Trout

Dick's Top Ten Winter Swing Flies

Dick’s Top Ten Winter Swing Flies

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The Chronicles of Dick Magill Dick’s Top Ten Swing Flies November is one of my favorite months to swing flies on the Mo. Massive Rainbow and Brown Trout alike will absolutely destroy a swung fly. At times, the take can feel almost like your rod is getting ripped out of your hand. Savage. Here … Read more

An April Remeinder to not Tread on Redd

An April Reminder to not Tread on Redd

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An April Reminder to not Tread on Redd A reminder today regarding the Rainbow Trout Redds currently in the Missouri River. Don’t step on them. They, the eggs and trout doing the fragile incubation and spawning dance of tomorrows trout population, would like you to give them a break. Social distance yourself from those trout … Read more

Fish Smoker Friday

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Fish Smoker Friday

Been smoking cheese and fish for a couple weeks now.

I always feel, near the end of the month long smoking session, that I have got ‘er dicked. I have it figured out. I am on, in the zone, firing on all cylinders.

Until I watch videos like this one from ACME Fish in Brooklyn. This cat is on his game.

Was in NYC the summer and graced the smoked fish counter at Zabars on the Upper West Side a couple times.

Dreamy. Got lots of smoked fishes. And soft cheeses. And fresh baked French bread. And ate it up.

Enjoy your weekend. Looks pretty good on the Mo. Thursday was dead calm and overcast. Friday? Today? Good as well. Saturday good. Sunday snow.

I’ll be at home smoking more fish. Halibut this weekend. Brined and smoked. Then mixed into a salad for life on a cracker.

[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMZNo7lPYqg”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=xXZ6uqVDTc4&feature=emb_logo”][vc_column_text]And I had to put in this killer cheese vid…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEw9AdzmA-g”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Trout Spey Gear Roundup 2019-20

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s time for our annual Trout Spey Gear Roundup as “Swing Season” approaches. A month from today we will be getting after it pretty hard (some of us are now), and in two months we wont be doing much else. We like to think we have a pretty darn good selection of Ultra-light Spey gear, … Read more

Trout Spey Camp Event Page

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] DEDICATED EVENT PAGE We’ve created an EVENT PAGE for our first annual Trout Spey Camp so you can see a complete – but fluid – itinerary. I will keep updating the page as changes and additions are made. We’ve also included more detailed description of the clinics and how the event will roll out. … Read more

Sage Trout Spey HD

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]“Swing Season” is just around the corner, and we’ve even been out doing some prospecting with our ultra-light Spey Rods already. While we’re still in the middle of dry fly season, we’re starting to get some tackle questions revolving around Trout Spey gear for the fall. The biggest rod announcement of the season is the … Read more

Weekend Tip: Keep Those Hands Down

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Look at this picture and let it burn into your memory banks. For you spey junkies planning on hitting then river this weekend, here’s a tip. In fact it’s THE tip. This is without a doubt the #1 mistake that beginning (and intermediate & sometimes advanced) spey casters make: They let their hands and arms … 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

Missouri River Spey Report

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Trout Spey Fishing Report for Late-October We are in full “swing” on the Missouri River, and it’s easy to spot anglers exploring the Missouri River with their Trout Spey rods. Recent warm weather has hurt the fishing for both the single and two-handed crowd. “Inconsistent” would be the best word to describe our current … Read more

Swing Season 2017-18 is Here!

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’ve been swinging with our two-handers for a few weeks now, and we know a few of you have as well. In our brains, the 1st of November is the beginning of “Swing Season”, but as the weeds disappear from the Missouri River and the Brown Trout start to move, we can’t resist. Some of us have even been exploring further form home, using our Trout Spey rods to fish places we’re familiar with but haven’t approached down and across before.

Despite anemic runs of Steelhead, we’ve heard a few decent reports from the Clearwater/Snake/Ronde systems. If you’re headed that way in the next few weeks we wish you luck. Unfortunately, the State of Idaho decided to open a limited “kill” season for the handful of Steelhead that returned to the upper Columbia tributaries. That won’t help your success, but it may do further harm to a fragile resource. If you do catch a Steelhead, take care to land him quickly (not on the beach) and release him gently. Steelhead have enough problems already.

