Fishing Report

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Cooler temps will prevail this week as uncommon July temps will be gracing us dawn til dusk.

Looking like no temps over 80F for the week and night time temps in the lower 50’s. That is what the doctor ordered for sure.

Soggy angling this last weekend as the rain came down in bunches. The dry fly bite? Not bad but those who roll with the punches whacked ’em on streamers and nymphs. The streamer fishing was just awesome according to HH guide Beth Langell. Max Mattioli said the nymph bite wad damn good…and many others agreed!

Back to the future and the dry fly bite. Most are here to toss the dry against some pretty difficult trout. They certainly are getting harder daily as we move through the historically great July. Don’t foul it up early in the game. Some fish will disappear even with the perfect drift right outta the gate. So approach softly and quietly and stealthily and quiet and secretly and be super-sneaky! Then you have a fighting chance.

First drifts are still huge. They never fall out of favor. The 37th drift…not so good.

Best Trico hatch of the young Trico season yesterday on the upper river. The lower river? Good Trico’s down there too. THe middle? Maybe. Some bigger flies out and about with the black flying ant around daily.

Sally’s? Gone.

PMD’s? Anemic but the spinner fall can bring some fish to the surface for sure. The Rusty Spinner never falls from grace. Some talk on the Headhunters porch about the Captive Dun getting you to raise a few of the tougher ones. Words of Wisdom. The Trapped Dun is hot too.

Caddis? Good. Flights in the am with some good action blind casting before the hatch. Put the nymph away in the am and get some quality casting practice targeting fish on the drive by. Skittering caddis int he pm can bring the fish to hand as well. Find a good skitterer and fish it. Dead drift it for best success unless you are some kind of world class skitterer. Those of you, the very few, who know how can get some amazing action.

Dragging it is different than skittering it.

Spruce Moths around too. Smaller this year. The Spruce.

Hoppers? Yes.

Ants? Yes per above.

The fishing has been going south, the dry fly bite, about 2ish. Depends on the day but the best time for the sipping trouts is earlier than later.

But, the Nite Bite is pretty strong. A few are staying out late or going out later for the evening experience. You could be that guy. And why not. Skating caddis galore. And that nighttime PMDealio.  A strong suggestion is to forgo the PMD and focus on the caddis. Smarter money.

Bring your rain jackets and warmer jackets for the morning and T-Storms that are in the forecast daily. If you forget we have plenty of high speed Gore-Tex from SIMMS. We’d love to sell you one, but a warning follows…Bring rain gear in the summer, winter, spring and fall for your Montana journey. You might need it.

Lots of kick-ass flies in our bins with sunscreen, sungear galore, sun hats, ball caps, logo wear, GINK, TroutHunter 5.5X, RIO 12′ Leaders, SAGE One fly Rods, the only SIMMS dealer on the Missouri River, shuttles, ice, and the friendliest staff on the river.

Shop open daily from dawn til dusk.

1st Fall 2015 Guide and Lodging booking Heads Up: Book your fall trip today. Tomorrow it will be fall and you may miss the boat!

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Weekend fun ahead.

I’ll try to stay on track with this fishing report as the last post was awesome. A weight lifted form my shoulders. Thanks. Love it.

Warm weather will greet you and some smoke in the airways. Highs in the lower 80’s and even dipping below at times.

Bugs all over the river or not. Depends on the day for the Trico’s, PMD’s and Caddis. Choose your reach and cross your fingers. The best is on the upper. Or the lower. The mid section has not been all that productive for either the nymph or the dry.

So go where you want. It’s all good brah.

Lots of anglers around as we move into the peak of the peak season. Wade anglers, boats, and this weekend some pleasure floaters too. Fridays have been the start of the pleasure floater weekend too. They get on it. Go early if you want some tuber solace.

PMD’s the last week not as good as the previous week. They are not done by any stretch though. We should have them around for another…?

Trico’s daily on the upper. And the lower. Not so much int he middle.

Weeds worsen as you head downstream. Until the rapids, then they magically shake out.

Downwinged caddis are all the rage. PMD spinners still get it done. Cripples are not a bad idea either. Trico spinners and the double winged versions are good. Trico duns can get it done and the CDC emerger is cool too.

Head out nymphing with weight flies, THead PT’s, worms, FB’s, Silvey’s Pupa’s, tiny beaded slender bodied nymphs, Zeeeb’s, Trigger nymphs, Frenchie’s, Micro-Mays, Tailwater Tiny’s, and a bunch of other techy tiny mayflies of your choice.

