December

December 1st. Snow.

December 1st. Snow.

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December 1st. Snow. A passing storm dropped a couple inches on us here in Craig. Slow angling traffic. Just right. Beyond booking, sending Christmas gift items, talking to you folks on the phone about hatch timing, and lots of Trout Spey conversations…here is the up to the minute Headhunters gang update. Richard is putting up … Read more

Now, the rest of the month.

Now, the rest of the month.

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Now, the rest of the month. Headhunters Fly Shop Christmas Party last night. A great time had by all. We ate well too. A taco bar with 20+ side items to make your taco great. Carnita’s and Beef Barbacoa. Yum. Corona’s too. We finished up with Headhunters Fly Shop first Free Trout Spey session Saturday … Read more

Why we love the shortest day in Craig MT

Why we love the shortest day in Craig MT

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Why we love the shortest day in Craig MT

We have crossed over the Winter Solstice here in Craig MT and beyond.

The most important part of this yearly winter equation is just this…the days get longer from here on out until the Summer Solstice in June. Actually the sunrise gets later until January 7th.  But this historical day lets us breathe easier, sleep easier, and begin the warm summer thoughts we so love.

What do most folks do is get a little buzz on at the best bar in Craig. Uncle Joe’s Bar. Celebrating the first day of winter.

It is the first day of winter on the books, but we have been experiencing winter here in Craig  for a couple months. Snow on the ground, icy roads, fishy smells, and lack of traffic on the river, and hi-ways. Montana grinds nearly to a halt during the frozen months.

So now that we have established the front end of winter we can certainly understand the pics below. More snow in the forecast. Snow all week long with some cold temperatures near the zero mark.

Cold and snowy Holiday Week ahead
Cold and snowy holiday week ahead

We are counting the days until the winter is past us. But while we fantasize about warmer climates in FLA, the Bahamas, Southern America, and beyond we have found a way to pass the time here on the best winter trout swing fishery in the western United States.

Top 5 reasons we love December 21st

  1. Why the winter solstice is loved in Craig MT1st day of winter here in Montana. People love the 4 distinct seasons here on the Missouri River. Winter is the quiet season.
  2. Almost to a New Year. New Year, New Attitude. New Hope.
  3. 1 day closer to midge fishing. Historically mid-February brings the first evidence of midges to the Missouri River. This is our first real good hatch of the new year. The midge is an interesting insect. Unpredictable for sure. We of course will keep you up to date on this late winter early spring emergence.
  4. We still have 6 months of precipitation in front of us. Winters are relatively dry here in the rocky mountain range. April, May, June are wet ones. We pray daily to the rain and snow gods to bring us adequate water not only for the Mo but for all of the western states.
  5. And finally one day closer to summer and daily dry fly fishing. Until then we will just have to enjoy the spoils of winter here on the Missouri. Great nymphing along with world class winter swing fishing.
A break in the weather

A break in the weather

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Fishing weather has returned, albeit temporarily, for the weekend and front end of the week.

Although we have been loving the snow. A good feel of winter with snow falling most of the last week. And the week ahead looks like more of the same. More snow on the way.

More snow on the ground this winter means more water in the rivers this coming summer. The entire state, save for the Missouri River, was in really tough shape this last year. Not good at all. We squeaked by with average flows. Nothing high at all. Will we have the high water this coming year? Nobody knows. And if anybody tells you something…well you can believe whatever you want.

All we know is that we always prefer the more water option over the less water option every time. Big water beats the low water hand every time. We won’t know the outcome of the winter until later winter early spring period. Then we can get a handle on the winter precipitation and make some sort of random educated guess.

November and December here in our region, east of the Continental Divide, seem to be consistent in the early winter snows. The last several years we have flirted with real winter until we turn the last page of the calendar.

Then it seems as though winter vanishes. I want a real winter from Santa this year. I’m sure most of us embroiled in the fishing industry and those of you who love to fish Montana would wholeheartedly agree. Hands down.

