August 16th Missouri River Fishing Report
Not too bad out there for this August 16th Missouri River Fishing Report.
Fished this morning again before the heat of the day. When is the heat of the day occur? Seems like 11am. 11am til 7 pm. Then it cools a bit.
The water temps are moving up a bit as this warm weather passes through. About as warm as it has been all summer. We flirted with this range earlier, much earlier. This is temporary.
We will see this chart above change somewhat as we get into the cooler weather patterns that will be upon us very soon. Maybe tomorrow. Although it is forecast to be hot again tomorrow in the upper 80’s.
Air temps will be below seasonal averages Thursday and Friday with some precip. on the schedule. A breath of fresh air for Mother Mo.
The weed growth is less than the previous several years. As you head downhill there is obviously more weeds to contend with. Tossed the hoper and ant in the canyon today with very little bothersome weed on the fly.
The canyon again produced some good Trico action. Strange. On any given day the bugs can come out and the fish will play. Here and there good sized fish coming to the surface in search of the tiny mayfly. there are selective. Only a few fell for the ant pattern. The first cast seems to work all year long.
After the first couple casts the fish appreciated something closer to their actual food source. Smaller Trico Spinners, Griffith’s Gnats, small Adams, CDC Trico Cripples, Sunken Trico patterns, and the like. Gotta go small after the initial attack.
The entire river is relatively quiet. A nice component of August is the lack of traffic. Get out early and enjoy the best the river has to offer.
Hoppers and ants and beetles and caddis can bring up the blind fish. Moving water is good. Slack water is good too. Find your inner fish finder and run with it. Or drift with it.
One of the better August bites that we have seen in a number of years.
Nymphing is controlled by the worm. Or the Rubber Leg. Or a Crayfish. The canyon is on fire with the bobber rig.
Tons up at the dam too. It is that time of year. The regular small fly game is the key to success in the land of the midge fly. Get out your small fly box and your 5x. Make sure you fool with your depth as that can be the key. Sometimes the fish are elevated off of the bottom. Suspended trout.
Headhunters Fly Shop open daily at 6am. Soon a bit later as it is dark at that time. Many folks out at the 7 o’clock bell. See us for all things trout, lodging, friendly advice, rigging techniques, and the staff that fishes daily. This gang is fishy!