Fishing Report – Get Out There!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] This Past Week It’s hard to believe that the Super Bowl was only one week ago. A lot has changed on the river in the past week. We received significant snow fall during the middle of last week that added to the already substantial amount of snow laying around Craig. If you had been in Craig … Read more

Montana Winter Fishing

Montana Winter Fishing Report 2.25.16

Montana Winter Fishing Montana Winter Fishing has brought us weather warmer than average. River level lower than average. Fishing about average. Some days. The weather of course seasonably warm with some daytime highs int eh id 60’s like this Friday. Cooling a bit over the weekend but still warm. A good weekend to fish, fer … Read more

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 2.27.15

Winter is back. Temps this weekend may not creep above freezing.

Not many anglers out at all. Should you come? Should you tie flies at home? Should you draft your fantasy baseball team or get prepped for Spring Training? Your  choice. We will be here in the shop hanging out bullshitting about fly fishing and such.

Headhunters Spring Special Guide Trips $300

Spring Training should remind you that our Spring Special is active beginning March 15th  and running through the end of April. Call today for $300 Guide Trips and discounted Craig Are Lodging beginning with the Craig Trout Camp. Call the shop for our list of cheap spring lodging.

For those headed to the Missouri River this weekend…dress warmly. Stop in for fee hot coffee in you are int he neighborhood. Joe’s Bar has got a little something stronger if you like.

We have all of the killer new SIMMS cold weather stuff in stock. Socks, base layer, jackets, Slick rain jackets, gloves,a nd hats! Voormi high speed warm layering at the shop too. Stop in to try one on. Warm as shit!

We have more gloves in stock than all the rest put together! Honest.

Sale items left over from the fall. CHEAP! Make on offer and walk away with an armload of heavily discounted fly fishing gold!

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Flies? Here they are…Fish Finder Worm, Pink LB, Ninch’s Lucent Rainbow Scud, Ninch’s Thunder Bug, Rainbow Warrior, Caviar Scud, Little Green Machine, Frenchie, Peep Show, Purple Weight Fly, Red Headed Step Child, S & M Brown, Poly Wing Zebra Black, Amex, Rainbow Czech, FB Weight Fly, Pink Beaded Tailwater Sow, Barbie Nymph…over 200 winter specific flies in stock!

Streamers? Dali Llama Black/White, Kreelex, Coffey’s Olive Sparkle Minnow, Brown Bugger, Simi Leech, Schmidt’s UV 2 Bugger, Micro Zonker in any color, Olive Pig Pen Leech, Arnold’s, Mozurri Minnow, Warpath’s Egg-Sucka Whammy, and JJ Urchin Bugger.

We have the Spey Demo Section stacked with rods too. In now also RIO UniSpey 6/7 and 7/8 with a 54′ head and total length of the line 120′. The RIO Short Head Spey with head length of 44′ and total of 110′. Come in and see what we have going in the Spey/Switch Trout arena.

Dries? Buzzball, Snowshoe Midge, Royal Stacker Midge, Griffith’s Gnat, Quigley’s Cluster Midge, Dun Midge Cluster, Parachute Adams in many post colors, Harrop’s Hanging Midge, and much more.

Shop open daily @ 8am for any of your last minute fly fishing needs. Shuttles, flies, info, coffee, and generally good time bullshit form us here in Craig MT.

 

 

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 12.8.14

Pretty good fishing, pretty good weather, pretty good times.

Adam straight outta Omaha fishing with his brother today and guide Mark Raisler. Fun times, used the net bunch,a dn had a couple pulls front he flask. All good all day.

The weather is getting much better and they, the weather dude, is threatening a day or two over 50F? What? December weather?

Pink is good. Worms are good. Firebeads are good. Sowbugs are good. Split shot is good.

Slower inside bends where the water speed goes from slow, to slower, to almost stopped. Look for the water speed that is one notch above stagnant. Then just toss the fly in and wait.

Hit the fly hard and hope it is a trout. Lots of rainbows getting bigger as they do in the winter months.