Leave your note to Santa next to the milk and cookies.

So back to the Sunday Report here on the Headhunters Blog. Decent fishing out there. A break in the weather yesterday and today including Monday. Snow flurries could happen at any moment on any given day.

The boat ramps are pretty safe. Check the end destination before launching. Or check with us. We generally know the condition of the ramps.

The shelf ice is not and at all. There is some out there but not the terrible dangerous shelf ice that can make getting to the water on some occasions difficult.

Water temperatures are holding at 35.5F with water levels at 3330cfs. Cold for sure. Put on your wool socks before you wade into that ice bucket of a river. No slush in the river yet. The air temps have to get in the zero range for some time to make the upper river slushy or even ice-bergy.

Flies for nymphers? Pink. Flies for swingers? On the smaller side in both the natural colors or un-natural color ways. Both pretty effective. The patterns of the winter so far have been on the bugger side of life. Zonkers still on the radar. Leeches not a terrible choice.

See you on the water this week. Shop open daily @ 8am.

 

Missouri River Winter Fishing Report 11.8.15

Missouri River Winter Fishing Report 11.8.15

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Missouri River Winter Fishing Report 11.8.15

One windy bitch here on the Mo. Truly windy.

Ninch above with a nice rainbow trout on swung Hot-Eye Kreelex at the Spey Clinic Saturday.

Fishable on Monday afternoon with some shores windless enough to cast. Up by the dam the fellows that endured the wind said it was good fishing. They also said that about an hour of punishment was ll they could take.

Down river there were some pockets that you could fish. If you are a renegade drive by bank angler you just cruse around the river until you find the right water.

Missouri River Nymphing Report

The nymphing is pretty damn good. Find those buckets and work through them. Some of the holding lies can be small. Break it down into small stream components and get techy. You may have to adjust your depth, your bobber, but probably not your fly. Pink and slutty is the program for winter nymphers.

  • Firebeads
  • Ray Charles
  • Tailwater Sows
  • Arnold’s Sili Scud
  • Rainbow Czech’s
  • Amex
  • Pink Lightening Bug
  • Any bug Ninch tells you to use.

Missouri River Streamer Report

Not too bad here either. Slower water has been the key. Although a few fish have been taken out in the middle around good center river structure. Fish off of both sides of the top of island runs and the bottom end too.

Seems like fish have been holding in different water on consecutive days. The streamer eaters have not totally set up in their full time winter lies. So, fish both until you find a pattern.

The swingers have been out there too. Smaller patterns that are lightly weighted or un-weighted have been the better flies. Those heavily weighted big and ugly Madison/Yellowstone type flies don’t really get too much traction here in the winter.

Most of the streamer strippers using a dry fly line. Some are tossing them on an intermediate tip. Others fishing a RIO VersiLeader off of their dry line. Lots of ways to skin a cat. Use what you are comfortable with or try something new today. A fresh look is a good idea…honest.

  • Baby Sculpzilla
  • Small Buggers in any flavor
  • Thin Mint
  • Simi Leech
  • Kreelex
  • Marabou Clousers
  • Foxy Clousers

Missouri River Weather Report

Windy. Here is the forecast for today…

A 20 percent chance of rain after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 52. Windy, with a south southwest wind 41 to 46 mph, with gusts as high as 70 mph.

For the week ahead? Windy. Really windy. Rainy. And maybe snowy.

So if you want to come out and fish, it will most likely be uncrowded. You can probably walk into your favorite run.

Missouri River Flows and Water Temps

Missouri River Water Flows
Missouri River Water Flows

Pretty stable. That is all that needs to be said. Get used to it.

Still falling...
Still falling…

Still falling somewhat. But it should stabilize soon. A warm winter temperature range is 36F. A cold winter temperature is 33F. We like the former. The fish like it better too. You can now see why the fish will get in their winter holes. Deep, slow, nearly stopped water will be the hot ticket for the next three months.