Should be a pretty sound weekend with a ton of folks here. Most of the July anglers make their annual pilgrimage to the Missouri River. Some m,ay even pop over the hill to the Blackfoot. You should. It is pretty nice over on the west side. Ask us for a trip over if you wish or integrate it into your annual July trip.

Night fishing can be good, and cann be bad. You have to go to know. Late shuttles and helping out the afternoon angler is one of our specialties. Ask our very fishy staff about their recent travles. they are out and fishing every moment they are not on the river, or at Joe’s…

Shop open damn early and open quite late. Have a rack of ribs at Izaak’s and a night cap over at Joe’s Bar. You deserve it.

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]No bugs yesterday. Some here and there, but not really any hatching action to speak of.

A short Trico hatch on the upper and a bit of the lower.

That is the honest poop.

Today? Who really knows. Warmer temps should bring the bugs back. Although he PMD’s did make a small appearance on Tuesday. Sunday in the cold and rain weather? Good Trico hatch in the morning. So before you begin to freak out, keep in mind that Mother Nature works in strange ways. Strange ways.

The weather for the week is forecast for sunnier skies and air temperatures on the more seasonal side. What should you do? Fish I say.

PMD’s on the entire river with the highest populations on the upper reaches. Duns still on the menu but some of those trout will give you fits while engaged in the catching/fooling game. Some reports of un-catchables showing up. You know the trout. The Un-catchable Trouts are out and about. Give them a shot. Good luck. And congrats in advance if you can it done. If not, no worries man. We all get beat buy at least a few of the good ones.

Some nice trout in the river this summer. Is it a huge fish summer? No, not really. But nonetheless some really nice fish. Still looking healthy.

Caddis are still the patterns that most are touching the rising trout with. Caddis. For years most called this a caddis river. Not necessarily a mayfly joint. And there there were some that always came for the Trico’s.

The Trico’s are into the 2nd week. You should see a pattern of morning hatches with predicatbel spinner falls late morning. Get out early and enjoy the fun.

Love the symphony of sipping trout.

The nymphing fellers are singing a bit of the blues. Difficult bite at times and the weeds can foul up the hard sexy bank. What to do? Cast off that weed and get back in the water. Ask any local angler and they will have a technique for removing the weeds from your fly and line.

Good nymphs include bigger worms, any number of smaller narrow bodied mayflies like the Military May, Peep Show, Micro May, Ju-Ju PMD, Magic Fly, Zebra’s and slender PT’s. Some have been strong arming them with bigger Tungsten PT’s, Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear’s, smaller softies, and your favorites too!

Shop open at 530am for a spell while we drift through the remainder of the month. Open early for any and all your Mo River needs. We got a ton of flies, over a dozen sunshirt models, hats galore, BUFF, SIMMS SunGloves and SunMasks, SAGE Demo Rods, RIO demo fly lines, free coffee, and the best bullshit on the Mo.

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Many river with Hoot-Owl closures around the state. Not the Mo.

Phone calls daily about what the fishing, flows, and water temps will be like tomorrow, August, and even October.

The short answer is we will be OK.

History would tell us that the river will be open in August. We survived drought years on ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07. And that with low flows. Only one time did the river exceed the 3500cfs mark in that time frame.

Today the river flows are 3950cfs. The USBR tells us they will hold at this level for the summer. 4100cfs is the projected flow. The Canyon Ferry Reservoir is 97.3% full. The water temps are lower than the last week from our cold spell yesterday where air temp did not rise above 55F. A 40 degree temperature change from the 4th. Check out the water temps…

So, based on history, we will be OK. Mother Nature holds the cards and we cannot see into the future. So, take that as you will and either come out, or stay home. I hear the Caverns of Mystery are killer this time of year.

The fishing report for the Mighty Mo is as follows…

Trico’s are on the rise. Sunday morning in the light rain the bugs went bananas. A great hatch and the first mega hatch for the Trico’s of the summer. They are right on schedule as they generaly come the the 5th of July. That in my book, is the historic first hatch of the year. The 5th is the arrival date.

Lots of patterns will get it done. Watch for the duns to get eaten early in the hatch. They generally stop eating the tasty dun as the month passes by. But early on they do lie the dun. The emerger can be good too. A CDC pattern will suffice. We also like the Quigley’s Cluster Dun with a ply wing. Good stuff.