Saw a few fish roaming around near the surface, but they are decoys.

Streamer fishing is OK. Swingers are out and catching a few.

Water temps in the 36-37F range.

Guide trips for a winter bargain of $395. Guide trips out this last weekend, spey clinics too.

Spey Guide trips are @ $300 for the remainder of the month. Get some!

Fly shop open for shuttles, Xmas gifts, GIFT CARDS, fly lines, fly rods, flies, guide trips, rental boats, and anything fishy you may need beginning daily @ 8am.

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 10.8.14

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 10.8.14

If we can get grid of this damn sun and move into some cloudy weather patterns we will see more fish rising.

Until then, we will just have to endure the beautiful relatively windless days here on the Missouri River near Craig Montana.

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report,
Frank from NY with this Rainbow below Craig MT

The bugs come int he afternoon and we do get a few hours sometimes more of dry fly fishing as the afternoon moves int he direction of the veining. Do you need to stay out til the cows come home? No. But staying out afternoon is good.

Some mornings can be tough as the air temps seem to keep the bite on the slow side. But if the air temps are in the high 50’s or low 60’s then you may stand a chance of having a fantastic morning fishing session.

As I stated the afternoon bite has been strong. From short and long nymph rigs to blind dry fly fishing to streamer tugging to sight fishing to sipping trout in pod like behaviors. Have breakfast at the Frenchman in WC and we will see you for a shuttle and flies after that last cup of coffee.

The water temps are falling with the cooler evenings and the BWO’s have not arrived. That is the status as of today. Falling air temps later in the week will help this cause.

[forecast]

Headhunters Fly Shop open daily @ 7am and open late til 8pm for all your Missouri River needs. Shuttles, flies, warm clothing, rain gear, hats, HH logo wear, and much more. Check out our SALE Rack!

 

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 9.20.14

September and all is well. The river is not empty as we move through the 3rd busiest month of the year.

October is not as popular, but we suggest you may like it. Well only if you like streamer fishing and BWO’s.

As for this weekend on the river, Montana’s Missouri River, we can expect some decent fishing.

Are we setting records on the catch rates? No, not really. If you work hard you can get the job done and enjoy the day thoroughly. Fishing is not always about the catching. Sometimes it is, others not. The days have been so very wonderful as the daytime highs are just right for all day long comfort.

[forecast]

You like? Remember the big party tomorrow on the river, at Headhunters Fly Shop sponsored by Howler Bros Clothing right outta Austin Texas. Howlin’ on the Mo’! begins at 3pm with live music, food, swag, sales, and tons of your favorite fishing folks wandering around Craig and hanging at the shop for a spell.

Howlin_OnTheMo_WebBanner copy

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 9.20.14

The dry fly fishing on any given day can be very good. A good bite on Caddis, some larger mayfly stuff like the Callibaetis and the tiny Anoka’s. Read this killer informational blog by John here about these Pseudo Anoka’s that can just drive us batty!

Blind fishing a big bug of your choosing can work as well. Adams, Caddis, attractors of you favorite flavor, Try it if you lile it. You certainly do not have to do as I suggest. You can nymph too.

WE

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report
Good falling water temps means BWO’s are around the corner!

We love the falling water temps as the BWO’s should come at some point. When? I actually think they should come earlier but they never seem to follow my plan, my dream. When they do come it is game on. Until then we will have to fill our afternoons with the bigger bugs like the October Caddis, I think John mentioned that if you wait too long…and the streamer bite can be quite good in the latter parts of September before the brown trout make their way towards sex, towards mating, towards spawning time.

Mike Jared
Mike with this nice brown trout fishing with HH Guide Jared Edens!

The entire river is fishing well and the weeds are not a problem. No complaints in the last couple weeks. Pretty light year for weeds anyway and we do not even consider them to be an issue. High line speed casts and some good casting can alleviate mush of the concern. Come into the shop and see where the pressure is and float somewhere else if you lie to get and stay away from other anglers. Some pressure here and there from bank anglers but they too are spread out nicely.

