Late summer on the Missouri – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

The late-summer switch has been flipped.

The lull is underway.

Early summer crowds have dwindled as the sun beats down, browning our green landscapes and supercharging the aquatic vegetation and ushering in the challenges (and advantages) of late summer fishing on the MO. More weeds equals fewer anglers. If you’re a regular on the MO you know the deal and while you will hear some chatter out there about how bad the weeds are, there is nothing out of the ordinary here. Embrace it. Deal with the weeds and enjoy the relative solitude August provides.

Low light, cool mornings are the norm as daylight hours continue to diminish. There’s definitely nothing wrong with getting that 6 AM start considering the afternoons have been on the slow side but as daytime highs start to trend downward you might want to extend that float and maximize your terrestrial options with breezy afternoon ants and hoppers.

Tricos in the mornings, Caddis, lingering PMD’s and terrestrials throughout the day and consistently good caddis action in the evenings. Nighttime is also the right time to give those mice a try.

Nymphing has been good (as always) and will continue to be your go-to for numbers. Maybe stick to the upper river to minimize weed-related challenges. Black Zebras, Tung Darts, Weight Flies, Pheasant Tails, Green Machines, Frenchies, Sow bugs, Claws R Crayfish, Zirdles, Nitro Caddis…all fine choices. Fish em’ deep or run short with pinch-ons, plying the fast shallows.

We’re continuously hit with questions about streamer fishing since having established ourselves as The Missouri River Streamer Authority, and we’re always happy to help but suffice it to say that late summer streamers can be a frustrating game with the aforementioned aquatic vegetation in play.

As far as we’re concerned it’s always worth your time to try it but if you’re someone who is just dabbling in the streamer game, you might want to wait until winter/spring or seek out cleaner waters. A couple of hours of hooking into seemingly every string of floating weeds in the river and having to constantly clean your rig could seriously end your desire to join the streamer club. That being said, it could also pay off big and you could hook the brown of a lifetime. The choice is yours but please proceed with caution.

The hopper bite has been so-so. Ants seem to be getting more attention so why not double your odds and run one of each. We like the More or Less hopper in peach and also in grey. Donkey Kong in yellow or pink could also be the ticket. And while these mimic the naturals pretty closely, we’ve found that it can sometimes be effective to mix up your hopper game, trying a Water Walker or Micro Chubby as opposed to a traditional hopper pattern .

Try the hopper – ant combo or drop a pheasant tail or green machine off of your hopper to cover all your bases.

We’ve adjusted our shop hours in accordance with what we’ve been seeing for early traffic and are now open daily at 7 AM for the foreseeable future. We’re continuing to offer early starts for guide trips if you’re into getting off of the water before the hottest part of the day but retail hours will be 7 – 5 for the time being.

Bug bins are stocked, we’re loaded up on sun protection and wet wading gear including the new Korkers sandals and wading shoes, and we’ve got plenty of everything you need for your day on the water including ice, a smorgasbord of floatants and the Cheapest Dam Shuttles on the MO!

How about a new dry fly or nymphing stick? SAGE R8’s have been flying off the rack but we’ve got plenty more and also have Foundations and Sonics as well as great rods from Echo, Lamson and Redington.

Come enjoy one of our favorite months to fish the MO. The crowds have gone (for the moment), the fish have not. Whatever you do, please don’t tell anyone about August on the MO, we’d hate for the secret to get out.