Montana

February Fishing Forecast 2021

Missouri River February Fishing Forecast 2021

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Missouri River February Fishing Forecast 2021 Welcome to February. Football is over, baseball is coming. We are getting nearer to spring ’21 everyday and we for one are damn excited about 2021. We bring you the Missouri River February Fishing Forecast 2021. We hope to continue to stack up the snow in the higher elevations. … Read more

Weekend Update: Swing Report

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Fishing reports vary from good to great right now. Remember, it’s all relative in December. To most, a pleasant winter day on the river that brings 6-10 nice fish to the net is “great”. To others that’s just “good”. Either way, I think you can count on that kind of day right now. If you … Read more

Mid-Winter Forecast. Will you Fish?

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Will you do some fly fishing this winter? In Montana? Most of the best winter fishing venues in Montana are solid each and every year. The upper Madison, Bighorn and Missouri are likely the most popular, but there are plenty of other spots that can provide some excellent and reliable winter angling. Techniques for mid-winter … Read more

Turkey Day Spey Report

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’ve got some great fishing weather in the forecast for the next couple of weeks, and Trout Spey anglers will find the fish are pretty receptive to the swung fly. Pressure has been light lately, as most Montanan’s are out in the field chasing Elk and Deer. Yesterday, Bill Hart (above) came down from the … Read more

Rainier Beer Montana Edition

Great Beer Advertising Rainier Beer Montana Edition!

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Great Beer Advertising Rainier Beer Montana Edition!

The first time I stepped in Joe’s Bar with Shaun Thompson and Erich Bittmann asking what was on tap…I was shocked.

We had driven 12 hours across two states and the two beers on tap at the Craig Bar were…Oly and Rainier.

Yuck.

While I have endured lots and lots of both I now prefer something watery and weak like Coors Light. As you can see my taste for beer has not matured much. I was an ardent Budweiser drinker for many years. And was at that time as well. I do remember ordering a bottle of Bud and a Crown rocks.

Yummy.

Then the most remarkable thing happened when we decided to head back out fishing to the Mighty Mo. Uncle Joe asked if we would like a couple to go. “To go?” I asked.

Yeah. A couple roadies. “Well yes I would.” A beer and a blend. To go.

Perfect.

Back to the Rainier Beer ads. Tons of them in the 70’s and 80’s as I grew up in the green state of Washington. Much before the Microsoft, Amazon, and tech world explosion. More of a quiet beer drinking fishing and hunting society.

This one is classic and of course includes a Montana theme.

Enjoy your weekend with a half rack of Rainier.

 

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Montana Vets Montana Waters Promo Film

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Montana Vets Montana Waters Promo Film

Check it out today on the Headhunters Blog a short film about Montana Vets Montana Waters. An org for Montana Vets by Montana Vets.

This killer film today on the Big Hole in SW Montana. Great story and great footage. A worthwhile viewing this morning. Check out the Montana Vets Montana Waters website for more info today.

Today is not a holiday I understand. Huh? Tomorrow, yes. The 4th.

The Project Healing Waters org has been around for some time and we host 2 Montana Project Healing Waters boats on site here in Craig. Call for a free rental. We will get you on the calendar.

The Great Falls Chapter Montana PHW is active on the river too.

Montana Wounded Warriors is yet another organization helping Vets via fly fishing.

 

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Thursday in Craig Montana

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Thursday in Craig Montana Raining this morning. Much cooler indeed. But if you look into the future you will see very warm temperatures greeting us for the weekend and the holiday ahead. So enjoy today and the cloudy conditions. All is well here in Craig Montana. Some pics from yesterday on the river. Both … Read more

Thursday Snow on the Mighty Mo!

Thursday Snow on the Mighty Mo!

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Thursday Snow on the Mighty Mo!

Snowing in Craig Wednesday. More today? The weather guesser said it would.

Cooler this weekend than last. Highs in the lower 30’s.

Overcast.

