Braden Lewis 
Black FlyDay Sale! No Gink, 5 year old tippet or dusty T-shirts here. Just top quality gear at 50% off! All of these items are closeouts, and you can find them on sale elsewhere. But can you find them at these prices? So get them while you can they will go quick. Flat rate $15 … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Blue Winged Olives With snow the last couple days, river temps are continuing to drop. This morning the water temp was 54.5 degrees. As this trend continues, we will continue to see lots of pseudos. Before too long we will be seeing some of the larger blue winged olives. In the meantime, you can … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A couple days ago, I was digging through one of my fly tying drawers and I found an old shuttle sheet. The shuttle sheet was dated December 29, 2015. On the back of it were scribbled several lists of six flies. The lists were made by some of the shop staff during a slow winter … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Epic Fastglass Fly Rods These rods are awesome. I have been fishing one of the 6 weights myself lately, and I love it. I have liked fiberglass rods for a long time, but they always seemed like niche rods that were best suited for small streams and small fish. The Epic Fastglass is a … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I have always loved the writing of Gary Lafontaine. The first post I ever wrote for this blog was about his theory of color attraction. I have read a lot of books about fly fishing and fly tying, but Trout Flies Proven Patterns by Gary Lafontaine is one of my favorites.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Trout Flies Proven Patterns Published … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Initial Impression “What an ugly boot.” That was my first thought when I saw the new Intruder Boot from Simms.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Then I got over myself and gave the boot a try. I loved it. And I wouldn’t say that unless I meant it. For wet wading, the Intruder Boot teamed with a pair of the Simms … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Headhunters Fly Shop is hosing a “Mo River Summer Fun” Photo Contest on our Facebook page. The contest will run until this Friday, August 11. The winner will receive the New Phase gift package pictured below.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”28159″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]How to participate: Go to our Facebook page. If you haven’t already, please “like” our page. You will … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Take A Kid Fishing! Headhunters Fly Shop held a photo contest with the theme “Take A Kid Fishing” this week on our Facebook page. The response was awesome! We received 130+ images of kids fishing. We love taking kids fishing and watching them learn to love the sport that we all love so much! … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Take a Kid Fishing Photo Contest Headhunters Fly Shop is hosting a “Take a Kid Fishing” photo contest on our Facebook page. The contest will run for a week from today until next Monday, July 24. The winner will receive a free Echo Gecko fly rod package that comes with a reel and fly … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] 2016 UMOWA Water Quality Report Yesterday we summarized the 2016 UMOWA Macroinvertebrate Report written by David Stagliano of the Montana Biological Survey. Today we are going to discuss the 2016 UMOWA Water Quality Report.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27520″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Study Design In 2016, UMOWA began collecting water quality data at the same seven sites where they began … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] 2016 UMOWA Macroinvertebrate Report On March 17, the Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) published the results of the 2016 bug study performed by David Stagliano of Montana Biological Survey. We are late in sharing the results, but with the UMOWA Annual Meeting coming up in Craig this Saturday, June 17th, I thought now might be … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At some point every spring, trout in the Missouri River start eating a lot of crawfish. It is difficult to know exactly when this will happen, but below are some facts that should aid in your angling success.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27228″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The Spring Spawn During the spring, when water temperatures rise into the 50s, male crawfish begin … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Over Memorial Day weekend, two mussel encrusted boats were intercepted in Montana. Invasive species pose a constant threat to the quality of our waterbodies in Montana. As anglers, it is our responsibility to be educated about invasive species and our role in preventing their spread. The remainder of this post is republished from the Montana … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The Case For Flushing Flows The Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) recently released their spring newsletter. Within the letter, UMOWA discusses the history of Missouri River flows and the beneficial contribution that flushing flows have upon the health of the Missouri River. The remaining text of this post is republished from the UMOWA spring newsletter.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27520″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] River … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] 2017 Craig Caddis Festival Wrap Up Last Saturday, Craig hosted the 11th Annual Craig Caddis Festival and BBQ Cook-Off. This year, the weather cooperated (it only poured rain for a little bit) and the turnout was great! The official count is still pending, but over $10,000 dollars was raised for the Craig Volunteer Fire … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Juvie Jigger Streamer At the end of April, Headhunters hosted a Spring Streamer Fly Tying Contest on our Facebook page. We received a ton of awesome entries. Choosing a winner was tough. Each shop staffer and several guides selected their favorite three streamers. Eric Stollar’s Juvie Jigger streamer was selected by the greatest number … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Meet Derek and Jared! Derek and Jared are two new members of the Headhunters Team for the 2017 season. We previously introduced Patrick and Nick. You will meet all four of these guys in the shop this season. They are all good dudes. Stop in and say hello! Until then, they have each penned short introductions for … Read more
