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Bitterroot River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Bitterroot: a north-flowing valley river from its East and West forks to the Clark Fork at Missoula, with FWP access sites from Darby to Florence.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
816 cfs
Air / High
48 / 52 F
Wind
ENE 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 12352500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Bitterroot River fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The river is running 816 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind ENE around 4 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 52. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:14 AM-12:14 PM and 10:45 PM-12:45 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Brook troutExcellent

Below 50°F is the fall spawning band (40-50°F in Vermont), so stay off spawning gravel. In winter Maine IFW finds pond fish close to shore in 4 to 12 feet of water under the ice.

Tomorrow: Similar at 54 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Montana requires a fishing licence from age 12, from $31.00 for residents. What a Montana licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with FWP before you keep anything. The season dates for Montana, read off the agency, are on the Montana seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Bitterroot River near Missoula MT.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 12352500.

8389261,013816 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 43 years of October 23

At 816 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 12352500 (Bitterroot River near Missoula MT) is at the 44th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 43 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 849 cfs; the highest was 2,520 cfs and the lowest 629 cfs.

p10 655median 849p90 1,666

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 12352500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp48 F
High / Low52 / 41 F
WindENE 4-24 mph
Pressure1012.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 86%
Sunrise / Sunset08:05 / 18:34
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Bitterroot River this week

Today is the pick of the week on Bitterroot River, at 3 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 — fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:14 AM-12:14 PM and 10:45 PM-12:45 AM
Minor period
4:39 AM-5:39 AM
Sun
08:05 to 18:34
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Rain, 9 mph
Rain chance
86%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Bitterroot River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Brook trout illustration

Brook trout

Spring and fall in ponds and lakes, when fish come shallow; summer in the coldest headwater streams

The brook trout is a char native to eastern North America, a fish of cold, clean streams and ponds, and the state fish of Michigan. Below 50°F is the fall spawning band (40-50°F in Vermont), so stay off spawning gravel. In winter Maine IFW finds pond fish close to shore in 4 to 12 feet of water under the ice.

When to come: the Bitterroot River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
Brook trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Bitterroot River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 3 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Montana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Montana fishing license. FWP 2026: forks to Woodside Bridge and Florence Bridge to mouth, cutthroat catch-and-release, 3 rainbow or brown trout (1 over 14 in.); Woodside Bridge to Florence Bridge, all trout catch-and-release, artificial lures only; Dec. 1-third Saturday in May, trout catch-and-release river-wide. Smallmouth bass are not wanted in the lower river: any caught there must be killed and reported.

Access

FWP fishing access sites along the valley, including Hannon Memorial (south of Darby), Woodside Bridge, Bell Crossing, Florence Bridge and Chief Looking Glass.

About this water

About 83 river miles (FWP), Ravalli and Missoula counties, MT; flows north to the Clark Fork near Missoula. USGS gauge: Bitterroot River near Missoula.

Fishing Bitterroot River: the full guide

The river

FWP tracks the Bitterroot for about 83 river miles in Ravalli and Missoula counties, from the junction of the East and West forks to its mouth on the Clark Fork near Missoula. It flows south to north, so downstream on FWP's maps means north. FWP lists native westslope cutthroat trout, bull trout and mountain whitefish in it, along with introduced rainbow, brown and brook trout.

Rules by section

FWP's general season runs from the third Saturday in May to Nov. 30. From the forks to the north boundary of Woodside Bridge FAS, and again from Florence Bridge to the mouth, cutthroat trout are catch-and-release and the combined limit is 3 rainbow or brown trout, only one over 14 inches. Between Woodside Bridge and Florence Bridge all trout are catch-and-release and only artificial lures may be used. From Dec. 1 to the third Saturday in May the whole river is catch-and-release for trout, with artificial lures, maggots or aquatic insects as the only bait.

Unwanted bass

FWP does not want smallmouth bass in the lower river: from Florence Bridge to the mouth, every one caught must be killed, kept, reported to FWP within 24 hours and turned in at an FWP office within 10 days.

Floating limits

On the West Fork and upper Bitterroot, FWP bars commercial floating and fishing from June 1 to Sept. 15 on a set weekday for each reach, and closes some reaches to all floating on set days from July 1 to Sept. 15, starting with Painted Rocks Dam to the Applebury Forest Service site on Fridays. Check the recreation rules in the regulations before planning a float.

Common questions

Where is the catch-and-release section of the Bitterroot?

From the north boundary of Woodside Bridge FAS to Florence Bridge during the general season: all trout released and artificial lures only (FWP 2026).

Can I fish the Bitterroot in winter?

Yes. From Dec. 1 to the third Saturday in May the whole river is open with all trout released and only artificial lures, maggots or aquatic insects allowed.

What should I do with a smallmouth bass from the lower Bitterroot?

Kill it and keep it, report it to FWP within 24 hours (406-542-5500) and bring the whole fish to an FWP office within 10 days.

Is fishing good at Bitterroot River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Clark Fork River (Missoula)7 miBlackfoot River14 miRock Creek21 miGeorgetown Lake58 miFlathead Lake73 miNorth Fork Clearwater River74 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 12352500 — Bitterroot River near Missoula MT
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 46.8317, -114.0549 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.