CURRENT SWINGING CONDITIONS – MISSOURI RIVER

Right now things are pretty good for the swing. Water temps are right, and the drifting weeds have decreased to the point that you won’t be pulling your hair out. Both floating and sinking lines will work this time of year, and if you ever wanted to try and skate up a trout on an October Caddis, now’s the time. For streamers, we recommend sticking with our typically small and flashy Clouser’s, Kreelex’s, Skiddish Smolts and the like. Small Buggers like the Thin Mint are also a good call. If you need your fly to be bigger, stick to a heavy sink tip and bury that sucker between the Dam and Craig.

Most freestones in the region should be in play as well. Warm weather this week will keep the water temps on the Madison, Jefferson, Yellowstone, etc. in the right zone. Where you can target Bull Trout you may have some interesting options as well.

SPEY CLINICS

We will continue to offer our free Spey Clinics again this year. Like last season, we will be offering 1 day clinics on two separate weekends. The first clinics will be on December 2nd and 3rd. The second session will be February 10th and 11th. Sign up at the shop or call 406-235-3447. Space is limited to 12 students per session. We always have waiting lists for these clinics, so don’t sign up because you’re bored. Our free clinics are designed for those new to spey casting, so please don’t suck up a spot if you’ve attended in past years. We will likely be holding a few advanced clinics for more experienced casters, so keep your eyes peeled.

Clinic Details:

  • 9am to 3pm or later.
  • Pastries, Coffee and Juice provided.
  • 1.5 hour presentation and Q&A session. Remainder of the day is on-water.
  • Rods provided, but bring your own if you have one!
  • Demo lines available to use with your rod.
  • FREE!

TROUTSPEY

Last season, we began to make the shift from light Steelhead gear to Troutspey gear, and we will pretty much complete that transition this season. While we will still carry a small assortment of “steelhead” rods (and a bigger assortment of lines), we will focus on Montana waters and the ultralight gear designed for them. The majority of the demo gear in the shop (and at our clinics) will be Troutspey rods and reels designed for <350 grains.

We will also be adding a few more rod models in the shop this season, including rods from Gary Anderson Custom Rods (ACR) built in Rogue River, OR. Some have already arrived and more models are on the way.

Swing by the shop if you have any questions about spey rods, spey reels, spey lines, sink tips, leaders, shooting lines, or anything else. Our staff will be happy to help you get setup for the season.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Hangman Spey Video – Mike McCune

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/215850449/settings/privacy” video_title=”1″][vc_column_text]Here’s a valuable casting video Mike McCune and I recently shot. Valuable because it is the spey cast I see Mike executing more often than not when we are trout fishing. I have had a number of customers ask me about this cast (it can be seen on other video’s Mike and I have done) and I often refer to it as Mike’s “Pendulum” cast, but Mike refers to it as the “Hangman”. The Hangman possesses a couple of very important advantages over other casts that Mike covers in this video.

This cast is especially suited to the short and light heads we use with our trout spey rods here in Montana. Many of our customers strive to achieve Mike’s completely effortless style of Skagit casting, and this cast is part of that formula.

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Friday Foto Rainbow Trout Image

Friday Foto Rainbow Trout Image

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Friday Foto Rainbow Trout Image TGIF. It’s on. Good to great BWO hatches with midge on the water all day long. A good weekend ahead. Water levels stable for the time being. Nymphing all over the river including some of the better looking water. Shorter in the afternoons? In the mornings? The fish are not … Read more

Missouri River April May Fly Fishing Forecast

Missouri River April May Fly Fishing Forecast

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Missouri River April May Fly Fishing Forecast Squeeky attended the annual Upper Missouri River water Advisory Meeting last week and got the skinny on the upcoming water flow predictions and the update on the trout populations. Lots of folks in the room from dam operators, the power company, FWP agents and biologists, TU Conservation, UMOWA … Read more

River Nomads Video

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/182807553″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Pat Clayton – CEO at Fisheyeguy Photography –  and I put together another “Life Aquatic” nature video, this time featuring some of the original Montana natives… Bull Trout. Took some work and some bushwhacking but we got some very nice footage, and of course Pat’s incredible underwater still images. And this is Pat’s first serious effort with some underwater video. Really cool watching big Bull Trout pay Pat no never mind. That’s what Apex predators do.

