Fishing Report On The Little Blackfoot River Updated 04/29/24
Conditions are good. You can catch trout on Light Green and or Red midges. Little Black Caddis, Skwala stoneflies, March Browns and Blue-winged olives are also hatching. It will be clear near or below spring confluences. We recommend fishing near the bridges on the lower end of the stream. Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes that make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone Stream
Species
Brown Trout
Rainbow Trout
Brook Trout
Size
Small
Location
South western Montana
Nearest Towns
Elliston
Season
Year-round
Access:
Fair to Good
Non-Resident License
State of Pennsylvania
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Options For Selecting Flies:
1. Email us (sales@perfectflystore.com)
with the dates you will be fishing this stream and we will send you a list of our fly suggestions. Please allow up to 24 hours for a response.
2. Call us 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide which flies you need
3. Email us (sales@perfectflystore.com)
with a budget for flies and we will select them to match the budget and get them to you in time for your fly fishing trip.
All orders are shipped free in the
U. S. Orders over $100 are shipped via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Fly Fishing The Little Blackfoot River
The Little Blackfoot is a beautiful small stream and apparently it has plenty of trout. This is a different stream than the Blackfoot River. We also have a website on it – https://perfectflystore.com/your-streams/fly-fishing-report-blackfoot-river-montana/. We are told that there are several springs along the river and that prevents it from freezing in its shallow areas during the winter. It also probably helps keep it cool during the hot summer where it is openly exposed to the sun. The Little Blackfoot is a great small stream. It just happens to flow through remote land where few travel, but yet in a general area of Montana with numerous blue-ribbon trout streams.
The Little Blackfoot is not a tributary nor does it connect to the Blackfoot River in any way. It is nearby the Blackfoot. It flows from out of the Boulder Mountains near the little Montana town of Elliston. The first fifteen miles or so of the Little Blackfoot flows through public land. A forest service road follows along much of the stream. Not far out of Elliston, the river flows through a beautiful valley. Most all of the river is on private land from that point on all the way to its confluence with the Clarke Fork. The river is similar in that respect to the Blackfoot River to its West but that is about the only similarity. The Little Blackfoot is much smaller as its name implies.
We fished the stream in the upper headwater area the first time we were there. We stopped just above a bridge on the Forest Service road and gave it a try. It was late July. The river is very small above Elliston. It is probably only ten or fifteen feet wide on the average. I started the fishing and Angie was running camera. I caught a small cutthroat trout on my first three cast. The fishing was incredible. You would think the trout had never had anything to eat. They acted like they were starved to death. Of course, they were not, they were just smaller cutthroats that were rarely fished. During the next two days on our first trip there we never saw another angler. In fact, on our next two trips during two other years there, we never saw an angler. In fact we have never seen anyone fishing the Little Blackfoot from it headwaters for its entire forty mile length. Much of the river is visible from a road through its last twenty-five mile stretch to the Clark Fork River. Our largest cutthroat in the upper section was probably only thirteen inches long. There are also a huge population of brook trout. I didn’t count fish but I would be willing to bet any good angler could catch well over a hundred on a summer day.
There are a lot of bridge access points along the river from Elliston to the Clarke Fork River. There are also a lot of log jams along the river. It is not a fast pocket water stream. Its flows are generally moderate. The trout in the lower section are mainly brown trout. We stopped a several of the bridges and were successful at catching brown trout and whitefish, at some of them. We have only fished the lower section one time and then only a short time at the bridges. We did catch several browns although none of them were over twelve inches. I am certain there are some large ones in the river. We just haven’t spent any time fishing it.
I doubt it could be floated. A small one-man pontoon boat or a canoe may work in places. The river is rather small even at it widest points. The log jams would be a problem. We haven’t tried it but I would seriously doubt if the ranchers would care if you did fish their property provided you ask them. From the looks of most of them I have met, I would make certain I didn’t damage anything. They live a rough, hard life the best I can tell. I would not want to cross any of them. That said, every one I have talked to in Montana were extremely nice and helpful.
