Bugs

Missouri River September Fishing Forecast 2020

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Rolling into September 2020 and Covid Free in Craig Montana. All good here as we welcome Autumn with cooler daytime highs, today only forecast to reach the 60F mark. The nighttime lows are not dipping below the 40F point yet, but it Isi certainly coming soon. Time to wear your light puffy in the mornings … Read more

Joe Walsh Rocky Mountain Way

Joe Walsh Rocky Mountain Way

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Joe Walsh Rocky Mountain Way

Another installment of great Rocky Mountain music today on the Headhunters Blog. Today rocker Joe Walsh and Barnstorm with Rocky Mountain Way.

John mentioned this tune yesterday as a lock for the blog this week. I couldn’t agree more. A power rock

All good here in Craig Montana on the east slope of the Rockies. It’s Monday. A great weekend behind us with a fantastic dry fly weather week in front of us. Some wind mixed in as the daily air temps in the mid 60’s chance of rain, mostly overcast skies, and you? You coming soon?

  • Flows 4800 cfs.
  • Water temps 52F.
  • March Browns for another week or two? This fickle bug shows up, then leaves. May is the period.
  • BWO’s for another week or two?
  • Midges? Another month.
  • Mothers Day Caddis? Yessir. This two week event is happening, sort of. May 18th was one of my best dry fly days in the last 20 years. BWO’s, March Browns, and Caddis filled the day. Dry fly all day long. About 5 years ago. Burned in my memory.
  • Rumors of opening to out of state traffic fill our phone lines, thoughts, and conversations. The governor of Montana may speak towards the end of this week in regards to moving into Phase Two, and could bring news about the 14 day quarantine. We are hoping for June 1st as the lifting of travel restrictions. Call today and get your guide and lodging dates for this possible change in regulations.
  • The fishing is damn good. The nymphing is lights out. Sows and scuds with the mayfly playing a large role too. Caddis nymphs are rocking too below Craig. Upriver the normal fare. Downriver more options for those dunking flies couple with split shot.
  • The dry fly bite is what it is. If you are in the right place at the right time, with the right cast, you can get ’em. Planning is important if you are headhunting the fish feeding near the surface. The weather plays a big part in the eagerness of the trout. Overcast skies help the fish look towards the surface. They do not have eyelids and cannot squint. Overcast skies have no relevance in the hatching of insects. Sun and wind help dry the wings of mayflies, a requirement for flight, and therefore are stuck on the water for a longer period. Consequently more time for fish to eat them. Bugs do not hatch better, on overcast days. Some mayflies do hatch better in a rainstorm as the water tension is broken allowing easier movement from watery environs to our atmosphere.
  • The canyon is the most popular float in the past couple weeks. Then the dam. Followed by the remainder of the Missouri River reaches.
  • Guided trips out daily here at Headhunters Fly Shops and Guide Service. We are not fully booked as we generally are die to the travel restrictions. We have several of our top guides available right now through the rest of the month. We love Montanans in the boat! Give us a call if you’d like to fish the river this week during this timely dry fly session. It’s good. Yep.
  • Lodging available as well. Give Julie a shout, 406-868-5473 and get yourself booked.
  • Fly Shop open daily. Shuttles, lodging, guide trips, rental boats, casting lessons, DEMO ROD SALE, Best Flies Under the Big Sky!, Montana’s Trout Spey HQ, Jet Boat Trips, BlackStrap Face Masks, Buff’s, mega Sunglass selection, our friendly informational/instrucctional staff to help you catch more fish here on the Mighty Missouri River!

