Missouri River August Fly Fishing Forecast
Missouri River August Weather
Hot. Not as hot as July. The daily average air temps hover around 82F. Lows come in at 50F. Average rainfall for the month is 1.57inches. Third behind May and June. June being the wettest. So afternoon thunderstorms will keep you guessing with rain totals enough to remind you to keep the ranger nearby in August.
Be ready for anything. Cooler mornings have you donning your puffball shedding it mid morning for a HH logo’d SIMMS sun shirt. Headhunters is your local sun gear store. More selection, styles, and better pricing than the rest! Stop in for a full selection of gloves, Buff’s, sun shirts, SUNBUM sunscreen and more!
Missouri River Flows and Water Temps
Flows will be below 5000 cfs. And hopefully not go below 4200 cfs. That is the projected summer Missouri River Flows. Water temps will top out at 70F. Then will fall gently throughout the month. Not too much lower at the completion of August, but we should not see them rise above where they currently are.
Weeds? Probably. Always have weeds here ont eh Mo int he late summer and early fall. This year will be no different. They are starting to develop and will continue to grow toward the surface. Let’s hope we do not have too much of that river goo this season. Call us for the updates you need.
Last year the weeds on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being god-awful…they registered a 5. This summer? Less? A 4? We will only know after the event. Again, Mother Nature is typical very difficult to predict.
Missouri River August Hatches
Trico’s continue through the month well into September. Strong hatches in late July as the bugs seemed to gain speed and intensity. Great Trico Missouri River spinner falls daily @ 915am. Fish them until noon or 1pm.
PMD’s are still around with morning spinner falls creating enough for the fish to key on. Not getting them on your Trico pattern? Look at the water and see if you see any PMD spinners or cripples or knock downs or trapped duns. Then tie on the appropriate PMD pattern. Need help finding the cool flies for the MO? Stop in and we can help. The comprehensive bug shop in Craig is Headhunters. And the knowledgable staff to back it up.
Caddis flies can get you through the afternoons. Also the evenings. Get on the caddis train and catch those night fish! Downwinged patterns as well as spent caddis need to be in your possession. How about one of our favorites the Translucent Pupa and the Translucent Emerger. Come find your caddis fly love on the Mo in August. They will be around through the end of the year. Do not go out there with out the caddis fly in your front pocket.
Terrestrials. August is the month for ants and hoppers. Fish the am Trico, late morning PMD’s the Buzzball too! Then switch to the ant for a blind fishing afternoon all the way home. Or your favorite hopper pattern. Try one you can see!
August Nymphing Forecast
Pretty good. The big fly will spend some time on the upper end of your nymph rig. Crayfish and worms and ZIrdles and junk like that. Big flies up top and small flies on the bottom.
You can go deep in the morning and short in the afternoon. Or you can rig it up without split and 2′ from bobber to fly right out of the gate. Choose the depth you want to fish and get after it.
Be creative. You can also rig a dry-dropper outfit. A big fluffy floater, an Adams, or a caddis fly up top, or an ant and attach one of the killer tungsten beaded patterns like the Two-Bit Hooker or similar and have a ball fishing the Missouri River this August.
Swingers?
Good to great until the weeds inundate the river. Or not. Lots of folks out swinging. Soft hackles mostly. Then we can dream the weeds away and get ready for Swing Season. It is on the horizon in late September thru May 2021! Oh, it’s coming. Look to Headhunters for all of the new ’20-’21 spey gear that will be filling the shop! Flies? We got the swingers covered here. Softies, streamers, and traditional swing patterns for all your Trout Spey needs. Demo rods too!
Headhunters Fly Shop Guide Trips
Guide available for the 3 months ahead including August. Lots of cool and clean water will allow us to enjoy the August bite ahead.
You want to hunt heads in the morning? Cool. How about a half day. You want to continue on after the dry fly bite has waned? Toss hoppers and ants? Then book the full day. You want to toss the Craiyfish and see what lurks in the depths of the Mighty MO! We do too!
Call the August Guide Hotline @ 406-235-3447 for any question about guid trips, rental boats, or general fishing questions. We love to talk about trout!
Fly Shop Hours, Izaak’s, River Hub, Joe’s Bar
Open daily early 630am Our probable August hours for the shop will be 7am-8pm daily.
Izaak’s open Wednesday thru Sunday 3-9pm. Get in early for bite and fish til dark. Izaak’s closes at 9pm. Plan accordingly.
The River Hub Cafe is closed.
Joe’s Bar open daily sort of. Don’t know the daily hours. Not open early and not open late. The place where fishing guides and locals fight. And then dance. And then trade shots. And then forget.
CraigTroutCamp.com and CraigLodging.com are your lodging connections!
Want to stay here in Craig or the nearby vicinity? Check out www.CraigTroutCamp.com for the best in Craig cabins. Starting at $195/nt why not stay in downtown Craig Montana. Close to Izaak’s, Joe’s Bar, and fly shop row.
www.CraigLodging.com is where you will find the balance of the rental properties on the Missouri River. Rooms starting at $110/nt up to larger houses for $1000/nt
Fishing August on Montana’s Missouri River
Questions? More? We have more answers. 406-235-3447 for any additional questions about local lodging, guides, rental boats, shuttles, fly patterns, the right rain gear to buy in Craig, or you just want to plan your fall 2020 fly fishing trip, give us a shout.