At 37.5F we have officially entered into the full winter realm. Not many changes from here on out. Probably not until February will anything change. The next bug change being the advent of the Midges. So now we patiently wait.

Summer Employment

Not too soon to be thinking about Headhunters seasonal employment. We will need shop staff beginning in March, April, May. We like to start the interview process in January.  For you trout bums that want to be a part of the Headhunters Team begin putting together your resume. We will be accepting them beginning today. This is the professional outfit here in Craig. There is a reason that we have the longest standing shop staff on the Missouri. Think about it.

We live in a world of text messages, bad punctuation and spelling seen here daily, and non-professional behavior…we urge to to put your best foot forward. Those with the best looking complete resume including references will get looked at first. Just like in real life.  Get on board with the most recognizable fly shop in Craig. Headhunters.

Send your resume to both sara@headhuntersflyshop.com and mark@headhuntersflyshop.com  w/ RESUME in the subject field.

We are accepting resumes for shop staff, not for guides.

Weekend Re-Cap here in Craig Montana

Weekend Re-Cap here in Craig Montana

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Monday morning here in Craig Montana.

A fun weekend here on the Mighty MO. Our first of several Free Spey Clinics went off without a hitch on Saturday. A few cancellations left us with a smaller group of about 15. Ninch, Sara, Beth, Dewey, John and Mark instructed the enthusiastic spey gang as they cast away until the late afternoon.

Weekend Re-Cap here in Craig Montana
Spey Rod demo’s @ Headhunters Fly Shop from Sage, Orvis, Echo, T & T

Most had not cast a Spey Rod before Saturday. All could get by after completing their first spey casting session. A couple brought their own rods and the remainder of the class used Headhunters extensive selection of demo spey rods.

We have the Sage Accel in 6wt, the 6126 and 7126 Methods are popular, and the Trout Spey Sage rods from 2wt all the way through 5wt.  The Orvis Clearwater is a fan favorite as well as the rods from Echo. We have the Echo Glass which is a great seller.  The 12′ 4″ 6 wt, 12′ 9″ 7wt as well as the 10′ 8″ 4 wt  and 11′ 6wt switch rods.The Echo 3 and Echo TR were enjoyed by the group. The  T & T DNA rounds out rest of our demo stock.

This vast selection of spey and switch rods is not matched any where in Montana. I counted 26 demo spey rods in the rack at the shop. And, and we have all of the lines you may need in the demo fleet too. Lines from RIO in both Skagit and Scandinavian versions. Airflo and lines from OPST are both very popular as well. All to try out on your own rod if you wish. Finding the right line for you, for your type of water, and for your style is of utmost importance. Headhunters is here t oasis you in that battle.

Happy guests at the Spey Clinic this weekend. If you are interested in the three remaining clinics you might want to give us a call and get your name on the list. Check out more info about these always filled free spey clinics.

Chatted with a couple of fellers from Kalispell after they floated the river on Saturday. Nymphing wa their game and the flies of choice included many pink flies. A Caviar Scud, Rainbow Czech, Amex, FB Ray in grey or pink and a few eats on the Zebra too. They said they enjoyed the lack of traffic. They will be visiting a few times this winter to see not only the sun here in lonesome Craig and to catch a few. They enjoyed the Craig Trout Camp Brown Cabin for a mere $125/night. Dinner at Joe’s Bar with a few beers. A perfect winter weekend.

Gift Card for Fly Fishers
Get a HH Gift Card for any amount.

Not as many anglers on Sunday as the wind blew about 100mph. Not really that windy, but it sure seemed like it. Partly cloudy and windy. The week ahead looks warmer again which generally means more wind.

We got the Christmas lights up at the shop on Friday. It ’tis the season. We are into it too. We do love the holidays. Christmas boxes going out the door daily as on-line fly fishing shoppers are getting their  family members and friends killer gifts from Headhunters Fly Shop.