Missouri River Map

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Thursday Missouri River Upcoming Events

Thursday Upcoming Missouri River Events Update

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Thursday Upcoming Missouri River Events Update August Fishing Bugs: Trico’s, ants, hoppers, Callibaetis, Caddis, Spruce Moths, beetles. Trico’s steal the show on this one, at least for Headhunters. The afternoons can be filled with good attractor fishing, but not everyday. Mostly dead shit on the water that trout eat. The #1 top water diet … Read more

Missouri River Summer Foreshadowing

Missouri River Summer Foreshadowing

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Summer Foreshadowing Just the 24th of January today. We have more than our toe dipped into the proverbial year, more like our ankle has entered the water. We are just beginning. And having that ankle submerged made me think of wade fishing, which then made me think of flip-flops, and finally Missouri River summer PMD’s. … Read more

Silly Sunday Scenery Tricos Image

Silly Sunday Scenery Tricos Image

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Silly Sunday Scenery Tricos Image. It’s hot today. It reached 99F. Not 100F. Trico’s today from the only daily blog here on Montana’s Missouri River. The Headhunters Fly Shop Blog. Enjoy the week ahead. Hot here in central Montana. Trico’s will participate. Fires? Some. Less smoke the past couple days. But there are fires around … Read more

2016 UMOWA Macroinvertebrate Report

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] 2016 UMOWA Macroinvertebrate Report On March 17, the Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) published the results of the 2016 bug study performed by David Stagliano of Montana Biological Survey. We are late in sharing the results, but with the UMOWA Annual Meeting coming up in Craig this Saturday, June 17th, I thought now might be … Read more

Missouri River Bugs – May 2017

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/217420014″ video_title=”1″ src=”“https://player.vimeo.com/video/217420014“” width=”“640“” height=”“360“” frameborder=”“0“”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This week, we collected bugs on the lower river between Pelican Point and Cascade. Today we are going to talk about what Missouri River bugs we found and how to best imitate them during periods of higher flow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”26632″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]

The Usual Players

We found a lot of scuds, sowbugs, midge larvae, pale morning dun (PMD) nymphs, blue winged olive (BWO) nymphs, and caddis larvae. This selection is very similar to the bugs that we collected in April. The Tailwater Sowbug is still king. Mayfly nymphs and midge larvae are still catching a lot of fish too.

Since last month, spring caddis have become a more prevalent food source. As a result, the UV Tan Czech Nymph as well as the Purple and Gold Bloom’s Weight Flies have increased in popularity as an alternative to the Amex or Rainbow Czech Nymph.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27217″ align=”center”][us_image image=”27218″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”27219″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]

Additional Big Food Items

We found a lot of larger invertebrates this month. Leeches, aquatic worms, crane fly larvae, and crayfish were observed. These larger food items provide big meals for trout in addition to the usual small fare.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27214″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]At the time of this writing, the Missouri River below Holter Dam is flowing at 9,040 cfs. However, it will likely get higher in the next few weeks. At elevated flows, larger nymph patterns can be effective. Leech, worm, and crayfish imitations are all patterns that you should have in your box during these higher flows.

Below, we will talk about each of these food items and a few of our favorite flies for imitating them.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”19330″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]

Leeches

The leeches we found were of the smaller variety. When stretched out, they are about two inches long. When contracted, they are about a half inch long. They are very strong and fast swimmers that swim by undulating their bodies.

These leeches can be imitated with nymphs and streamers. To mimic their wavy, undulating swimming motion, most flies are tied with some sort of bead or lead eyes to impart a jigging action to the fly.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27215″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]

Fruit Roll Up Leech

We have been loving the Fruit Roll Up Leech this past winter and fall. It is a great leech imitation that Ninch has got tied with a lead underbody and a tungsten bead to get it down quick. This pattern can be swung or drifted under a bobber.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”27221″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]

Aquatic Worms

There are many aquatic worms in the Missouri River. These worms are similar to earthworms, but live underwater. Like earthworms, they dig and anchor themselves into the bottom of the river.

During periods of elevated flow, worms and many other bugs are more likely to be swept away from the bottom of the river and enter the drift. When they are drifting, they are available to trout as food.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”10681″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]

Ninch’s Fish Finder Worm

Ninch’s Fish Finder Worm is a great worm pattern to fish during high water. It was recently featured on this blog.

The heavy tungsten bead helps get it down to where the trout are. It has just enough flash to get the attention of the fish and it is available in four different fishy colors.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”27226″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]

Crane Fly Larvae

Crane Fly Larvae are big. The ones pictured in this blog are about three inches long. Like worms, they live within the riverbed and often get dislodged during periods of high flow.

