Read more on Examiner.com - Merle's Outdoor Recreation Examiner Fall is a great time to fish the Bitterroot River with the pleasant daytime temperatures cooling from the hot summer days of August to the pleasant 70 degree range. The night temperature drops to 30 or 40 degrees and this brings on the gorgeous colors of fall. For the fish, the cooler water temperatures give them relief and they begin rising to the surface for insect hatches. Seasonal changes from summer to fall bring warm days, cool nights and trico fishing to the Bitterroot River in September. Erosion from spring run-off, or high water events, is a process where new habitat is created or perhaps eliminated. Logs that have been eroded from it’s banks and deposited somewhere along the channel form the classic Bitterroot “holding water.” They provide the necessary cover for daily survival and the shade to stay hidden in the heat of a summer day. In September, the leaves are still on the trees but the colors are changing from green to yellows, coppers, reds, and more. The Bitterroot is home to a thriving beaver population which can aid in the creation of new “log buckets” for the fish. In the fall the Bitterroot still has good water flows. Many tributaries of the Bitterroot River headwaters originate in wilderness areas giving the main river a supply of pristine water up until late July. The West Fork, it’s main tributary has a dam which releases cold, clean water during the critical times of summer and early fall. The fisheries are a beneficiary of these enhanced flows as is the rancher who can grow his hay crop. Finding a balance between the needs of a fishery and human activities has been an ongoing contentious issue as demands for these cold water releases are increasing. Fortunately, the Bitterroot River fish have an in-stream flow reservation of water, i.e. the trout have been given a little consideration. Despite increased recreational pressure which not only includes fishing but also boating, tubing, and swimming, the Bitterroot River seems to be thriving and still produces good numbers of westslope cutthroat, some brown and rainbow trout as well as the cuttbow, a hybrid between cutthroat and rainbow trout. Catch and release sections have been a big help as is the in-stream flow reservations. Based on the increased number of Missoula area guides who have an option to fish elsewhere, I would have to say the Bitterroot River in Montana is probably everyone’s 1st choice to fish.