This previous weekend gave us a taste of spring. But, thankfully it is a month or two away. Let’s stack up some of the white stuff in the hills, the mountains, the Rockies. For summer. Summer water is important.

So do your freaky snow dance in the office today. Invite a couple of your work posse over and do the funky jive.

Pattern it after this marvelous dancer below…

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New Boat Smell Hyde Montana Skiff

New Boat Smell Hyde Montana Skiff

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New Boat Smell Hyde Montana Skiff Shane Wilson and his new Hyde Montana Skiff today at Headhunters Fly Shop. Max Mattioli has one too. Now both of these HH guides are rocking this Hyde version of the ever so popular skiff that is taking over Montana’s Missouri River. Some don’t like the skiff design because … Read more

Last Headhunters 2016 Free Spey Clinic

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In some incredibly balmy weather on Saturday – high 60’s – we held our final free spey clinic off the 2015-16 winter season. The full house enjoyed the usual classroom presentation, light winds, a wide variety of lines and rods, and some great fun with our crew. The class was super enthusiastic on the water, and our instructors saw some great improvement in this group. And quickly as well. They must be listening.

Just want to give a quick shout our to all of our spey instructors. Ben McNinch, Sara Roholt, Dwayne Sutphin, Curt Reynolds, Braden Lewis, Mark Raisler and Beth Hood all did a great job. I received compliments on all of them this winter. Great job team, and we hope you’ll be back to help out in 2016-17. Remember, the reason they’re good is that they are out there doing this all the time. They fish.

We hope that all of our students enjoyed themselves and took away at least a little something from our clinics. Don’t forget that our demo spey gear is rigged and ready to go if you want to get out on the Mo’ and swing up a fish or two. Maybe you just need to try some lines and get your outfit dialed in. Let us know.

Don’t forget that we have 1 more clinic available this spring, and it’s with spey guru’s Whitney Gould and Mike McCune. Call the shop if you want more info on spending a day with these outstanding instructors.[/vc_column_text][us_grid columns=”3″ post_type=”attachment” items_quantity=”” images=”17955,17956,17958,17964,17961,17960,17968″ orderby=”post__in” items_gap=”” items_layout=”gallery_default” img_size=”us_600_600_crop” overriding_link=”popup_post_image” breakpoint_1_cols=”3″ breakpoint_2_width=”768px” breakpoint_3_width=”480px” breakpoint_2_cols=”3″ breakpoint_3_cols=”2″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Headhunters Fly Shop 2016 Event Calendar

Headhunters Fly Shop 2016 Event Calendar

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A few dates to get into your calendar for the upcoming 2016 season. Headhunters events, community events, and hatch events that can make your vacation planning easier.

The water looks like it will be in the average range for the summer ahead. At this early point we feel that we can state that fact. But Mother Nature does make the call.

February

February 6th: Headhunters Free Spey Casting Clinic. Sold Out

February 10th & 24: Headhunters Fly Tying Night in America. Wednesday @ 6pm-8pm. 

Midge Hatch: Can start in the middle of the month. We will keep you up to date here on this very site about the activity. Some epic hatches can get your dry fly mania going.

March

March 5th: Headhunters Free Spey Clinic. Sold Out. If any openings occur we will inform you here on this blog.

March 9th: Final Fly Tying Night in America @ the shop 6pm-8pm

March 15th-April 30: Spring Special Guide Trips $350. Our famous Spring Special for all to attend. Full day guided trips to knock the rust off.

March 15th-April 30th: Spring Special Lodging pricing. Call Headhunters today to get killer deals, 30% off,  on Craig Trout Camp losing and other great Missouri River area lodging!

Midge Hatch: Continued Midge action throughout the month. Get your early season dry fly fix.

Skwalas?

April

Spring Specials all month long with Guide Deals @ $350 and area lodging discounts.

Blue Winged Olives: Late in the month. If water temps rise early we can see some BWO action earlier in the month. Look for 42F for the start of this historic spring hatch.

The big bugs may come too.