When drifting, they are surprisingly good swimmers. They swim in a manner similar to leeches by flattening their bodies and making undulating “S” movements.

With a three inch length, they are somewhat difficult to imitate with standard nymph patterns. It would be interesting to do some experimenting with large crane fly imitations on the Missouri River. If any readers have done so, please let us know what you have found out!

If you are curious about this bug, Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions has produced an awesome video that shows a crane fly swimming as well as how to tie some effective fly patterns that imitate them.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”27228″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]

Crayfish

There are many crayfish in the Missouri River. They prefer to live in areas of the river with larger boulders. Rip-rap banks are a good place to find them. While collecting bugs for this post, I found them as small as one inch long and as large as five inches long. Trout probably prefer to eat the little ones.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”27216″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]

Bob Clouser’s Claws R Crawfish

Bob Clouser’s Claws R Crawfish is a great crayfish imitation. In the past several years this fly has surged in popularity as a high water nymph. It is often dead-drifted with another nymph pattern. Overzealous mends will jerk this pattern around and often entice strikes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Don’t Be Intimidated By the High Flows

The river is big right now and will likely get bigger. However, plenty of fish are getting caught.

First and foremost, be careful while wading and boating at these flows. Remember your basic boating safety rules.

Fish deep. When bugs are hatching, some fish will be suspended, but you should be prepared to fish deep most of the time. Mark, recently discussed his deep rig here.

Don’t be afraid to fish some bigger bugs this month. In addition to scuds, sowbugs, midges, and mayfly nymphs, larger food items like worms, crayfish, leeches, and caddis larvae are now in play.

Be safe, have fun, and get out there![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Missouri River April May Fly Fishing Forecast

Missouri River April May Fly Fishing Forecast

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Missouri River April May Fly Fishing Forecast Squeeky attended the annual Upper Missouri River water Advisory Meeting last week and got the skinny on the upcoming water flow predictions and the update on the trout populations. Lots of folks in the room from dam operators, the power company, FWP agents and biologists, TU Conservation, UMOWA … Read more

Missouri River Bugs – April

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last week we collected our first sample of bugs from the Missouri River below the Untouchable’s Bridge. The bugs that we collected were about what you would expect for April. Sows and scuds composed the majority of the biomass, but midges and blue-winged olive nymphs were abundant too. Somewhat surprisingly, PMD nymphs were abundant and almost the … Read more

Friday Foreshadowing Foto

Friday Foreshadowing Foto

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Friday Foreshadowing Foto All I can think about this week is summer. And summer bugs. And short pants. And spinner falls. And when this damn snow will go away…   And to think we are already a whole month  total bullshit into this winter thing as of tomorrow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_grid columns=”3″ orderby=”title” order=”” ids=”21350, 20777, 11086″ … Read more

Blackfoot River Salmon Flies & Fishing Report

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Blackfoot River Salmon Flies & Fishing Report Hey all good across the divide. The Salmon Flies are out in force and the trout don’t want them. So what to do? Well I’m not really sure other than keep fishing and toss that fly out there and wait for it to happen. Spoke with Outfitter … Read more

Missouri River Bugs – June

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Missouri River Bugs The following are some pictures of bugs from the Missouri River that were collected in June a couple miles upstream of Craig. These images will hopefully aid in your fly design and/or fly selection while you are fishing this month. Although all these images are of nymphs/larvae, PMDs and caddis are currently hatching.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image … Read more

Missouri River March Fishing Forecast

Missouri River March Fishing Forecast

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Missouri River March Fishing Forecast Things to think about in March We are already a few days into the 3rd month here on the Missouri River. The Missouri River March Fishing Forecast looks strong. Average water levels and warming water temps are what we will see this month along with more and more midge flies … Read more

February Fly Fishing Forecast 2016

Missouri River February Fly Fishing Forecast 2016

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February Fly Fishing Forecast 2016 We can start be saying the winter weather has left us for the next 10 days. Monday the daytime high achieved 58F. Look ahead. More to come. Today we bring you the February Fly Fishing Forecast 2016. Not a ton to report or predict as it still qualifies as a winter month. … Read more

