Waters · United States
Bitterroot River (Missoula) fishing report
Updated Friday, 9 October 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
The Bitterroot opens Montana's dry-fly season in March with its skwala stonefly hatch, weeks ahead of anything else. Braided channels shift with every runoff, so last year's seam may not exist.
Today's report: good (78/100)
Brown Trout is the most promising species on Bitterroot River (Missoula) today. Water temperature is around 13.4°C and barometric pressure is rising. Gauge Bitterroot River near Missoula MT shows the water level steady (0 cm/24h).
Bitterroot River (Missoula) water temperature and flow
- Discharge: 22.4 m³/s (791 cfs) — down 0% over 24 hours
- Level trend: steady
Measured at gauge Bitterroot River near Missoula MT · reading 72 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 21:00–23:00 local time — score 84/100
- 01:00–03:00 local time — score 89/100
- 08:00–10:00 local time — score 86/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Friday 9 Oct | Saturday 10 Oct | Sunday 11 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Trout | 77 — good | 83 — excellent | 68 — good |
| Brown Trout | 78 — good | 91 — excellent | 79 — good |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Bitterroot River (Missoula) rating:
- water temperature: helping (+1)
- pressure trend: helping (+1)
- season: helping (+1)
- wind: helping (+0.9)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
- cloud cover: helping (+0.85)
Forecast computed Sat, 10 Oct 2026 03:11:52 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge Bitterroot River near Missoula MT · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.
Read before you go
- Trout stream tactics, read through the forecast
- How river flow trend changes the bite
- Barometric pressure and fishing, explained
More rainbow trout waters
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Nearby waters
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- Missouri River (Craig) — Montana, USA (156 km away)
- Big Hole River (Melrose) — Montana, USA (179 km away)
- Kootenai River (Libby Dam) — Montana, USA (199 km away)
- Salmon River (White Bird) — Idaho, USA (212 km away)
- Gallatin River (Logan) — Montana, USA (226 km away)