Troutline

Rock Creek

Montana·Western Montana·46.55° N, 113.62° W
Flow
588 CFS
Rock Creek near Clinton
Water Temp
66°F
Rock Creek near Clinton
Condition
Above Normal
Weather
63°F
Partly Cloudy
near Clinton
Latest report: The Missoulian Angler · 3 weeks ago

Insights

Flow
588 CFS — wading range
Solid water for fishing.
Water Temp
Water 66°F — warm
Fish low-oxygen areas only. Land fish quickly and keep them wet.
Snowpack
Snowpack snowpack update
Snowpack data for Rock Creek basin is limited right now. The June–July runoff forecast for Rock Ck nr Clinton is 98% of average.

Rock Creek is the freestone everybody around Missoula defaults to when they want moving water, wild fish, and bugs in the air. It runs about 50 miles from the Forks near Philipsburg — where the West, Middle, and East forks join — down through the Sapphire and John Long country to meet the Clark Fork just off I-90 at Clinton, twenty-odd miles east of town. It's smaller and more intimate than the Clark Fork or Bitterroot: medium-sized pocket water, boulder gardens, riffle drops, and braided channels you can cover on foot. What sets it apart is the density of trout and the bug life feeding them — five wild salmonid species (rainbow, westslope cutthroat, brown, brook, and bull trout) plus mountain whitefish, and the state's most famous salmonfly hatch rolling upstream every June. A 'Rock Creek Grand Slam' — cutthroat, rainbow, brown, brook, and a bull-trout hookup in one day — is a local bragging point.

It fishes as a wade angler's river. Rock Creek Road parallels the water for its full length — paved for the lower dozen miles, then gravel and single-lane the deeper you go — with Forest Service campgrounds and marked fishing-access sites strung along it, so you can leaf-hop pull-offs and walk to good water almost anywhere. The float window is short and by design: you can drift it during high water, but you cannot fish from a boat after July 1, which pushes everyone onto their feet for the summer. Prime wading flows are roughly 250-700 CFS at the Clinton gauge; the high gradient means little silt, so it clears and drops into shape well before the Clark Fork or Bitterroot do. Dry-dropper is the workhorse rig — a Chubby, Water Walker, or golden stone up top with a nymph below through the buckets and seams — shifting to smaller dries as PMDs, caddis, and mayflies come off.

The trade-off is the salmonfly circus. From roughly Memorial Day into early July the hatch starts at the mouth and climbs 1-2 miles a day upstream, and the whole region knows it — the canyon gets busy and the wading is genuinely tricky over slick, fast freestone. Come in the shoulders instead: skwalas and March browns in the pre-runoff spring, or September-October when the crowds thin, brown trout get aggressive ahead of the spawn, and October caddis and mahoganies show up. Late summer is the honest caution — by August flows drop, water warms, and hoot-owl (afternoon) restrictions are a real possibility, so fish early and check the current FWP restriction list before you go. Bull trout are federally threatened here and must be released without targeting.

Fishing Reports

Latest reports from local fly shops

The Missoulian Angler · Missoula3 weeks ago
Rock Creek Fishing Report

“The fly fishing on Rock Creek has been good. Golden stones are still hatching, and there are plenty of yellow sallies and PMDs around to keep the fish looking up. We've got a cooler, cloudier weekend coming, and that should bring out a lot more green drakes. So play the weather:…”

Read full report at The Missoulian Angler

Species

  • Rainbow Trout
    Abundant · Jun-Oct · 10-16"

    Wild and widely distributed; cutbow hybrids common. Bigger fish push up from the Clark Fork into the lower river.

  • Brown Trout
    Common · Sep-Nov · 12-18"+

    Dominant in the lower river; the largest fish push past 20". Best on streamers in the fall pre-spawn.

  • Westslope Cutthroat Trout
    Common · Jun-Sep · 8-14"

    Native throughout; more common in the upper and middle reaches. Part of the Rock Creek 'slam.' Release with care.

  • Brook Trout
    Common · Jun-Sep · 6-12"

    Small-stream fish, common in the headwaters and cold tributaries.

  • Mountain Whitefish
    Abundant · Year-round · 10-16"

    Native and everywhere; a strong winter nymphing target on the lower river.

  • Bull Trout
    Rare · Variable · 16-28"+

    Federally threatened — catch-and-release only, no intentional targeting. Migratory fish move up from the Clark Fork.

Ideal wading flow250–700 CFS
Blow-out>2,500 CFS
Ideal water temp48–62°F

June for the salmonfly and golden-stone spectacle if you accept crowds. September-October for aggressive fall browns, mahoganies, October caddis, and solitude. March-April for skwalas and March browns before runoff. Summer dry-dropper is reliable but hot and low by late August.

Sections

3 sections on this river

Lower Rock Creek — Clinton to Valley of the Moon

Wade & FloatSalmon · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

The largest water volume on the creek, with braided channels and riffle-run-pool structure. The first dozen miles off I-90 Exit 126 are paved road, so this reach takes the most pressure — walk up or down from the Valley of the Moon, Tamarack, Solomon, and Sawmill access sites for room. Where the June salmonfly hatch begins each spring before it climbs upstream. The Clinton USGS gauge sits in this reach.

Best for: Brown trout and rainbow trout, including the largest fish that migrate up from the Clark Fork. Dry-dropper and streamers; fall brown-trout streamer fishing.

Middle Rock Creek — Valley of the Moon to Ghilles Bridge (the Canyon)

Wade & FloatSalmon · Cutthroat · Brook Trout · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

Tight canyon water — rapids, boulder gardens, and classic pocket water, mostly on public Forest Service land. The gravel road begins near Norton Campground around mile 12. This is the heart of the salmonfly and golden-stone fishing and the best public-access pocket water on the creek, though the wading is slick and fast. Access at Norton, the Welcome Creek footbridge, Dalles, Bitterroot Flat, and Harrys Flat campgrounds.

