Squeeky Oar Lock is cold. The New Year will bring some goo fishing...swinging flies for the next 4 months. Then...spring brings dry fly fishing. Hooray!
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Sunday July 5th Water, fish, bug update Amanda this last week fighting her first Mo River Trout fishing with HH Guide Mark Raisler Water dropping under, or about, 10K today. We expect it to drop all week. Inflows at Toston are currently 7500cfs. Outflows may, or may not, match inflows in the near future. … Read more
Happy Independence Day All is well in Craig Montana. Happy Independence Day from all of us at Headhunters Fly Shop and Guide Service located downtown. Be safe. Be sane. Make the first cast count. Shop open 7-3. Our crack staff off to celebrate tonight. See you on the river!
New Breed Chicks Rule Stephanie Returns Edition Stephanie graced the early pages of the blog and has more than one installment in the New Breed Chicks annals. Stephanie and friend Amanda, you’ll see her early next week as she too has a New Breed Chicks Rule post forthcoming, rocked it all day long with HH … Read more
Wednesday Fishing Report July 1st 2020 Water headed up today 1K. Water levels heading up tomorrow 1K. The dry fly fishing was holding on as we held on to the 10K levels. Yesterday with water levels heading upwards the fishing slowed. Dry fly fishing. The nymphing strong. as water levels head upwards today we expect … Read more
Many are fishing the Zirdle as the top fly on the deep water nymph rig.
Emulates crayfish, or just something that resembles food.
A popular fly throughout the summer months. And in August you will want this fly on your rig. The Zirdle is also a bug that leaves fly bins early in the season. Why not tie up a couple dozen for your trip to the Mo this year? A smart move!
With the water deeper today and maybe the near future tie this and toss at banks that are 2′-4′ deep. Hold on.
Enjoy this Tuesday in Craig. Raining still. Yesterday rained cats and dogs, all day long.
Dry fly fishing still good. Gotta look a bit harder. Good PMD hatch Monday as well. Caddis will take them on top as well. Find you bug and fish it.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Monday Morning Fishing Report 6.29.2020 Just the facts today on the Headhunters Fishing Report. Monday morning and heavy rain falls from he sky. More today, more tomorrow. What will the total rainfall amounts be? Ohh, the weather guessers think about 2 inches. What will the totals be in eh Mo River Drainage? That will … Read more
5 for Friday June 26th 2020 5 great tips to get you through the Missouri River summer weekend ahead. We are currently sitting just 10K @ 9840cfs. Water temps 58F. Will it come down this weekend? Maybe, or not. We are waiting fo the storm to develop Sunday thru Tuesday to see if we will … Read more
New Breed Chicks Rule Amanda Edition Fished with Amanda along with the Tabert Gang this past weekend. And she caught her first Missouri River trout. A few of them! We love to see gals like Amanda get stoked on fly fishing here in Montana. Born and raised in Missoula. A local. All is well here … Read more
Missouri River Headhunters Fishing Report June 24th 2020 Photo: Mike Farris tying up another PMD dry fly to fool the Misouri River sipping trout Tuesday Morning. Water levels flirting with 10K as the water managers evacuate the flood pool that was reached when the lake fill level passed beyond 97%. Currently 100% the lake will … Read more
A great fly for the week. It has been for the weeks behind us too.
Still getting some of the tougher fish on the river, the Missouri River.
Order this up and enjoy the video![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/121434150″ video_title=”1″]
For Immediate Release: Headhunters Fly Shop Hiring Today! 2nd year shop stud Peter Longoria with this nice brown above he plucked for the shore with a streamer. See yourself catching a few like this? We do too! Apply today. Hiring two (2) fly shop employees for the remainder of the summer until late fall and … Read more
Fathers Day 2020 Missouri River All is well here in Craig Montana. Happy Fathers Day 2020. Calm, 65F, water levels 8600cfs, dry fly fishing daily, nymphing too. Honoring our fathers out there in Craiglandia and beyond as we meet the half way point of the year. The longest days of the summer are centered around … Read more
Friday Headhunters Fishing Report June 19th 2020 All good here on the Mo. Beyond the maneuvering of the dam waters the past couple days and maybe a couple days into the future we are doing just fine! The fish are eating on top. This is your signal, the ringing of the bell, that the fishing … Read more
Today speaking about the Headhunter Fly Line. A dry fly line designed by Headhunters manufactured by RIO for our dry fly obsessions!
