If you do happen to catch one of these rare fish, please release it immediately. Check out this bull trout fact sheet in PDF.



Clark Fork River: This is Montana's largest river by volume, flowing northwest from Butte to Idaho. It enters the Lolo National Forest area around Clinton, Montana and continues to the Idaho border. The Clark Fork is known for the size of its rainbow trout which are larger than most other rivers. The Clark Fork is also home to brook trout, brown trout, bull trout and mountain whitefish. Fishing the river is trickier than you would imagine simply because the trout seem to "migrate" in pods form spot to spot rather than relying on a consistent and predictable locations. Floating is the most popular form of fishing this river because you can cover more ground quickly while locating these pods of trout. Aesthetically, the Lolo National Forest portion of the Clark Fork is very scenic. There are deep pools, forested canyons and sometimes bald eagles sitting in the pines on the shore. Not too many places have trout streams this large! This is special country.

Lower Rock Creek with cottonwoods.

Rock Creek: If you are reading this page and interested in trout fishing, you have probably heard of Rock Creek. It's my favorite in the Lolo National Forest, and the favorite of many others. Rock Creek begins in the spectacular wild Anaconda-Pintler wilderness and flows for 66 miles north until it meets the Clark Fork at Interstate 90. What makes it so great? Well, the access for starters. A long USFS road parallels most of the river making it easy to just park your car, get out and fish. There are also a series of very nice remote campgrounds bordering the river which make visiting the area for a few days very easy. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Rock Creek is just loaded with trout. And not just a couple species, but rainbow trout, brook trout, bull trout, cutthroat trout and brown trout. Rock Creek allows for the fisherman to get the much cherished "Grand Slam"(four different trout species) in a single day on the water. Rock Creek is also known for trout that are a touch above average in size. On top of that is the sheer beauty of the area. The first few miles of the river south of Interstate 90 flow through tranquil forests of cottonwoods and occasionally wide, open meadows(sometimes full of bighorn sheep). As you head south, the paved road turns to gravel and you enter the very narrow portion of Rock Creek Road. Here you will notice boulders the size of cars and deep, clear runs. This is known as the Dalles area. While it may look beautiful, Dalles is known as perhaps the hardest place to catch fish on Rock Creek. If any local fly shop owner tells you to "give Dalles a try", it's because they think you haven't spent enough money in their shop and they are playing you for a fool. If that happens, put the items you were planning on buying back on the shelf and head to another fly shop. Dalles might be good for bull trout, but you can't legally fish for them on Rock Creek anyway. The areas you want to fish on Rock Creek are the flat runs which hold countless fish. These are pretty much everywhere but Dalles. As you head south on Rock Creek Road past Dalles campground, you will notice the river turn into one long, giant riffle. Anywhere from here to the Anaconda range will do nicely. There are some more campgrounds as you head south such as Harry's Flat and Bitterroot Flat. All of Rock Creek is moose and bear country. A grizzly bear was spotted in the Rock Creek country a few years back, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were more. You can expect to see osprey while fishing Rock Creek.

Every time I come back to Rock Creek, I feel like I am back home. It's a wonderful fishery with great camping and a scenic forest. High grade stuff here, folks.

Rock Creek near Dalles.

Blackfoot River: This is the river made famous By Norman McLean's book, "A River Runs Through It". While the main stem doesn't really flow through the Lolo National Forest, it is considered Lolo country for the most part until it reaches the Helena National Forest just west of Lincoln, Montana. Plus, a smaller fork does flow through the Lolo National Forest near the Scapegoat Wilderness. The Blackfoot beings a dozen miles east of Lincoln and flows west towards the Clark Fork for about 90 miles. You can find brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and bull trout swimming these waters. The Blackfoot is more popular as a wading river, but floating use has increased, especially you get closer to Missoula. Keep an eye out for recreational floaters as well. The lower Blackfoot has a good reputation as a "party" river. The Blackfoot is also an excellent wildlife river, and that includes possible grizzly bears.

Seeley Lake: The Lolo National Forest is not just about rivers(however amazing), but also lakes. The Seeley Swan Valley 45.59 miles northeast of Missoula(east on Interstate 90 to highway 200 exit, then northeast to highway 83 and up to the town of Seeley Lake) has many drive-in lakes that have good fishing. Seeley Lake is one of them. At 1,031 acres, this is not a lake you can just shrug at. The scenery in the Seeley Swan is something else, and you will find all the lakes to be wonderful places to spend a day.

Seeley Lake is also deep, with a max depth of 125 feet, and an average depth of 57 feet. Public land ownership is 85%, meaning development is kept to a minimum. Species that call Seeley Lake home are bull trout, brown trout, kokanee salmon, largemouth bass, whitefish, northern pike, rainbow trout, whitefish, cutthroat trout, perch and pumpkinseed. That's quite a variety of fish! There's enough there to keep even the most jaded angler completely happy.

Lake Inez: Just up the road from Seeley Lake on highway 83 is 288 acre Lake Inez. The max depth of Lake Inez is 69 feet, with an average depth of 35 feet. The lake is home to brook trout, bull trout, kokanee salmon, whitefish, northern pike, cutthroat trout and rainbow trout. The scenery is similar to Seeley Lake, just in a smaller sized package.

Lake Alva: A couple more miles north on highway 83 and the Clearwater chain brings you to 298 acre Lake Alva. Alva has a max depth of 95 feet and an average depth of 52 feet. Fish species are very similar to Lake Inez and Seeley Lake except there are no largemouth bass. The lake is almost entirely public land, so development will be very limited.

Salmon Lake: This 631 acre lake is located on the western side of highway 83 some 43 miles northeast of Missoula. Common species are brown trout, bull trout, kokanee salmon, whitefish, northern pike and yellow perch. Max depth is 70 feet with an average depth of 32 feet. Like the other lakes along highway 83, Salmon Lake is also scenic. You really can't go wrong with any of the lakes in this part of the Lolo National Forest. A great day of fishing with top level surroundings.

Those seeking a Montana fishing license can purchase them at this link.

Fishing license costs:

Two day license for resident is $13. Two day for nonresident is $25.
Ten day license for nonresident is $53.50. There is no Ten day license for residents as it makes no sense in terms of cost. They just purchase the annual license. The resident annual fishing license is $26, $16 for ages 15-17.. The nonresident annual fishing license is $70, with $60 for ages 15-17.
Those who are over the age of 62 r higher pay $8 for an annual resident annual license. Nonresidents pay $70 in this scenario.

Those who are seeking out warm water fish need a warm water fish stamp. The are $5 across the board whether a resident or nonresident.

Kids ages 1-11 fish for free in Montana. Nonresidents age 12-14 do not require a license if they are accompanied by an adult who holds a valid Montana fishing license.

Montana residents with a disability pay $8 for an annual license. This is not available for nonresidents. Blind residents can obtain a lifetime fishing pass for $10.

Image note: The top picture was taken near Dalles on the beautiful Rock Creek. Although it may look shallow in the photo, the depth of the river there is well over six feet.

Download the Rock Creek Campground Pack for Lolo National Forest in iPod, Quicktime, iTunes, WMP 12 and VideoLan format. See what the campgrounds are really like.