Nymphing is as good as the day will provide. Sometimes the bite is not as good as we like it to be so keep changing those flies. Try all the regular stuff like Czech Nymphs, Purple and Gold Weight Flies, Worms, Sows, some Firebead stuff and Crawdads up top with the selection towards the bottom of the rig patterns like Little Green Machines, Zebra’s, Peep Shows, Purple LB’s, Pearl LB’s, PT’s, Don King’s, Newman’s Own Midge, WD 40’s, Red Headed Step Child’s Juju BWO’s, Tungsten Redemption, and your killer home tied stuff.

Keep it fresh for all day success. If the fish eat the fly right out of the gate and then stop…you have to make the change. You have to dictate your catch rate. Those who wait for success, well…you know how this ends. Make your own destiny and fish hard!

Come on out and join us tomorrow at 3pm for food and music and such. Sale items include summer stuff, shirts, hats, SIMMS, Howler Bros, RIO, demo rods, cheap accessories. Also the new fall gear is in and moving too. Wool shirts, gloves, warm hats, hand warmers, coffee Thermos’, rain gear too.

Shop open daily @ 7am and open late til 8pm for all your Missouri River needs. Shuttles, BS, free info, free coffee…

 

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 9.13.14

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report for this coming week including the weekend.

Warming up although it started out cool this morning throughout the week with air temps apparently moving into the low 90’s this week. Do we believe it? I guess so. While t is not the norm for September we don’t really expect anything different form this mystery month.

[forecast]

Until then we will enjoy the re-emergence of summer. Will we get a few more Trico’s before the Autumn fully sets in? Probably.

The Psuedo’s are out in force and we are getting the normal questions about how to catch them on top. The answer for most smart anglers is to move on down the river until you find tort that may entertain a dry fly. I will spend about 5 minutes on these mostly non eating fake fly fish. Do we care? We only care if they don’t eat our flies, and they commonly don’t. I have already spoken with several fellers that have invested hours on these fish. Are they eating on top? Sometimes. Sometimes they are eating just under the surface.

The nymphers are getting the job done with Purple Weight flies, Crawdads, Czech’s, big Tungsten PT’s, Hare’s Ears, October Caddis Pupa, Tan UV Czech’s, Juju BWO, Red Headed Step Children, Grape Slushy, Two Bit Hooker, Magic Fly BWO, Angel Hair PT’s, Purple Hot Spot PT’s, Gold Weight Flies…

The dry fly guys that are doing well are blind fishing bigger junk like the Hopper still, ants, beetles, Stimi’s, October Caddis dries, giant Adams and the like. Why not blind a few out there. Can’t hurt right?

Streamer fans are starting to froth at the mouth as we near the month of October. It will come. Headhunters has the best selection of Streamer Flies int he county. Fer sure dudes.

Rental Boats from Adipose and guides from Headhunters will get you through the week. Just had a big group right outta Great Falls here this weekend and they had a ball. Some went down river ad got them on the dry. The others went up river and got them on he nymph. Where will you go?

Headhunters open daily @ 7am and open late til 8pm. All kinds of fall clothing in the shop. Is it time for new waders this fall. Toss those leaky ones in the trash and get into a dry GoreTex set for the fall and winter. We can help. Rian gear and warm stuff too. Hats and gloves for all seasons. See you here this months and certainly in October!

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 9.9.14

I think the hopper fishing is over for the week. Maybe the Trico’s too. Callibaetis? Oh they will be strong as well as the Psuedo’s. Hatch-O-Mania.

Look at the river stats and the weather before dressing for the day. Hot soup, hot coffee, hand warmers, and boat heaters. See, easy.

[forecast]

The hopper bite has been good enough to get you through the afternoon, until today. October Caddis may be the ticket if you choose to dry fly fish blindly. Or try the C’Baetis Spinner. Nymen’s Calli Cripple? All good dry fly choices as the weather turns toward the fall.