PMD’s have not been as spectacular as they were last year. We did not have a good caddis last year and the good PMD’s saved our ass.

The PMD spinner fall has still been good. The hatches not as good as stated above. But we should have the PMD around for another month or so. The best flies have been traditional poly winged spinners, Harrop’s anything spinners hi-viz and CDC, Captive duns, transitional duns, and even the dun too!

Caddis flies all throughout the resource. Good to great mornings and afternoons for the caddis fly. Has it been easy? Nope. the first part of the dry fly season is easier thatn the latter half. The fish do get smarter. And the fish above Craig are smarter too. Try below Craig for fish that are not PhD level…yet.

Skittering caddis flies are all the rave in the afternoons. Stocking Wings, Angelo’s Burn Winged, X2 Caddis, Red Stag Caddis, Double Duck, Missouri River Specials are all god times fro you on the river.

Sally’s are not around often enough to make a difference. But having a few in your box is not a bad idea!

Ants and hoppers are on the cusp. Just sayin’.

Give us a shout if you need up to the minute fishing reports and such. We are open all day long for any river needs like sun protection, shuttles, flies, coffee, free honest info and of course our porch is always open for the only fly shop in downtown Craig with free cell coverage, we have a booster, and the wi-fi too.

Check out our logo wear too. You gotta take something home for the kids and we have kids clothing and has!

Smiling faces in downtown Craig this week.

Lots of regular late June and July anglers ont he river whether they be wade fishing, drifting, or fishing with a guide the feeling in Craig is familiar and enjoyable.

Does every fish eat your fly? No.

Will they rise daily? In some spots.

Are there bugs around including PMD’s, Trico’s, Sally’s, and Caddis? Yes indeed.

The key to your fishing July Experience is to choose your favorite stretch and have at ‘er.  Enjoy your familiar water and catch a few, miss a few, and even land a few. The rec floaters are here daily as well but most are plenty friendly. The best way to handle folks running over your fish is to smile and realize that most are not doing it on purpose. It is all about intent. Those folks and floaters do not understand what our plight is. And why would they. Fly Flickers are a strange bunch and not many non-anglers know how nuts we really are.

Our spouses do though.

Good fishing all month long. We love July and enjoy the opportunities to cast at rising trout.

The weeds bother some and not others. The floaters bother some and not others. Some like the upper river and others the mid or lower reaches. Some like ham and some like turkey. Some believe this daily update and others do not believe a word we say. Sometimes the fish rise and other times they do not.

All your choice. Haters gonna hate. A democratic society we live in and we must understand that some complain and others don’t.

We for one are not complaining about nothin’. It is summer and the fishing ain’t easy.

A big heads up if you can recognize the trout that will eat the dry fly and the ones that just will not. Sometimes changing flies will get it done, and other times the fish just will not eat the one with the hook in it.

4th of July Party in Craig. Rocket to Uranus plays at 8pm at Izaak’s Porch with craziness beginning about 4, 5, 6, 7pm?

Shop open at 6am for your river needs. Happy July.

Top Ten List today on the Missouri River Fishing Report…

1. Late June into early July. Most are heading out early. The heat has been a factor so get out there and get ’em. Take a Siesta, a nap, a full shift at Joe’s.
2. Water temps are at 62F. Higher than normal? I really don’t know. But I do know that the dooms-dayers will tell you we are fouled. I try to stay more positive than that, they, them. Flows are at 4100cfs.
3. 4th of July Party @ Headhunters. All day for America’s Birthday. BBQ, Beer, Fireworks.
4. PMD’s are in style. The two hour period that you cannot catch them? I too am familiar. A PT is the way.
5. Crips, spinnners, emergers, transitional duns, half duns, captive duns…plain old duns? Your choice. Every day seems to bring another story of success and failure. We love love June and July.
6. DFO’s Unite.
7. Weeds? Yes. More than normal? Maybe. Deal with it or go to the Madison.
8. Caddis anglers are happy too. Good time in all sections. Skittering in the afternoon for your after noon fun. Get those PMD’s off of the line and change it up. Try the Stocking WIng, Missouri River Special, King’s River, X-Caddis, Buzzball, clipped Troth, Angelo’s Cut Wing or your fav. Swing it swinger.
9. Trico Season is upon us. A game changer for sure. Now the DFO gang can use up an entire bottle of Frog’s Fanny by noon.
10. Shop open at 6 or earlier this week for the long run. Free coffee and the first and last open on the river. Come in and chat with our very own long time trout bums. They do fish daily and can give you some recent insight and on the river reports.