Fly Fishing Guide for the Little Blackfoot River Montana
Fishing the headwaters of the Little Blackfoot is a pure delight. You can usually find plenty of water to fish all by yourself. About fifteen miles of the stream flows through public land and can be accessed from a public road. The trout are not big but the action is usually continuous. The trout are most all cutthroats and brook trout. They probably only average about six to eight inches but they are occasionally caught over 12 inches. The brown trout don’t start showing up much until you are out of the forest above the little town of Elliston. They average a larger size and can grow to a much larger size up to and over twenty-four inches or more.
The biggest problem you face when you are not fishing the headwaters is access to the stream. You are mostly limited to the bridges that cross the river. There are quite a few of them from Elliston to the Clarke Fork River. Most all of the river is visible from the road for the last twenty-five miles of river. We haven’t tried it, but I would seriously doubt if the ranchers would care if you did fish their property provided you ask them. From the looks of most of them I’ve met, I would make certain I didn’t damage anything. They probably live a rough, hard life. I wouldn’t want to cross any of them. That said, everyone I have talked to in Montana was extremely nice and helpful.
The river has very few fast water areas. It consist mostly of riffles and pools with what I would describe as mostly moderate flowing water. There are a lot of log jams and places for the trout to hide. During the fall, large brown trout move out of the Clarke Fork River and up into the Little Blackfoot to spawn. The browns are easier to catch throughout the length of the stream during the fall. Most of the year, the stay hidden in, under and around heavy cover. You must get a fly in the piles of logs, tree tops and anywhere else there’s a lot of cover. There are a few places where the stream has undercut banks and these are always good holding places for the browns.
Hatches and Trout Flies for the Little Blackfoot River Montana
The Little Blackfoot River has an early season hatch of Skwala stoneflies that takes place during March and April. Winter stoneflies (Nemoura) are also present these two months.
As with most all the streams in the area, baetis mayflies (Blue-winged Olives) hatch from mid March until mid June. There is yet another hatch that takes place in September, October and part of November.
March Brown mayflies hatch starting about the last week of March and through he month of April. Another March Brown species hatches starting about the last week of August through September and into the first week of October. Green Drakes hatch from about the middle of June into the first or second week of July. The runoff may catch part of this hatch.
Pale Morning Duns, or PMDs, as they are called, hatch from about the first of June all the way through the month of September, depending on the location. This is one of the better mayfly hatches. The little Mahogany Duns hatch in September and October.
Tricos hatch in the slower water sections of the stream starting about the last week of July all the way until the first week or two in October. This is one of the better hatches provided you can handle the small flies.
Golden Stoneflies hatch during July and August. Yellow Sallies hatch from about the first of June through August. All in all, stoneflies are very important insects in the Blackfoot River.
Several species of caddisflies are present – the Spotted Sedge being the most plentiful. It generally hatches from the middle of May until the end of August, depending on the particular species. They are all very similar. Little Short-horned Sedges hatch from about the middle of June through July.
Different species of Green Sedges hatch from about the middle of June all the way through September. The Rock Worm, or an imitation of their larva, works great just about all year. The last big caddisfly hatch is the October Caddis which takes place from about the middle of September through the middle of October.
Don’t overlook terrestrial during the summer. Grasshopper work from about the first week of July though the month of September. There are also plenty of beetles and ants. There are even some flying ants, but it is difficult to pinpoint the time you will find them.
Midges hatch throughout the year but are more important during March and April and again in October when other hatches are slack.
Don’t overlook streamers. The river has a good population of Sculpin, minnows and other baitfish. Streamers work great in low light situations on the Little Blackfoot’s brown trout.
If you haven’t done so already, please give our “Perfect Flies” a try. We are certain you will find them not only the most realistic imitations, but also the most effective flies you can use on the Little Blackfoot River.