, access corridor rules, cutthroat and bull-trout safeguards, hatches, and weather.
Check flow & weatherToday's fishing decisionMost live data available
60
Use caution
Blackfoot River is a cautious call right now.
USGS water temperature is about 69F. Fish early and stop if handling stress is likely.
Best supported approachFloat
Watch nextWater temperature: USGS water temperature is about 69F. Fish early and stop if handling stress is likely.
Updated Aug 3, 12:48 AM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes
Best supported approachFloat
Compare wading, bank fishing, and floating before choosing how you will fish.
Bank / edgeNeed data
This report does not describe this as a primary mode. Verify legal access, depth, launches, and retreat options before planning around it.
Float · Best fit64/100
A float can fit better than wading only if launches, shuttle, boat skill, wind, and local rules all check out.
Check before you drive
Current flow and weather.
Look at whether the river is rising or falling, then check wind, rain, and storms. These can change both safety and fishing.
Loading current flow and weather.
Before you rely on this report
How current is this report?
Conditions can change quickly. Check these dates before you decide to fish, and open the official source when safety or rules matter.
- River conditions
- Checked Aug 2, 2026, 8:48 PM
- Fishing guidance
- Reviewed May 31, 2026
- Public access
- No reviewed map pin available
- Rules and closures
- Official rule links checked
High confidence in the current score inputs.
7 sources are listed below for you to open.
3 public access records are listed. Private spots are never shown.
Source checked Jul 30, 2026
Plan your access
Know where you can enter.
These are public parking, launch, trail, or recreation areas—not secret fishing spots. We never show an angler's private pins, notes, or photos here.
- 0
- Shown on map
- 3
- No map pin
Location checkedDescription only
01No map pin
Area description
Russell Gates to Johnsrud corridor
FWP identifies this as the managed Blackfoot River recreation corridor with special planning rules.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Montana stream access does not let you cross posted private land to reach the water.
FWP corridor camping is limited to designated or permitted sites, so do not improvise camps on gravel bars.
02No map pin
Area description
Bonner gauge reach
Primary flow reference for the lower Blackfoot and Missoula-area fishing plans.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Montana stream access does not let you cross posted private land to reach the water.
FWP corridor camping is limited to designated or permitted sites, so do not improvise camps on gravel bars.
03No map pin
Public land
Upper valley access
Use official sites and posted public land; private ranch banks require permission.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Montana stream access does not let you cross posted private land to reach the water.
FWP corridor camping is limited to designated or permitted sites, so do not improvise camps on gravel bars.
How to fish it
Start with flow, temperature, and the corridor rules.
The Blackfoot can be a great freestone trout day, but it is also fast, cold, and sensitive. Use the Bonner gauge, check current FWP restrictions, and match your plan to access rules before fishing.
- Use the Bonner gauge for the lower-river trend and do not wade heavy mid-channel current during runoff.
- Treat cutthroat and bull-trout handling carefully; when in doubt, release fish quickly and keep them wet.
- FWP's recreation corridor has specific access and camping rules, so plan stops before launching.
- In summer heat, fish early, carry a thermometer, and leave trout alone when temperatures climb.
Why the score looks this way
Water temperatureUse caution
USGS water temperature is about 69F. Fish early and stop if handling stress is likely.
Public alertUse caution
An Air Quality Alert is active near this forecast point, so the score is capped at caution until smoke and access conditions are checked. NWS alert: Air Quality Alert issued August 2 at 9:12AM MDT by NWS Great Falls MT.
Best mode nowUse caution
Float: A float can fit better than wading only if launches, shuttle, boat skill, wind, and local rules all check out.
FlowHelps score
USGS shows 866 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. Today's flow is within the normal seasonal range of 726 cfs to 1,170 cfs. Weather, water temperature, and access are the next checks.
SeasonHelps score
Early summer: Runoff drop brings salmonfly, golden stone, caddis, and streamer opportunities.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
The best Blackfoot windows are stable post-runoff flows, cool mornings, and enough clarity for fish to use banks, riffles, and softer seams. Rising, muddy, hot, or restricted water should change the plan.
Post-runoff green
Fish stonefly dries, rubberlegs, and streamers tight to banks and soft current.
Clear summer flow
Use hoppers, ants, caddis, and dry-droppers around shade and riffle edges.
High or muddy
Stay near soft edges only if safe, or wait for the river to drop and clear.
Warm low water
Check FWP restrictions and fish early, or move to colder water if trout are stressed.
Your trip plan
Know when to go—and when to skip it.
Best flows
Use RiverReports and USGS 12340000 near Bonner together. Dropping post-runoff water and cool stable mornings are the cleanest windows; high, muddy, or hot low water should move the plan to safer edges or a different river.
When to skip
Skip or pivot when FWP restrictions are active for your timing, water temperature is unsafe, runoff is pushy, corridor access or camping rules are unclear, or native-fish handling would be poor.
Local plan
Start with the Bonner gauge and the recreation-corridor plan. Then decide whether the day is a bank-focused dry-dropper float, a roadside wade session, or a short streamer window around clouds and clarity.