A great gift for your favorite angler whether he of she be a Montana waters fan or not…is the benchmark of Gift Cards. The Headhunters Gift Card available in any amount. Why not get your sweetie a guide trip for 2016, a step in the positive direction for a fly rod, or a nice selection of flies for their upcoming ’16 Missouri River trip.

Having a ball in Craig Montana. Looking forward to the new year. Many returning guests booking their lodging and guide trips for next season. Open daily for any of your needs whether it be shopping, spey clinic booking, or getting your name on the books for the year ’16.

Happy Monday to you all!

Friday Foto December Snow Edition

Friday Foto December Snow Edition

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All is well here fishing Montana’s Missouri River.

Friday Foto today here on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog.

Trout Spey Casting Clinic led by John tomorrow. SOLD OUT. The next one coming in January.

The snow pretty much melted yesterday with the roads all but bare and dry. Even the secondary dirt roads have thawed. The boat ramps should be all good too.

Looks like a nice weekend ahead of us. If the damn wind stays to a digestible level. Super windy Thursday. Not enough to keep anglers off of the water though. The SW wind leaves ample shores in the lee available for fishing.

See you for a coffee break at the shop this weekend. Open at 8am daily.

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 12.3.15

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 12.3.15

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Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 12.3.15

Water levels are remaining at 3030cfs along with water temps falling below the 40F mark @ 38.5F last evening. The water is on the low side of normal. Looks like it will ram in that way for the winter season. Get used to the shallow and skinny water.

The runs are just right for swinging. Some are. I know that I have been in spots that are too slow based on the lower water levels. Yet some runs are playing just perfectly for the winter game.

Most of the talk in the shop is about the swing. Those who have been floating are focussed on the nymphing technique. Wade fishers too. Finding the winter type buckets with some thought about the medium slow. The fish may not be in the slowest of the slow tanks, but they will be there soon.

Find those good looking inside lanes and fish it.

Split shot or not? Both ways work. Fishing the heavier tungsten lead flies will get it down with a  smaller midge like second fly. Those fishing split shot can fish any combo. Ipersonally go back and forth between the split shot or not theory. Really depends on the day.

Finding the fish is the first part of the battle. Once you locate them remember that type of water and fish it again. Return to your favorite runs first and then go exploring.

Most anglers fishing the upper half of the Missouri. It should remain the same for the winter. Not as much traffic on the lower end. It will freeze in the next couple months.

Some of the boat ramps can be a pretty sketchy in the snow. Stop in the shop and ask us of rth latest slippery boat ramp report. Be safe out there.

Shop open daily @ 8am.

Welcome to the Missouri River December

Welcome to the Missouri River December

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December 1st. All is well. Cold as it should be.

A common winter question at the shop is “Do you really fish during the winter? When the weather is like this? Really?

Oh yeah. And we are not the only ones. Lots of local and regional anglers visit the Missouri River during the off season. Great Falls and Helena residents including Butte, Bozeman, Whitefish, and even Spokane and Billings don’t blink about heading over for a day, or three.

A short drive for most. A large reward for all. As I stated yesterday we are into one of our slowest periods of the year. Not fishing wise. Although it is not red hot. More like Snow, White, Hot.

Missouri River December Weather

Welcome to the Missouri River DecemberCold. Mostly cold and somewhat windy. When the sun is high is does not mean slower fishing. But, but the fish do not mind the lower grayer skies either. I prefer the latter. It just feels fishier when the clouds obscure the sun.

Keep in mind while the mercury reads 24F, the high and bright sun will make it feel a balmy 37F.

The wind is the variable that really, truly, nobody is a fan of. If is blowing the fishing conditions can be questionable. Always give us a call before you head out for the current conditions in Craig.

Average daily December high temperature is 35F with the low being 15F.  Average snowfall is 9 inches with the average precipitation coming in at 0.55 inches.