If you like Pat’s images – and you’re a social media buff – I highly recommend following him on Facebook. Great images, humor and some conservation commentary. I’ve said it before, but Pat’s devotion to trout and the rivers they inhabit is incredible.

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State of the Missouri River Craig Montana 8.26.16

State of the Missouri River Craig Montana 8.26.16

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State of the Missouri River Craig Montana 8.26.16 Bringing you the State of the Missouri River Craig Montana 8.26.16. Headhunters is the information source on the banks of the famed Missouri River. Keep it tuned here for your daily bite of trout information, education, and trout fishing entertainment. So how are we doing as we move … Read more

The Montana Story 40 Years of Success Video

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The Montana Story 40 Years of Success Video

Awesome. A great story about this great state.

It is why we have trout like no others.

Period.

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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.

MRDF 455 Lab Summer Quarter 2016

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MRDF 455. Lab only. 3-5cr.(days) Summer Quarter. Class location Missouri River Craig MT.

Missouri River Dry Fly 455. PREREQUISITE: An intense desire to learn. Examines and explores Missouri River dry fly technique primarily with mayflies. Dry fly casting techniques will include reach cast, slack line presentations, wind casting, double haul, down and across presentations, tiny fly pattern ID, low profile casting situations, stalking movement procedures. You will learn that failure is a big part of the learning curve. Requires early mornings, patience, GINK, Frog’s Fanny, line cleaner, and a couple beers in the cooler. Class size limited.

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Headhunters University

Education comes first

Our business is built on education. It is even in our mission statement. Entertainment, information, education, and customer service for the Missouri River trout angler. And we practice those values daily. Whether it be your 1st day to the MO or your 1000th we know that you are interested in bettering your game. Stepping it up. That is why we believe so strongly in angler education.

From our free Trout Spey Clinics in the winter months to our always free casting lessons on our casting lane here in Craig to fishing with our experienced tenured guide staff and into the fly shop where our fish driven staff will help you with all things trout. Headhunters Fly Shop is centered around education.[/vc_column_text][us_grid columns=”2″ post_type=”attachment” items_quantity=”” images=”16267,16270″ orderby=”post__in” items_gap=”4px” items_layout=”gallery_default” img_size=”us_600_600_crop” overriding_link=”popup_post_image” breakpoint_1_cols=”2″ breakpoint_2_width=”768px” breakpoint_3_width=”480px” breakpoint_2_cols=”4″ breakpoint_3_cols=”2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Sound like something you might be interested in? Summer technical dry fly fishing. Mayflies are the primary vehicle to success with caddis, terrestrials, and other attractors too. But the focus is centered on figuring out the often frustrating mayfly stage and emulating it perfectly. Behaviors of the summer feeding trout will frankly dry you mad. If you enjoy any of the concepts above you might be ready.

Pale Morning Duns, Trico’s, March Browns, Blue Winged Olives, Callibaetis will keep you busy whenever your calendar allows you to visit our 35 mile long campus. Even if you didn’t have good grades in school this venue is very accepting. Although the trout do make the final evaluation!

Have you ever wanted to go back to college? Yeah, me neither. But, but you have never wanted to stop learning. Why not enroll at Trout U here in Craig Montana.

A ton of the annual returning Missouri River anglers book these time periods a year in advance. In fact, most who know of this affliction, who are admittedly infected, have been a fixture for years, a decade, or even a quarter century. Most of their adult lives in the same place, at the same time…yearly.

Winter fishing on the Mo is a bitch. Summer is not.

The dream time periods for the class above include June and July. Another good window of dry fly action in the middle two weeks of May which falls around the Craig Caddis Festival and BBQ Cook-off Saturday May 21st. Another great session in the latter part of October. August is good too, but you might call the class

MRAF 305. Lab Only. Summer Quarter. Missouri River MT.

Missouri River Attractor Fly 305. Hoppers, ants, and your favorite generic attractor patterns are in vogue in August. Long cast, high floating flies, and spectacular brown trout eats will keep you busy for the month of August. Tricky, difficult techy small dry fly fishing available in the mornings with your afternoons filled with the big fly. For big trout.

