The Skwala Hatch!

The Skwala hatch is one of the best kept secrets in western waters. The Skwala is a relatively small stonefly generally in the size 8-12 range. It’s a brown to olive bodied critter which start becoming active late winter to early spring when water temps start to rise into the 40’s. Look for its emergence onto river banks, logs and other structure around the river. Here, they do their thing, crawling around, looking for a mate, with the female returning to the water to lay her eggs.

This is one of my favorite hatches. The rivers are generally in really good shape, clear, and very fishable. They are in pre-run off conditions….and the fish are getting hungry. This is the first real sizeable insect that they have seen for a while.

There’s something about the tranquility of being on the water, snow all around, the dead silence, and seeing the surface explode with a 20’ cuttbow exploding on top of the water. 

If you have the opportunity, look up our good friend RiverBum Pro Jim Mitchell at montanahuntingfishingadv.com. Jim is a great guide, works his tail off, and will put you on fish!

Until next time my fishy friends.....