Lower Rock Creek is an internationally-renowned fishery located half an hour east of Missoula, Montana. This time of year, Rock Creek is invaded by a flotilla of rafts. It is salmonfly time and these anglers are enjoying 50-100 fish days, all on dries. Rock Creek is one of Montana’s premier freestone fisheries and the stonefly hatches provide the quintessential Rocky Mountain experience.

While the angling is excellent, I am sick of the early summer hubbub on the lower river. Fortunately, the upper mainstem fishes very well and receives a fraction of the fishing pressure. Also, certain reaches of Rock Creek’s upper forks and many of the tributaries provide excellent angling for those who are willing to explore.

My friend Sarah and I spent the weekend plying the waters of upper Rock. The weather was cool on Saturday, and we were upstream of the stonefly hatch, but the native westslope cutthroat responded well to San Juan Worms. The next day, after a morning in historic Phillipsburg, we headed to the upper mainstem. The big stones were on the water and the fish responded well to medium-sized (#6-8) imitations. We had a lot of fun catching voracious cutt-bows, cutthroat-rainbow trout hybrids, on dry flies.

Since it’s my vacation, I’m not going to write anymore, but look for another post about this part of Montana later in the season.

Please enjoy THESE PHOTOS.