Smith River - Montana

[BackcountryIdaho]

Lucky enough to be invited on a Smith trip with good family friends in mid-June. I've never done an overnight float in Montana, but the regs seem pretty self-explanatory. We'll have plenty of kids on the trip, but I would like to make the most of the fishing. Anyone familiar with likely hatches mid-June with a lower water year such as this? Or would a stop at the sporting goods store (Twin Sisters) in White Sulphur Springs take care of everything? Thanks in advance for any insight on floating, fishing, or preferred camps/points of interest.

 

[t_carlson]

The fishing can be hit or miss depending on recent rains (more so than snow pack, IMO). Montana gets most of its rain in May and June, and if it dumps right before or during the trip, it can turn the fishing off. I floated it back in 2016 or so, and didn't get a bite in two days. Of course, I didn't fish much after the first day because I realized it was pretty futile.

Most of the river is shallow, and the water is fairly turbulent. If they are feeding, the fish usually aren't too selective. I'd pack golden stone colored Chubbies (or some other kind of golden stone dry), some green drake cripples, some #12 and #14 EHC's, and a few #16 parachute Adams just in case they get picky. An assortment of basic nymphs, including some stonefly patterns, and a few streamers would round it out pretty well. Go-to set up would probably be a #8 Chubby with a #10 BH Prince dropper or something similar.

Its a beautiful and fun float regardless of fishing. On my first Smith float, I was a little disappointed in how remote it DIDN'T feel due to all of the other floaters on the water. Once I reconciled that this wasn't going to be exactly like true wilderness trip in that regard, it was very fun.

 

[BackcountryIdaho]

The fishing can be hit or miss depending on recent rains (more so than snow pack, IMO). Montana gets most of its rain in May and June, and if it dumps right before or during the trip, it can turn the fishing off. I floated it back in 2016 or so, and didn't get a bite in two days. Of course, I didn't fish much after the first day because I realized it was pretty futile.

Most of the river is shallow, and the water is fairly turbulent. If they are feeding, the fish usually aren't too selective. I'd pack golden stone colored Chubbies (or some other kind of golden stone dry), some green drake cripples, some #12 and #14 EHC's, and a few #16 parachute Adams just in case they get picky. An assortment of basic nymphs, including some stonefly patterns, and a few streamers would round it out pretty well. Go-to set up would probably be a #8 Chubby with a #10 BH Prince dropper or something similar.

Its a beautiful and fun float regardless of fishing. On my first Smith float, I was a little disappointed in how remote it DIDN'T feel due to all of the other floaters on the water. Once I reconciled that this wasn't going to be exactly like true wilderness trip in that regard, it was very fun.

Appreciate the feedback. Sounds like I'm well covered with any of my boxes for Idaho rivers. And I hear you on the water park feel of the "wild" rivers in summer. I think the best to avoid it is the Selway, where I've got a spot on a trip in July, but looking pretty dicey this year. Tight lines.

 

[Cheechako]

If the water is high target tributary mouths and along submerged willows with dark rubberleg stonefly nymphs and sanjuan worms. You should at least be able to get into some whitefish.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Good advice above. It has been a few years, but I remember doing well mid-June on the Smith with golden stones and green drakes. Drop a prince nymph off the back of a big golden for a few extra hookups. San Juan worms work really well if the flows are up and off color.

 

[WCB]

Fished it a couple times (not floating have private access through my sisters ranch and their neighbors). Goldens, rubber legs, worked well. This was mid June. I use smaller sized salmon flies, yellow sallies, and some various drake patterns with mixed success. Of course copper johns, pheasant tails etc under worked well also.

Last year we were there last week of June. We spent all day there (middle of the week)...if 8 boats passed us that would be about it from 9am-6pmish. If a flood of people came down before we got here or after we left I guess it could have got busy but compared to any other floatable river in MT it was pretty dead for the time of the year. We were only a few miles upstream from the Chaos Bridge Takeout

 

[MarlinMark]

What is the put in and take out for this float? Any details on the application?

 

[Pony Soldier]

I flew over it one time in late fall and felt the term river was incorrectly used. It looked to me that the correct term was smith crik.