New Breed Chicks Rule Baliey Edition

New Breed Chicks Rule Baliey Edition

New Breed Chicks Rule Baliey Edition A good one from New Breed Chick Bailey on this Saturday morning. Caught this one on a hopper. And yes, it was Bailey’s first day fly fishing. What a stunner for her first fish on a hopper too! Thanks Bailey for getting out there and making it happen with … Read more

Missouri River Montana Monday Fishing Report 8.24.20

Missouri River Montana Monday Fishing Report 8.24.20 August. Our slowest two weeks of the summer season. Thanks last two of August. And we like it. The river is in tough shape as it moves through the mechanisms of warm weather, daytime highs, lower water levels, and weeds. As September arrives and passes so do the … Read more

Wednesday Missouri River Fishing Report 8.8.18

Wednesday Missouri River Fishing Report 8.8.18

Wednesday Missouri River Fishing Report 8.8.18 The second call for all who like us to inform them that the dry fly fishing is good. This is your second call. Lots and lots of rising trout. Great Trico spinner falls. Pod behavior.  Very few anglers on the water. Quiet. Pleasant. The best dry fly fishing of … Read more

Eclipse Missouri River Fishing Report

Eclipse August Missouri River Fishing Report

Eclipse August Missouri River Fishing Report Fished yesterday Craig to Spite Hill during the eclipse. Fished all by my lonesome. Nice. Ate plenty of smoked salmon, pistachios, and drank several pouches of Capri-Sun. It was perfect. Ddi the fish rise better during the shade, eclipse period? Nope. But it was surreal. Not a lick of … Read more

Missouri River Fishing Report

Missouri River Fly Fishing Report August 16th

Missouri River Fly Fishing Report August 16th Water temps falling as the month moves towards September and cooler temps all the way around. Still some smoke in the air and we should expect it through the rest of the fire season. Meaning at least until the middle of September. Then, maybe some respite. Traffic on … Read more

Dog Daze Fishing Report – Missouri River

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]So inconsistent I can’t even keep up with it. Fishing reports are all over the place right now, and fortunately you can fish all over the place right now. Pretty rare to be heading to the lower river during August hot-weather, but you can. And most of the toughest reports I’ve heard have come from the Dam? Another August anomaly.

First the good news. 1. Water temps have been what I would call “below average” for late-July /August. Yesterday the began at 62 and rose to around 65. You can’t ask for much better than that on the Mo’ in August. 2. Also, weeds are not a serious issue. Those who bitch about them right now ain’t been around these parts long. 3. Crowdless. Yes, the angling crowd is pretty thin right now, though on weekends the splash & giggle crowd will be out in force. But if you’re out on the water early you won’t see too much competition for your favorite hole.

Now the bad. 1. Trico hatches have been less than stellar, and the fish – as they often do – are reacting by not reacting. At least on top. Prepare to find small pods, and not that many of them. Some days, however, it rocks. You need to go to know. 2. Evening caddis hatches have been fluctuating between shitty and crappy. There are bugs out there, but by all-time Missouri River standards it’s pretty grim.

So, what to do? Well, we suggest hitting the river early, say by 7:30, and to be prepared to fish Trico’s or Nymph. You can throw the big bugs as well, but if you’re unfamiliar with mid-river lies right now, you may find that move tough. Nymphing will be more productive and easier to figure out. Nymph fishing has actually been very good lately (most days). Hit the river with a wide variety of Mayfly nymphs (Psycho May, PT Flashback, Military May, etc.) as well as small sow bug and midge larva. Grape Slushy and Purple Weight fly are money. Don’t mend too much or too violently or you’ll pick up drifting bits of green. Be gentle and hit it hard.

Bring your standard Trico patterns and midge clusters for your dry fly arsenal. If you’re on the water real early have some Trico Duns as well. And everyone is buying and fishing drowned Trico spinners or similar. Blind fishing in the morning can be accomplished with anything from the Purple Haze to a Morrish Hopper. Royal Trude? House & Lot? Caddis are still effective even though you may not see a single live adult.