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Some say this is the best time of the year. The weather is warm, the days are long, the wind is light, the bugs are popping…

All good things to have on your favorite trout fishery.

June is 2/3 of the way gone. Already! We have passed the summer solstice and now the days get shorter. Not for a while though. We will enjoy the warmth, the not too hot warmth throughout the week ahead realizing that the summer heat generally comes in the month of July. It is coming!

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 6.22.15

The State of the Missouri as it stands is as follows. Some may call it a fishing report, and they would be right. But here are the latest and greatest updates as we see it in downtown Craig Montana fishing the world famous Missouri River.

Familiar Faces in Craig Montana

The non-local locals have arrived in force. That only means one thing. It is game on. The dry fly fishing is good enough to fish all day long with the bottle of GINK staining your shirt from the time you roll out of your cot on the banks and look for early morning coffee. Go as early as you wish and find a few sipping before the hatches of the day get going.

Fish as late as you want as well. The caddis will keep you entertained until you cannot see you fly. Black and dark winged patterns will get you some bonus time after that sun falls behind the Rockies to the west.

Need something late in Craig? Headhunters Fly Shop open later than the rest til 9pm daily. Your late shuttle folks in town is Headhunters.

Missouri River Caddis Explosion?

The caddis are nearly everywhere. But if you have to fish the caddis all day long you should find yourself in the canyon section. Stickney Creek to Pelican is your best bet. Fish the down winged versions we love so well. X-Caddis, All Stages Caddis, CDC Stocking Wing Caddis, Para-Caddis, Translucent Emergers, Twightlight Caddis, Hot-Wing Caddis, Henryville for the classic anglers int he bunch, Missouri River Special or King’s River Caddis…the lower wing profiled stuff is good. Fish the Troth if you are so inclined. We like to clip the hackle from the bottom of those high floaters here on the Mo. The Buzzball is a good option too!

The upper river has yet to see the caddis explosion during the day but they are showing int he evenings and the daytime excitement will soon follow. The mid to lower reaches are on fire in the evenings. Head on down there and see for yourself. Actually the upper is good in the evenings too. Just not the shit hot bite we like to see int he summer. But that traditionally comes in July. June is reserved for the PMD.

PMD Love

PMD’s are on the upper and throughout the middle sections of the Missouri River. Most anglers are all hopped up on this bug. We are too. We have the Missouri River’s most extensive PMD selection for all your frustrations, your successes, and in-between as well. Read John’s article today about Fishing PMD Hatches.

The emergence happens about 9, or 10, or 11, or 12ish. The fish will eat some emergers as the bugs come off. Transitional duns, cripples, knock downs, and captive duns are all in the mix. How about a soft hackle or something that looks like a pheasant tail just below the surface? Good for a fish, or 5.

The spinner fall can happen anytime. Get out the flat winged spinners and have a ball. The Buzzball here is a good idea too. How about a sunken spinner? How about a beaded sunken spinner? All good ideas wen you are pulling your hair out, diving into your box several times, then tossing the whole box into the water.

Pretty good PMD fishing in the morning until sometime int he afternoon. Not a great evening pasttime. Caddis are made for that fix.

Yellow Sally’s

Not a great top water bug for us. Having said that the trout can get on them slashing in riffles and runs throughout the day in the early stages of the hatch. We have a few patterns that can get it done. The Outrigger Sally is the key though. You cannot have the wing profile too low on these insects.

The middle on the river and the lower reaches are seeing evidence of the Sally with this coming week getting stronger upriver too.

Terrestrials

The Missouri River has long been an ant river. Try any flying ant int he red, cinnamon, or black varieties and let ‘er ride. Long leaders with a dropper can add some entertainment when the hatch you are after is waning.

Missouri River Flows and Water Temps

4320cfs and 57F. Nice for the remainder of the summer. Cooler water temps for the time being. We want them to stay lower for a while. The air temps will rise later this week and the water temps usually follow suit.

The weeds have begun to move toward the surface. Weeds may be a problem this summer as they have been in the past. Some do not like them and find them annoying. I agree. Will they be problem this summer? Probably. Call us. We will say something like this…“Yep, weeds are here. Yep, nymhing can be tough with the weeds in the water column. Maybe you should just dry fly fish?”