It is finally dry fly season here on Montana’s Missouri River. And no better time to get your Headhunter Fly Line on that dry fly rod of yours.
For sale for nearly a year we could not be happier with the success of our first foray into line design. A proprietary line design and dry fly line like no other on the market.
Available at Headhunters of Craig or online
After years of trying every fly line on the market – and never finding exactly what we wanted – we decided to design our own line, specifically for technical dry fly fishing on the Missouri River.
The Headhunter Fly Line is designed for the medium to long casts we perform every day. Casts that require pinpoint accuracy, long-leader turnover, delicate presentation, yet the power to defeat the ever present Montana wind.
Dead Flies Don’t Swim!
We also created a stealthy sky colored line with a zone that helps anglers understand how much line to have off the rod tip to maximize false casting and line pick-up. Mission accomplished. And it turns out it’s a pretty darn great line for swinging soft-hackles, presenting short-leash nymph rigs, and general attractor dry fly fishing.
Designed for Headhunters, by Headhunters
A 21.5′ front taper with a 5′ mid section followed by a 24.5 rear taper. A Double Delta Taper, and industry first, that will bring a new level of efficiency to your dry fly game.
The Performance Zone really works well. Easy line pick-up at the 25′ mark. Just strip in line until the Lime Green portion enters the rod tip and cast. The Performance Zone is 15′ in length. You can pick up the line easily from the water anywhere with in the Lime portion. And the color change is easily seen in the air too. Meaning you can use it to your advantage while false casting. The Headhunter Line is designed to cast the best within this zone. For the 25′-60′ dry fly casts we so commonly encounter.
The Lime Green section is The Performance Zone.
We have had the Headhunter Fly Line on the water for nearly a year. The verdict in in. Dry Fly Anglers love it. More flies in front of trout. More fish to hand. More smiles! Â Lots of anglers have not only bought one, but two outfitting their 4, 5 and/or 6 weight. Available in line weights 4, 5 and 6.
Find yourself fishing the Delaware River, the Missouri River, The Henry’s Fork, Silver Creek, any spring creeks around America and Europe? Then you may enjoy the Headhunter Fly Line. Made for conditions that exist on all of the above resources and beyond!
Soft Hackling on your schedule this fall? Get yourself the Headhunter for that single hand swing rod of yours.
Check out the new Headhunter Fly Line in Downtown Craig Montana from the Missouri River Fly Labs of Headhunters Fly Shop. We have demo’s as well if you wanna go that route. Come by anyway or give us a call.
$80! Available in 4, 5, and 6 weights. Watch the video, check it out, and order one up for yourself!
A great fly for the Mo. Squeeky’s favorite summertime pattern!
Been tossing it the past couple weeks. A good time for sure.
It is not red hot, yet. It will be.
No wing profile recognition, no negative reinforcement of the trout. Looks like garbage. The kind of garbage that trout eat. Here, on the Mighty Mo.
In my conversations with Gary in the 90’s here on the river I also found that he believed that the fussy-ness of this pattern and the ability to trap air bubbles underneath the fly gives the impression that the insect is decomposing. And decomposing insects are easy to eat. They don’t move. They are dead. And we all know that Dead Flies Don’t Swim!
If you have witnessed fast moving aggressive PMD subsurface feeding behaviors you already know that picking something from the surface or damn near it that does not move is much more efficient than the former actions. And that is why bits and pieces of dead and decomposing insects make up a large percentage of the Missouri River top water diets.
Check out the fly bins of your Missouri River fly shops and you will not see a wide variety of high floating flies. Not too many dun or adult patterns. They will be mostly comprised of flies that rest in the film. Emergers, cripples, and spinners.
Make Headhunters your first stop on the Mo. We carry the Best Flies Under the Big Sky!
Fishing Licenses, flies, river maps, info, in a clean sanitary environment.
Buy this pattern at the shop in downtown Craig Montana. We have them in several sizes up to size 18. For baby junk eaters.
Watch the video, then tie the fly. You cannot foul this fly up man. It looks even better if it is tied, un-neatly. Sloppy in fact. Those who tie this fly too neatly, don’t get it.
Fish it with confidence. Created for the junk eaters at Jackson Rock by Gary LaFontaine a few decades back.
