Upper Bitterroot River in July with the Shields

Jim and Naomi are fishing three rivers again this year, the Bitterroot (pictured here), the Big Hole and the Blackfoot. We will try to post the other two rivers soon, in August. Stay tuned because they always catch spectacular fish. Here are more photos of trout - of course caught by the Shields!

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This is a slideshow of Jack getting the raft over debris/hazard while Jim and Naomi were out of the boat. Thanks Naomi for taking the photos! Jack is pulling and pushing the raft over a downed cottonwood. Thank goodness it wasn't too big. Good job Jack. You didn't even lose your hat or sunglasses.

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Westslope cutthroat trout

Westslope cutthroat trout from S. Fork Flathead River

These photos were taken in the world-class Westslope cutthroat trout fishery in the South Fork of the Flathead River, Montana, USA. The Westslope cutthroat trout is one of two subspecies of native cutthroat found in the state. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the population of Westslope cutthroat trout in the South Fork is the strongest and most vibrant in Montana, and perhaps in the entire West.
Put in was Big Priairie, take out wast Woodfir Creek just north of White River.

Father and daughter fishing the Bitterroot

Daniel and Leslie fished with Wapiti Waters on August 1. Woody Hayward was their guide. They were nice enough to send us these photos. The are from Wisconsin and were in Montana on a father/daughter trip. Leslie enjoyed fishing so much, she now wants her own gear. Dan is delighted. He is looking forward to more fishing and quality time with his daughter.

Woody working on the boat with Leslie looking on.

Leslie at lunch, Woody walking up from the river.

Sweet little trout!

Thanks Leslie and Daniel for fishing with Wapiti Waters. Hope we see you both again soon.

Big Hole River in late July

Scott Warren guided with Jack on the Big Hole River. The photos show this young woman with her first trout EVER. Pretty cool. And, she caught more fish that day including a brown trout.

Paul on the Bitterroot River, again - keeps coming back

Paul is the brother of my great friend Nancy. He lives in Washington State but comes to Montana to visit Nancy and family. He has many talents and loves to fish. The photos are from his camera and since Nancy was on this float, I think she probably took them. Thanks Paul and Nancy! 

Aquatic Invasive Species Workshop in western Montana Sat, July 9 - Missoula Outdoor Recreation | Examiner.com

Aquatic Invasive Species Workshop in western Montana Sat, July 9 - Missoula Outdoor Recreation | Examiner.com

Get the lead out. Use a Green Anchor on your raft or drift boat - Missoula Outdoor Recreation | Examiner.com

Get the lead out. Use a Green Anchor on your raft or drift boat - Missoula Outdoor Recreation | Examiner.com

Fly Fishing the west fork of the Bitterroot River in July

Rodney Boehm came here from Texas for a wedding. We fished with a few people from the wedding party and had a great time. The weather was good for both the wedding and fishing.

When fishing, especially if the water is somewhat high, the guide works hard to get people into fish and photography takes a back seat. We did get one photo and here it is. Rodney is holding one of his nice west fork of the Bitterroot trout. Congratulations.

Thanks for fishing with Wapiti Waters.

Petree and Mike back in Montana to fly fish

Mike wade fishing the west fork of the Bitterroot River

I am not sure if Mike has fished in Montana but Petree fished with us in the late '90's. Since then, her younger brother, Peter, has fished with us and become a great friend. Petree came up to visit Peter as he has recently moved to the Bozeman area. She and Mike fished the west fork of the Bitterroot River with Jack. It was a beautiful day and good fishing. Our water levels are starting to level off and actually step down a bit. One thing for sure, after the huge winter snowpack, we will have plenty of water in the rivers all summer and into fall.

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June 17 and 19 with fellow Trout Unlimited members from Michigan, the Miller's

Pam with her brown trout from the Big Hole River

Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited - Wapiti Waters donated a fly fishing trip for their annual auction this spring. John and Pam Miller got the trip and fished with Jack in mid-June. With high water in most of the state, Jack was able to fish them on the upper Big Hole River. They were troopers as the weather was still cool, but they caught trout!
John and Pam are avid outdoors people and Jack had a lot in common with them. He really enjoyed meeting and fishing with them. Thanks for supporting Trout Unlimited and for coming to Montana. We hope they return soon.

See more photos in the slideshow below.

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June 13, middle Bitterroot River photos

Photos from June 13 in the middle Bitterroot River. The CFS at the Florence, Montana gage was about 13,000 cubic feet per second and 11.73 feet in depth. There is 351 percent snow-water equivalent in the Bitterroot Mountains at the time of these photos. That is a LOT of snow yet to come down.

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Bitterroot River is coming up - runoff has begun

These photos are from Tuesday, May 17 at 5:00 pm. The Bitterroot dropped from 11,300 cfs to 10,300 cfs overnight (measured 7:00 am May 18) but day temps are predicted to be 68 degrees and scattered rain. We will see what that does to the levels.

There is room at Victor Crossing for more flow, but how much more? See Wapiti Waters Stream flow links to access USGS data for stream flows in our western Montana rivers.