Great nymphing all month long. The streamer gang gets going too. Strip the big bug for the big brown trout.

May

One of the favorite months for the Headhunters staff. Good to great blind dry fly fishing and probably the best in streamer fishing. More big brown trout are caught in this month than any other. Meaning, the biggest brown trout. 

March Browns: The middle of the month can bring out this early mayfly. The fish get kinda stupid for this bug. We love the March Brown hatch here on the Missouri River.

BWO’s: Good afternoon action for this twice yearly hatch.

May 20th: Montana Fly Fishing Film Festival. Headhunters hosted night before event at 8pm. Come enjoy some Montana made films, food, beer, and swag the day before the Craig Caddis Festival.

May 21st: Saturday the 10th Annual Craig Caddis Festival and BBQ Cook-Off. Big time event in Craig. Come one come all. Food, beer, live music, live and silent auction, parade…a good fundraiser for the Craig Volunteer Fire Department. Email Mark if you want to be involved, donate any auction items, or BBQ for fame! mark@headhuntersflyshop.com www.caddisfestival.com

June

Caddis Flies: The beginning of our favorite summer hatch. Get ready. One of the two busiest months on Montana’s Missouri River.

Pale Morning Duns: This 2 month hatch begins about the 3 week of the month. You want in?

June 18th: Headhunters Summer Solstice Party. A big time afternoon BBQ and party. Contests, swag, fun with your favorite Headhunters til dark. More on this as we get more planned. As you know, we love to throw a good party.

Brown Drakes: Late in the month. This short lived hatch brings out some regular visitors to the Mo.

July

Trico Hatch: Can get rolling on July 5th. Lower water years it can start earlier. Higher water years as late as the 4th week. Many anglers favorite hatch. An amazing Missouri River hatch.

July 4th Party: Another big time party at Headhunters. America’s Birthday. Afternoon BBQ with fireworks at dusk.

PMD’s, Caddis, ant and hoppers too: The best dry fly month of the year. Consistant dawn til dusk.

August

Dry flies all month long. Getting more difficult as the moth progresses. Some don’t like the month because of the weed growth in August. Techy dry fly anglers like it for the difficulty level. Not many anglers during latter half. Pretty quiet.

September

September 3rd: 2nd Annual Browns and Brews Craft Beer Festival. This afternoon even 4-8pm is bound to be one of the summers best. 6 local breweries will share their beer during this tasting event. Live and silent auctions, live music, and food vendors will round out this Saturday Labor Day Weekend event. Book your guides and lodging now for best availability.

One of the better nymph months. The angling pressure increases again as the kids are back in school. If the month is cold you can see some BWO action late. The Pseudocloeon comes and drives folks mad. A fun time on the river.

October

Some anglers favorite month. Historic BWO hatches have been down but the Pseudo’s are around. Streamer anglers like October.

BWO’s: Generally late in the month. Good to great dry fly fishing depending on the year.

Headhunters Fly Fishing School: These are in the planning stages and we will post soon about this idea. Families, dry fly fans and nymphers alike will find something to learn at these Headhunters sponsored schools.

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!

Don’t Forget to Wash Your Boat!

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Above: Montana guide James Whitescarver cleaning every inch of his drift boat.

A few years ago, preventing the spread of Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) was all the talk. Wader manufacturers were producing non-absorbent boots with Vibram soles, Facebook was littered with ANS information, boat check stations were popping up all over the west, and every convention, trade show and meeting I attended included an ANS presentation.

In the high-speed, low-attention-span world we live in, you really don’t hear much about preventing the spread of New Zealand Mudsnails, Didymo, Zebra Mussels and Eurasian Watermilfoil anymore. Like ever. And we’re back to felt-soled boots.

Those who regularly travel on a route that has a Watercraft Inspection Station keep their boats clean. Guides like James Whitescarver (above), regularly travel between Missoula and Craig. He knows he will have to stop at Clearwater Junction to have his boat inspected by Montana FWP.

I have a feeling that James keeps his boat clean regardless, but not everyone does. Right now the Missouri is laying a pretty good scum-line on your boat.

