By BRYCE MCLEAN and MATT DEVLIN
Twomper is a term in fishing that you probably have never heard before. That’s because it’s a word made up — used by trout bums from the Bitterroot Valley. It refers to any trout caught on a fly rod that meets or exceeds twenty inches in length.
It is the fish that every fly fisherman wants to catch at some point during their life. A twomper is the fish that we never forget when he breaks us off on 3x tippet, and it is the fish that demands respect. It is just this type of fish that we have seen more of this year than any other year ever.
It all started during the skwalla hatch this past April. It seemed like every single day we went out we at least hooked a fish over twenty inches, and the madness has continued up to today. We have been wondering what is going on for some time now, and we can really only come to one conclusion. The amount of water that we have had the past few years has made the fishing incredible.
If you have never caught a fish over twenty inches, this is the time to do it. It’s time to get off of the couch, and get to the river. The size of fish you can catch on our rivers is directly related to the water temperature, and as the summer goes on the water temperature rises. When this happens big fish seem to all of a sudden fall off the face of the earth. Cool water brings massive trout, and cool water is something that we are definitely not running low on right now.
It truly has been a crazy year, and will stay crazy for most of the summer. This is one that Matt and I will never forget, and it should never be taken for granted. If you fly fish in Missoula, fish as much as you possibly can this summer. If you have ever even considered learning how to fly fish, this is the year that you want to get started. Stock up on bugs everybody, this fishing season is and will continue to be totally epic.
Enjoy this blog? Please leave comments in the Facebook commenting box below and be sure to click the +1 button. Be sure to visit our Make it Missoula fishing page. And Check out Matt and Bryce’s other blogs: Missouri River Fishing–Trout Mecca of Montana and Fly Fishing Season is When?
If you enjoy western Montana lakes and rivers, you might also enjoy our page on Missoula kayaking and rafting.
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Bryce McLean: (Right) I was born and raised in Montana, and have been fly fishing here for almost 20 years. I first learned to fish on the Missouri River, but when I was 10 my family moved to the Bitterroot Valley. I have been fishing the Bitterroot River ever since. This will be my second season guiding the Missoula area rivers, which I consider to be some of the best trout fisheries on planet earth. Matt Devlin: (Left) Matt is originally from Annapolis, Maryland and learned to fool trout on the technical waters of the Gunpowder River. He has fished in Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Main,e, Michigan, Indiana, North and South Carolina, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, Idaho and Montana. He thinks about flies and fishing a whole lot.