Missouri River New Years Fishing Report 1.1.16
New Years Day Missouri River Montana Fishing Report starts out with cold air temps.
The Umteenth (21st) Annual Craig Polar Bear Plunge is at High Noon today a the Craig Boatramp. Were you there? Do you wish you were? Do you feel that wading in the river in mid-July is nearly the same thing…except your toes don’t shrivel up?
Water temps are cold at 33.5F and flows at 3180cfs. The slush factor while this last week was nearing defcon 8 it has been reduced to a reasonable defcon level of 3. Looked fishable to Prewitt Creek as I traveled the river road yesterday. The shelf ice does continue to grow as the high temps for this last couple weeks do not reach much beyond the mid 30’s. Most of th time in the mid 20’s. Looks like more of the same for the week ahead.
We have been locked in this winter pattern for nearly a month. Hi’s in the 20’s and 30’s with light snow a couple days a week. Night time lows anywhere from barely above zero to the mid teens. Winter for sure.
The fish are in the true winter lanes. The softest and slowest moving water you can find. Lots of shelf ice on most of the great insides so be damn careful out there. Watch for the floating ice islands. They can level you, put you down, make your day turn a direction you do not want.
Fool around with a handful of pink flies for the bobber gang. Fool around with a bit of flash for the swingers. Both of you find the soft and soggy winter haunts and stay there. Find good road spots so you can warm yourself up after your feet become the shape of ice cubes. The car heat can thaw them of stop into Uncle Joe’s for something a bit stronger. Sometimes the heat needs to start in your belly!
Happy New Year to all the Headhunters out there. We are looking into the future and what do we see? Who knows? We are guessing that it will be filled with water, bugs, and big dry fly eating trout-skis.
All the best to you and yours as we greet the new year of 2016.
Shop open daily @ 8am and late til 6pm.
Happy New Year!