Evenings are a crapshoot. If it’s over 90 degrees during the day, you can expect a very brief “frenzy” right before and at dark. So brief its not worth floating. Just walk in to your favorite spot. If it’s cloudy (or likely smoky next week) and not too warm the evening fishing should get pushed forward a bit. I’d head out at 7pm. I would also fish somewhere below Craig.

As for “where”, the Canyon has been the most consistent fishing, both with nymphs and dries. It’s not way better, but it’s better. Larger attractor nymphs can and do work, as does the typical Missouri River selection. Streamers are worth trying, but you’ll have to stick to half the river to avoid the moss. Hopper and ants are a good bet for blind prospecting. When you stick a fish, take note of the water depth and speed and try and keep your fly in front of the boat in the same stuff.

And while Canyon seems to be the most consistent, all sections are worth a try and are putting out fish, including the lower. Those who know the river are getting them for sure, and a lot of very large trout are being handled right now.

Which reminds me…

Don’t fight fish too long on light tippet. Push it to the edge and try and get those fish in asap. If you break them off who cares. If you do land them, try to #keepemwet and unhook them quickly. Pictures are for springtime and Bull trout. Just get our trout back as quickly as possible.

By the way, the clarity is excellent right now, and with bright and spooky conditions, the guy in the back of the boat needs to get his or her fly a long ways from the boat…

ALSO

Just received the forecasted water report from Dam managers today. They don’t say it out loud, but Im betting they’re going to drop flows into the 3500cfs range. When they do, expect an increase in mossy weedy conditions. I could be wrong, but how often does that happen?

Good luck out there, and make sure you don’t leave your problem solving skills at home.

LATE ADDITION

Just received word that FWP has imposed a 24 full hour closure on the Jefferson River, and also on portions of the Big Hole.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”FWP Stream Closures & Restrictions” color=”danger” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Ffwp.mt.gov%2Fnews%2Frestrictions%2FwaterClosure.html||target:%20_blank”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 8.11.15

Getting through the month ain’t easy all the time.

But this last week has been better than the previous, yet again, and we are encouraged with the bite…at least yesterday.

Understand that comment above? Me neither.

Some catching them and others not. Depends not he day for most. Hero to Zero real fast..and then back again.

Nice and quiet mornings have been fishing pretty good. Record setting? No. But I like me an early August cool morning with not too many boats around you. Quiet yes indeed.

The hot nymph is still the Little Green Machine. The Tailwater Tiny, Micro May, Two Bit Hooker in Red, Red Headed Step Child, Indigo Child, Zebra are all players too.

Fish a bigger top fly for some sort of success. Or just two tiny ones. That works too.

The hopper is a good bet and most are doing just that in the afternoons. Sometimes the same number of top water bites as subsurface takes later int he day…so choose wisely my fishy friends.

What would Yoda do?

Again a good early start can make your day. Warmer nights can bring the fish out earlier. Good late season Trico activity in the upper reaches. A short lived spinner fall but some days you can squeak out a couple hours of good head hunting.

Try ants, any Callibaetis pattern you like, low riding hopper patterns, skittering caddis, a spruce fly for blind fishing love.

Stop in and see us daily for free perked coffee at 6am. Anything you may need, we may have…just ask. Info is always exchanged not eh porch at Headhunters.

Izaak’s open Tuesday thru Sunday 3pm for cocktails, 4pm for dinner. Frenchman and Me open til about 9pm for dinner, about 7am for breakfast. Wolf Creek Store daily at 7am for an convenience needs you may have. Gas too.

 

 

 

Missouri River August Forecast

Missouri River August Forecast

Missouri River August Forecast

Let’s get right into it this first day of August.

Historically not a hot as July. August while only one degree in average cooler, the hours of daylight wane as we move into fall.

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One thing that is happening as days get shorter some sections of the canyon become shaded and the evening bite can be good enough. Caddis are around and certainly more plentiful than the daytime activity.

Ben McNinch says …“We could use any and all of the rain days. A good soak once a week could help us out. On another note the weeds while difficult for those not familiar with Missouri river fishing they are not as bad as they can be. Will the gooey subsurface weeds present themselves this year? Maybe. The weather in August will dictate that occurrence.”

