Things have a way of evening out. A dry winter, followed by a wet spring and rainy June, had people who thought there would be no runoff wishing it would end. The salmon flies arrived earlier than anticipated, and persisted beyond their usual stay. Anglers had to pick their spots, but enjoyed a productive June.

Our El Nino weather pattern (dry winter, wet summer) has certainly held through June and should extend into July. This year, count on something better than the dog days, tepid flows, and the spotty July fishing that comes, ironically, following heavy snow pack.

The entire Clark Fork drainage should benefit from rains that are expected to last through the summer. “We’re all expecting better fishing from the Clark Fork as this prolonged heavy runoff clears out silt that accumulated during the dam removal,” says George Kesel of Missoula’s Four Rivers Fly Shop. “If all goes well, distributing that silt load should accelerate the hatches on the lower Clark Fork this year and in years to come.”

The Blackfoot should benefit as well, George says. “This year, more than others, July will see dramatic change. We’re coming into it with a lot of water. That should produce some great streamer fishing on the Blackfoot.” George’s hot streamer pattern for the Blackfoot is the J. J. Special, a fly that resembles a yellow Wooly Bugger on steroids. Chuck’s Freestone Sculpin (if I can brag a bit) is another good one.

As the summer progresses on the Blackfoot, George says, “Look for golden stones to surround the pale morning dun, pale evening dun, and tan caddis hatches. The Galloup Cripple in appropriate sizes and colors will produce well for these mayflies, with the late Paul Kohler’s pattern, now marketed as the Missoula Golden, doing the job for the golden stone. Look for the Blackfoot to fish very well through July, especially in the upper reaches.”

The lower reaches of the Blackfoot, from Johnserud Park on down, have been virtually designated as a recreational floating area, with the innertube hatch rivaling the golden stones in that area. For the serious fly fisher, the word is to be philosophical – drive a little further, preserve your peace of mind, and acknowledge the rights of the recreational floaters – unless you can retain your peace of mind while casting between them as they float by.

And then there’s the Bitterroot: The lower stretches generally warm up in late July, and that’s again to be expected. The East and West Fork, and the river from the junction of the forks near Connor to Hamilton, should fish well on all but the hottest of days, when nothing – anywhere – fishes well.

The forks and the Darby area can produce good fishing even then. As the days warm up, those who get on the water earlier continue to score. July on this stretch will still see occasional salmon flies early in the month, along with the green, brown, and gray drakes that will be there with a bumper hatch of golden stones. There will be pale morning duns, several flavors of caddis, and yellow sallies in profusion throughout the entire drainage. This is the time I call “glory days” on the Bitterroot.

My wife Jan used to call my golden stone pattern “the killer.” That was before she discovered the Brindle ‘Chute. Now she fishes them both – and little else. She switches to the Brindle when Chuck’s Golden Stone trails off – usually in mid-July.

The Brindle ‘Chute serves well for several of the summer’s mayflies, especially if there is no dominant hatch. I like to broaden out beyond Jan’s selection with Tan and Light Caddis Variants and several Trude patterns, and an assortment of mayfly cripples, parachutes, and sparkle duns, but hey – she consistently catches fish on that Brindle ‘Chute. More than I do, at times, and that’s far too many.

Greg Thomas, whose web site, anglerstonic.com, will feature weekly updates on Montana’s major rivers, says, “After July 4 everything will be in shape with good pale morning dun, flav (a #14 green mayfly that hatches midday), and evening caddis hatches everywhere.” Greg’s home water is the Madison near his home in Ennis, but he gets around and fishes a lot, and stays up on happenings throughout the state.

This summer he’s especially interested in the Big Hole and the Beaverhead. “The Beaverhead crashed a few years ago, but it’s coming back. The big news, now, is the number of big browns and big rainbows in the Big Hole. A former biologist with the state tells me that the data confirms it – if you want to notch a truly big rainbow or brown, go to the Big Hole.”

The Beaverhead has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years with dry fly fishing for rainbows being the hot ticket. “There are plenty of fish there that will stretch sixteen to twenty inches,” Greg says, “and they’re hot, hot fish. They explode when you hook them.”

“And don’t overlook the July callibaetis hatches on Ennis, Hebgen, or Georgetown Lakes,” Greg advises.

Western Montana this July offers a better-than-average batch of angling opportunities to choose from. So many, in fact, that I’ll have a hard time sorting between the choices. But that’s a dilemma I don’t mind having.