The big hatch has finally emerged on the waters of Rock Creek, east of Missoula. The big bugs are on the water.“The long-awaited salmonfly hatch on Rock Creek has finally begun,” said Doug Persico at Rock Creek Fishermen’s Mercantile. “The first insects emerged on the lowest part of the creek last Saturday night. By Sunday morning, they were perched on the bushes by the side of the creek.”
Salmonflies are something to get excited about. Or, at least, they’re exciting if you’re a trout or a trout angler. These giant members of the stonefly live and grow in the stream for three years. Then, when the water temperature is right, they crawl out on the banks and transform themselves into a bug as long and big around as your little finger.
By the time you read this, the hatch should be almost up to the swinging bridge and fishing should be good along the lower 10 miles. The creek’s flow is very high right now and it can be dangerous.
Persico recommends that anglers on foot be very careful trying to wade during this high water. He recommends walking the bank until you see salmonflies on bushes that overhang the bank, then casting upstream under these bushes.
Persico also warns about trying to row the creek unless you’re an experienced oarsman.
“This creek is even more dangerous than usual,” he says, ” and the usual is very dangerous indeed.”
Here’s a tip of my oldest fishing hat to Doug Breker and his partner, Duane Meier, for winning the Camp Mak-A-Dream Walleye Benefit on Canyon Ferry Reservoir at the Silos last Saturday.
Breker caught and released a 30.5-inch, 11.42-pound walleye to win the $500 first prize. Then, the team turned around and donated the money back to Camp Mak-A-Dream, the camp for youth and young adults who have cancer located at Gold Creek.
Breker is the tournament director for June’s Walleye Festival on Canyon Ferry, so it must have been nice to actually be able to fish an event rather than having to run it.
Second place went to the team captained by Ron Campbell of Townsend with a 4.42-pound walleye. Third and $250 went to the team of Jim Banta of Townsend, with a 3.94-pound walleye. Matt Siegle of Belgrade and his team had a 2.88-pound walleye for fourth place and $150.
The event was sponsored by Walleyes Forever and Montana PikeMasters. It attracted 80 boats and, with no limit on the number of people per boat, had 227 anglers of all ages. It raised almost $5,000 for Camp Mak-A-Dream and $800 more for fisheries habitat projects at Canyon Ferry.
It has to be mentioned that the event also had an absolutely spectacular official guest starter - me! It’s fun to blow an air horn in a quiet, lakefront campground at 7 a.m.
Mark Ward’s statewide Montana Outdoor Radio
Show airs Saturdays from 6 to 8 a.m. in Missoula on KGVO 1290 AM. E-mail Ward at captain@montanaoutdoor.com.
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