Rental Boats, Guides, Lodging, Vet’s Boats, Demo Rods

We have it all here in Craig including Project Healing Waters boats for rent, free of charge. Call us up if you are a vet, a retired vet, active duty…you all qualify for use of two Adipsoe Flow Driftboats any time. Call in advance and ask about our vets boats. You tow, you put in, and you choose if you want us to do a shuttle for you or not. We will facilitate this Project Healing Waters program fora ll vets from all branches of service.

We have DEMO Rods from SAGE, Orvis, G. Loomis, Echo, and Sweetgrass. Take one or two out Free for a day and let us know if you like it. We have DEMO Fly Lines too. Try it before you buy it. Take a few out and compare and contrast. That is the sure fire way to get you old or new rod lined up properly.  And remember that we have a money back guarantee on nearly every product in the store. Get a line and you don’t fall in love with it? Bring it back and we will make it right. Replace it, or refund it. We got your back here in Craig.

Check out our Missouri River Montana nightly lodging site www.craiglodging.com for the Craig Trout Camp Rainbow, Brown, Sutton, and Craig Houses with 20+ others at your fingertips at Craig Lodging dot com.

We have rental boats too from Adipose Boatworks in Helena. Check them out here. After rowing the Adipose Flow you will understand why most of our guides row this craft daily!

Headhunters Fly Shop & Guide Service

Headhunters is open daily @ 630am for all your river needs. Helpful staff can guide you through the morning session with ease. Fill your coffee cup to the rim heading off to the river only a couple false casts away.

Call us anytime day or night for info, fly suggestions, shuttles, booking your guide and lodging needs here in Craig. The epicenter of the trout fishing world!

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As good as it gets.

For those who love to fish for the PMD eating fish.

Caddis too.

Lots of folks around and if you like solace and winter/spring/fall type conditions stop reading now. Now is not your time.

Dry fly anglers are here and having a ball.

As Ninch is fond of saying the fishing report or your personal success story is as simple as this…

“It’s as good as you are.”

If you can really cast well, present well, and drift like a stud you will be rewarded with plenty of fish that will find your flies attractive.

If you drag it around out there in front of the fish and alert the enemy, the trout, you are in the neighborhood…you will not find as much success on the dry fly.

Don’t alert the enemy you are even close. Just like trophy elk hunters the trout angler should be super stealthy. Do it.

• Be calm.
• Be quiet.
• Present silently.
• Set.

The nymphers are crushing with Worms, Frenchie’s, Peep Shows, S & M’s, Tung Death Metal, Military May’s, Hot Bead PT’s, Harrop’s Yellow and Black Softies, Nitro Caddis, Caddis Pupa, PMD brownish nymphs, Weight flies, Sows, Zebra’s, Two Bit Hookers, Gidget’s, Split Backs, Crack Backs, Tungsten Reckoners, Tungsten Redemptions…and many more!

Pick your stretch and get out there. The fishing from dawn til dusk is good enough to bring you on out here to Craig MT.

Izaak’s is open daily at 3pm for drinks and 4pm for fantastic evening fishing fare.

Headhunters Fly Shop is open daily @ 630am and open late for all your apres fishing needs til 9pm!

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Hot weather for the week.

It’s cool. PMD’s enjoy the high and bright sun.

The PMD emergence is the first true sign of summer. This is the moment when we can dash those awful winter and spring thoughts of snow, sleet, rain, wind. Unless we have our somewhat historical last storm of the winter season which can occur this week?

It doesn’t look like it but Mother Nature is a wild beast!

Flows? Here on the Craig River proper we are sitting at 6620. Normal? Yes. Will it get higher? Probably. Check out the chart above. Higher water in June is normal. We may see the June USBR projections today and we will pass them on as soon as we are able.

So inflows above in conjunction with the reservoir level will lead us down the road of higher water.  The Canyon Ferry Reservoir is over the line this morning at 97.3% full. At 97% the Corp takes over and it is out of our hands.

What does that mean for our flows here below Holter Dam? Well, higher. When they reach the full lake level then historically they push the water through. Peaking the reservoir in the last week of June is the norm. So what does that mean?  It means that whatever the inflows at Toston are, they historically match the outflows at Holter. Inflows at 10K. Outflows at 10K.

