PMD’s

PMD's and Cheap Trick

It’s just like the First Day of PMD’s

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It’s just like the First Day of PMD’s

You know, the first good day.

That is what Cheap Trick’s “Ain’t that a Shame” Live at Budokan ’78 makes me feel like.

You gotta turn this up to 11. Then push play.

The build up with drummer Bun E. is reminiscent of late May on the Mo. The sun is shining longer each day. Summer is near. You hear word of a couple PMD’s seen on the lower river. Then some at Mountain Palace. 5 days later…

Push Play here man. (If you haven’t yet man)

And that is what PMD’s in June and July feel like to me. Pure rock and roll. Just like this hard chargin’ guitar rock theme. Rick Nielsen on screaming lead guitar. Robin Zander, who looks like a rock star, with the vocal gymnastics of late 70’s rock and roll vocalists. Tom Petersson laying down a deep bass beat coupled with Bun E. Carlos stroking the drums like a polished dry fly angler.

Strong. Full of sound. Analogous to an epic PMD emergence.

Play it twice. This track deserves it.

I’m gonna play it loud when I get home tonight again. Possibly with an overpoured Margarita.

And run a mental movie with the summer sun on my head. The light breeze delivers the blooming Lilacs past my nose. The soundtrack of nature emanating from the earth. The act of PMD’s inundating my being on their journey upstream…

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Missouri River Summer Foreshadowing

Missouri River Summer Foreshadowing

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Summer Foreshadowing Just the 24th of January today. We have more than our toe dipped into the proverbial year, more like our ankle has entered the water. We are just beginning. And having that ankle submerged made me think of wade fishing, which then made me think of flip-flops, and finally Missouri River summer PMD’s. … Read more

July 31 Missouri River Fishing Report

Monday Morning July 31 Missouri River Fishing Report

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Monday Morning July 31 Missouri River Fishing Report Trico’s. Going good. Some mornings they seem to not get out of bed though. So, we hope they are getting after it as you are out on the water. Yesterday was a good day. Floated Craig to Mid Canon and lots of action. Less pressure from anglers allowed the fish … Read more

Mid Week Missouri River Fishing Report June 28th

Mid Week Missouri River Fishing Report June 28th

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Mid Week Missouri River Fishing Report June 28th We’ll give you the bulleted list today on the Headhunters Fly Shop updated fly fishing report for June 28th. Lots of folks around and sunny skies have all smiling. If you have not made your reservation and think you want to come on out and enjoy? … Read more

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 6.26.15

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“Cosmic Dude”

Dan Gard would have said this. Or did. Or is.

Have not spoken to Dan this year but gotta believe the Ghost of Dan Present is here…sayin’

“Cosmic.”

I second that comment Dan.

Cosmic is the word. Honest.

Dry fly fishing is as good as you make it. As good as you could expect it. As good as you dream abouyt.

Except for the conversion rate. That is totally up to you.

Do you have to land the fish to count it? Some do, some don’t and yet other don’t care at all about the landed trout.

They are into the entire experience. In its entirety.

PMD’s off daily on the upper. How many? Enough. Some days the hatch is magnified. Others not so much.

Caddis on the lower reaches is the key. Just like the upper river fish will take a caddis, the lower river fish will take a PMD…but both prefer the former, or latter?

Yellow Sally’s can be part of your day too.

Drakes? Yes. Read John’s post a few days ago about the occurrences…

Blackfoot? On fire.

The Missouri River? On fire.

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Rainbow Release on the Missouri River

I was asked at the bar how I thought the fishing was. I stated…“Damn good.” The feller asked why I thought it was as such and I stated back…“When do you ever have as many opportunities at rising fish than right now.” And he said…“You know you are right. I pass several, if not dozens of rising fish till I come upon one I want to tangle with. if I stopped and fished to every rising fish I would consider it unbelievable.”

It is because where else do you have the opportunities like we are so very fortunate to have here on the Missouri River in June?

“I ask you where?”

Nymphers are delighted and so are the dry fly anglers. The weather is hot and getting hotter.

Will we survive? Yes.

Is it over? No.

Will the bugs hatch in the sun? They always have before. PMD’s and Caddis and Sally’s and Trico’s and Ants and Hoppers…are all sunny weather bugs. No?

Is it hot this weekend, or forecast? Oh yeah.

We sure love the summer here in Craig, the epi-center of fly fishing on the Mo.  Fly shops, Joe’s Bar, Izaak’s Restaurant, Wolf Creek, Cascade…all of it.