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A few days ago, Mark Raisler filmed this video with Visit Montana on the Missouri River. If you weren’t able to get out there this week, this is the next best thing.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Join us today for the 11th Annual Craig Caddis Festival and BBQ Cook Off! This event benefits the Craig Volunteer Fire Department and is always a great time. The event is fun for the whole family! Food, drink, kids events, raffles, live and silent auctions, a parade, vendors, arts and crafts will all be available. … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Darrell, Carla, and Barley Darrell, Carla, and Barley stayed in our Brown Trout Cabin this past week over their anniversary while they fished the Missouri River. We love getting the chance to share our knowledge of the river with awesome folks like Darrell and Carla (and dog treats with cool dogs like Barley). We hope … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] New Breed Chicks Rule Faith Edition Faith recently caught this nice rainbow on the Missouri River. Faith is rocking the local Carroll College colors. Her outfit matches her rainbow trout! We see a lot of students from Carroll enjoying their proximity to the Missouri River. Faith and her father Paul know how to enjoy … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/217420014″ video_title=”1″ src=”“https://player.vimeo.com/video/217420014“” width=”“640“” height=”“360“” frameborder=”“0“”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This week, we collected bugs on the lower river between Pelican Point and Cascade. Today we are going to talk about what Missouri River bugs we found and how to best imitate them during periods of higher flow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”26632″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]
We found a lot of scuds, sowbugs, midge larvae, pale morning dun (PMD) nymphs, blue winged olive (BWO) nymphs, and caddis larvae. This selection is very similar to the bugs that we collected in April. The Tailwater Sowbug is still king. Mayfly nymphs and midge larvae are still catching a lot of fish too.
Since last month, spring caddis have become a more prevalent food source. As a result, the UV Tan Czech Nymph as well as the Purple and Gold Bloom’s Weight Flies have increased in popularity as an alternative to the Amex or Rainbow Czech Nymph.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27217″ align=”center”][us_image image=”27218″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”27219″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]
We found a lot of larger invertebrates this month. Leeches, aquatic worms, crane fly larvae, and crayfish were observed. These larger food items provide big meals for trout in addition to the usual small fare.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27214″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]At the time of this writing, the Missouri River below Holter Dam is flowing at 9,040 cfs. However, it will likely get higher in the next few weeks. At elevated flows, larger nymph patterns can be effective. Leech, worm, and crayfish imitations are all patterns that you should have in your box during these higher flows.
Below, we will talk about each of these food items and a few of our favorite flies for imitating them.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”19330″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]
The leeches we found were of the smaller variety. When stretched out, they are about two inches long. When contracted, they are about a half inch long. They are very strong and fast swimmers that swim by undulating their bodies.
These leeches can be imitated with nymphs and streamers. To mimic their wavy, undulating swimming motion, most flies are tied with some sort of bead or lead eyes to impart a jigging action to the fly.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27215″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]
We have been loving the Fruit Roll Up Leech this past winter and fall. It is a great leech imitation that Ninch has got tied with a lead underbody and a tungsten bead to get it down quick. This pattern can be swung or drifted under a bobber.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”27221″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]
There are many aquatic worms in the Missouri River. These worms are similar to earthworms, but live underwater. Like earthworms, they dig and anchor themselves into the bottom of the river.
During periods of elevated flow, worms and many other bugs are more likely to be swept away from the bottom of the river and enter the drift. When they are drifting, they are available to trout as food.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”10681″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]
Ninch’s Fish Finder Worm is a great worm pattern to fish during high water. It was recently featured on this blog.
The heavy tungsten bead helps get it down to where the trout are. It has just enough flash to get the attention of the fish and it is available in four different fishy colors.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”27226″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]
Crane Fly Larvae are big. The ones pictured in this blog are about three inches long. Like worms, they live within the riverbed and often get dislodged during periods of high flow.