Before you freak out let’s see what the projection is. Don’t freak out yet.

That Toston Flow Chart above should see some decline today. Or tomorrow. Most of the low lying water from the previous storms has moved through as we watch the smaller tributaries fall rapidly. This morning the Dearborn is at 545cfs. Not bad. As you can see the flows are diminishing rapidly.

Float the Dearborn this week? Oh yeah.

The Blackfoot? Also coming into shape nicely. We love both of these tribes and fish when we can.

So you got that in your knowledge bank. The flows, the potentials, the whole deal. We see it as a good thing. Water for the summer. Water for the masses. Water for the people. Water for the trouts most importantly.

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 6.8.15

Good to great. But not totally great yet. Some have good days, others not as good. The guided trips are producing as the nymphing game can be shaken up in these flows. The fish move around and it can take some time to locate them. Don’t be afraid to fish spring lanes with deeper bobber placements.

PMD and caddis nymphs rule the day  with the Worm still in the mix. Firebeads for some as they throwback to a month or two ago with fly selection. Lots of them leaving the store daily so it must be something to think about.

Yellow Sally’s should be in the water column soon? Those bigger stones too?

Dry fly anglers are getting more excited by the day. Almost consistent PMD hatches as we move into the second full week of June. In another week you can expect to see them daily. This week with the high and bright, as mentioned above, will bring it on in some reaches well. Evidence of the PMD all the way up the river with the concentrations mainly still below Craig.

Caddis are in fashion as well and again more bugs the lower you fish. X-Caddis, Translucent Pupa’s, Buzzballs, and the filmy companions can get it done.

Still the fish are not bothered and any number of patterns can work on any given day. The dry fly game is a bit easier to figure out than the nymph program. The trout get weird when water levels jump[ around.

Streamers? OK. But not the best time of year. Some success on flash flies has been reported from the staff and guides and a few bank anglers. Not much discussion as the dry fly is here and most are here for that reason.

We are entering our dry fly time of year and this river will support several factions of dry fly nuts. We encourage that gang and enjoy their discussions, company, and daily frustrations.

Call us up if any questions arise from this report or if you need even more info, a trip, some lodging, or just want to chat with somebody about the dry fly bite.

We are all ears here in Craig.

Headhunters Fly Shop open daily @ 7am and now open later til 9pm for your acres fishing hang. Late shuttles too. Need a new dry fly line? Why not come prepared for greatness with a new InTouch RIO Grand or Gold? You’ll be happier with a slippery floaty fly line…

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The river is coming up. Good news for the remainder of this just yet began summer. We will have plenty of water as it looks like we will fill the Canyon Ferry Reservoir.

Currently climbing at 94.6% filled. A scant 2.4% to go! Nice. Mother Nature and the USBR got it right. Thanks to both!

The weekend weather also looks good. Temps in the 70’s and possibly 80 Sunday. You in? You coming?

Would it make you happier if you thought you had a chance to cast to a few rising trout?

Cross your fingers and find your sipping trout on the Mo. It is June and that is good news.

Sunny days and happy trout as the water temps are in the wheelhouse for the June bugs.

A smattering of PMD’s. They will pop this weekend? Maybe. Lots of caddis showing and more in the lower reaches. Still some micro-mays around and the fish are not afraid to eat them up either. Spinners, crips, skitterers, spents, emergent individuals, and just plain old duns are creating a texture on the surface that drives DFO nuts just nuts.

Nymphers are happy with the game right now tossing all kinds of PMD Nymphs. The Trigger Nymph, Peep Show, Military May Brown, Tungsten Redemption are my favorites for sure. Caddis Pupa’s are getting some attention too. I like the Bloom’s Weight Fly in Gold, Silvey’s Pupa, Translucent Pupa with the bead in it.

But the real talk in Craig is about the upcoming PMD. And I could not agree more. Classic mayflies with trout sipping them make trout fishing dreams come true.

• Dries (L to R):  Cripple Thor PMD, Trapped Dun PMD, Quigley’s Half Dun PMD, Silverman’s Stacker Cripple PMD, Quigley’s Film Critic PMD
• Nymphs (L to R):  Tungsten Split Case PMD, BH Poxyback PMD, Trina’s Angelcase Emerger, Ross’s UV2 Glitter Nymph Rust, Doc’s PMD, Trigger Nymph PMD

The bullet list today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Missouri River Montana Fishing Report May 28th ’15.