Visit us daily @ 630am and the latest open on the river til 9pm.

Missouri River June Saturday

Missouri River June Saturday

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]The calm before the storm. Almost.

Lots of folks on the river this fabulous weekend with the weather presenting a reason to slather on a cupful of Sunscreen!

Bustling as we move into the dry fly season. June is the tipping point for those who like to toss the dry fly…all day long.

Can you do it right now? Yep. Not the pod filled mornings and afternoons we all think of when dreaming about Missouri River dry fly fishing, but not bad none the less.

A few hints to keep in mind this month.

Missouri River June Saturday

  • Be courteous. Boat ramps, on the river, giving wade anglers a wide berth, wade anglers understanding that boats need a little space too…smiling.
  • First cast is the best cast. The 17th cast or presentation is not the one you want to rely on. The 1st cast is always the best. Remember that the element of surprise never falls out of favor.
  • Fish early, fish late. Go out early and get off early. Go out late and get off late. Headhunters is your all day long Missouri River fishing resource. We get here early to accommodate your fishing problem. Flies cost a couple bucks each. Counseling is expensive! Shuttles all day long too.
  • PMD’s are yellow in color.
  • Caddis fly like a wounded moth.
  • March Browns and BWO’s are all but gone. Some tiny mayfly shit happening that will drive you nuts. Do we have the fly for that sort of shenanigans? Yep. We call it a LaFontaine’s Buzzaball.
  • The Buzzball is King. Mark believes that wholly. He also writes this blog and is biased. He also believes that soda pop in a glass bottle tastes better. He also believes in 1st casts.
  • Splashy rise forms indicate tough to catch fish. random rises do not equal a hatch that you can predict. In this case, good drift catch fish. A tough nut to crack. Skittering caddis can work. Soft hackles can work. The Translucent Pupa is a fantastic fly for this erratic trout behavior.
  • Headhunters is the Funnest Fly Shop in the World.
  • Nymphs are on fire, most of the time. You can bump[ into a soft afternoon. It happens. Remember that when we fish during the golden hour before lunch and the fish will eat any type of drift good or bad…and then we head out after lunch and the fishing becomes more difficult…good drifts are more important when the fish become tight lipped!
  • Good drift catch fish. Both on the dry and on the nymph. Present properly and you will be rewarded more often.
  • When dry fly fishing it is important to cast at the fish. You can cast 12′-19′ above the fish, but you will not be rewarded. Cast at the fish. Short perfect drifts catch more fish.
  • We will have enough water to get us through the
  • Bring all your flies this time of year. All 3 disciplines are working. Bring all the rods too. If you need to DEMO a fantastic rod from SAGE, like the One, Method, Accel, Vantage, or Salt…we got ’em. Try it out on the river you love.
  • PMD’s for two months. Caddis for the next three? Trico’s in July. Terrestrials late this summer.
  • Not too early to book your fall trip to the Mo. Lodging and guides becoming booked. We are about half booked for the September-October time frame. An early warning. Well, a mid flight warning. By September the October dates are not as good.
  • Shop open at 7am. Earlier soon.
  • Summer is here and we love it. Happy Saturday to all of you!

 

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First just a few…then a few more.

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]First just a few…then a few more.

Saw a few of those June Mayflies today.

The lower is heating up with that ill flighted Trichoptera Gang.

The water temps are up and down. Well within the temperature range of our annual yellow Emphemerella emergence.

USGS.06066500.15.00010..20150527.20150603..0.

 

First just a few…then a few more.

Will they come? Soon. Soon my friends. We are right on the cusp.

The water flows will coming up as well as we adjust for the above normal rainfall this early part of June. The reservoir is filling on time @ 92.8% at press time. Inflows at Toston above historical averages now and climbing to 13K and beyond with the shower activity around the upper Missouri River drainage.

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Water coming up on the Missouri River

The caddis flies continue to impress in the middle and lower reaches. The upper reach is clean and fishing well, most of the time.

The weather has been seasonal and predictably unpredictable. Rain, thunder, lightning, sun, calm, overcast, and wind will make up the majority of your day out there. That is the June status quo.

Don’t get caught with your proverbial pants around your ankles without the proper gear. It can snow this month and commonly we see our last snow fall near the second week of June. Just sayin’. Bring good rain gear and warm clothing.

The bugs are coming. Soon.

First just a few…then a few more.

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Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 8.1.14

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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

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 6.21.14

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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!