During the “ANS Peak” one of the states mobile inspection stations was commonly set up at the Wolf Creek Bridge boat ramp. Haven’t seen it as much the last few years, but it may just be in a different part of the state.

ANS are a concern on the Missouri River due to the massive amount of “migratory” boat traffic we receive. If a species of concern is going to get transported somewhere via a drift boat, it’s pretty likely that it will end up here.

Likewise, you could easily “catch” something here, and transport it to your home river on your boat or trailer tires.

Please continue to keep your boat clean (and tires, waders, boots) and prevent the spread of ANS. You can pull into the drive at Headhunters and use our water, soap, brushes, etc. anytime. Many folks do on their way home.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Fly Shop mornings

Missouri River Fishing Report 9.1.15

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]”All over the place” could be the best term to describe fishing conditions right now. Early starts for some (above image), hoppers for others. Streamers are working great. Some days. So are Callibaetis. Some days. Nymph fishing on the upper river has turned on for nearly everybody.

As the weather begins to cool – and it is – we will see an intensifying of our Pseudocleon and caddis hatches. Pseudo’s suck, but if you hit some of the first big days it can be easy pickings. Those days should be coming up shortly. Like this week?

Fall caddis. This hatch continues to get bigger and impress us more each season. These smaller, browner caddis love to cover the surface like Usain Bolt. Skittering works well. Mark and a few of our other guides have really adopted the skittering caddis program, and Ninch has some excellent patterns in the shop. The Outrigger caddis is my favorite.

Streamer fishing has been good to fantastic in the last couple of weeks. If you ask me, i will tell you that August can be the best streamer fishing of the year. No one ever believes me, but it’s true. I don’t really know why, but I’ve always suspected that there is an abundance of moving critters around (fry, crawdads, damsel and dragon nymphs, leeches, baby Burbot?). Stick to the typical late-season flash, but make sure to carry some drab olive and/or black patterns as well. Move those ones slower.

Hooper/ant/beetle fishing is still good, but you need to show them that one early. Before the sun crests the hill is often the best. Way down in front of the boat is a good presentation. Small Chubby’s, Bloom’s Ant, Longhorn Beetle, and possibly a large Purple Haze.

Afternoon Callibaetis fishing has been excellent, though somewhat inconsistent. The inconsistency often stems from the fact that Callibaetis hatch “locally” on the Missouri River. In other words, in certain areas. And in not enough numbers to drift elsewhere. If you need a clue, remember that Callibaetis are typically associated with Lake fishing. Look for slow water with a silty bottom. We like both of Harrop’s cripples, Purple Haze or Parachute Adams, and big gray stackers or Flag Duns.

LOG is also fishing well, and both of our USCG Capt’s Ryan McCourtney and Jeff Parker have been having some good fishing up there. Ryan has been spending a large part of the day chasing Walleye for those who are interested. If you are call the shop and request Ryan/LOG/Leech Trip. Bring your own batter.

The “calm” should stick around for another 10 days. By then, both hatches and pressure will start to increase.

BRAY GULCH FIRE

Remember that we have a wildfire burning near Holter Dam, and that crews are working in the area. Beartooth Road is closed (as of this post) so no Bullpen access. Good luck to the crews and we hope they stay safe.

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Hunter and Angler Dollars important to Montana

Hunter and Angler Dollars are important to Montana!

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]A quick video from the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog.

Winston Greely shoots and produces the videos for the department. Nice short vids about the topic of fish, wildlife,a dn parks. I see a theme there.

I met Winston 17 years ago here on the river. His love of the outdoors and fishing led him down the media path to a fantastic career with the FWP. Pretty cool stuff!

Ag dollars have fallen into 2nd place as recreation has led the way in terms of state dollars in the last decade. Hunter and Angler dollars are important and feed a bundle of Montana families.

We can only say thanks to you folks for making this state part of your lives while supporting the Outdoor Recreation businesses like ourselves.

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