When drifting, they are surprisingly good swimmers. They swim in a manner similar to leeches by flattening their bodies and making undulating “S” movements.
With a three inch length, they are somewhat difficult to imitate with standard nymph patterns. It would be interesting to do some experimenting with large crane fly imitations on the Missouri River. If any readers have done so, please let us know what you have found out!
If you are curious about this bug, Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions has produced an awesome video that shows a crane fly swimming as well as how to tie some effective fly patterns that imitate them.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”27228″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]
There are many crayfish in the Missouri River. They prefer to live in areas of the river with larger boulders. Rip-rap banks are a good place to find them. While collecting bugs for this post, I found them as small as one inch long and as large as five inches long. Trout probably prefer to eat the little ones.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27216″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]
Bob Clouser’s Claws R Crawfish is a great crayfish imitation. In the past several years this fly has surged in popularity as a high water nymph. It is often dead-drifted with another nymph pattern. Overzealous mends will jerk this pattern around and often entice strikes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The river is big right now and will likely get bigger. However, plenty of fish are getting caught.
First and foremost, be careful while wading and boating at these flows. Remember your basic boating safety rules.
Fish deep. When bugs are hatching, some fish will be suspended, but you should be prepared to fish deep most of the time. Mark, recently discussed his deep rig here.
Don’t be afraid to fish some bigger bugs this month. In addition to scuds, sowbugs, midges, and mayfly nymphs, larger food items like worms, crayfish, leeches, and caddis larvae are now in play.
Be safe, have fun, and get out there![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row 0=””][vc_column 0=””][vc_column_text 0=””] Meet Patrick and Nick! Patrick and Nick are two new members of the Headhunters Team for the 2017 season. Derek and Jared have also joined the team. We will feature Derek and Jared on the blog soon. You will meet them all in the shop this season. They are all good, … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] New Breed Chicks Rule Peggy and Trish Edition Peg, Trish, Lynnett, and Skip on today’s New Breed Chicks blog. These women are all volunteers with the Casting For Recovery program. They fished with Whitney and Kurt a week and a half ago. During their day on the water, Trish and Peg both caught their largest personal bests for different … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Spring Streamer Fly Tying Contest Headhunters hosted a streamer fly tying contest on our Facebook page this past week. The objective was to submit a home-brewed streamer pattern that would work well on the Mo this spring. Tyers sent in a ton of awesome streamer patterns! It was hard to narrow down the submissions. I … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Ninch’s Fish Finder Worm needs to be in your box. Fish like worms. Rising water flushes worms from the banks and bottom of the river into the current. Last week the flows increased from around 5,000 cfs to the current flow of 7,120 cfs. The fish are eating both aquatic and terrestrial worms now.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Spring Streamer Fishing Spring is a great time to fish streamers on the Missouri River. At the time of this writing, the river is flowing at 6,880 cfs and temps are around 45 degrees F. These higher flows and increased temps can push hungry fish tight to the banks, making them prime targets for anglers … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Stalcup’s Cluster Midge Needs To Be In Your Box Stalcup’s Cluster Midge is one of my favorite midge patterns. I always have some in my box during the spring and then again in July when the tricos start to hatch. This fly evolved from the Griffith’s Gnat and shares several features with this classic pattern. … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tippet Brands Headhunters stocks tippet from RIO, Scientific Anglers, and TroutHunter. All three companies make great tippet. I’ve used all three and they have all performed well. So what kind should you buy?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Cost Cost is a primary consideration. It can be hard to tell what kind of value you are getting in a … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Hire a guide then take out a rental boat. This is the natural progression, as Mark as has described it, for learning the Missouri River. Hiring a guide and asking him/her a bunch of questions allows you to learn the river much faster than through trial and error alone. We’ve recently discussed why you … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Why Get Guided? We hear this question a lot in the shop. Mark has written about the subject here and here. If you’ve wondered the same question, I’d recommend that you read these links. The following is a short and timely example of why a person might want to consider a guided trip: A couple … Read more
