August Fishing Report – HEADHUNTERS

August has arrived and with it the high and bright sun. Would not expect anything different than that? Would you?

The fact is that the average daily high temperature in August is 82F. 1 degree cooler than July. The water temps follow suit as they drop throughout this month.

So as the water and air temps cool the fishing can become difficult. If you know that coming into the game you should be just fine. August is tougher than the previous two months because of the conditions. We have some weed in the water column, the air is hot, the sun is high int eh sky, and the fish have seen it all.

You too can overcome the challenges and succeed! A few tips below to insure August angling success.

Missouri River August Tips for Success

Go out early and beat the heat. Not one concept better than this one. Go early and beat the heat. Fish do not like high sun. They do not have eyelids. They can’t squint man.

If you can’t go early, go late. But the evening session is by no means as good as the morning shot. Dawn Patrol for sure.

Be a better angler. The fish can get a touch gun shy in August. They have been fished over for a couple strong months. Make the first cast count and make sure you set up quietly. Gently. Secretly.

Stay hydrated. It’s hot. Drink lots of water. Wear a wide brimmed hat. Buff’s. Sungloves. A Bimini stretched over the top of your drifter? A great idea. How about SunBum Sunscreen. Lather it on.

Be prepared with a few dry fly rods strung up. A techy small dry rod. A hopper rod. And maybe a bobber rod. Switch when needed.

If you want to stay away from the rest of the anglers fish the lower river. While it has more weeds, it has fewer boats.

Clean your fly line. It probably has not been done in a while. Do yourself a favor and clean that baby. It is the tool that delivers the fly to the fish. Cherish and enjoy clean fly lines. OR just get a new one. You deserve it.

Small tiny droppers can bring you success. Fish faster water. Don’t drag the fly. Clean off the weeds. Fish midweek. Get off before you are too punchy. What are your secrets for August?

Just use some good ‘ol common sense this month and you can get over on a few. They are finicky and they do go away when you make drifting mistakes. Trout are wild animals and sense predators.

The update is as follows. The fishing is fantastic in the morning, not so good in the afternoon!

The heat and some weed growth have kept the post lunch fishing a bit slower than we like. Those who like to get it done head out early and take advantage of the pre heat bite.

Good Trico spinner falls almost every day. Some are not as good as others as the hatch in conjunction withs gentle breeze can diminish the fall.

Remarkably good PMD action still to be had as the spinner falls have been quite impressive. Even some decent emergences in areas nearly every day. Don’t forget about this mid summer mayfly yet.

Caddis better in the evenings with good catch reports coming from the late night gang. Shuttles available at the shop if you plan on heading out after work. Stop in for a shuttle and a batch of kick ass flies.

Terrestrial fishing is as good as you are. Toss it out there as you can and let ‘er ride. Twitch if you can. Only if you can. A fine line between dragging the fly and twitching the fly. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Not as much pressure as we move into the month of August. Come on out early and make a half day of it for your pleasure. Come during the week if you need some real solace. Get out there!

Lodging has some availability as well. Give us a shout and stay in Craig this August at the Craig Trout Camp here in downtown Craig.

Still no fires bothering us here in our neighborhood. Good news.

The fish are getting a touch finicky if you foul up the initial drift. Get your game face on and make the first drift count. Give folks lots of room out there too. Treat others as you you would like to be treated!

Headhunters open at 6am for all your trout fishing needs. Fall clothing in stock as we near the fall. Not nearly yet, but it will be here before we know it. Open late for your late shuttles and lodging needs.

Lots of caddis patterns are working well. While we do not have our normal abundance of Caddis Flies this summer.

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