Looking at the chart and the table to your right we see that the rainfall in August is 1.57inches. Generally due to afternoon thunderstorms. But not always. Would not hurt to get some of those soakers as mentioned above.

As for the fishing? If July is any indication we will see hard, difficult, and challenging angling. August has historically been a slower pressure month as well as many of the freestone river around the state fish well. This year? Who knows about those other fabulous resources. Many are on hoot-owl restrictions. Have we seen the impact here on the Mo because of other river closures? No not really. We always see boats from other rivers here not eh Missouri and the 2015 numbers have been about average or slightly less.

Fly shop speak for difficult is “Inconsistent.” You can expect an eat a mile for the hopper fishing. Some days better and some days worse. Being first to the fish is a good card to hold. Can you watch that fly for an hour between takes? Only you can control that outcome. Slower strike rhythms help you on this long arduous journey. You can pull the fly from the fishy’s mouth.

Missouri River August Forecast Trico’s are good some days and not so good others. the upper river holds the best techy dry fly fishing but you can run into a botch of Trico’s about anywhere. If you know the river and the hatch patterns you can capitalize on that knowledge.

Caddis in the evenings for a while. How long? Only Mother Nature knows the answer.

I’ve seen some Callibaetis showing and that can prove to be a positive situation if you stop and fish to them immediately. Silt dwelling flies do not live everywhere. If you see some spinners, stop and cast. A cripple, spinner or even dun can bring confident takes. Expect to see them throughout the late summer and early fall. A good fly to have in your possession when you meet a few Callibaetis.

Not nearly as much overall pressure from anglers in August. Nightly rentals available even here in town at the Craig Trout Camp and elsewhere prove the drop in angling days. If it gets hot, like today as we will see temps near the century mark, you will bump into lots of floaty groups. Tubes, rafts, inflatables only seen/sold at Wal-Mart will inundate the waters. BE prepared.

Go out early regardless of the ancillary float pressure and you will get the best part of the day. While the hoot-owl does not regulate us directly here on the Mo, a good plan is to get out early and get off early. Dawn til noon should do it. You may be able to fool some fish after 2 pm, the best shot is clearly the morning show.

August can be a great fishing month. Only time will tell this current August. Let us know if we can help in any way as we are fully engaged with the shuttle business, guiding, lodging, dissemination of fly fishing information, trips to the Blackfoot, free coffee, A/C inside the pleasant confines of the shop, fly lines, rods, sungear, hats, gifts for the wife and kids…

See you in Craig this August. Shop open at 6am and late til 9pm. See us after of before your Izaak’s or Joe’s Bar foray for a little shopping and BS. Enjoy the shade on the front porch as you watch the afternoon angler wander parade up and down Bridge St.

 

 

 

Dead Flies Don’t Swim Video

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Dead Flies Don’t Swim fly fishing video from Scumliner Media.

Trico’s. We love Trico’s.

This filmed one year ago during an epic Trico season. This year? Not so much.

If you get out early enough to see the emergence, fish the dun and enjoy the spinner fall you will always be happy.

Even if the morning sucks…it still is the best tome of the day.

Enjoy the video and today is one day closer to the weekend.

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Foamies and Chubbies!

Foamies and Chubbies!

We got your foamie and chubby obsession dialed.

You need a fix? We got your back.

Need a big floaty fly for the Yellowstone? For the Blackfoot? For any place you are heading?

We got it. Stuffed bins of all synthetic flies…some don’t go that route but that is a personal choice.

I choose the one that floats the best.

A perfect dropper holder for those needing to attach a bead below.

A foamie on the Mo? Well you sure could.

Some suggest chopping off some of the poly hair to make it a lower rider. A good idea for a river that likes flies in the film.

Stock up today for any freestone mission you are headed on and may as well have a few of the baby foams for you Mo River box.

Happy times out there. A marked drop in boats as we ready ourselves for August. Don’t like crowds? August is a good month for  fewer folks not he river here as historically the freestones in the state are on fire. This year? Some restrictions may keep you away from them. Or not? Some of the restrictions scare some folks away. Check it out and go where they aren’t!

This coming week a blog about the hoppers and how to them too.