All About the Skwala

When the weather finally takes a turn for the better and our Bozeman area rivers start showing signs of spring the local rivers can provide anglers with a great dry fly opportunity, the skwala hatch.

When the weather finally takes a turn for the better and our Bozeman area rivers start showing signs of spring the local fly fishing can provide anglers with a phenomenal experience. From excellent nymphing to fun streamer fishing and our favorite, great dry fly opportunities! The skwala may not be one of our most prolific hatches but fishing large dry flies in cold weather can be tough to beat.

About The Skwala

Skwala's are in the stonefly family and are one of the first hatches in the spring. When these bugs start moving it usually means the first opportunity to toss around some big dry flies. The Skwala Genus is a smaller dark-bodied stonefly that hatches on our western Montana freestone rivers in early Spring. Like other stoneflies, the skwala crawls onto the banks and brushy areas to hatch. Stoneflies all undergo incomplete metamorphosis so they have 3 life stages, egg, to nymph, to adult.

Skwala Nymph

Skwala Adult

Drop by our Bozeman fly shop to gear up for your spring fishing or check out our Montana fly fishing reports to know just when the skwalas are seen around our Bozeman rivers.