[vc_row 0=””][vc_column 0=””][us_image image=”26680″ align=”center”][vc_column_text 0=””] Please leave trout redds in the river alone! Rainbow trout are actively spawning in the river now and will continue to do so for the next couple months. The Missouri River is one of the best wild trout fisheries in the country. Wild trout are not stocked, they must spawn … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last week we collected our first sample of bugs from the Missouri River below the Untouchable’s Bridge. The bugs that we collected were about what you would expect for April. Sows and scuds composed the majority of the biomass, but midges and blue-winged olive nymphs were abundant too. Somewhat surprisingly, PMD nymphs were abundant and almost the … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Be deliberate in your actions when you are fishing. Lately we have been doing a lot of nymphing and having a lot of success, especially below Craig. However, the success has not been distributed equally. The anglers who have a plan, and are fishing deliberately are the ones who are enjoying most of the success. Here … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Paper or Plastic? Soon, you might be hearing this question at your local fly shop as well as the grocery store. AFFTA has announced that they are making recycled paper fly boxes available to fly shops as an alternative to the usual plastic fly cups. These new boxes are part of Costa’s #kickplastic campaign with … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Proposed Rule Changes Last night, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks hosted a public hearing on new rules aimed at controlling the spread of invasive mussels. The new regulations include the following: All out of state watercraft would need to be inspected by FWP prior to launch in any Montana waterbody. All watercraft leaving Canyon Ferry … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Freddy Fly Step By Step Before the Chubby Chernobyl, John Foust’s Freddy Fly (or Fat Freddy) was a staple pattern throughout the West. Foust invented the fly for the waters around Missoula, but it has caught fish all over the world. The Freddy differs from a lot of modern foam patterns in its incorporation of a … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] This Past Week It’s hard to believe that the Super Bowl was only one week ago. A lot has changed on the river in the past week. We received significant snow fall during the middle of last week that added to the already substantial amount of snow laying around Craig. If you had been in Craig … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The air temps have been well below freezing for the last few weeks, but there have been a handful of anglers out fishing. If you’re able to tolerate the cold temps, and have the right January flies, winter fishing can be very good. January Flies – Nymphs With the exception of some midges, nothing hatches during the winter … Read more
Trout Spey Rigs: Braden Today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog we have Braden’s Trout Spey Rig. We thought it would be helpful if we outlined what we use here on the Missouri River during the Swing Season. Braden, and the majority of the HH Gang, swings a fly all winter long. Starting in the … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I’ve been using the Fishpond Drifty Boat Caddie this summer and I’ve been loving it. Here are the main reasons why this product has become essential for my fishing:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Storage I love flies. The Fishpond Drifty Boat Caddie holds all of my leaders, tippet, floatant, an extra reel spool, and a bunch of other junk … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Missouri River bugs The following are some pictures of Missouri River bugs that were collected just downstream of the Mid Cañon boat ramp on July 7th. It has been a month since our last bug post, so some of the bugs are the same and some are new. Mayfly nymphs, caddis larvae, midge larvae, scuds, … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The past couple weeks I have spent several mornings fishing Little Prickly Pear Creek upstream of Wolf Creek before work. I have been trying out the new Fenwick Fenglass fly rods that we recently got into the shop. In my opinion, small stream fishing should be about relaxing and having a good time. The rod, reel, and line combo that I’ve … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Missouri River Bugs The following are some pictures of bugs from the Missouri River that were collected in June a couple miles upstream of Craig. These images will hopefully aid in your fly design and/or fly selection while you are fishing this month. Although all these images are of nymphs/larvae, PMDs and caddis are currently hatching.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Stocking Wing Caddis Step By Step During the caddis fly hatch on the Missouri River, it’s a good idea to have several patterns with differing profiles in your box including there Stocking Wing Caddis. It makes sense to have some high floating patterns that are easy to see as well as some low-profile patterns that sit … Read more
If you like aquatic macroinvertebrates (river bugs), here are some “back of the envelope” calculations that may amuse you.
The UMOWA 2015 Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Report reported that the greatest density of macroinvertebrates occurred between the Dam and Craig. The density of macroinvertebrates averaged about 12,000 individuals per square meter.
The distance from the Dam to Craig is about 7.8 miles (12,553 meters). The average wetted channel width is roughly 100 m on this stretch of river. If we multiply these two numbers, we get an idea of the area of the riverbed above town: 12,553 m x 100 m = 1,255,300 square meters of river bottom between the Dam and Craig.