Best for: Wade fishing for westslope cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, and brook trout. Dry-dropper through pockets and seams; peak stonefly action.

Upper Rock Creek — Ghilles Bridge to the Forks

WadeCutthroat · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

Fast, shallow water with small braids and channels up toward where the West, Middle, and East forks join above Philipsburg. More private property and wade-only access, but less pressure where you can reach it — this is the snowmelt engine of the whole creek. The Middle Fork carries the upper-basin USGS gauge. The forks read as headwater feeders rather than separate destinations.

Best for: Brown trout and native westslope cutthroat trout in unpressured pockets; solitude and small-water fishing.

Regulations

Current fishing rules and restrictions

Blue-Ribbon stream in FWP's Western Fishing District (Region 2). Open year-round for wade anglers. The signature Rock Creek rule: no fishing from a boat after July 1. Bull trout are federally threatened — mandatory release, no targeting. Hoot-owl restrictions are a recurring summer possibility.

  • No fishing from a boat after July 1 (Rock Creek-specific); floating for transport during high water is allowed
  • Bull trout: catch-and-release only, no intentional targeting (federally threatened)
  • Standard Western District trout combined limits apply; mountain whitefish counted in the trout daily bag
  • Some tributaries follow the general 3rd-Saturday-in-May to Nov 30 stream season
  • Hoot-owl/closure orders issued for low flows and high temps in summer — check the live restriction list

Confirm current-year specifics against the 2026 FWP booklet before fishing. Older shop write-ups cite a winter catch-and-release / artificial-only period and reduced brown-trout harvest — treat these as unverified against the 2026 regulations.

Source: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks — Fishing Regulations. Regulations change annually — verify before fishing.

Access & Logistics

Getting there, fly shops, and lodging

Getting There

Clinton, MT

25 min from Missoula (lower creek via I-90 Exit 126), 90 min from Missoula to the upper river via Philipsburg

Camping & Lodging

Forest Service campgrounds line Rock Creek Road — Norton, Dalles, Bitterroot Flat, Harrys Flat. The Rock Creek Fisherman's Mercantile runs a 6-room motel at Clinton; The Ranch at Rock Creek is a luxury guest ranch on the upper creek near Philipsburg. Full services in Missoula.

Access is off Rock Creek Road (I-90 Exit 126 at Clinton), paved for the lower ~12 miles then gravel and single-lane upstream. FWP and Forest Service access sites are strung the length of the road; the middle canyon is predominantly public land. Easy roadside access means the lower river takes the most pressure — walk up- or downstream from pull-offs for room.

Conditions data is live from public monitoring networks. Regulations change annually — always verify current rules with your state fish & wildlife agency before fishing.

More in Montana

View all 22 rivers

Western Montana

Bitterroot RiverMT

Western Montana's home water — 84 miles of cottonwood-bottomed valley fishing for wild rainbows, browns, and native westslope cutthroat. Famous for the March-April Skwala stonefly hatch and a long dry-fly season from spring through October.

Blackfoot RiverMT

The freestone river Norman Maclean made famous, rebuilt over 30 years of restoration into a genuinely wild fishery for westslope cutthroat, browns, and rainbows east of Missoula. No dam on the mainstem, a legendary June salmonfly hatch, and a boulder-strewn canyon corridor that fishes best from a drift boat.

Clark Fork RiverMT

Montana's longest river fishes like three waters in one — a skinny Superfund-recovery meadow stream up around Deer Lodge, a legitimate mid-size freestone through Missoula, and big float water down to St. Regis. Wild browns up top, 16-17" rainbows and cuttbows below town, and a marquee mid-September dry-fly window.

West Fork Bitterroot RiverMT

The tailwater fork of the Bitterroot below Painted Rocks Reservoir, holding cool, wadeable flows and late hatches for westslope cutthroat, rainbows, and browns while the surrounding freestone rivers drop and warm.

Other regions

Beaverhead RiverMT

The premier Dillon-area tailwater below Clark Canyon Dam, famous for oversized, technical brown trout in tight, willow-lined water. Cold summer releases keep the upper river fishing all season, but heavy irrigation dewatering and repeated drought closures shape the lower river.

Big Hole RiverMT

The 'Last Best River' — 153 miles of classic Montana freestone from the Beaverhead Mountains through Wisdom, Wise River, and Glen to its confluence with the Beaverhead at Twin Bridges. Home to the lower 48's only fluvial Arctic grayling population.

Bighorn RiverMT

The Yellowtail Dam tailwater — 13 miles of fly fishing gold from the Afterbay to Two Leggins. 3,000-5,000 trout per mile, year-round consistent flows, and the West's most reliable sow bug and PMD fishery.

East Gallatin RiverMT

Bozeman's spring-influenced backyard brown-trout stream — a small, weedy, serpentine meadow river that forms east of town and joins the West Gallatin near Manhattan. A separate drainage from the famous Gallatin canyon freestone: wade-only, technical, spring-creek-style fishing for wild browns, rainbows, and whitefish.

Flathead RiverMT

The big glacial-green valley river formed where the three forks meet near West Glacier, running through the Flathead Valley into Flathead Lake and continuing below Kerr Dam. A native westslope cutthroat dry-fly float up top, northern pike water down low.

Gallatin RiverMT

The Gallatin runs through Yellowstone NP and the Gallatin Canyon along Highway 191 — wadeable freestone water for rainbows, browns, cutthroat, and whitefish, with a strong salmon fly hatch in late June and excellent post-runoff dry-fly fishing into October.