Big nymph show as you know in September. Hot flies include the ever popular Rainbow Czech Nymph. The Pearl Lightening Bug is key too. Then all the spin-offs like the LGM, S & M, Bubbleback BWO, PT, Red Headed Step Child, Indogo Child, Military May Black, Two-Bit Hooker, RS2’s, and more like them. Come in for the best techy tiny nymph fly selection in the Tri-County region.

Lots of sale stuff in the shop as well as a bundle of warm clothing for cooler days. Hats, gloves, hand warmers, free hot coffee, and waterproof SIMMS jackets. How about new waders to get you through the fall winter and spring. The Demo Rods are nearly gone but some good Loomis, Orvis, Echo rods still wanting to leave the cond=fines of the store.

Streamer dudes will get all hopped up this week. Start near the dam and strip freely. Not as easy as you head downstream. Go lower if you want some freedom from crowds. Lower middle? Just bee creative and pick your stretch based on the factors you appreciate. Solace, bugs, style, time of day, drinks…

Blackfoot River is a long shot as it can get really cold across the divide. Call for an update and a snow report?

This fall foreshadowing should pass and we will get a little more beautiful September weather. The Golden Eagles are moving through, the Osprey are leaving, the Mink are preparing for winter, the anglers are prepping fro greatness, and you are planning either your hunting or fishing trips for October and November.

Shop open daily at 7am and open late til 8pm for all your river needs. Forget something important? Stop in and we can help!

 

 

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 8.26.14

The rain has stopped. At least for now. We always have some sort of weather event in and around Labor Day. Some say it is the Solstice Storm. But we are still plenty of days, weeks, away from that date.

Speaking of the Solstice, we have a party scheduled for September 21st with Howler Bros. Clothing Company. The Wrinkle Neck Mules will be playing in the early afternoon along with one of our legendary BBQ’s, another band TBD, Howler Bros. swag, contests, fun, probably some beer around, and you. We will be getting you the full details in the coming week so put it on your calendar for the 21st of September.

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 8.26.14

Now back to the fishing report as scheduled. The rain has stopped. We received a bundle, buckets really, of rain Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Sun on Monday and warmer temps as we move through this week approaching the Labor Day Weekend. Warm and green. Two things we like here in Craig Montana.

[forecast]

Warmer all week and the Trico’s have returned. Stronger today than yesterday and it will continue that way. Also the fall caddis have showed. Not the October Caddis, the cinnamon blondish caddis that we see in the latter parts of August and into the month of September. Carry that caddis box for another month. We know you have not needed it much since May but stay strong for another 6 weeks. Note: They have not gotten on it yet, but it will happen soon.

Callibaetis out and about too. Saw a few of them and fooled a few with the spinner and the cripple on Sunday. A player as we move through the next couple months too. I love the Callibaetis this time of year. A bigger fly that can make your day. The Harrop’s CDC Spinner, a Hi-Viz Spinner, Nymens Cripple, D & D Cripples...all good my fishy friends.

All reaches of the river fishing well. Weeds? Yep. As many as we can have? No. Problems? If you let it bother you. Do our trout make up for the inconvenience of the weeds? We think so. You can always fish another river without weeds and catch some non-weedy scrappers. Your choice.

The water temps fell with the rain event this weekend. Currently in the 62F range. The fish responded well to this drop. Why? Well, do you notice when the sun is high int he sky, feels like you skin is burning…and you walk into an air-conditioned room? Do you notice the difference? Yep. You sure do. The fish notice it too. They get so excited they jump higher.

Many folks up near the dam per usual this late summer period. You can run up there and get some. Rowing up and down catching some really nice trout. Also great below the dam. Much quieter in the canyon, the Cascade reach, and below Craig.

Streamer fishing in the rain was pretty good. Damn good? No, not really. Nor did we hear of awesomeness from this tossing the big fly. But it did work and some quite nice trout came to hand employing this sometimes forgotten summer discipline.