We can then multiply this number by the average number of macroinvertebrates per square meter of river bottom (12,000 individuals per square meter) to get a rough guess of the total number of bugs between the Dam and Craig: 1,255,300 square meters x 12,000 individuals per square meter = 15,063,600,000 individual bugs between the Dam and Craig.
So between the Dam and Craig there are about 15 billion individual bugs.
The most recent MT FWP trout surveys reported that on the Craig stretch of the Missouri River there were 4,073 Rainbows and 433 Browns greater than 10 inches per mile. If we combine these two numbers, then there were 4,506 trout per mile of river around Craig. We can multiply this number by the 7.8 miles of river between the Dam and Craig to get a guess of the total number of trout between the Dam and Craig: 4,506 trout per mile x 7.8 miles = 35,147 total trout greater than 10″ between the Dam and Craig.
If there are 15,063,600,000 individual bugs and 35,147 trout, then there are approximately 428,588 bugs per trout. Now of course, these numbers are very rough and not all of the bugs are available to the trout at all times.
So if you want to impress some trout bum chicks…don’t use this information as a catalyst to the second drift boat date!
What’s the point of all this math? I don’t really have one, other than it’s kind of amazing that the flies on the ends of our lines get noticed at all with so many natural bugs around. But they do. And that’s pretty cool.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The first Fly Tying Night in America is tonight (Wednesday 1/13) at Headhunters Fly Shop. It’s the season for fly tying and I wanted to share an idea that has been on my mind lately regarding economy in fly tying.
First off, let me say that each person should tie whatever the hell makes ’em happy. That said, it seems there is an increasing trend towards tying complex flies that use a bunch of esoteric materials. The principal of economy suggests that if a fly is going to incorporate an additional material, there should be a good reason for doing so. This principal is also economical on the wallet for the new fly tyer since tying flies with fewer materials costs less money.
Below you’ll see five patterns of nymphs, dries, and streamers. Each recipe only uses three materials in addition to the thread and hook. Despite using materials economically, these flies are all extremely effective. If you fish the Missouri a lot, you’ve probably tried at least 75% of the patterns shown below.
If you’re a new fly tyer, give some thought to building your tying repertoire with some of these patterns. You’ll save money. You’ll have some effective flies. You’ll learn some critical skills that will serve you later if you choose to start tying fancier flies in the future. If you’ve been tying for awhile, tying more economically might be worth remembering at times.
If you want to try tying some of the patterns listed below, Headhunters sells Just Add Vise kits for the Grape Slushy, Zebra Midge, Buzzball, Foxee Clouser, and Kreelex as well as a bunch of other proven patterns. Each kit provides materials to tie two dozen flies. You’ll have some materials left over.
Happy tying. The first Fly Tying Night in America of the 2016 year is tonight (1/13). The next one will be held on Wednesday, January 27th.
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This Wednesday (1/13/16) at 6:00 PM Headhunters will be hosting the first Fly Tying Night in America session of the season. Hopefully we’ll be welcoming back some familiar faces from last winter as well as some new tiers. If you’ve never attended before, it’s a pretty laid back affair but some cool flies get produced and some beers get crushed. You can see some flies from past tying sessions here and here. Mark and Max will be filling up their boxes for the upcoming guide season. Ben will no doubt be tying something top secret (that alone should be reason enough for you to come) and Dewey will probably be tying something he can swing. John is behind the camera these days, but he’s tied about everything at one time or another so he is full of useful advice for anyone that asks (so are Mark, Ben, and Dewey). Sara usually isn’t behind a vise, but she does attend to contribute her charm to the affair. If you click the links above, you’ll see that some of the regulars from last year like Jim, Jerry, and Terry are very skilled tyers as well.
I’m not sure what everyone will be tying this year, but Ben said he’s gonna be tying some sort of foam bug (his specialty) and I’ll probably be tying Zirdle Bugs for the shop.
If you’re a new tyer or someone who wants to learn a useful pattern, the Just Add Vise Kits that we sell in the shop are a great way to go. They contain quality materials and are designed for tying “go to” flies that almost every MO river guide has in his/her box. The selection of patterns is comprehensive to the point that I was seriously considering challenging myself to only fish flies from the JAV kits for the whole 2016 year.
