Quick answer: June is the start of peak season in Missoula. The rivers drop back into shape after runoff, and the salmonfly, the biggest bug of the year, starts hatching around the middle of the month and runs through late June, sometimes into mid-July in a high-water year. It is on all of our rivers, each peaking on its own schedule over a couple of weeks, with green drakes, golden stones, and pale morning duns filling in behind it. Big fish rise consistently, the fishing is forgiving, and on the longest days of the year you can see trout eating after ten at night. June is our busiest month. Book two to three months ahead.

June is the month a lot of anglers wait all year for. Here is what a June guided trip looks like.

When does the salmonfly hatch happen?

Typically it starts in mid-June, around the 15th to the 20th, and runs through the end of the month. In a big snow year the high water pushes it later, and we can see salmonflies into mid-July. These are giant stoneflies, and when they are on the water the largest trout in the river throw caution aside to eat them off the top. It is loud, visual dry fly fishing.

The hatch does not peak everywhere at once. It starts on the smaller, warmer water and reaches the Blackfoot within days, where the river “really turns on” in mid-June. The upper Bitterroot sees early salmonflies too. The Clark Fork lags about five to seven days behind. Timing the peak on each river is the fun part, and it is exactly what your guide does for a living.

What else is hatching in June?

Plenty, which is why June fishes well even on the days the salmonflies are not on your stretch:

• Green drakes come off alongside the salmonflies, big mayflies that bring big fish up.
• Golden stones fill out the month and carry into July. A lot of local guides call them the best hatch in Missoula.
• Pale morning duns and pale evening duns show in the middle and late part of the month, the evening version on the longest evenings.
• Yellow sallies, a smaller yellow stonefly, start in late June and keep hatching through all of July.
• Caddis on the warm evenings.

As the salmonflies wind down on one stretch, there is a steady supply of bugs behind them, so the fish stay looking up.

What are the rivers like in June?

Early in the month the water is still high from runoff, and the fish hug the shore, out of the main push. As the flies zip by in the current, the trout do not always have a lot of time to decide, which is one reason June fishing is forgiving for visitors: a good drift along the bank gets eaten. The rivers drop and clear steadily through the month, and by the last week of June the rivers are in prime shape.

The wading crossings you could make in April are underwater in June, so this is a float month, and your guide will take the usual care with the higher flows early on.

What is a June day like?

Long. The days are as long as they get, and on the longest evenings you can fish until eleven and still see rising fish at half past ten. Full days start at a reasonable hour and can run into the evening if the fish are up. Weather is mostly warm and pleasant, though early summer in Montana can still hand you a cool, wet day, so bring a layer and a rain jacket. Expect a real river under the boat early in the month, and expect a shot at a big trout on a big dry fly, which is about as good as this sport gets.

Why fish June with a guide?

Because the salmonfly hatch is a moving target. It can be red hot on one stretch and finished on another only a few miles away, and it can be a week apart on two rivers that are twenty minutes from each other. Your guide knows where the bugs are today, which water has cleared, and how to time the day so you are on the right stretch when the fish are looking up. You pick your dates, and we put you on the river that is fishing best that day.

Our Blackfoot and Bitterroot pages cover what each river is like in salmonfly season.

Common questions about June in Missoula

Can you guarantee I will hit the salmonfly hatch? No one can. We can put you in the window when it usually happens, mid to late June, and your guide will find the best bugs going that day. If the salmonflies are done on one river, the golden stones and drakes are usually on somewhere else.

Is June good for beginners? Yes. The fishing is not technical, the fish are aggressive, and a good drift along the bank gets eaten. First-timers do very well in June.

How far ahead should I book? Two to three months. June is our busiest month, the salmonfly window goes first, and we cap the operation at six boats a day. Details in our booking post.

Is the water still high? Early in the month, yes, and that is fine for a float. By late June the rivers are dropping and clear.

What should I wear? Warm mornings are not a given in early June. Layers, a rain jacket, and sun protection. Most people are wet wading by the end of the month. See What to Wear.

Book your June trip: (406) 728-4308