Backup water
If the Blackfoot is high, warm, crowded, or restricted, compare Rock Creek for a wade-focused creek plan, the Clark Fork for larger Missoula water, or the Bitterroot for another freestone option.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
March to AprilSkwalas, March Browns, BWOs, midges, and early stonefly movementSkwala dry, rubberleg, March Brown, BWO emerger, zebra midge
Fly family · report suggests “Skwala dry”Skwala Stonefly PatternsSkwala is an insect and hatch label. Dark olive-brown nymphs and olive adult dries are materially different forms; seasonal timing also varies by watershed.See family guide ↗
Fly family · report suggests “rubberleg”Stonefly Nymph PatternsStonefly nymph patterns generally emphasize two tails, a broad thorax, segmented abdomen, and bottom contact; rubber legs, biots, beads, and jig hooks define different exact forms.See family guide ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box May to JuneRunoff edges, salmonflies, golden stones, caddis, PMDsChubby Chernobyl, Pat's rubber legs, caddis pupa, PMD emerger, streamer
Fly pattern · report suggests “Chubby Chernobyl”Chubby ChernobylIdentify the construction, not the color: a long foam overbody over a segmented dubbed underside, rubber legs at two tie-in stations, two distinct buoyant synthetic-yarn wing sections, and a short flash tail. The paired wing stations and layered foam-and-dubbing body separate the reviewed Chubby from the original Chernobyl Ant and from generic foam hoppers or beetles.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Fly pattern · report suggests “Pat's rubber legs”Pat's Rubber LegsThe core Pat's Rubber Legs architecture is a long weighted stonefly nymph with a chenille body, two rubber tails, a pair of antennae, and multiple long flexible legs. Pat Bennett's documented 1995 form used true-brown chenille and true-olive Super Floss; coffee-and-black became a familiar later guide treatment. Beads, jig hooks, thoraxes, wing cases, articulated bodies, white legs, and other colors are explicit variations—not silent parts of one universal recipe.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box July to AugustHoppers, ants, beetles, nocturnal stones, spruce moths where presentHopper-dropper, foam ant, beetle, nocturnal stone, small perdigon
Fly family · report suggests “foam ant”Ant PatternsAnt patterns can be foam, fur-bodied, winged, or sunken. The narrow waist and paired body lobes matter more than one material recipe.See family guide ↗
Fly family · report suggests “beetle”Beetle PatternsBeetle flies range from simple foam shells to hair-bodied and sunken forms. A rounded back and compact profile distinguish the family from ants and hoppers.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box September to OctoberMahoganies, BWOs, October caddis, baitfish, fall streamer windowsMahogany, BWO, October caddis, sculpin, leech
Fly family · report suggests “Mahogany”Isonychia and Mahogany Dun PatternsIsonychia nymphs are active swimmers; emergers, parachute or other dry forms, and spinners occupy different levels. Mahogany Dun can be regional hatch wording, so it does not identify one exact fly recipe.See family guide ↗
Fly family · report suggests “BWO”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box 01
Fish banks and inside seams first after runoff; trout often avoid the heaviest current.
02
Use a dry-dropper through broken pocket water, then switch to a single dry when fish look up.
03
During summer, cover shade, grass banks, and undercuts with hoppers and ants before noon.
04
Streamer fish cloudy days, stained edges, and deeper bends with a controlled swing or strip.
05
Give native trout short fights, wet hands, and fast releases.
Rules & closures
Check the official rules before you go.
Open the agency page to confirm the exact river section, species, season, tackle rules, limits, and emergency closures.
Official links checkedRules for this river or sectionNo special rule found
We did not find a special rule for this river.
We checked the state source but did not find a clearly supported exception for this river. Check the official rules for the exact section you plan to fish.
Rules checkedJul 30, 2026
Report a correction ↗Always follow the official rule
This summary helps with trip planning. The linked agency rule is the one you must follow.
Updates from anglers
What anglers are seeing.
Recent observations from general areas of Blackfoot River. We review every update before it appears and never publish exact fishing spots, private access details, or photo locations.
Angler updates are not loading right now.
You can still use the river plan above. Check back later for recent observations from other anglers.
Where this report comes from
Open the sources we checked.
Fishing guidance checked: May 31, 2026
Site check: Jul 14, 2026. We regularly test report links, live scores, flow and weather data, and page loading. The content date changes only when the fishing guidance or its sources change.
flowRiverReports Blackfoot River near BonnerflowUSGS Blackfoot River near Bonner 12340000regulationMontana FWP fishing regulationsaccessMontana stream access lawsafetyMontana FWP current waterbody closures and restrictionsaccessFWP Blackfoot River recreation corridorsafetyNational Weather Service forecast point
Common questions
Before you leave.
What should I check first before fishing the Blackfoot River?+
Check the Bonner gauge, FWP current restrictions, water temperature, weather, and the corridor access plan.
Are there special regulations on the Blackfoot River?+
Yes. Blackfoot rules include native-trout protections and reach-specific limits, so read the current FWP regulations.
What flies should I bring for the Blackfoot River?+
Bring the hatch-chart flies, a few confidence nymphs, and a streamer box. Then adjust for water temperature, clarity, and the insects you actually see.
Can I wade the Blackfoot River?+
Yes in many places, but flows are pushy and access is not continuous. Use official sites and stay within Montana stream-access rules.
When should I skip the Blackfoot River?+
Skip it when flows are unsafe, temperatures stress trout, wildfire or emergency closures are active, or legal access for the reach is not clear.