For nymphs you have the Rainbow Czech Nymph, Purple Lightning Bug, Pink Lightning bug, Pink Firebead Ray Charles, Zebra Midge, Little Green Machine, Pearl Lightning Bug, Clouser Crayfish, Tungsten Dart, Grape Slushy and Zirdle Bug.
For dries you have the Rusty Parachute, Longhorn Beetle, Improved Unibomber, X-Caddis, UV Para Ant, Buzzball, and Half Chicken.
For streamers you have the Kreelex and Coyote Clouser.
What else do you really need? You could totally get through the year with nothing but the patterns listed above. I might do it some year, but not this one. I enjoy tying flies and experimenting with new patterns too much. If you’re the kind of guy or gal who feels the same way, I’ll see you this Wednesday night at 6:00.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]On December 22, the Upper Missouri River Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) released the Baseline Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Report 2015 for the Upper Missouri River, MT, prepared by David Stagliano. The purpose of this study was to provide baseline macroinvertebrate (bug) monitoring data in order to assess the aquatic biointegrity, or health, of the Missouri River. This study is the most comprehensive study of its kind thus far performed on the Missouri River. In addition to the study’s conservation significance, it has yielded a lot of information that may be of interest to Missouri River anglers.
Study Findings:
Samples were collected at ten sites on the Missouri River between Holter Dam and Cascade, at one site near Toston, and at one site near York’s Island. A total of 93 different macroinvertebrate taxa were collected. Of these, 47 were mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies (EPT taxa) which are of particular interest to fly anglers. The other 46 taxa were midges or non-insect organisms like aquatic worms, scuds, sowbugs, or snails.
The overall density of bugs was greatest above the town of Craig with densities averaging 12,000 individuals per square meter. As distance below Holter Dam increased, there were generally fewer bugs, but a greater diversity of different taxa. In other words, there are more total bugs upstream but a greater number of different bugs downstream. Samples taken near Cascade had the greatest number of different taxa found at one site (47). On average, approximately 27 different taxa were observed at each site.
Mayflies:
There were 21 species of mayflies identified. The dominant three were BWO’s (Baetis tricaudatus), Tricos (Tricorythodes explicatus), and Pale Morning Duns (Ephemerella excrucians). The dominant mayfly at each site was determined by season and the amount of silt present in the river bottom. Trico proportions increased with silt presence whereas PMDs and Baetis generally preferred riffle habitats.
Caddisflies:
There were 19 species of caddisflies identified. The dominant caddis was the Little Sister Sedge (Cheumatopsyche) but other net-spinning caddis (Hydropsyche sp.), microcaddis (Hydroptila), snail-cased caddis (Helicopsyche borealis), and long-horned caddis (Oecetis sp.) were also common. The large orange October Caddis (Dicomoecus gilvipes) was found throughout the sample sites but most common below the Dearborn River.
Stoneflies:
There were 7 species of stoneflies identified. They were observed sporadically across the sample sites but their abundance and diversity was greatest at downstream sample sites. Stoneflies were also common around the mouths of Little Prickly Pear Creek and the Dearborn River. The stonefly species collected included Golden Stones (Hesperoperla pacifica and Claasenia sabulosa), Yellow Sallies (Suwallia/Paraperla), Spring Stones (Amphinemura), and Green-winged Stones (Isoperla). Even one Salmonfly (Pteronarcys californica) was observed below the mouth of Little Prickly Pear Creek.
Seasonal Trends:
The study showed a seasonal trend in the makeup of the aquatic communities. Following the spring runoff, the overall abundance of bugs directly downstream of both Little Prickly Pear Creek and the Dearborn River was very low. This was probably due to riverbed scouring by the high spring flows in these tributaries. By summer, mayflies and caddisflies were numerous at most of the sites. As hatches tapered off during the fall period, mayfly and caddis numbers dropped and non insect taxa such as sowbugs, scuds, worms, and snails made up a greater proportion of the aquatic community.
Comparison With Historical Data:
Prior to this study, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) sampled several of the same sites during the mid-2000s. Compared to their study findings, caddis numbers have decreased during the last decade while midge and sowbug numbers have increased. This change may be due to increased sediment build up combined with aquatic vegetation trapping sediments.