• The Dearborn is blown. You can fish below it if you wish.
• LPP is blown. No worries there.
• Sheep Creek? Clear for the most part. Always.
• Is the river green? Yep.
• Dry flies? Lower, not so much upper.
• PMD’s will arrive in 10 days.
• Sally’s? Later.
• Are there enough caddis around to make a difference? Yes, oh yeah.
• March Browns? On the way out. A longer stay than normal. Huh?
• BWO’s? Waning for sure.
• Water temps are moving up daily and are at 52F currently. A high of 54F a couple days ago. A trend for sure.
• Missouri River water flows below Holter Dam are at 4100 cfs.
• Canyon Ferry at 88.8% Wednesday night. Should be higher when you look right here.
• Rain for the remainder of the week.
• Will the bugs hatch riverwide? Maybe. That is a tough one.
• All techniques seem to be effective. Deep, short, shallow, super deep for the nymph rig.
• Worms? Yes.
• Streamers? Oh you betcha. Tug on them as fast as you want to now. Zippy is cool.
• Every derivation of a mayfly nymph? Definitely yes.
• Small bits of decomposed bugs are the topwater diet for most of the river, except lower.
• You can make an argument to fish later, later in the day.

Headhunters Fly Shop open late.

Entertainment, Education, Information, and Customer Service is what we stand for.

We’ll take care of you.

The long and short of it is just this…

• Missouri River Montana Water Levels: 3800cfs.
• Water Temps: 47F at post time
• Deep Nymph Rig: Czech & Zebra, or LGM.
• Short Leash: Tungsten Pt & BWO Bubbleback
• Streamer: Black, or dark. Flash-A-Bugger. Old School.
• Dry-Dropper: Adams & BWO Magic Fly
• Dry-Dry: BWO Split Wing & Buzzball
• Single Dry: Nymen’s BWO Cripple
• Izaaks: Open 3pm til 10pm
• Joe’s Bar: 8am-2am
• Canyon: Packed with boats
• Baetis: Unbelievable, depending on the day. Are the fish on them? Some.
• Skwala’s: Not really
• Midge: Daily. Big time. Look for the midge early to get some fish looking towards the surface.
• March Browns: Not yet
• Missouri River Shuttles: Daily
• Project Healing Waters Adipose Boats for Vets: Daily here at Headhunters. Call of your reservation.
• Headhunters Fly Shop: Daily 7am-8pm. Later if needed.
• Craig, Wolf Creek, Cascade, and Canyon Missouri River Lodging: All in one place www.craiglodging.com
• Missouri River Fishing Hotline: 877-DRY-FLYS
• Craig Caddis Festival & BBQ Cook-Off: Saturday May 16th www.caddisfestival.com
• Montana Fly Fishing Film Festival and Drift Boat Drive-In: Friday May 15th @ Headhunters Dusk. SIMMS, MFC, HH on hand with Swag, outdoor movies, HH Famous BBQ, and fun all nite long.

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Headhunters Fly Shop fishing report is as follows…

While most are still nymphing anglers are branching out more and more everyday. Lots of anglers tossing the blind dry and just as many tossing the streamer fly. Both having success.

Nymphers are fishing secondary and tertiary shelf lines all times of the day. Some venturing into summer like water…with very little success. Those whoa re staying closer to the seasonal fishing norms are doing well. More consistent is the bite and in more kinds of water with more kinds of flies.

Yes, nymphing is expanding its window of possibility.

Streamer anglers are gaining strength as we move into water temps that are more conducive to trout movement and that makes this wily group smile. Sink tippers and dry liners are being seen bankside in every reach. Slwo and medium slow is the mantra.

Encourage the pause…

DFO’s are tossing any seasonal fly they desire. Big fluffy and flat low profiled and Adams like are the themes that we are sticking beside. Some good rising fish to midges here and there in that normal goofy spring midge like water. You know th type of whacky water I am commenting on if you are one of those great white midge hunters.

The dry fly bunch is coming out of their winter coma.

Water flows are holding at the 4K mark. Water temperatures are moving upwards above the 40F. level. As a Headhunters guest mentioned a couple days ago “Whoa, when it gets 42F it becomes magical.” There is some truth in that statement. The biggest part of that statement is that as the temps move higher the fish get feisty-er. The bugs do too.

Check out the trend above. Natural spring direction.  We like the longer days, warmer air temps, increase in bug activity, and the more common usage of Fly-Agra.