Tuesday and all is well here on the Mo. The Buzzball will get on the list of the top flies of the summer. Until then you can count on the Translucent Emerger or Pupa to get you through the day. Or a PMD Cripple is and has been hot. Spinners, spents, knock-downs. All good flies for the time being as we move through the early summer session.
And for those PMD lovers we have fully stocked PMD nymph bins. And you will need them out on the Mo for the next 2 months. A fly that will grace your rig for the future!
June Mid Month Missouri River Report Weather is the first story today on your Headhunters June Mid Month Missouri River Report. Weather Patterns for June Cooler than normal air temps coupled with over an inch of precipitation forecast for the next 3 days will make our PMD event a bit soggy. Caddis too. Although PMD’s … Read more
Silly Sunday Scenery Dearborn falling to 318cfs today. We are nearing the end of flatablilty. Maybe the remainder of the week though. Look us up for flies, shuttles, and info! Tomorrow is Monday. PMD’s will be on the menu.
Friday Foto Fishing Report June 12th 2020 Pretty good out there if you like to hunt heads. If you don’t? Inconsistent. And not enough rising fish to freak anybody out. Flows 7K, water temps 59F, pressure medium. Flows Saturday 8am 6500cfs. All reaches of the river floatable and fishable. Shuttles daily. The caddis and PMD … Read more
Dearborn River Fishing Report 6.10.20 Not too bad out there on the Dearborn River. Fished it yesterday with Chef John of Izaak’s and Steve of Headhunters Fly Shop. A few fish caught on a Rubberlegs dangled below a fluffy dry fly. Two fish tried to eat the dry fly, or at least looked at it. … Read more
Shelter from the Storm, Dylan, afternoon Water Update 6.8.20
The rain has stopped today. 3 days of a very good wetting. We were a bit behind our annual rainfall. And now the hills are green again.
The Dearborn is still in shape. Will it blow out again, rising to an un-fishable level? It may not. Currently under 600 cfs. Â There is a pulse of water shooting through it. But not much color. Not enough to affect the water below the confluence. The Dearborn still has fishable color. Not blown by any means.
As we have mentioned before the mud has come off in previous pulses of water. Pretty safe after the first blast.
The water is coming down today on the Missouri River as we should realize 8200cfs. Â It has already turned the corner. Tomorrow we will see flows at 7700 cfs according to the water managers. Currently scheduled to remain at this level through the week and maybe beyond.
All based on whether we receive additional rain in our system, basin wide. We’ll let you know as it breaks here first.
We are encouraged by the direction of the flows as June and PMD’s and summer fill our Headhunting minds.
PMD’s cultivate our dry fly fantasies
And there is All the News Fit to Print. A tip of the hat to all of our NY and Try-State angling friends who will be here shortly. Travel safely. We will see you soon.
Give us a call if you want to proceed on your 2020 Missouri River fishing plans. We have lodging, guides, flies, fishing and fun cornered at 406-235-3447. Direct Booking Line 406-868-5473
We will bring you the latest on all Missouri River fronts here at your Entertainment, Information, Education, and Customer Service leader located in downtown Craig on the banks of Montana’s Missouri River.
Enjoy the Dylan jam. Happy Monday. The water is falling.
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]The Mighty Zep with the Rain Song for the rain we have received this weekend.
Posted this first 5 years ago. Been listening to the Mighty Zep a bunch this past month. The Rain Song has been in my Top 5 Zeppelin Tunes List since I first gave it a listen about 40 years ago.
Raining cats and dogs here in Craig this evening. It’ll blow out the Dearborn and increase the flows on the Mo as well.
Looking for a possible 10K the front end of the week. Of course keep it here for the update first as the Headhunters is the only information source you trust in Craig Montana and beyond. We keep you up to date of all things Missouri River.
Look for wetter skies coupled with cooler daytime and nighttime highs as we move through the weekend into the work week ahead.
Changes for sure. LPP, Dearborn, and Missouri River rising. Changing fishing conditions will be a given. You can bet on that.
Fish rise until 13K. But not well. Under 10K would be appreciated. 6K is great. 7k OK. 8k not too great. 9K not good. 10K and beyond is a nymphing only show. Hope you are tying up some wire worms and sow bugs. If you are not ,we got ’em here at HH of Craig.
