Three Days in Montana: Day 2 on the Upper Clark Fork

After a great start on Day 1 — and watching the Lower Clark Fork blow out right before our eyes — we knew we needed a new game plan. On Day 2, Jake and I decided to swing for the fences and head upstream to a stretch of the Upper Clark Fork where word on the street (and by that, I mean Jake’s intel) was that no one had been fishing.

This upper stretch is a whole different beast — smaller water, more intimate, and full of opportunity if you know where to look. It’s classic brown trout country. I’ve streamer fished near here in the past, so I knew what it could offer. With the rivers around Missoula starting to get blown out from runoff, this was a bit of a gamble… but the kind that can pay off big.

Rigging Up: Tools for the Job

We rigged up three El Rey rods for the day:

• El Rey G6 9’ 7wt for streamers

• El Rey G6 9’ 5wt for nymphs and dries

• El Rey G4 9’ 5wt as our second dry-dropper setup

This is where I really appreciate having multiple rods rigged and ready. With our compact travel tube, it’s so easy to carry multiple rods and swap out as conditions change. Another reminder: this whole system is a total game changer for anglers who travel.

The Bite: A Brown Trout Kind of Day

From the first few drifts, it was obvious: these fish hadn’t seen much pressure. The dry-dropper and nymph rigs lit up immediately. We were targeting classic seams, riffles, and pools, and the fish were exactly where they should’ve been.

The streamer rod was fun to throw — we tied on a crawfish-colored Sparkle Minnow and gave it a good shot — but while we had a few follows, they just wouldn’t commit. I think there were too many naturals in the system and the fish were dialed in on what was actually hatching.

The star of the show was a size 12 pheasant tail. Simple, classic, effective. We landed several browns pushing 20 inches and one that taped out around 22. Thick shoulders, buttery flanks — the kind of browns you dream about.

All in, we landed a couple dozen fish and didn’t see another angler the entire time. Solitude, rising fish, and brown trout with attitude — it doesn’t get much better.

Rod Performance: Versatility Meets Confidence

Every rod earned its keep. The 7 weight handled heavy streamers like a champ, and the 5 weights — both the 4-section G4 and the 6-section G6 — were indistinguishable in performance. Again, it was hard to tell I was fishing a packable rod. The feedback, the flex, the mends — all felt spot on. These rods give you total confidence, whether you’re throwing dries in skinny water or dredging the deeper pools with tungsten.

Final Thought

The Upper Clark Fork delivered. No crowds, great water, and wild browns that were hungry and full of fight. It was the kind of day that reminds you why you love this sport — and why you always bring a few extra rods, just in case.

Next up: Day 3 on the world-famous Missouri River, where we teamed up with photographer Drew Baker and put all of our El Rey rods to the test — with a camera rolling and trout sipping dries all around us.