The shop is open daily @ 7am with all you need for summer fly angling on Montana’s Missouri River. Mark your calendar for the 21st of September for a cool Autumn music and fly fishing event with Howler Bros. More importantly see us this Labor Day Weekend for a kick ass fly sale on Sunday Only 50% off all flies. Yep. Smart anglers will be getting their boxes stuffed. Super deals on Headhunters Logo Wear, sungear, reels, fly lines, demo rods, and much much more!

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 8.1.14

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.

[forecast]

 

 

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 7.29.14

Missouri River Trout Fishing on the Missouri River is good. Damn good.

The dry fly fishing has been truly great. Did you read the fishing report blog from a few days ago? It still is as good as you are. Honest.

PMD’s are still a factor as we had a couple spinner falls that rival any I have seen in my entire life. As good as a Trico Spinner Fall, but much paler in color. A pale green one at that.

The caddis are making an appearance, slowly, and the trout are eating them well. We fish the caddis over the Trico feeding trout…often.

Check out the Trico Video Dead Flies Don’t Swim from John and Scumliner Media this last week!

Some very large spinner falls this last week. Will it continue this next week? Golly, we hope so. Should have Trico’s for another month if history is any indication. Mother Mo can fool us, and does often. Trico hatch nearly every morning with that spinner fall that we all love. The entire HH gang has been out fishing daily to get some of the best, wait “The Best of the Year”, dry fly fishing. It is really good.

Trico’s all the way from Holter to Cascade. PMD’s? on some sections and not as much on others. Sally’s? Gone.

A few ways to catch them this coming week. Go out and stake up. Wait for the Trico’s to come. Or toss some attractors all day long. Hoppers? OK. Or toss nymphs and get ’em that way too.

Shop open daily @ 6am for all things Missouri River Trout. Shuttles, demo rods, rental boats, guides, killer flies, and a fantastic staff to help you enjoy your Missouri River visit.

 

 

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 7.20.14

Late July and all is well.

The dry fly fishing has been fantastic and aided in part from the false overcast this last week from the fires to the North and to the West.

Now the smoke has been blown out by the wind as we head into the new week.

Sunday and a ton of non angler crafts will again float and drink while we fish and sometimes drink. It has been damn hot here so plan accordingly with the proper amount of water in the YETI Cooler. The weather will cool as we get closer into August and the water temps too.

The Trico’s will hold your interest for the morning session as they come off and spin in the mid morning hours. Some days they will stay on the water until well after noon.

Some days we have a good to decent PMD Spinner fall in the late morning as well. Hope that one of these events prolongs the dry fly bite. Some days we can have opportunities for fishing fish dawn til dusk. Lots of non-local locals here as the month comes to the end. August is a new deal.

Caddis are not around in the numbers that we are used to and they may come? I honestly do not really know the answer to that oft asked question.

We will keep you informed as to the dry fly and insect activity.

Flows are holding at the 4600cfs mark and the water temps are rising as the summer days pound on us. Not too hot though and while the weeds have begun to grow they are not a problem yet. The nights bring it to 62F and the days it can reach 66F. Let’s not have it reach higher.

As for the graph, the USGS Graph, it looks like they re-calibrated it and we are now at 4600. So was the 4K reading a farce?

Did I mention that August is a much cooler month here in central Montana and we will expect both the air and the water to cool.

Folks are spread out from top  to bottom and fishing at night as well. Choose your drift and enjoy it. Stop in for a shuttle if you like.

We are now open at 6am for coffee, flies, info, boat rentals, sunscreen, and much more too!

 

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 7.7.14

Good to great depending on who you talk to. The guides out have been reporting good dry fly action in the mornings and slower afternoons. Good evening bite is pretty normal and it has been good enough to be out the last 3 hours of daylight.

The visiting anglers have been having a blast too. Good dry fly opportunities coupled with red hot nymphing has kept you busy from dawn til dusk. Rental boats, your own boats, wade fishers have all benefitted from cooler water temps and these great simmer flows. We do not like the short flows of below 3000 cfs.

Gord Dawson straight outta Clagary with this nice trout caught with HH Guide Jared Edens this last week on a dry fly. Nice work!

