Rock Creek Fishing Report, June 2, 2026

At a glance: High, off-color, technical water with the salmonfly hatch just starting on the lower creek. Runoff still rules where fish can feed — nymphs and streamers tight to soft banks are the consistent play, with salmonfly dries reserved for protected willow edges. Grizzly Hackle: 4/5. Best window: 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Float hazards (Blackfoot River Outfitters, 5/29): Tree down at Mile Marker 27, and a new sweeper between Upper Fire Ring and the Microburst. Float cautiously. High runoff water region-wide — wade conservatively, watch for debris and sweepers, and bring studded boots and a wading staff. This is not easy wading.

Conditions

Rock Creek is running high, cold, and technical. The Clinton gauge sat around 2,020 CFS (Lightweight, 5/31) — high and pushy bank to bank. Water temperature is in the upper 40s to mid 50s (47–52°F per Lightweight, ~55°F mid-day per Blackfoot River Outfitters, low 50s per Missoulian Angler), and clarity is off-color after warm weather and rain bumped the flows. It's still runoff season; don't expect July-like flows. Missoulian Angler rates the fishing 3/5; Grizzly Hackle rates it 4/5 on the strength of the early salmonfly activity.

The fish are still eating despite the high, off-color water — the key is finding the slowest usable water. Work soft inside bends, slow seams, bank cushions, eddies, pockets behind structure, boulder edges, and protected tailouts and side channels. Fish the close water first before wading in; a lot of trout are tucked into the softer edges out of the main current.

Hatches

The story is the salmonflies — adults are in the willows along the lower 10 miles of the creek near the mouth, and the hatch should build upstream by the end of the week. Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies, Green Drakes, caddis, BWOs, PMDs, and larger mayflies are all becoming part of the early-summer mix, but high water still controls where trout can actually feed.

Best Techniques

Nymphing is the most consistent approach right now. Run a big stonefly nymph — Pat's Rubber Legs (tungsten/heavy), Sili-Leg Stone with the orange tungsten bead, Double Bead Stone, TJ Hooker, or Zirdle — with enough weight to get down in short, controlled lanes along the banks. Drop a San Juan Worm or worm pattern, Jig PTs, Hare's Ears, Shuck-its, Duracells, or a big Prince Nymph under a salmonfly dry. On the upper stretches, focus on the salmonfly nymph as those bugs start to shuffle around.

Dries / dry-dropper. Where trout are working protected banks and willow-lined edges, fish the salmonfly. Foam patterns shine for dry-dropper — Juicy Stone, Chubby Chernobyl Salmonfly, Henry's Fork Salmonfly, Fool's Gold Salmonfly, and Stone Squatters — while natural-looking dries cover the dry-only days: Norm Woods, Emma's Stone, and Morrish Fluttering Stone. Missoulian Angler's June box for the creek also leans on salmonfly and golden-stone dries — True Salmon Fly, Super Gee Salmon Fly, Rogue Salmon Fly, Half Down Salmon Fly, Morning Wood Salmon Fly, Plan B Golden, Fluttering Stone Golden, Rastaman Golden, Dancing Ricky Golden, and Henry's Fork Golden — plus Hairwing Green Drake and Yellow Sally patterns (MAngler Yellow Sally, Iron Sally Jig Morrish, Beadhead Yellow Sally) as the secondary hatches fill in. On Blackfoot River Outfitters' dry list, watch for MFC Hot Spot Para-Wulff – Brindle, Flash Cripple – Green Drake/Grey, Jake's Green Drake, Carlson's Purple Haze, and Stranahan's Brindle Chute.

Streamers are worth fishing in the off-color, cloudy conditions and with the bump in flow. Dead-drift or slow-strip a Sparkle Minnow, Woolly Bugger, or Bighorn Bugger — olive, black, brown, or flashy — tight to the banks, around wood, and through slower buckets. Keep the retrieve slow enough for trout to track the fly in the heavier water. Grizzly Hackle notes the fish are starting to key on salmonflies over streamers, so treat streamers as the off-color/cloudy-window play.

7-Day Outlook

A cold, wet weekend is on tap — highs in the 40s with a good chance of rain Saturday and Sunday (Blackfoot River Outfitters), before highs creep back into the 60s by Tuesday. Cool, wet weather early in the week may slow runoff temporarily, but warmer weather later in the week can push flows again. Watch the hydrographs and prioritize water type over river loyalty. If Rock Creek levels out and clarity improves, the fishing could turn on quickly — June is some of the best of the year on the creek.

The Fly Box

Nymphs: Pat's Rubber Legs, Sili-Leg Stone, Double Bead Stone, TJ Hooker, Zirdle, San Juan Worm, Duracells, Prince Nymph, Iron Sally

Dries: Juicy Stone, Chubby Chernobyl, Fool's Gold, Plan B, Hot Spot Para-Wulff, Flash Cripple, Jake's Green Drake, Purple Haze, Brindle Chute

Streamers: Sparkle Minnow, Woolly Bugger, Bighorn Bugger