Fall Bug Sampling

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[vc_row full_width=””][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation=””]Over the last couple weeks, I’ve had the privilege of aiding David Stagliano with the fall invertebrate sampling of the Missouri River. The Upper Missouri River Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) initiated this sampling in order to establish a baseline data set that will allow us to see how the river changes over time. It will also serve as a health indicator of the river. As far as fishermen/women are concerned, knowing what bugs are in the river helps us figure out what flies to use.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=””][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]IMG_0358[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css_animation=””]The picture to the left shows a typical sample taken from the upper river. This particular sample was taken just upstream of the Little Prickly Pear confluence. In the sample you see sowbugs, caddis larvae, snails, worms, scuds, midge larvae, and a few mayfly nymphs. This matches pretty well with the flies that are working well on the upper river – sowbugs/Rays, weight flies/Czechs, San Juans, the Zebra family, and PTs of all shapes and sizes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=””][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]The following are some interesting anecdotal pieces of info that I’ve noticed from the fall sampling that may be interesting to fly anglers.

  • Bug density (bugs per square meter of bottom) is greatest on the upper river and decreases as you move downstream.
  • Bug diversity (the number of different bugs at each site) increases as you move further downstream.
  • Lots of sowbugs. Everywhere.
  • Lots of scuds and midges too.
  • Scuds vary dramatically in size. You see everything from size 20s up to size 8s.
  • Midges aren’t just black. There are lots of white and red ones too.
  • There are a bunch of aquatic worms living in the river. Your San Juans aren’t just imitating drowned earthworms. Similar looking worms live in the riverbed and are there all the time.
  • There are a bunch of cased and free living caddis larvae in the river right now.

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The top vial contains a sample taken near Lone Tree FAS. The bottom vial sample was taken near the Cascade FAS.
The top vial contains a sample taken near Lone Tree FAS. The bottom vial sample was taken near the Cascade FAS.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Sampling for the year is done now, but will restart in the spring. Samples are taken in the spring, summer, and fall. As more data accumulates UMOWA will be able to track changes in the invertebrate life of the river to help inform management decisions as well as flyfishers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Leaves falling down, Trout rising up!

Leaves falling down, Trout rising up!

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Hard rain and sleet this morning. Hard rain and sleet this afternoon.

Tomorrow the same. Winter Weather advisory in effect.

Fishing this morning? Good. Not as much wind as the forecast called for.

Fishing this afternoon?  Great. A mega hatch of Pseudo’s. Mega hatch.

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Pseudo Mania

Fish rising all over the place. Certainly in all of the normal haunts.

The leaves fell from the trees this morning and continue to fall this early evening.

The anglers tough enough to battle through the first half of the day were rewarded with greatness.

Where are you on the toughness scale?

Good gear helps. SIMMS rain suits and waders will keep the cold at bay. Certainly the water. KAST gloves help too.

Put on those long johns and step knee deep into the Missouri.

Leaves falling down, trout rising up!

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First just a few…then a few more.

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]First just a few…then a few more.

Saw a few of those June Mayflies today.

The lower is heating up with that ill flighted Trichoptera Gang.

The water temps are up and down. Well within the temperature range of our annual yellow Emphemerella emergence.

USGS.06066500.15.00010..20150527.20150603..0.

 

First just a few…then a few more.

Will they come? Soon. Soon my friends. We are right on the cusp.

The water flows will coming up as well as we adjust for the above normal rainfall this early part of June. The reservoir is filling on time @ 92.8% at press time. Inflows at Toston above historical averages now and climbing to 13K and beyond with the shower activity around the upper Missouri River drainage.

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Water coming up on the Missouri River

The caddis flies continue to impress in the middle and lower reaches. The upper reach is clean and fishing well, most of the time.

The weather has been seasonal and predictably unpredictable. Rain, thunder, lightning, sun, calm, overcast, and wind will make up the majority of your day out there. That is the June status quo.

Don’t get caught with your proverbial pants around your ankles without the proper gear. It can snow this month and commonly we see our last snow fall near the second week of June. Just sayin’. Bring good rain gear and warm clothing.

The bugs are coming. Soon.

First just a few…then a few more.

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