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

PMD’s coming in the morning hours and the spinner fall happening sometime during the day. The upper has about as many PMD’s as the rest of the river but the lower reach has been on fire. Try it if you dare.

Caddis are in the canyon and beyond. Not too many on the upper river but that will change as the month progresses. Spents are not all the rage yet but they will be important as the July moves through and the days shorten. The translucent pupa is the key for dangling something off of your dry. Weighted pupa’s are key too. Find one you like and send it down to the depths. We also like Silvey’s Pupa. Flashy son of a gun.

Trico’s have made their initial appearance and the spinner fall while not epic has been producing some good times. Fish looking up.Try an emergent CDC pattern to give you entertainment before the day really gets rolling.

Sally’s are cool too. The Sally bite on the surface has been really good. Not all that common for our river system but they have been working well. We love the low riding Outrigger patterns for the Sally. Try the caddis version too! Just sayin’.

Want to see some really cool images from John taken Macro Style? Look at this morning’s Monday Blog for a stunning peek below the river surface.

The traffic on the this last weekend was evident on the upper and middle sections of river. Less pressure lower down. You could say the same thing for the weeks ahead. If you want less pressure…do some figuring. And stay with the plan. Or just go up top and battle.

The flows are and will come down as the river inflows at Toston continue to diminish daily. Read this blog post yesterday to see the specifics of what will happen. We just got the July forecast from the USBR and will post later. The initial look indicates lower flows than we are seeing right now. Per usual. We should see flows int he 5K range shortly. Keep it here for the most and up to date info on the Missouri River corridor.

Water temps continue to increase as the days become warmer. Summer is here, we think. Overcast and dead calm this morning with afternoon winds and warmer temps as I write this Mid Day Monday Missouri River Fishing Report.

There are plenty of bugs and plenty of fish to be found. Lots of good wade fishing too. Had to write the blog yesterday in regards to the fears of many anglers that think the Missouri should be better? I just told them to go to the Henry’s Fork and wait for the fish to rise. And wait some more…

For those of you who are coming and those of you who appreciate this great resource I applaud you. We love it and respect it and appreciate it. For those of you who complain about only catching X number of trout, that there are no bugs and no trout…move on please. I hear the Madison calling your name.

It is truly busy here not eh Missouri River in this the busiest months of June and July. Honor, respect, watch, learn, appreciate, smile, encourage, mentor, teach, enjoy this great river and we will see you on the porch for a cold beer @ Headhunters.

The fly shop open daily @ 630 am open late til 9pm for all your river needs. Flies, shuttles, info, coffee, sun wear, hats, sun hats, sungloves, sunscreen, GINK, Shimi-Shake, Frogs Fanny, Hatch Reels, SAGE Fly Rods, RIO Fly Lines, and mush more for your shopping pleasures.

No Fish. No Bugs
The Toston historical inflows. Look to this chart for what may happen in the coming week(s)
Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 6.21.14

PMD’s, Caddis, Yellow Sally’s, Ants.

The upper river has a pile of PMD’s coming off in the morning with the spinner fall sometime in the afternoon. Emergers, cripples, and spinners. All you need. The mid and lower are experiencing the same thing. Those who like to post up and cast at singles are fishing from Craig upstream. Those who like to roll downstream and blind it out there…are fishing the canyon and beyond.

Caddis seem to be the game in the canyon and ad downriver. Terrestrials are can make a few fish llil up too. Sally’s are beginning to show in the middle and up river of Mid Canon. They are generally good to great in the lower canyon and in the swifter currents towards Pelican.

Downwinged flies are the key to success here on this fabulous spring creek like resource. Patterns that sit in the film, in the water, not high riding flies…are the KEY. Hence the Buzzball pattern. Use it soon.

The flows are just perfect for wade fishing and drift fishing. The flows are 4400cfs and the water temps are holding nicely in the 58F range. All good in this Missouri River neighborhood.

Stop in and say hello early @ 630 am for coffee, the best fly selection on the Missouri River, free info, killer HH fresh & artful sungear hoody’s, cigars, cool logo’d lids, RIO Fly Lines, SAGE flyrods, Adipose rental boats…open late for your afternoon and evening shuttles too. See you here in the eli-center of Montana fly fishing soon!