First Mo River Dry Fly Fish for Chris! Nice dry fly trout for Chris who recently moved to GF from the east coast. He came here for this kind of thing. Welcome Chris. He almost landed in Montana 25 years ago. But it’s funny how life takes turns that we could and cannot predict. So … Read more
Thursday June 4th Missouri River Fishing Report Just the facts today on the Headhunters Thursday June 4th Missouri River Fishing Report. Flows 5220cfs. Gonna creep up in the next two days. Near 6K? More next week. Water temps currently 56.5F. Up and down 1 degree during he 24 hr period. PMD’s? Morning, and some showing in … Read more
New Breed Chicks Rule Tess Edition Tess and her first trout on a fly. Nice work Tess. Great times with Tess and her family this week. Sunny, fishing, fellowship. A perfect June week. The Dearborn coming down in flows. Fishable for sure. The Mo hatching out PMD’s. Front end. Not rocking. Yet. You could get … Read more
Missouri River June Water Forecast Looking good for the month ahead for the Missouri River June Water Forecast. Yes, normal is what we should expect as we heading the first of the two peak dry fly months fishing he Missouri River near Craig this summer. Just spoke with Stephanie Micek of Montana Bureau of Reclamation … Read more
Montana Opens the borders today Today is the day when Montana opens its borders to out fo state and non quarantined visitors. And that is a big deal. June 1st the Governor will allow anglers, visitors, tourists access to the Last Best Place. Including the not so sleepy fishing town of Craig Montana. We are … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] PMD Forecast June 2020 Missouri River Montana Lots of folks in with questions about the Pale Morning Dun. Our answer? Yes, that can be a tough one out there. And then sometimes, easy. But mostly in the middle of those two answers. Drift is King The first thing I will mention is that if … Read more
Friday Foto and Missouri River Fishing Report May 29th 2020 It’s almost summer! June 21st will usher the sunshine in full time! But the days get longer until the solstice and then turn the other direction. Evening fishing is fun and the sunny afternoons drift into calm caddis filled nights. Can’t wait. Until then the … Read more
Squeeky believes that we may see these bugs this week? Water temps in the mid 50’s range! Working their way upwards this week as well with the warmer and hot afternoons towards the weekend!
Historically PMD’s show around the 4th, 5th, or 6th of June. The first emergences. But we have in the past 5 years seen them as early as May 28th!
What will the week ahead bring for bugs on the surface? Don’t know. I do know that yesterday in the canyon produced no bugs. None. Today? Probably the same.
We can assume that the BWO’s have run their course. The March Browns? Probably gone as well. Mothers Day Caddis? I would guess that there are some more left in our system? How many? I don’t know that answer.
Working towards the weekend on this hump day. Warm again today. No wind though!
Nymphing red hot. The remainder of the disciplines not as good per above. Streamer anglers? Toss ’em if you want.
Enjoy your Hump Day! Tie up some spinners of the PMD variety for the next couple months. Last year was an epic PMD event for 10+ weeks. This year? Let’s hope it is similar.
Summer is coming to a river near year. The Mighty Mo. Look us up in Craig for all things Missouri River. Your entertainment, information, education, and customer service experts in Craig!
This highly popular Rusty Spinner pattern by the Harrop family is a killer when fishing June and July on our home water here in central Montana.
We fish it a ton. Biot bodied sparsely hackled almost floating fly that make brown trout move from their lane.
Yessir. That is the kind of move you want fish to make. Moving to take a fly is one way to make the fish behave aggressively. If you can get them to move, yes make them move, you got ’em.
This available in one of our Just Add Vise Tying Kits. Yep you get enough materials to tie 25 of these babies. All included int he kit. Plus this video with a QR code on the package and you can tie it in your tent if you wish! 25 hooks, boots, hackles, for you to get 25 ready for the coming season. Buy it online if you so desire. But not right now…We are getting these very popular tying kits put back together after the thinning of the herd this March and April!
A Rusty Spinner has long been the favorite fly amongst summer dry fly anglers. If you can’t get them on anything else, tie on a Rusty Spinner and fish it till you he eats it.
It’ll work. Honest.