The upshot is cold weather and tough fishing conditions. Or for those who like the solace of the river in December…bring it.

Missouri River December (Non)Hatches

Kind of none. Some BWO’s around and some midges. More like the pink nymph fly hatch. Or a streamer Kreelex hatch. That is about it. Very little dry fly action. So, we go to the bobber and the Trout Spey Rod or a slowly stripped streamer on a single handed rod.

Welcome to Missouri River December
Lots of winter ahead of us!

So what do I do? Find that soft winter water. Most of the anglers that arrive at the shop in the morning get the same explanation about water types. We constantly hear bad reports from those trying to play the summer game. Meaning that they are fishing in good looking hopper type water. The faster, sexy type of water. Stay away from that stuff in the winter. It is no good. There are not any fish in that ind of water. The water temps are in the Hi 30’s for the remainder of the month and the fish do not hang out there. Period. So if you want some good winter nymphing action find the slow and soggy water.

It is more a question of where. That is what we are getting at here. Where. The slow pond like water is the right stuff. Where you would not fish in the spring, summer, or fall. The slower inside bends with some structure. Or no structure. Look for the most boring water you can find and fish it.

Trout Spey is King

We love to throw the 2 handed rod in the winter months. With the advent of smaller trout size spey/switch rods the Missouri River is a fantastic resource to learn a new game. And we have them all. We are the education location for all things trout spey. With well more than a dozen demo trout spey rods in stock we are Montana’s Trout Spey destination. Demo lines at Headhunters as well with the entire range of Skagit and Scandi lines.

The Missouri River has a ton of killer swing runs at your disposal. You will see fellers out there practicing, fishing, swinging. Landing fish too. Depending on the water depth and speed you can either attach a lightly weighted pattern, a  heavily weighted pattern, or an unweighted fly to the end of your switch rod. The fish can be anywhere on the swing, or twitch, or jig. Fish it, change it, strip it, swing it.

Craig Trout Camp Open All Year!

Open all year long!
Open all year long!

Craig Trout Camp is open all year long. We never close the most popular properties on the Missouri River The good news is the discounted off season price. Rainbow and Brown Cabins rent for $125/night and the Craig House starts at $250/night. Why stay anywhere else? Come out for the weekend. Fish, stay, relax.

Missouri River Off Season is Killer!

Lots of reasons to fish the off season. Low population of anglers. That is all I need to hear. But some like to catch a few trout for their troubles. No problem there either. Good fishing for those over-sized Rainbows. Stop in any time for answers, questions, coffee, a ton of BS, Christmas gifts, sale times, conversations…any and all.

Headhunters Fly Shop is your only daily fly shop on the Missouri River. We are here for you, the all seasons angler. And we love December!

 

 

 

 

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 12.6.14

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 12.6.14

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Spey Clinic today!

Fishing today as well. If you are not attending the 1st of our 4 Free Spey Casting/Fishing Clinics you might as well fish.

So, what is happening on the river?

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 12.6.14

The weather is good. Yes, over 40F and not too windy at all. Thursday and Friday were quite nice and the anglers on the river reflected the positive change. Cloudy and calm. Hi’s above 40F all week long with a mixture of rain and sun. Snow today, somewhat.

You can always give us a call for a wind or more detailed actual report. Operators are standing by!

Winter nymphs are the norm for those tossing the bobber rig. Smaller streamers for those swinging. Midge clusters for those hunting heads.

4500cfs and the water temp at 37F. Wade fishing is nice and easy. Boat fishing too, but why not wander around on foot getting a little exercise in-between spots.

All kinds of gifts for the angler in you at the shop. Thermos, SAGE, logo’d Headhunters gear, fly lines, GIFT CARDS, KAST Gloves, Abel reels.

Shop open daily for shuttles, flies, info,  coffee, demo rods, bobbers, hand warmers…