As UMOWA continues to sample these sites each year, anglers will have a better idea how the macroinvertebrate community in the Missouri River is changing over time. This study will also help inform future river management decisions.
The table below shows all of the mayfly, caddisfly, and stonefly taxa that were observed for all the sample sites. LPPC site name refers to Little Prickly Pear Creek. Boulder site name refers to riprap bank above Dearborn River. US = upstream. DS = downstream.
- x = present but rare
- X = common
- XX = abundant
- XXX = dominant
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The following figures illustrate the macroinvertebrate metric averages for all of the sample sites during all seasons (spring, summer, and fall). Errors bars are standard error (SE). Blue arrows indicate where Little Prickly Pear Creek (LPPC) and the Dearborn River enter the Missouri River. For the site names, US = upstream. DS = downstream.
EPT taxa = mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies.
Use the slider arrows to view each of the five graphs. If you would like to view these graphs in the context of the full report, click here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image_slider ids=”16245,16243,16246,16242,16244″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As Mark recently pointed out, water temps are falling and we’re moving into winter. Scuds and sows are king and pink flies or flies with firebeads will continue to gain popularity as winter progresses. Popular winter flies include the Pink Lightning Bug, Amex, Rainbow Czech, Pink Ray Charles, Pink Scuds, Worms, Rainbow Warrior, Sows, Zebras, Ninch’s Pill Popper Scud and Bubbleyum Sow, Mason’s Peep Show, and Ju-ju Baetis.
Why do these particular patterns work so well during the winter? If you don’t care why they are working and only that they do, stop reading this now, get some of these patterns, and go catch some fish. If you are curious, read on.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]What do these flies have in common? Most of them incorporate fluorescent pink or orange materials. A lot of anglers might tell you that these flies work because they are being taken as eggs. This might be the case. However, independent of the egg hypothesis, the fluorescent materials in these flies make them very visible to the fish.
Fluorescent materials have some unique optical qualities. When light of any wavelength hits fluorescent materials, these materials continue to reflect light of their own color. This means that fluorescent orange firebeads will appear bright orange regardless of depth or water clarity. Additionally, fluorescent materials are able to absorb ultraviolet (UV) light and continue to reflect their original coloration. In other words, fluorescent materials look bright and are visible from a long ways off even in deep water.
Fish facing upstream will notice a fluorescent fly coming downstream sooner than any other colored object, and if the fish is able to quickly notice the fly, the chances of the fly getting eaten improve dramatically. If you check out the photos at the bottom of this post, you’ll see what I’m talking about. They show the fly under regular light compared with how it looks under UV light. The fluorescent hot spots really stand out.
Some of you might be ready to call bull at this point and claim, “I’ve caught millions of fish with non-fluorescent flies!!!” I’m not going to argue with you. I’m only suggesting that adding a fluorescent firebead or hotspot to a fly will make it easier for a fish to notice it. And isn’t that what we all want, to get our flies noticed?
Now, let’s take another look at some effective winter nymphs and try to interpret their effectiveness in the context of fluorescent materials. I examined the fluorescence of these flies by shining the shop’s UV light on them and noting what parts glowed. You can check out the fluorescent qualities of your own flies by shining a UV light into your fly box.
If you’ve already been fishing these flies, hopefully this post will help you understand why they work so well. If you haven’t been fishing these patterns, give a few of them a shot the next time you go out. Or maybe some of you have your own secret killer patterns with fluorescent materials in them? If you have a UV light on your fly tying bench, I’d recommend shining it into your fly boxes. The results are pretty interesting. We also have a UV light in the shop if you want to go to town on our bins. Or you can come in and find plenty of fluorescent threads and beads in the fly tying selection that Ninch has put together in the shop.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
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[vc_row full_width=””][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation=””]Over the last couple weeks, I’ve had the privilege of aiding David Stagliano with the fall invertebrate sampling of the Missouri River. The Upper Missouri River Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) initiated this sampling in order to establish a baseline data set that will allow us to see how the river changes over time. It will also serve as a health indicator of the river. As far as fishermen/women are concerned, knowing what bugs are in the river helps us figure out what flies to use.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=””][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css_animation=””]The picture to the left shows a typical sample taken from the upper river. This particular sample was taken just upstream of the Little Prickly Pear confluence. In the sample you see sowbugs, caddis larvae, snails, worms, scuds, midge larvae, and a few mayfly nymphs. This matches pretty well with the flies that are working well on the upper river – sowbugs/Rays, weight flies/Czechs, San Juans, the Zebra family, and PTs of all shapes and sizes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=””][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]The following are some interesting anecdotal pieces of info that I’ve noticed from the fall sampling that may be interesting to fly anglers.
