wade fishing

It's as good as you are...

It’s as good as you are…

by

Today’s Missouri River Montana Fly Fishing Report is as follows…

It’s as good as you are. Simple and true.

 

The yearly statement about your skill level and how it correlates to your catch rate. John and I were talking about this concept on the porch a couple evenings ago. And it rings true every year this time of year extending into and through August.

We are of course speaking about the dry fly end of the spectrum, but can certainly be applied to the nymphing game as well. If you rock your own boat and row it down the river this is certainly true. You gotta know where the fish live and feed. Then your angler, the feller in the bow, must execute the drift properly and let’s hope you have a grip on the trout bait of the day. Then you can find success.

But back to the original question and answer. Q: “How’s the fishing?” A: “As good as you are.”

What does that mean? It means that the insects are doing their part. Hatching daily, somewhat predictable spinner falls, and rising in/at consistent locations. It means that you are required to do your part. Cast well, drift better, and set the hook.

Those anglers who cast better, drift better, fish better catch more fish.

No offense intended to those anglers who do not posses the upper level skill sets. That is not we we intend by this post. Lots of parallels in other sports. Those who play more basketball score more points. Those who ski 50+ days a year are more comfortable skiing steeper terrain. Those who either practice casting and/or fish more often catch more of our late July finicky freely rising trout. Just that simple.

A few tips that can improve your experience here on the Missouri River for the remainder of the summer include…

    • Approach the fish gingerly and with care. It is the time of the year when your anchor needs to be deployed quietly. No stomp and splash actions please. Those fish will vanish quickly.
    • The high and bright sun puts the trout in a defensive mode. Wen it is sunny, predators from above can spot fish easily and the trout instinctively are aware of the danger. A presentation that drags over the trout can put them down.
    • Make a couple practice casts beside the fish first and get yourself into a successful situation. Measure the line you need, understand the drift, and then make that first presentation.
    • There is no rush. the fish are feeding. You do not have to get in there fast. Haste makes waste. It truly does. Approach the rising trout with a plan and execute it. It is not a race to see has rapidly you can get rid of those sipping trout.
    • Use a reach cast or the proper cast for each situation. Generally a slack line presentation of some sort should be employed. That is what the practice casts next to your target are good for. Understanding the drift before your present the fly to the fish. I have always said that 99 of 100 dry fly casts here on the Missouri River are reach casts. That means more than 1 in a row. That means 99 of 100. The fly has to be drag free nearly all of the time so those who continually drag the fly over across and around the fish cannot expect to have the fish eat the fly. So commonly we are using a dead bug pattern like a spinner. Spinner are dead. Dead flies do not swim. IF the fly is dragging violently you cannot blame the fly pattern. The only one to blame is?
    • Practice casting at home. Those who see their casting instructor, or just pull the fly rod from the tube a few times before the trip…catch more fish. The conversion rate is much higher.
    • If you are approaching the trout on foot…walk quietly. They are wild animals and suspect the worst. They may not go down, but they are aware of your presence. If you are approaching via boat, anchor a ways away and sneak up on them!

Just a few reminders for those who love to stalk rising trout. Do yourself a favor and practice a few times before coming. Casting wildly in-between rising trout does not qualify as practicing. Enjoy the river and enjoy this time of year. It really is fantastic dry fly fishing. Kind of as good as it gets. Really.

[forecast]

Max Speaks!

Max Speaks!

by

One of our new shop All-Stars speaks today on the Headhunters Blog.

Max is a recent graduate of University of Montana. He has been a great addition to our fantastic fishy staff here in Craig. Max wrote this about his fishing day a few days ago. Thanks Max.

One addendum…there are fish rising to small dry flies now! It has just happened with daily PMD and caddis events.

Pictured above is my good friend and fishing buddy Travis Rehm, with an awesome Missouri River brown that he caught on a size 18 BWO spinner this week. High wind speeds during the afternoon screwed up the Blue Wing action so we didn’t find as many heads as we would have liked, but we did find a few rising fish and were able to get them to eat—but only a few. So we mainly fished small dries blind along the shallow grass banks.