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 6.16.14

Great fishing man. Dry fly opportunities for those who like that sort of thing.

The PMD image above shot by our good friend David from Calgary. He got this with a point and shoot, some luck, and a shit ton of talent. Thanks David for the kick ass PMD Image!

Still a bundle of nymphers around but the dry fly bite and what, how, why, and when seem to be the topic of conversation on most Craig porches.

June is upon us. The days are long, the solstice is near, the dry flies are popping,a dn we are headlong into the heart of the season. Still a touch soft this weekend, but Monday, today, it starts. We are in the peak of the peak. June, the last week, is damn busy. The next month will be nutso. Good fishing from dawn til dusk daily. The shop is open early for those early birds. Remember: Early bird does get the worm.

Still some availability in the last two weeks of July. Strange real. Seems that the slide towards June has happened. We see that trend until the 2nd high water year in a row. Then back to July they run. Then the transitions starts all over again.

June is damn good, that is why the slide to June. The fish are not as educated, the fish are fresh, the water temps are cooler, the pressure is less.

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report  

The bugs, yes. PMD’s of both kinds are coming off. Not in the huge numbers we would like, but the afternoons at this point hold some hope. Lots of fish rising and not as many noticeable bugs. Remember: This is a film feeding type of river. You may not see the fish eating pretty little duns like they do in your trout fishing dry fly dreams.

So it appears as if the fish are eating nothing. They are eating something near the surface, but not on the surface a lot of the time. They can eat off the top, but as I state here and will for the next 2 months…not all the time. It amy appear as though they are feeding on the top, but they are not. Near the top, near the surface.

 

Cripples, emergers, spinners. Nuff said.

 

Flows are holding flat at 4440cfs and the water temps are @ 58F. All good for the dry fly fish. The volume and the depth that most trout are lying in 18″ to 36″ of water. But sometimes much shallower. Keep your eyes open.

The Dearborn is still floatable at 400ish cfs and somewhat stable. Water temps in the upper 50’s too. Just right! The Blackfoot is at 5K and on the  slow down slope. We will be there shortly. Keep it here for updates on the Blackfoot River as we will be heading over the divide all summer long!

The weather for th week ahead is cooler than normal. Where will it lead us? It will slow the afternoon bite, until the afternoon. Slower temp increases of the water will keep the insect emergence at bay until later in the day. The sun has to get a little higher.

Remember: Friday Night June 20th we have the Montana Fly Fishing Film Festival here on the grounds of Headhunters with the 2nd Annual Drift Boat Drive-In. BBQ,  get a cocktail at Izaak’s or Joe’s Bar, swag, prizes, contests, etc…Bring your Pick up and back it up with lawn chits and enjoy the show at DUSK here in Craig!

Drift Boat Drive In

 

Planning a trip and concerned about the summer flows? Well don’t be. We are heading, and already engaged in, a great flow regime for the remainder of said summer. Should be in this range, the 4K plus range for the whole run. Through the end of October. Sound good? Well it should. It feels good. Our fish love this level and the wade fishing is awesome. The boat fishing? Awesome too!

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Headhunters Fly Shop and Guide Service in Craig is your information source for all things Missouri River. We are the education leaders and we can help you rig your rod, point you in a dry fly direction, help with fly selection…You know the shops you go into and hardly get a “Hello” from the staff? That is not Headhunters in Craig. We greet you and look forward to meeting you. Let us know how we can help from lodging to guiding, to wade fishing to boat rentals to rod and line matching to just a conversation about emergence behaviors over a cup of coffee.

Headhunters Fly Shop open daily @ 630am for shuttles, flies, info, coffee, boat rentals, lodging, Wi-Fi, cell service with our cell booster, boat washing for invasive species, rental waders, demo reels with killer fly lines, and much, much more!

[forecast]Missouri River Montana Fishing Report Missouri River Montana Fishing Report