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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Sampling for the year is done now, but will restart in the spring. Samples are taken in the spring, summer, and fall. As more data accumulates UMOWA will be able to track changes in the invertebrate life of the river to help inform management decisions as well as flyfishers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
It is definitely springtime. Blue-wings and March Browns are river wide. Caddis have begun to appear. The Caddis Fest is over.
This image in front of there shop is not today…no not at all. It is quite nice as the rains of yesterday have passed.
A song that I have been listening to these last few weeks is “Snow is Gone” by Josh Ritter. It’s a good springtime song. A great line from it is “I’m singing for the love of it, have mercy on the man who sings to be adored.” Hopefully we’re all fishing this week for the same reason – our love of it.
Everyone enjoys a good fish story, but that’s not why we do it. So don’t worry so much about getting the perfect picture of the big one, and remember why you’re standing in the river in the first place. And have mercy on the man or woman who’s out there to be adored.
This holiday weekend let’s get out there and celebrate spring together.
Since the spring, the employees here in the shop have been saving all the discarded/forgotten flies that have been left in our rental Adipose drift boats. The picture accompanying this post shows the flies that we’ve accumulated thus far.
They offer a pretty good snapshot of how the fishing has been. There are rainbow Czech nymphs and sowbugs from the winter/spring. There are tungsten San Juan worms and wire worms from the spring’s high water period. There are purple comparadun and Stormchaser dries from the spring Baetis period. There’s a March brown in the mix as well. Then there are the pale morning dun emergers and rusty spinners of late spring/early summer, some caddis dries and emergers, a yellow sally nymph, a Buzzball, the ants of summer, the ever present Zebra midges, and some streamers in the mix as well.
If you look closely at the photo, you’ll probably recognize a pattern or two that you caught some fish on this year. Czech nymphs, Zebra midges, Little Green Machines, rusty spinners, pheasant tails, CDC and elk dries, Buzzballs, San Juans… These patterns are definitely mainstays here on the Missouri River. Maybe some of the flies in the picture even belonged to you once. A few of them look pretty chewed up…
While cleaning our rental boats in the next couple of months, we’ll probably find some more trico flies, a callibaetis or two, some baetis/pseudo imitations, hoppers, more caddis (hopefully some of the October variety), and the streamers of the fall. Maybe we’ll throw another picture up here on the blog as the collection grows.
What will you be fishing this fall on Montana’s Missouri River? Do you agree on the Boat Fly Review of the Year so far?
Make your own memories this fall here in Craig. Get on it and we’ll keep the coffee warm for you.
The newest addition to the growing fly tying arsenal at Headhunters Flyshop is the Fly Tester by the Flymen Fishing Co.
Have you ever tied up a dozen flies of some new pattern only to find out that they didn’t perform the way you had hoped when you got them in the water? The Fly Tester was designed to allow the fly tier to avoid this situation by observing the action of flies immediately after tying them.
In a nutshell: DESIGN → TIE → TEST → CATCH FISH
The tank is best suited for testing streamers, but will also show how nymphs drift in current and how dries skate on the surface (think mouse patterns or skating October caddis).
To see the Fly Tester in action, you can stop by the shop, or check out this cool, short video below.
Key features of the tank include:
Next time you’re in the shop, feel free to bring in some of your homegrown flies to give them a swim in the tank. We’ve also been testing a lot of the flies from our bins and noticing some new things about how they truly perform in the water.
If you’re interested in getting a Fly Tester tank of your own, they retail for $285 and we’d be happy to order one for you.
New employee Braden Lewis, you’ll meet him this summer, sent us this mid-winter blog post. Thanks Braden. We love LaFontaine wisdom too! While the winter time on the Missouri River still offers solid fishing, I find myself taking more time during these shorter days to read about, think about, and participate in tying flies. I … Read more