Blackfoot River Fishing Report: May 5, 2026

Spring runoff is here. All four rivers are running high, off-color, and pushy with cold water in the mid-40s to low 50s. Subsurface fishing — bigger and darker — is the bread and butter, with dry-fly opportunities tied to afternoon hatches of March Browns, BWOs, late Skwalas, and the first Mother's Day Caddis on the Clark Fork and Bitterroot. The Bitterroot has officially entered peak runoff and is the toughest of the four; the Blackfoot and Rock Creek are the cleanest. Watch the gauges — forecast highs in the low 70s through Tuesday will push another snowmelt bump before Wednesday's cold front swings rain, snow, and 50s back through the system. Floaters: log jams and debris are still serious hazards, especially on the Bitterroot near Poker Joe.

Water: ~3,000 cfs near Bonner, dropping then likely bumping with the warm-up · Visibility: 2–3 ft, improving · Temp: 45°F

The Blackfoot is fishing well subsurface and has shown a slight uptick in dry activity on warmer afternoons. High flows have pushed fish tight to the willows along the banks — wade carefully and focus on the soft inside seams, drop-offs, and back eddies escaping the heavy current. Streamer fishing has been excellent; the off-color water rewards larger, darker patterns fished slow and tight to structure. Caddis are just starting to show in the evenings.

Hatches: Midges, BWOs, March Browns, straggler Skwalas, plus Nemoura and Capnia stoneflies on warmer afternoons. First evening caddis starting.

Best techniques:

• Nymph deep and heavy (4–6 ft) with a stonefly anchor; drop a smaller mayfly emerger like a Jig PT, Duracell, or On-Point Mayfly off the rig to target the post-lunch March Brown window.
• Dry-dropper on the willow margins — Chubby up top with a Solitude TJ Hooker, Jig PT, or San Juan Worm underneath.
• Streamers — Dungeon, Shake & Bake, Slick Willy, or Sculpzilla — fished deep with weight or sink tip; aggressive eats out of heavy cover.

Featured flies:

• Dries: Galloup's Goober Midge, Griffith's Gnat, Bucky's Klinkhammer-Zebra, Carlson's Olive Haze, On Point Para Wulff – BWO, Chubby Chernobyl, Ms. Tickle, D&D Cripple, DL Cripple.
• Nymphs: Rubberlegs, Solitude TJ Hooker, Double Bead Stones, MFC Trina's Squirm, Hot Bead Power Worm, San Juans, Tungsten Jig Pheasant Tail, Jig PT, Duracells, Hare's Ears, On-Point Mayfly.
• Streamers: MFC Chicago Overcoat, Coffey's Conehead Sparkle Minnow, Kreelex, Lil' Kim, MFC Beadhead Woolly Bugger, Dungeon, Shake & Bake, Slick Willy, Sculpzilla.

Outlook: Highs climbing from the mid-50s Saturday into the low 70s by Tuesday near Ovando, then a midweek cold front with rain, snow, and 50s on Wednesday. Watch the gauge — the warm-up could trigger another snowmelt push.