Montana April Fishing – HEADHUNTERS

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 4.30.14

April 30, 2014April 30, 2014 by Mark Raisler

The fishing can be difficult as the Rainbows are, or seem to be on strike.

Or on the spawn. They are not as present as they have been or will be.

But the Brown Trout are out and being caught. Lots of big ones caught this month and more to come. Missouri River Fly Fishing Guide Ben Hardy with this big trout client caught this last week. The fishing will heat up as the fish return to the river from the tributaries and the Rainbows come off of the spawn. May will be a real good rocking month. It always is.

The nymphers have been beaten the last week with the catch rates down. Is it the depth, the flies, the flows, the weather, the sun?

Maybe. All you can really change is the depth, add more split or take some off. Move the bobber farther from the split, or closer. The drift? Mend better bro’. those are the variables we control.

The others? Mother Mo is large and in charge. Always.

[forecast]

The weather is warming through the week. Will the bugs keep coming on strong? Yes. Oh yes they will.

The flows are currently 8670cfs and water temps are holding at 44.5F. Good times. We expect the flows to be stable for a while. I see information on the web that may not be correct and pure speculation. Be careful who you trust for your info.

The tributaries will certainly see some more water as the mid and upper level snows will budge with the latter week daily air temps.

Another couple days of the Spring Special and then back to normalcy. Many that have enjoyed the $300 Guide Trips and discounter Craig Trout Camp lodging have pre-booked for the 2015 season. Do you want to be involved in the best deal in Craig this coming year? Then book today. Nothing wrong with planning a spring trip early. Just means you got more time to tie killer Pink Flies for next year.

Shop open daily for all things trout. Shuttles, flies, info, new kick ass logo shirts and hats, coffee, fly rods, waders, new fly lines from RIO, and much much more at 730am. See you late for after work shuttles and more.

Remember to check out our Freestone Drifter from NRS. Rent it today, buy one tomorrow. You will dig this boat!

Saturday Missouri River Fishing Report

April 19, 2014 by Mark Raisler

All is good with the Missouri River. Nothing is blown, the creeks are clear, and the fishing is good.

The Dearborn, Prickly Pear, Sheep Creek, and Stickney Creek are all clear and not affecting the flows or the color. The color is green, and there is some turbid condition,s, mostly form the lake above. The fishing is strong.

The best news of the week is the addition of dry fly angling. Do we have riverwide mega hatches? No. Not yet. Some baetis and some midge have made the fish look upwards and we like that. Posted up casting to sipping trout is what we live for. So look and keep your eyes open for these opportunities, as they are still quite rare. More every day though!

The chart is good. We like this better in April than we do in June. The reason for the higher than normal water? To keep it away in June for the dry fly bonanza…like PMD’s, Caddis, that sort of thing.

The nymph bite was off yesterday. Strange really. Some had better results than others. Most considered it a tough day. But spirits are always high and we will return to normalcy today. The hiccup in the water to blame? Maybe.

The streamer bite continues to be quite slow. Why? Who knows. Ask Mother Mo. Sink tips like fast and like extra fast are in vogue for the bugger bunch. Flashy, brown, gold, white, yellow seem to be the buzz if you ask at the bar.

The dries? Yes, as above on the rise. Good news. More as the hatch continues to wax. Keep it here folks. The info pipeline of the Missouri.

The weather? Spring-like today and tomorrow. We’ll see you applying your sunscreen liberally. Seen some burnt faces this week. Buff’s can help too.

[forecast]

Shop open daily with guide trips for $300. Spring Special in full swing. Discounted lodging too with Craig Trout Camp leading the charge. Call today and our helpful staff can get you into something for the week. Not all are discounted but they are all great and near the river!

8am is when you will see us at the shop for coffee, shuttles, flies, new SIMMS Waders, demo rods, info, and the general BS you should expect at Headhunters.

Clean, fishable, and open

April 12, 2014 by Mark Raisler

Yes indeed. We here on the Missouri River have clean water, it is quite fishable, and we are open.

Sounds like the boys from the west side have some color. Too much I am guessing.

The Dearborn is flowing at 366cfs and falling. It peaked yesterday and is not off color. A little bit but not enough for me even to pull over and take a image for you to see. It is coloring the river for about a half mile. Not a concern at all. The Dearborn River temps is 50F and warming the water column albeit for a short stretch. Try worming near it? Just sayin.’

The same with Prickly Pear. It s off color, not chico milk by any stretch. Coloring the river near Wolf Creek Bridge for a couple hundred yards is all. Not a concern either. It peaked Friday afternoon and is on the fall too. 229cfs as I write Friday evening. Looking good.

Look to the right on the Blackfoot chart. Still on the rise as the Missoula set will confirm.

So we are out of the woods water under the bridge literally, on those two accounts, those two streams.

They will be on the fall for the weekend as the air temps cool and the local runoff is halted. Most of the low level snows came through a couple weeks ago. No fear of blowing out on the Missouri River as we are nearly runoff proof. The 3 dams above us kind of keep us off of that program. We are so fortunate to live and work on this 12 month fishery.

Our primary stream the Missouri River is just fine. It is running higher than our historical average at 7140cfs with a water temp of 41F.

The Missouri River is fishing well with nymphs. The best of the three methods., The streamer guys are scratching and clawing while the dry fly clan is a little mopey.

Clean, fishable, and open: The Missouri River In a Nutshell

Nymph of the Week: Pink Scud looking fly.

Streamer of the Week: Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow

Streamer Fly Line of the Week: RIO WF Full Intermediate.

Streamer Add On of the Month: Versi Leaders. Get some while in Craig.

Dry Fly of the Month: Skwala

Lodging on the Missouri River: Some openings for this e coming over the divide. Call the shop or try www.Craiglodging.com

$300 Headhunters Guide Trips: Through the end of April. Call today for your Spring Special pricing.

Craig Trout Camp: Rainbow & Brown Cabins @ $100. Sutton House @ $200. Craig House @ $150/2 persons & $50/head beyond. Some other discounted housing available as well. Call the store for avail and information.

The Missouri River Mood: Great. Looking forward to another good one. We will have more water this year and we like that. Better for PMD’s, Caddis, and Trico’s. Ww already have plenty of Midge and Crustaceans.

Ninch says: Get on in here and check out our updated fly selection. We added 400 bins so the nymph selection is world class. And our streamers? Wow. Don’t forget that the dry fly is our favorite game and Headhunters will enjoy the wide variety of top water patterns.

Mark says: Good to see all of the guides back to work and also great to see our fishing friends. They are visiting the Missouri and adjusting their smile. Tuning up the happy quotient is important for all of us!

Izaak’s Restaurant in Craig: Open daily 4-10pm. We are so happy to have Chef John Winders opening his doors for another season. The Ribs are succulent, the beer is cold, and the waitstaff is eager to serve you!

Uncle Joe’s Bar: Open daily 8am-2am. Perfect.

Headhunters Fly Shop: Open daily @ 8am for all your fly fishing needs. Shuttles, flies, information, warm hats, logo wear galore, free coffee, Missouri River maps…