Trust me, I’m a fishing guide…[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/121434150″]
Tuesday Trout Bum Local Shop Rat Peter again today with his latest post of what he finds to do when not fishing! It does not happen often as the shop staff is on the water any moment they are not chained to the store! The day has come, Hell has frozen over, and you find … Read more
We Honor those who have fallen today. At 3pm is time observe a moment of silence. Honor. Respect. Remembrance. In traditional observance, the flag of the United States is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised … Read more
Friday Foto The Muddy Mo! Muddy waters here in the Mighty Mo. Today it is the Muddy Mo! The Dearborn River is blown. Blowing mud from the DB has made the Muddy Mo look like this at Pelican Point. Probably not a great day to fish the lower river. Maybe next week. The beauty of … Read more
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly II Thursday in the Missouri River Canyon. And all is good. Sort of. The Good The fishing is damn good. The entire river was fishing well with lots of anglers in the canyon and beyond. Yes beyond the more common reaches like the dam, Wolf Creek, and Craig. … Read more
14 Day Quarantine Ends June 1st. What does that mean? It means that out of state visitors and anglers can begin to travel to Montana without a mandatory 14 Day Quarantine Monday June 1st. No longer do you have to lock yourself into a Motel 6 for two weeks before you come fish Montana’s Missouri … Read more
Montana Opens June 1st 2020 Governor Bullock announced 11 minutes ago that he will lift the 14 Day Quarantine effective June 1st. That means out of state residents can visit, stay, and fish in Montana. Until June 1st it is still in effect. 14 Day Quarantine in effect until June 1st. Although tomorrow, you only … Read more
The Longhorn Beetle today on the Tuesday Tying Video from Headhunters Fly Shop of Craig Montana.
Beetles on the Mo? Yep. Not right now. But I have seen lots of black flying ants!
You don’t have to fish it if you don’t want too. But I will let you know that many of the long timers here use the black beetle wish smashing success. It is not talked about a lot.
But I’d have a couple in your box. Just in case?!
While many of the Just Add Vise Kits were plundered during the peak of the Covid Crunch we do have a few Longhorn Beetle JAV Kits in stock and are ready to ship.
Tuesday here in Craig. A good day. Wish you were here!
Another installment of great Rocky Mountain music today on the Headhunters Blog. Today rocker Joe Walsh and Barnstorm with Rocky Mountain Way.
John mentioned this tune yesterday as a lock for the blog this week. I couldn’t agree more. A power rock
All good here in Craig Montana on the east slope of the Rockies. It’s Monday. A great weekend behind us with a fantastic dry fly weather week in front of us. Some wind mixed in as the daily air temps in the mid 60’s chance of rain, mostly overcast skies, and you? You coming soon?
Flows 4800 cfs.
Water temps 52F.
March Browns for another week or two? This fickle bug shows up, then leaves. May is the period.
BWO’s for another week or two?
Midges? Another month.
Mothers Day Caddis? Yessir. This two week event is happening, sort of. May 18th was one of my best dry fly days in the last 20 years. BWO’s, March Browns, and Caddis filled the day. Dry fly all day long. About 5 years ago. Burned in my memory.
Rumors of opening to out of state traffic fill our phone lines, thoughts, and conversations. The governor of Montana may speak towards the end of this week in regards to moving into Phase Two, and could bring news about the 14 day quarantine. We are hoping for June 1st as the lifting of travel restrictions. Call today and get your guide and lodging dates for this possible change in regulations.
The fishing is damn good. The nymphing is lights out. Sows and scuds with the mayfly playing a large role too. Caddis nymphs are rocking too below Craig. Upriver the normal fare. Downriver more options for those dunking flies couple with split shot.
The dry fly bite is what it is. If you are in the right place at the right time, with the right cast, you can get ’em. Planning is important if you are headhunting the fish feeding near the surface. The weather plays a big part in the eagerness of the trout. Overcast skies help the fish look towards the surface. They do not have eyelids and cannot squint. Overcast skies have no relevance in the hatching of insects. Sun and wind help dry the wings of mayflies, a requirement for flight, and therefore are stuck on the water for a longer period. Consequently more time for fish to eat them. Bugs do not hatch better, on overcast days. Some mayflies do hatch better in a rainstorm as the water tension is broken allowing easier movement from watery environs to our atmosphere.
The canyon is the most popular float in the past couple weeks. Then the dam. Followed by the remainder of the Missouri River reaches.
Guided trips out daily here at Headhunters Fly Shops and Guide Service. We are not fully booked as we generally are die to the travel restrictions. We have several of our top guides available right now through the rest of the month. We love Montanans in the boat! Give us a call if you’d like to fish the river this week during this timely dry fly session. It’s good. Yep.