Headhunters encourages daily learning

Headhunters is the education location while in Craig Montana. The education leader on Montana’s Missouri River. Whether you’ll be joining us reading this daily blog, enjoying the videos on Headhunters TV, or enrolling in Headhunters Trout University for the 2016 school year. We are all about education.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_grid columns=”2″ post_type=”attachment” items_quantity=”” images=”16271,16269″ orderby=”post__in” items_gap=”4px” items_layout=”gallery_default” img_size=”us_600_600_crop” overriding_link=”popup_post_image” breakpoint_1_cols=”2″ breakpoint_2_width=”768px” breakpoint_3_width=”480px” breakpoint_2_cols=”4″ breakpoint_3_cols=”2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/101744402″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Missouri River Trout Spey Report 11.23.15

Missouri River Trout Spey Report 11.23.15

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Missouri River Trout Spey Report 11.23.15

It’s been pretty good.

The number of good runs for winter fishing here on the Missouri River is what makes us feel fortunate to be here during the several cold and snowy months.

Great runs for winter swinging. The Missouri is full of them. A a fun time to be here because you really get your choice of them. Left and right banks provide you so much water that you will not get tired of this river. We never tire of the MO.

But we are trapped here. All winter long. Hence the two handed rod. An effective tool.

While dreaming of warmer climates we simply return to the Mother Missouri.

The fish are moving into the winter trout lies. Slower and lower. Softer and shallower too. The boring water. They are moving that way.

The fish in this last week had changed location from the previous week. 2 weeks ago the fish would get on the bite early in the swing. In the faster riffle water. And they would take it hard.

I saw less of that behavior this last week. The fish have been eating it for me in the latter half of the swing. Towards the bottom. On the dangle. Twitching it or short strips enticed a few fish to eat.

The twitch or jig was working well. Most of the fish ate it not on the swing, but when I was imparting action to the streamer. Or just after the strip on the pause. But nevertheless becoming involved with your drift is important.

A local fish philosopher once said…

You can either let it happen, or make it happen.

Choose the latter.

The great thing about fishing is that you get to choose how you do it. Every angler is different and has different ideas of how to get that damn trout to bite the hook. You can dictate your destiny. You getta choose the outcome. You get a seat at the spey retrieval table. Check out the video by Scumliner Media McCune Retrieval Techniques blog that precedes this post for more on this topic.

Skagit or Scandi? Flies too.

Flies for the swinger the past couple weeks include some of the streamer all-stars for all river systems. Including the Missouri River in that equation the flies we love include smaller lighter buggers. Those tossing a Skagit line have been using an Intermediate tip or a MOW tip with an un-weighted bugger. Black and olive have been the favorites.

Missouri River Trout Spey Report 11.23.15
Montana’s best Trout Spey selection here in Craig Montana @ Headhunters Fly Shop and Guide Service

Have not heard of Skagit fellers adding the bigger deeper tips. But they may be. It is so skinny most everywhere that many Skagit anglers are using dry tips as well. Or the lighter set for the water level of 3300 cfs. No weeds to contend with. The not as weedy season has rewarded us with a not so weedy fall and early winter.

Those throwing the sleek Scandi lines have been using the beaded Bugger. Lighter floating tips encourage a bit of weight in the pattern.

Clousers, buggers, R2R, a couple flavors of the ever popular Kreelex, leeches of all kinds, sculpin patters, the slender Marabou Clousers, Skiddish Smolts in trad., brown, and olive..and more.

Trout Spey Rod & Line DEMO’s. Best Trout Spey selection in Montana.

Remember that Headhunters has demo spey lines for you to try before you buy. Also remember that we stock all things Skagit starting @ RIO Skagit Trout Max 200gr and OPST Skagit 175 gr. on up to the 6, 7 and 8weight spey rods. We have the Scandi selections that nobody else has in Montana. We have the lighter spey  and switch lines from Airflo, RIO, OPST, and SA.

Backing, running lines of all types, leaders and tippets too. We are the Trout Spey HQ in Montana.

Rods from Orvis, SAGE, Echo, and more here available for DEMO daily.

