Late October Weekend Missouri River Fishing Report

Late October Weekend Missouri River Fishing Report

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Late October Weekend Missouri River Fishing Report

Fishing is heating up. It has not been a record fall as we write this fishing report mid day Friday October 25th. Fair fishing. Not fo the fickle. Those who fish here more often, are having more success than the anglers who are maybe here for the first time. Have heard lots of reports from DIY anglers that the Mo is a hard nut to crack.

We agree! Not an intuitive fishery at all. Had some first time guest to the Missouri in my boat earlier this week and they stated that it may take some time for them to get a handle on this baby. After a day in the guide boat Bill and Steven were excited about drifting on their own for the remainder of the week. I have not spoken with them to get an update. They agreed that the two days in the guide boat with Mark and Braden allowed them to start to turn their thinking from a Freestone based analysis to a Tailwater or Spring Creek based thought path.

The Trout Spey Gang is here too. Seeing anglers tackle the swing and having decent success. Larger soft hackles, smaller BWO softies, and leeches have been good enough. Those tossing the 3 and 4 wt Trout Spey Rods are having a better catch rate than the others, fishing larger streamers that look like bait fish. Mozuri Minnows, small Dali’s, Skiddish Smolts in all three color ways, Dirty Hippie, Baeley Legal in Olive and White or Yellow and Brown, L’il Kim, Thin Mint, Shock and Awe…

The Dry Fly Headhunters are all fired up with the weekend weather forecast. Snow, and calm, and overcast, and cool. That is the correct conditions for Headhunting. Fished well on Wednesday with the snow and great BWO hatches. The sz 18’s were out in force. Rising fish from the Dam to Cascade. More to come?

Look at the weather ahead and make your own plans. We will be out there fishing, for sure.

Cripples are good. Flag’s, Film Critic’s, DOA’s, D & D’s, Last Chance Crip’s, Hangman’s. Adams in 12-20. Fish ’em. Purple Haze? Yessir. CDC BWO Emergers are OK as well. Tie on off your Adams for success. How about a Soft Hackle beyond the dry fly? We like that sort of thing here in Craig. Duns have been good too, like the aforementioned Adams. Split Wings, Bunny Duns, Hackle Stacker’s…

The Nymphers are on fire. Unless the fish don’t want to bite. But the nymph has been the most consistent technique the past couple weeks. Per usual. Sows, BH Sows, Tailwaters, Ninch’s Pill Poppers, Gut Sack’s, Rainbow Czech’s, Ray Charles, Firebeads. And tie off your favorite tiny BWO patterns like Tailwater Tiny’s, S & M’s, Splitbacks, Frenchie’s, Radiation Baetis, Two Bit Hookers in Brown and Olive, Little Green Machines in PT or Chartreuse, Tungsten Magic Fly BWO, Rainbow Warrior, Micro Mays, LB’s…

Flows are in the mid 4K’s at 4550cfs. The water temps are recording 49.5F. The weeds are fine. If you don’t like weeds in your trout fishery, you probably won’t like this river. Not too many floating in the water column, not a big deal at all this time of year. Some years yes, but not this year. Swingers are not complaining about it so things must be on the up and up.

Headhunters is open daily. We about to our winter business hours. After the 1st we will be open 8-5pm. Until then I think we are rolling til 7pm. Free coffee always inside etc store. Free info. Guide Trips. Tons of lodging options. Booking for 2020 in both lodging and guide trips. Book today for the best availability.

Headhunters is your Trout Spey HQ in Montana and beyond. We have it all from from most every manufacturer. What we have a handle on is the Trout Spey Line Up. The most trout spey lines in stock in Montana. We have it! Tips too. Running lines. Accessories. Rods. Reels. Knowledge. Information. Trout Spey Guides. Casting lessons with Mike McCune and Whitney Gould and John Arnold. Three expert educators that can put you on the correct path for success! Call today to get on board.

We love the fall period. Far fewer anglers around. And that is good. Come visit the quiet river this fall. We’ll help in any way you desire.

Check out our Social Sites for even more content that this daily blog. Instagram is updated 10X/week. The FB page 20X. Twitter too. Keep InTouch with all things Missouri River through Headhunters Fly Shop. All About Trout.[/vc_column_text]

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2 thoughts on “Late October Weekend Missouri River Fishing Report”

  1. Well Mark, the old guys are back on the “wetside”. The time we spent with you and Braden was invaluable, we would have been lost on the river without learning how to read, row and fish a tail water fishery. With our new knowledge about deep rig and short leash nymphing, we caught a few fish on Wednesday and Thursday. Again, we used pink and beige weighted sowbugs with a BWO cripple for the dropper. The Canadians were thrilled they were able to hookup a couple of fish on BWO dries on Thursday evening.

    We can’t thank you guys enough for our time with you on the MO. A wonderful fishery supported by folks that really care about sharing it with others. The staff at Headhunters made our visit very enjoyable and we are planning for our return.

    Many thanks,
    Bill Keeler

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