Lodging available as well. Give Julie a shout, 406-868-5473 and get yourself booked.
Fly Shop open daily. Shuttles, lodging, guide trips, rental boats, casting lessons, DEMO ROD SALE, Best Flies Under the Big Sky!, Montana’s Trout Spey HQ, Jet Boat Trips, BlackStrap Face Masks, Buff’s, mega Sunglass selection, our friendly informational/instrucctional staff to help you catch more fish here on the Mighty Missouri River!
This is a great piece. Pat Clayton, FishEye Guy Photography, of Phillipsburg Montana and John Arnold, Scumliner Media, of Craig Montana put this together a couple years ago. Awesome footage.
May Missouri River Tips for Fly Fishing success! Hello all out there in TroutLand! May 16th today. Generally lots of folks in town for our Annual Craig Caddis Festival and BBQ Cook-Off. But not today. Cancelled because of Covid-19. But it is rescheduled for Saturday August 29th. This will most likely be the permanent future … Read more
Diane New Breed Chicks Rule #769 Either her 3rd or 4th post from Diane today. Nice work Diane. We have come to expect nice brown trout from you one the past 10 years. Keep up the good work! Happy Friday out there in Headhunters Land. Today 55F, a bit breezy, and wonderful. A big day … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Mid May Missouri River Weekend Update All good in the tiny fishing ‘burb of Craig Montana this week. Still slower traffic as many of the out of state guests cannot be in Montana without the 14 day quarantine. But this weekend will sure bring out the locals as well as representatives from around the … Read more
Mothers Day 2020 Ed Note: Again this week Peter speaks to us from Headhunters HQ in Craig Montana. We all have a Mother to thank. Thanks Mom! FYI this is not Peter’s mother. Nope. But it is a mom we know from Oregon who fishes here more and more. Cassidy should be lurking around soon … Read more
10 Questions with Chef John of Izaak’s Izaak’s Restaurant of Craig Montana is open for business this spring. Cars packed the parking lot Thursday night as the smell of Izaak’s smoker out back brought in the anglers like the Mothers Day Caddis does to Missouri River trout. Summer hours currently  Wednesday thru Sunday 3-9pm. I … Read more
We are all into catching more fish on BWO dries. Actually not true. Some anglers.
Not all anglers are interested in the dry fly. I have often stated to those who believe that everybody should be throwing a dry…and to those folks I always say,
“How would you feel, as dry fly guy. A Dry Fly Only guy. If every angler was seeking dry fly flats. If every angler was standing next to you on the dry fly flat of choice? How would that work out?”
Not so good. Thankfully we enjoy many facets of angling and not everybody want to be DFO. Truly. Honest.
But if you are into that sort of thing then you can give yourself a leg up, an arm up, a cast up on the rest of the gang. Learn the right thing to do and follow the bugs!
Prepare. Get the rod ready in the morning. Strung up and put some sort of BWO on. An Adams will hold the line nicely. Change when you arrive if needed.
Have a ton of Gink. Dry Fly Shake. Frog’s Fanny. Whatever you may need to get you through the BWO session. I hate running out of the right shit during the heat of the moment. I have several bottles of magic int he boat and vest.
Make a game plan. Set your drift for the right water at the right time. If you are a wade feller, you know where you want to be at what specific time.
Follow the game plan. Especially in the boat. Don’t get hung up on some other fish, some other flat…holding a bobber in your hand! Get to the flat and stake it out. Being prepared for action is key.
Practice the cast at home. In your yard. At the park. When the bugs start popping you need to have your “A” game. Not a good time to practice casting. A great time to execute the perfect reach cast and execute.
Missouri River Trout love the fly in the film. Baetis ride in the film. BWO’s lay in the water, not on the water. Fish a pattern that sits in the water.
CDC Flies are awesome. The best flies are the ones you cannot see.
Swing a soft hackle if you are old school. Or if you like to learn a new technique. Or if you want to catch them all.
Get out and stalk them. BWO fish will let you wander close to them. Get out and get in tight. Make short and efficient casts. Catch one at a time. Some anglers, most dudes, try to catch all the trout on every pass. Not very smart. Takes too much time in between casts. Too much line out. Not efficient. Not smart. Those fellers that exhibit this behavior do not catch may at all. But they do waste a ton of time and kinda screw up the fish. But, just my opinion. It is your day. Do what you feel is right. But, if you want to catch more, do it right and stay efficient.