November and December ahead…

We are just beginning our Swing Season. Pretty good so far. Much better than the not-so-great fall dry fly bite. The stripping streamer bite was hit and miss too. So as we move out of the unbelievable late fall/early winter nymph mania we are encouraged the the November swinging success stories.

December is traditionally a great Trout Spey month. Our clinics get under way, the river is devoid of any sane anglers, and the fish seem to be amenable to the twitchy trout swinging syndrome.

Come by and see us if you are interested, have any questions, want to sniff around a shop that digs the winter action, are lonely, need a pick me up, or got lost coming home from Bozeman and need to spend a long weekend in Craig MT.

The epicenter of winter angling in Montana. 

 

 

 

Silly Sunday Scenery

Silly Sunday Scenery

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Howling again on Saturday! Blowing pretty hard. Overcast in the afternoon may have made the bite heat up.

Certainly a better post lunch byte than during the morning session.

Those trout out there look real, real, healthy. Big dogs.

Get in on some of the fatty bows on the Mo this coming week. A good mix of anglers here this weekend from Boise, C’DA, Bozeman, Calgary, Helena, Great Falls, and who could forget Havre.

Experiencing the trout dream daily here in central Montana.

The landscape is nearly all brown and tan ad shades thereof. Hence the B & W image today. Really the only color in our personal landscape is the Rainbow Trout.

That in itself will get us through the winter.

Missouri River Week in Review: Images

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Just fun times here on the Mo this last week.

Following last weekend, Labor Day, with the Browns and Brews Festival here in Craig.

Rainy times. Then we moved into a sunny and warmer week with Trico’s in the morning, higher and brighter sunny skies with air temps reaching towards the 90F mark.

Missouri River Week in Review: Images
Hot days on the Mo!

Hot for sure. The fishing for the most part better int he afternoons with the owning session often slow.

The week ahead is approaching with cooler temps and more seasonable weather patterns. We want it to be more fall-like. We like tint BWO’s and afternoon mega hatches.

While the Trico’s will get you fired up, how about an overcast ceiling for 2 months!

Sunday morning below Craig. Lots of Trico's. And, and fish eating them.
Sunday morning below Craig. Lots of Trico’s. And, and fish eating them.

Big fish being caught too. A few over the hallowed 20″ mark in both flavors. Bigger browns are showing along with the super strong and virile rainbows on the upper river. A nice time to be around.

Like I mentioned above we have variable weather this month. Be prepared for highs to reach toward 90F and the lows in the mornings to be below 40F. So the selection of appropriate fishing clothes can be vast.

A sun-shirt acting as a base layer. Then a hoody or a secondary layer followed by your puffball. And don’t forget the rain gear and maybe even some gloves. Come prepared for Rocky Mountain fall weather.

Missouri River Week in Review: Images
Ben Hardy landing a nice lower canyon fish.

The entire river is fishing well. Good reports from all floating the Dam, the Wolf Creek section, below Craig, the canyon, and the lower river. Plenty for everyone to spread out and truly enjoy their favorite stretch.

Long time Headhunters Guide Ben Hardy stated yesterday that he had floated every reach but the Dam in the lat 3 days. Prewitt to Cascade, Wolf Creek to Dearborn, and Craig to Prewitt. That about covers it all.

News Flash: The Dam is fishing well. Lots of big trout on tiny flies like the Zebra.

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Blackfoot River in September. A nice place to be.

Don’t forget about the Blackfoot this late September. It is a skinny rough trip. Worth it? Oh yeah.

Fall is a wonderful time to be here. Give us a shout if you need any help finding lodging or guide services. The colors are turning and the fish are happy!

 

 

Silly Sunday Scenery Brown Trout Edition #47

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Brown Trout on the dry fly.

The big fly.

Looking like a July week ahead. A 2015 July week with unsettled weather. Looking like a high on Monday of 52F. A typical non-typical year.

The cooler weather should keep some of the pressure from the bikini clad gang…not that there is anything wrong with that. We like everybody. Remember that it is all about intention.

Out early to beat the rest of the troops. Can work.

The upper river fish are getting nearly impossible to catch on a dry. Specifically if you don’t commit to drag free drifts. Headhunters that continually slide the fly over the head of the target may be disappointed. Not for the weak at heart. For the strong, try the reach cast. When you hear folks at the bar stating that the reach or some sort of slack line presentation is imperative for success, they are not lying.

