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Rock Creek Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Missoula's wilderness-grade trout stream: 50 miles of pocket water and a famous stonefly riot.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
308 cfs
Air / High
66 / 68 F
Wind
NW 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 12334510, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Rock Creek feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The river is running 308 cfs, on the rise. Today brings a mixed sky, wind NW around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 68. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 70 F with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Rock Creek near Clinton MT.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 12334510.

263288312308 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp66 F
High / Low68 / 50 F
WindNW 8-11 mph
Pressure1010.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain25% cloud, 58%
Sunrise / Sunset06:58 / 20:07
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 68/50 F, wind 11 mph, rain 58%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Rock Creek 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
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 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 Rock Creek today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 70 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 68 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 85 F, wind to 13 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

Standard Montana rules; hoot-owl closures possible in hot Augusts. Confirm with FWP.

Access

Rock Creek Road parallels 50 miles: constant pullouts; lower miles near I-90 most social.

About this water

Blue-ribbon freestone joining the Clark Fork east of Missoula, MT. 1,500+ trout per mile.

Fishing Rock Creek: the full guide

The Creek

Rock Creek is what visitors imagine Montana to be: a boulder-strewn freestone with 1,500-plus trout per mile, a salmonfly hatch that borders on chaos, and a dirt road tracing every bend. Wade it: the water rewards boots over boats almost everywhere.

Fifty miles of legitimate water

Rock Creek needs no hatch chart theatrics: attractor dries, stonefly nymphs and streamers produce start to finish. Cutthroat and rainbows dominate the upper canyon; browns thicken downstream. The dirt road parallels everything: pick a mile, fish it, repeat for a week without repeating.

Salmonfly pilgrimage

Early June brings the hatch that made the creek famous: pteronarcys crawling the willows, trout losing composure, anglers timing vacations by rumor. Crowds concentrate at access points: walkers find open buckets between them.

Fifty miles of moods

Rock Creek fishes like three streams: the lower canyon's big pools (browns on streamers, easy highway access), the middle's classic freestone riffles, and the brushy upper meadows where cutthroat rise to anything well-drifted. The famous salmonfly hatch marches upstream through June: hit the front edge and every slick holds a competitive fish. The dirt road upstream punishes trailers but pays in solitude: every mile driven subtracts an angler.

Common questions

Can you float Rock Creek?

Rafts fit at higher flows early season, but this is a wading stream at heart: most of its length and most of its season fish best on foot.

When is Rock Creek's salmonfly hatch?

Typically first week of June at the mouth, progressing upstream for two-plus weeks: runoff timing shifts it. Big dry flies draw violence even days after the naturals pass: prospect boldly.

Is fishing good at Rock Creek right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Blackfoot River14 miClark Fork River (Missoula)20 miBitterroot River25 miGeorgetown Lake39 miMissouri River (Craig)83 miHolter Lake83 mi
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