I will be in northern Idaho (Coeur d’Alene area) from May 11 through May 15. I have a free weekend so I planned to drive to the Missoula or Lolo area to do some wading. A friend told me that trying to wade the Missoula area rivers at that time of year would be tricky at best due to the melt off. He advised against it.
To anyone familiar with the area, should I give it a try or go somehwere else? The same friend suggested I stick to the NF of the Coeur d’Alene River or possibly the St. Joe. I have fished both of these rivers before and wanted to try something different but still in the general area. Hence, my desire to go to Montana. I have 3 free days and want to make the best of them! Unfortunately, I don’t have a boat or the means to hire a guide.
Welcome to this site! I’m afraid your friend may be right. That time of the year may be a little tricky. Your best bet, if you don’t mind driving just a little farther, you might have better luck finding some fishable water at a tailwater fishery like below Holter or Hauser dams on the Missouri. I’ve wade fished both with some pretty good luck. You may run into some high water issues with that too though, because if there is a heavy runoff, then they’ll be letting more water out of the reserviours. If this would be something to interest you, the folks at headhunters fly shop in Craig will be able to give you an up-to-date report on the Missouri in that area. They are really generous with their information, so don’t be afraid to call them. http://headhuntersflyshop.com/
There may be other options, so someone who knows better can chime in. I’d meet you there if I didn’t already have something planned that weekend. Hope this helps.
If you really don’t mind driving a bit farther than that (distance here is measured in hours, not miles, lol), I’d invite you to come fish around here, near Havre. We’ve got some great fishing around here. You’d be free to use one of my float tubes or my pontoon boat for the reserviours near (10 minutes) town, or you can wade MILES of the creek…depending on the runoff situation. If the water has calmed down, it’s some pretty good fishing. Take a look at the North Central Montana fishing report I have going in the fishing report section.
I just got back from 2 weeks fishing in Montana, spending most of my time on the Missouri, Bighorn and Beaverhead. Like Thunderthumbs said, the Missouri is a fantastic fishery and there’s plenty of water to wade - however there may be too much water then; you’re going to be there about the time they start increasing flows (you can check the USGS flow data for a better picture http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=06066500 ) so a lot of the places that are open now may not be available. With the elevated snowpack this year, I’d think the “runoff” season may be extended. I’m sure you could still find some fish there but it’s something to consider. Also, like TT said, check with the flyshops if you’re considering a trip over there; I also liked The Trout Shop; those guys were very helpful to me while I was there. Another tailwater option a little closer to you would be the Kootenai, although springtime releases will probably be up there too. I’ve only fished it once, in the summer, and it was a bit of a challenge to wade then; with higher flows, I don’t know. If you’re looking for something else entirely, check out some of the stillwaters over on the Blackfeet Reservation, east of Glacier. Some very, very big fish swim in those lakes and although a floatation device of some sort is preferred, you can find some big fish from shore. The limiting factor there is wind, lack of services, wind, and especially wind. If you’re willing to deal with it you have a shot at some spectacular fishing - not hotspotting here, the Blackfeet fishery has been known for a long time. Hope you find something to your liking; enjoy.
Thunder and Scott…thanks !!! Thunder, special thanks for the floating offerings! Unfortunately, it looks a bit far for me to travel as a day trip. I haven’t ruled it out, though!
Are you guys familiar with any possibilities in the eastern or central Washington area? I’ve heard of some spectacular spring creeks and desert streams in the area like Crab Creek but, again, don’t know if my timing will be good to head that direction.
Thanks again for taking the time to respond. I’m coming all the way from Kentucky so I’d like to make the best of my time on or in the water!