Late July fish and early June fish are two completely different creatures.

Totally different. Opposite ends of the spectrum.

Back to your weekend. We are open early in Craig. Coffee is generally ready at 6am for your eye opener. Joe’s open at 8am. Izaak’s at 4pm for your dining needs. Check out Craiglodging.com for any accommodations. Big SALE Rack developing outside the front door.

Trico’s all over, up and down. Some days more than others. Attractors working well. Caddis hit an miss. PMD’s all but gone. Nymphing report? Good on the insides and weed-lee’s. Come on by for any fly help or suggestions. We love to talk about the Missouri!

Stupor busy up top near the Dam. If you like a quieter experience, go elsewhere. Less stuffed elsewhere.

Come by and check out the NRS Freestone Inflatable Driftboat with a new drain system. Just awesome.

Adipose Drifters available every day for rent too. We have waders for rent as well as fly rods, reels, demo fly lines, trout spey rods, anchors, shuttles, free river maps, and a Coke machine that mostly works…

See you this week ahead.

 

Montana trout spey

Trout Spey

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HAVE WE CROSSED A LINE?

We wrapped up Spey clinic #3 this weekend, with 2 to go. It was a great group and the weather was fantastic. A SE wind forced the class to stick to their left shoulder for most of the day, so the double spey took center stage. By the end, we were working on off-shoulder snap T’s as well. There was some skill in the latest group, with several casters looking to fine-tune things, as well as try new lines on existing sticks.

We also had a new caster with a long-belly rig in the mix. I haven’t taught a new two-handed caster with a long-belly line in at least 15 years. In every class, I emphasize how much easier it is to learn with Skagit and Scandi shooting heads than with long-belly lines. This was confirmed to me in a big way this Sat. It felt like throwing sewing thread compared to a “head”. Rod position and timing are critical at every step. Kudo’s to this and any angler who wants to learn like that. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

The most interesting event happened right as we walked down to the river. There was an angler swinging a two-handed rod right on our “private” casting run. Now, it’s not really private, but you’re probably not going to walk there from a public access. This angler gained access through a neighboring piece of property, and was someone who I have seen over the years.

There is no conflict story here. I went out and talked to this local Spey-afficianado, and he was totally cool about the class. Headed off to another spot anyhow. But the fact that he was there made realize that we may have crossed a threshold when it comes to swinging the Missouri River with two-handers in the winter months. We have been doing these clinics for 3 years now, and It’s never even crossed my mind that there would be someone swinging in our classroom.[/vc_column_text][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][us_image image=”9716″ size=”full” link=”” onclick=”lightbox”][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][vc_column_text]If you fish the Missouri River in the winter, you’ve noticed this transformation. Lots of rigs with magnetic rod holders on the hood, and an array of switch and spey rods on them. And it’s been like that for a few years.

But recently, I’ve noticed another change. Anglers are not coming in the store asking about spey casting and fishing. They’re coming in asking for it. In other words, we’re hearing less “what kind of line do I need for my spey rod”, and more “I need a 390 grain Scandi compact head”.

In other words, we seem to have crossed from the world of curiosity to a world of competence. It’s becoming more about the fishing (flies, spots, sink tip rates, etc.), and less about the newess, trendiness and curiosity of Spey rods. This I like.

Yesterday I had a long talk with Spey Casting guru Mike McCune about our upcoming clinic with him and Whitney Gould. This same subject came up, and Mike agreed that a new legion of trout-swingers is forming. Guys that aren’t doing it a little when Steelhead opportunities don’t exist, but doing it all the time because they like it, and it’s effective.

Although Mike is known as a Steelhead guru and spends his time fishing on the West Coast’s best rivers, he’s really into the trout spey thing. Both he and Whitney love the Missouri River, and Mike told me that Brown Trout have moved way up his list of coolest fish on the planet, and sit right behind Winter Steelhead at #2.

I consider myself lucky to live on one of the better “trout spey” rivers in the West, and am stoked to see so many other anglers getting into it.

In a few more years we may find ourselves driving down to the Dam in January and saying, “hey look, a guy with a single hander and a bobber!”.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]