Rock Creek Fishing Report, June 5, 2026

Overview: Last week's rain-on-heat event blew out every river in the Missoula area; all four are now dropping and trending the right way. Rock Creek is the clear play (Grizzly Hackle has it at a 5/5 with the salmonfly hatch in full swing), the Bitterroot has the best clarity of the big rivers, the Blackfoot is waiting on its salmonflies, and the Clark Fork is, as usual, the last to clear. Best window: 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Lightweight, 5/31). Weather: sunny and warm today, rain moving in Sunday (NWS, 6/5).

At a glance: High but dropping fast (down ~1,000 CFS in days from ~2,020 at Clinton), technical wading · 47–55°F · Grizzly Hackle: 5/5 · MAngler: 3/5 · Best window: 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Obstruction update (Kingfisher / Rock Creek Mercantile, 6/3): Lower Fire Ring to Elkhorn is woody and jammy; the corner is blocked by a fresh log. Everything else has cleared in this last push, including the earlier Mile Marker 27 tree and the Upper Fire Ring to Microburst sweeper reported by Blackfoot River Outfitters on 5/29. It's still runoff season: wade carefully and watch for debris and sweepers when floating. One slip on a slick rock and the creek may want you 500 feet downriver.

The salmonfly madness has resumed. Last week's weather bumped the creek up a lot; now it has dropped and the salmonflies are the story, with the bulk of the hatch now in the upper half of the creek. Kingfisher reports anglers finding success on the upper Fire Ring sections, with stragglers on the first five miles. The lower creek (downstream of Nortons) fishes slower with the big bug, so don't be afraid to head upstream. Fish side channels, structure, soft margins, inside bends, and boulder edges; even with high, off-color water the fish need to eat.

Best techniques:

• Salmonfly dries and dry-dropper are the headline. Grizzly Hackle's favorites have a lot of orange: Dancin' Ricky's, Supa-Dupa Stones, Stone Squatters, Juicy Stones, and Cat Pukes in foam for dry-dropper work, with naturals (Norm Woods, Sofa Pillow, Emma's Stone) for dry-fly-only days. Blackfoot River Outfitters' picks: Juicy Stone Salmonfly, Henry's Fork Salmonfly, Fools Gold Salmonfly, or a Chubby Chernobyl Salmonfly. Missoulian Angler's June box leans the same way: True Salmon Fly, Super Gee Salmon Fly, Rogue Salmon Fly, Half Down Salmon Fly, and Morning Wood Salmon Fly for the big bugs; Plan B Golden, Fluttering Stone Golden, Rastaman Golden, and Henrys Fork Golden as the golden stones build; plus Hairwing Green Drake and the sally patterns (MAngler Yellow Sally, Iron Sally Jig Morrish, Beadhead Yellow Sally). Focus on soft water against the willows and structure.
• Nymphing carries the bright midday hours: TJ Hooker, Sili-Leg Stone with the orange tungsten bead, Rubber Legs, Hot-Bead DBL Bead Stone, Zirdles, San Juan Worms, Jig PTs, Hares Ears, Shuck-its, Duracells, and big Prince nymphs through softer seams and pocket water.
• Streamers stay effective with the bump in the water: dead-drift a Sparkle Minnow, Woolly Bugger, or Bighorn Bugger through slower buckets and structure, early and late.

Hatches

Salmonflies going now (upper half best), golden stones next, green drakes on cloudy days, then Yellow Sallies, PMDs, and clouds of caddis in the coming weeks. Blackfoot River Outfitters' mayfly case for the windows ahead: MFC Hot Spot Para-Wulff (Brindle), Flash Cripple (Green Drake and Grey), Jake's Green Drake, Carlson's Purple Haze, and Stranahan's Brindle Chute.

The Fly Box

Nymphs: Iron Sally, TJ Hooker, Sili-Leg Stone, Rubber Legs, San Juan, Duracells

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

Streamers: Sparkle Minnow, Woolly Bugger, Bighorn Bugger

Outlook: Get in on the salmonfly madness now. Missoulian Angler expects fishing to improve significantly over the next couple of weeks as salmonflies, golden stones, green drakes, and sallies all come together, some of the best fishing of the year on the Creek. Saturday looks like the window before Sunday's rain; the cooler, cloudier stretch behind it favors nymphing and could kick the green drakes into gear.