It has been my observation that one of the most productive techniques lately is this blind dry fly fishing. I look for small riffles in shallow water, usually less that a foot deep, and fish the inside seams with small attractor-dries that I can see  i.e. Parachute Adams, Bloom’s Parachute Caddis, Hi-Vis Spinner etc.

The fish that I have found feeding in the shallow, quick water have been the easiest to catch, whereas the podded up fish in the slick water have been the trickiest—so if you find a fish up feeding  right next to the  bank in the shallows it is likely that it will eat on the first pass. It is also likely that it is a nice brown. The presentation is more important than the pattern for these fish (in my opinion) because the Mo has been somewhat between hatches this week so fish aren’t seeing a ton of food on the surface (also my opinion).

I haven’t seen an epic day yet this summer with small dries, but the brown in this photo is a perfect example of what you can catch on any given day while we wait for the caddis and PMD hatches to really take off.

One thing I have learned during my short time here at Headhunters is that The Missouri is the only river where I can go out in an evening and catch four or five quality rainbows and browns on tiny dry flies, and still feel like I got my ass kicked because I was unable to get one of the really big noses to take my fly down. Humbling is an understatement. I learn a little more about fly fishing and a little more about myself every time I fish this river.

The clouds this week and ever-increasing water temps should bring some phenomenal dry fly fishing our way. Needless to say, I’m stoked!

Thanks Max for the report. Max wrote this about the fishing a few days ago and the small dry fly deal is happening. Many of our guides have been enjoying the blind dry fly game as of late. They believe you can net just as many tossing a blind dry than you can with the nymph. Hmm. The Missouri is a dry fly river. Honest.

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 4.5.14

by

Yes pretty damn good. We add the sun divide the breeze multiply the fun and come up w/ the quotient this week as we have been in dire need of it for months.

The sun.

So fishing is a 7 with 1 point awarded for the comfort of air temperature.

The weekend weather is great. We look forward to fishing without gloves, snow toques, boat heaters and whiskey.

Just weak black coffee and a handful of streamers.

Streamer Fishing Report

Streamer fishing? Better than a stick in the eye. Great? Not really.

Some days are better than others. Again today reports across the spectrum. Some days are better than others.

Leeches of all flavors. Black, purple, red, olive and aural grey. They seem to be attracting the right kind of followers. Also this streamer pattern made for the Missouri River which the name has escaped me but it works. It is an articulated Sparkle Minnow. A double hooked R2R. Come in and see it. It is just killer.

Home Invaders, R2R’s, Coffey Sparkle Minnow in Smoke colors, Black Buggers, Micro Zonkers, full sized Zonkers in white or natural, Egg Suckers in purple or black, Skiddish in brown or olive, Shiela, Space Invaders, Kreelex…

Dries?

Did not see may. But a few. A few, not more. More bugs Thursday and even more Friday. Today? Maybe they will rise.

Nymphers Dee-Light

Getting it done. PINK, Worms, a bundle of differing FB’s, PINK, Zebra’s, Exploding Midge, Newman’s Own, Don Ming, Dominick’s Dam Midge, Red Flasher, Stupor Sparkler…

Missouri River Weekend Weather

[forecast]

Better huh? Sun. Let’s hope it continues for 7 months.

Water Levels and Temps

In the mid 6K range. Temps are moving upwards and the sun penetration will help move the mercury higher. Can you say 40F soon? I can hear you brother and I applaud your exclamation!]

How about 42F for Skwala’s and BWO’s. Soon.

Headhunters Fly Shop & Guide Service

Party time tomorrow Sunday the 6th. Fun in the sun with a BBQ hosted by Orvis and Izaak’s. See you around 4pm for Craig MT April fun. You might like it.

See you daily @ 8am. We got your slot for the $300 Guide Trips. Headhunters is your lodging connection too. Why not book both at the same time? Seems reasonable.

Spring is here and the dry fly bite will start soon. Do a simple dry fly jig in your living room. If you are embarrassed, do it in your garage. We’ll take either and we appreciate your dancing even if your wife does not.