Lots of new stuff in  the store daily with the addition of 10+ new Headhunters Logo’d T’s and racks full of Headhunters Logo’d hats. Logo wear also from SIMMS as well as the store is nearly full to the brim!

Open daily @ 8am for all your midweek sunshine needs. Snow later in the week. We still have loads of cold weather wear for your spring time weather conundrum. Fresh hot perked coffee and hand warmers for those in need.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][us_grid orderby=”title” order=”asc” ids=”7592,10449,10999,10937,4038,4469,11082″ post_type=”ids” no_items_message=”” items_layout=”shop_trendy” items_gap=””][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report from Headhunters Fly Shop in Craig MT.

Warm weather brings the folks out and the fish up. Overcast skies help things too. Today? Sun is the forecast.

Some good reports for those out headhunting on Saturday. Enough midges to get s few fish looking up? How many? One is enough say most.

Flies that fellers were coming in at the end of the day and hoarding? Midge clusters primarily, but a few popped a single dry midge patterning as well. Reneballs, Buzzballs, Harrop’s Midge Cluster, Quigley’s Cluster, Royal Cluster, Matt’s Midge, Snowshoe Posted Midge and more.

Those longer leaders are making their first real appearance too. RIO 12′, Harrop’s TroutHunter in longer lengths as well accompanied a few out the door on the way to the river this weekend. It’s time to update your gear from last fall. Dust it off, toss some out, and make sure you are ready for rising trout you may encounter.

As for the nymphers…good fishing in the right kind of water. Not so good in the wrong kind of water. Find the boring winter water. Which equals the good winter water.

Nymphs? All the good stuff. Pink, FireBeads, Sows, Scuds, Pink LB’s, Ninch’s Lucent Bead Sow, Worms, Caviar Scud, Zebra’s, Little Green Machine, S & M Brown, Two Bit Hooker, Indigo Child, Rainbow Czech’s, Amex, Newman’s Own Midge…

Streamer Bite. Not terrible. May not always be good, but there  are some streamer chuckers out there getting after it. Some good stories, some not so good stories. Slow is the key. The water temp dropped this last week back to the 35F mark. It will climb higher as we move into this spring like seasonable weather.

2Handers are out and swinging around the river. Top to bottom you can find great runs for exploring. Headhunters is your Trout Spey Store. Look us up if you have any questions you need answered in this sometimes confusing game.

Hi’s near and maybe above 60F this next week. Check out the weather report on the right sidebar.

Shop open daily at 8am and now open later as the weather permits. Some are coming out for an afternoon wade fish or an afternoon float.

Still an unsettled weather pattern upon us. Not many anglers out on the water this week at all.

But the phone is ringing and folks are inking in their 2015 Missouri River Montana Fly Fishing Trip! A gentle reminder that the months of June and July book a year in advance and availability of guides and lodging is sinking fast, if not already gone. So, don’t be too surprised if you thought that calling in January for the coming mid summer rush is soon enough. Call today if you are at all interested in the dry fly months.

Back to the river here in Craig. Cold. The water temps are between 34.5 and 35F. Really quite cold. Ice in your guides often for sure. The flows are up to 4750cfs due to the extreme cold. Ice and slush in the river near Mid-Canon. Probably impassable when you near Prewitt Creek and totally blocked and a river bank to bank of ice chunks when you get the doctor’s house in the Cascade run.

In town this week, Great Falls, a shit show for sure. Cars in the ditch, on the highway the same. Folks that are too aggressive and those who are on the other end of the spectrum are in trouble. Do not travel if you cannot handle the snow. Just sayin’.

Fly Tying Night cancelled tonight due to weather and travel restrictions.

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 1.7.15

Pink is the word when we get to the fly selection of choice. Any shade of red. Faded red, pink, rose, even peachy? Oh yeah. Find the painfully slow stuff, cast, watch the bobber, wait, and set hard.

Swinging clinic that is sold through this weekend Saturday. If you need to expand your 2 handed quiver stop in and see us. We have in the neighborhood of 15 2 handed rods to try. SAGE, Echo graphite and glass, T & T, Orvis. Lines too.

A full winter fishing selection on hand if you choose either the single of double hander. Indicator lines by RIO, Spey from Airflo and RIO, VersiLeaders, and any number of other winter accouterments. Bobbers, splits, tippet, info, coffee.

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