Start out with a new 12′ RIO 9′ 4X leader. And then tie on a 4′ section of 5X tippet. Or something along those lines. Get a good drag free drift and get them. Long leaders are OK. Trust them. Use them. Enjoy them.
Clean your fly line often. I love to clean my line as I am waiting for the action to start. And after the day as well. A clean fly line is the most important piece of the rod/reel/line equation.
Pray for overcast skies. Trout love the gray days. The bugs don’t care. The trout love to wander into skinny waters when they feel comfortable and can feel predator free.
Stalk softly. Approach the fish in stealth mode. You are the predator. Act appropriately.
Fish during the week. Weekends are quite busy here in Craig. Take the day(s) off work and come out.
Enjoy yourself. It is about fun, relaxing, taking your mind away from the stresses at home. Enjoy the day on the water. It is good for your constitution.
There you have it. A few ideas to marinate your Baetis Brain in today. Put yourself in successful situations is my whole deal. Set yourself up for success. Do it the right way and you will be rewarded. We have about a month of Baetis left so we will see you here in Craig. It’s Thursday, it’s May 2020!
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Weekend Fishing Report from Headhunters of Craig Turning towards better fishing? Boy we hope so. Inconsistent it has been. And for some, not good at all. We totally agree. For those who do not spend most everyday on the water the catch rates have been relatively low. Sometimes awful. And that is fishing as … Read more
Izaak’s Open Thursday May 7th Open May 7th. Izaak’s! We love our neighbor establishment and Thursday May 7th is opening day! The season started out good, then trouble, now social distancing, sanitizing, and reduced occupancy. May Day has passed. And April showers brought May flowers. And the rain this evening. And March Brown’s on the … Read more
Extinction of the Trout Bum Ed Note: 2nd year shop staffer Peter with todays blog post. We love it. If you follow the progression of both John and Mark it includes many nights, weeks, months in tents, pickup beds, sleeping bags on the shore, small paychecks, riverside fly tying sessions, constant fly rod fantasies, and … Read more
Missouri River and Craig Montana Monday May 4th Update All good in this neighborhood. The update of all things Missouri River, Craig, and Montana today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog. Craig Mostly open for business. Headhunters Fly Shop open daily 8-6. The food joints open this week. Do not know about Papa’s. Trout Shop … Read more
May Day in Craig Montana Plugging along here in central Montana. The first week of Phase One. Shop open, guides out, shuttle crew shuttlin’, flies flying out of the shop. Open daily 8-6. Enjoy the first day of the weekend!
Hump Day Fishing Report Not too bad out there Wednesday. Much better than the disappointing bite on endured by many onTuesday. John said it best when he said it seems like an every other day bite. After today, I think he’s right. It does not bode well for Thursday though. If that is indeed the … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Purple Lightening Bug Tying Video Tie this Purple Lightening Bug up today, fish it tomorrow! BWO’s on the water. Midges on the water. Sometimes fish looking up. Probably not with this high and bright spring weather pattern we are locked into. Yes, moments of overcast and haze, but warm and windy will be the … Read more
We will be re-opening Headhunters Fly Shop tomorrow Monday April 27. The Missouri River Business Community has been communicating with one another, and while we are excited for the season to start (again), we are also cautious about an influx of visitors from out of the area. Most folks we have talked to feel we … Read more
Status Quo here in downtown Craig Montana. Anglers around. BWO’s and Midge around. Clusters, singles, cripples, emergers.
Nymphers getting ’em. Deep, slow, and medium slow water. Pink, scuds, sows, BWO nimps, Zebras.
Swingers getting the job done with Simi-Seal Leech, Fruit Roll-up, Skiddish Smolt, Kure’s Micro Zonkers in Black, Black Woolley Bugger, Thin Mint, Black and Purple Pig Pen.
Dearborn River blown. The color of green is just right!
Shelter in Place lifting on Sunday. Montana opening on Monday April 27th.
Be smart when moving around. Be safe. Be well. Enjoy your weekend in the West![/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7PaEtEMnew”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Changes for sure. LPP, Dearborn, and Missouri River rising. Changing fishing conditions will be a given. You can bet on that.
