April Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 4.10.15

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While we will be out swinging on the Hemingway Flat for the entire weekend with Whitney Gould and Mike McCune the rest of you will be enjoying the river as she shakes the winter sleep out from her eyes.

Yes, the Missouri River is acting like a spring time fishery.

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 4.10.15

For those who are nymphing this weekend you should be aware that the fish have moved into the faster realm and are spreading out from their cold slow water haunts. There are still some fish living in that type of water but the wild ones have gone awry and are in some riffle type water. Summer time water? No. Not in seam lines, stuffed like a potato, no not really. But diamond chop in the deeper lanes will get some action for that new  SAGE Method your wife just gave you.

Flies? All the BWO stuff, all the pink stuff, all the firebead stuff, and all of the midge stuff. Why not tie on a big rubber legs in the middle region, a tiny CDC Bubbleback BWO in the lower and a Zebra on the upper. Top fly your choice.

Dry fly guys? Use the BWO patterns to your advantage. Clusters will work too. Find a tough one? Single midge patterns or downwing BWO  or Cripples will do the job.

Are the BWO’s really here? Have they truly arrived? No, not really. But they are willing to flirt with us on any given day from here on out through the middle of May.

Streamer fanatics are using the regular standard Missouri River fare. Flashy, small, black. Your choice. Swingers? They are in the shop upgrading their personal 2 handed line selection. We have all the tips you need too! Your 2 handed and Trout Spey Source in all of Montana is right here in Craig. Call us up if you need anything or have any questions. We have the knowledgeable staff on hand to answer your toughest of line questions.

The weather for the weekend is variable. Nice today, odd Saturday, and a touch of wind for Sunday. You gotta go so why not this weekend. $300 Guide Trips on our Spring Special continue through the end of the month.

Missouri River Montana flows are at 3900cfs and the water temps are north of 43F. She is turning on! Be polite to other anglers out there as the water level decreases the river shrinks. Be polite and do unto others as you…

Lodging available for those last minute planners. Call the shop for any of your Missouri River needs. We are open daily @ 8am and open late for those enjoying dinner at Izaak’s. Izaak’s open @ 3pm and serving a mean Jalapeno Pineapple Margarita along with great Brisket!

See you here in downtown Craig and on the river this weekend!

 

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 4.7.15

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 4.6.15

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Headhunters Fly Shop and Guide Service Missouri River Fly Fishing Report 4.6.15

Fishing is pretty good for the spring.

Ninch says same as always…”good as you are.”

I think he is sort of right. You gotta have the right gear and toss it in the right water. That ups the odds of getting the net off the floor.

Streamer fishermen are either happy or sad. Mostly happy with good results coming from tossing these big flies at the bank and across fishy shelf lines. Some RIO Outbound Short sales this weekend as more of the Streamer Junkies crawl from their winter hide-outs. Streamer Tips too with the shorter 10′ clear tip.

You could toss a dry line out there this next week as the flows are predicted to fall to levels below 4K. Water temps are hovering in the 43F range. Good for bug life.

Streamer patterns that are hot include White Dali Llama, White Urchin, Silver/Red Kronik, Sparkle Minnow OG, Tungsten Thin Mint, New Age Bugger Fire Tiger, Simi-Leech, Pine Squirrel Leech, Bloom’s MRS Bugger, L’il Kim, Arnold’s Stinger Sculpin Nat/Cop.

We have a ton of spring nymphs in stock for your Missouri River pleasures. Most of the action has been subsurface as we move into the second week of April. Split shot is still en vogue. Bobbers too. RIO Indicator Leaders are all the rage too. We love the RIO Indicator Leader 10′ 2X as our base leader. Then cut to length and add a touch of Fluorocarbon Tippet to complete your rig…oh, flies too.

Hot Springtime Missouri River nymph patterns include Bloom’s Weight Fly Rainbow, Amex, Sow Bug headless, Sow Bug Tungsten Bead, Ninch’s ThunderBug, Allen’s Holla-Back Girl, Fish Finder Worm, SJW’a of all kinds, LGM, Lightening Bug Copper Bead, Zebra Midge, Flashbang Midge Red, Sparkle Prince, 20 Bomb, Pat’s Rubber Leg, FB Tungsten Caviar Sow, Pink Wire Worm, Jemstoners Worms, Purple LB, Soft Hackles, Pink FB’s…

The dry fly bunch is out there looking for those sipping Missouri River Trout. Yes, finding them too. Fish found rising all hours of the day. Finicky non location feeding trout sometimes with no rhyme or reason to the pattern. The feeding pattern.

Fly Patterns that are good for the DFO crowd include Harrop’s Spent Midge, Buzzball, Cluster Midge, Q’s Cluster, Para Adams, Dominic’s Purple Reneball, Stacker Midge Royal, Purple Craze, sz 20 Royal Wulff, Black Parachute Ant, and big fluffies like Peanut Olive, Hodek’s Skwala, Super Chernobyl Purple, Henry’s Fork Golden Stone, Uni-Bomber, CFO Flamer Purple…

Overcast and calm and snow on the ground this am and the fishing looks great. Just a few on the water today…not too many days that that ahead of us for the remainder of the season. Get out if you can and enjoy the relative solitude of a Monday in April.

Shop open rail for all your river needs. Coffee, conversation, and information here at Headhunters.

 

 

 

Saturday Missouri River Fishing Report

Saturday Missouri River Fishing Report

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All is good with the Missouri River. Nothing is blown, the creeks are clear, and the fishing is good.

The Dearborn, Prickly Pear, Sheep Creek, and Stickney Creek are all clear and not affecting the flows or the color. The color is green, and there is some turbid condition,s, mostly form the lake above. The fishing is strong.

The best news of the week is the addition of dry fly angling. Do we have riverwide mega hatches? No. Not yet. Some baetis and some midge have made the fish look upwards and we like that. Posted up casting to sipping trout is what we live for. So look and keep your eyes open for these opportunities, as they are still quite rare. More every day though!

Saturday Missouri River Fishing Report

The chart is good. We like this better in April than we do in June. The reason for the higher than normal water? To keep it away in June for the dry fly bonanza…like PMD’s, Caddis, that sort of thing.

The nymph bite was off yesterday. Strange really. Some had better results than others. Most considered it a tough day. But spirits are always high and we will return to normalcy today. The hiccup in the water to blame? Maybe.

The streamer bite continues to be quite slow. Why? Who knows. Ask Mother Mo. Sink tips like fast and like extra fast are in vogue for the bugger bunch. Flashy, brown, gold, white, yellow seem to be the buzz if you ask at the bar.

The dries? Yes, as above on the rise. Good news. More as the hatch continues to wax. Keep it here folks. The info pipeline of the Missouri.

The weather? Spring-like today and tomorrow. We’ll see you applying your sunscreen liberally. Seen some burnt faces this week. Buff’s can help too.

[forecast]

Shop open daily with guide trips for $300. Spring Special in full swing. Discounted lodging too with Craig Trout Camp leading the charge. Call today and our helpful staff can get you into something for the week. Not all are discounted but they are all great and near the river!

8am is when you will see us at the shop for coffee, shuttles, flies, new SIMMS Waders, demo rods, info, and the general BS you should expect at Headhunters.