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Rock Creek December Fishing Report – 2021

CFS: 272

Nymphs: Pat’s Rubber Leg, San Juan Worm, Pheasant Tail, Perdigon

FISHING REPORT

After a big snowfall and a stressful day of driving to and from Missoula, I felt the need to hit the water for a few hours the following day. I honestly wasn’t expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised at how productive the fishing was:

In addition to these trout, I also caught several whitefish (an inevitability when it comes to nymphing here), but it was nice to see so much activity. I primarily fished a double nymph rig of a tungsten-beaded Pat’s Rubber Leg with hot bead San Juan Worm in tow. The fish went after both patterns, but I would say the stonefly nymph was the better of the two options. Other fishermen I’ve spoken with have mentioned using pheasant tail and Perdigon nymphs with success too.n The fish have not been keen on the fast water, so look for deeper, slower runs. There are lots of spots like this all up and down Rock Creek, such as near the exposed root cluster in this video:

Until the deep freeze sets in for the winter and an ice shelf forms over the majority of Rock Creek, we should still have some good fishing, especially on the days where the temps get above freezing.

OTHER TIDBITS

1. We’ve decided to bring back our Fly Tier’s Roundtable at the Merc this winter. We will hold it every Saturday morning from 10 AM – Noon starting on January 8th. Whether you’re an experienced fly tier or just getting into it, we’ll have something for you at our fly tying sessions. Best of all, it’s FREE! For more information, please e-mail us at rcmerc@blackfoot.net

2. We still have lots of gifts available at our online shop, including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, fly fishing packages for beginners, gift certificates and lots of cool accessories! Best of all, you can rest assured that anything you purchase from our online shop is going to a small, family-run business, so please consider us if you still need to do some Christmas shopping.

3. We will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but open during our listed hours otherwise. If you can’t make it to the shop during our open hours, feel free to contact us and we can arrange for the shop to be open! We live a stone’s throw (or a fly cast) away from the shop, so we’re always in the area. Thanks to everyone for making this a great year, and have a very Merry Christmas!