Shop Life Archives - Page 8 of 23

Summer Heat

Summer heat has started to take its toll around the state with an increase in wild fire activity and Hoot Owl closures on many of our rivers. That being said, the Missouri is still flowing relatively cold and has not yet approached the water conditions which would dictate a Hoot Owl closure, that being three consecutive days with water temps reaching 73 degrees. We’re currently seeing water temps in the 65 – 67 degree range at the dam which means lower river temps are likely considerably warmer. It’s time to put that stream thermometer to work and start keeping track of water temps throughout the day. Once that water hits 67 it’s time to stop fishing!

Daytime highs in the 90’s all this week will exacerbate the situation but hopefully the relatively cool nighttime lows will keep us in good shape until things cool down. We’ve been starting our guide trips early (6 – 6:30 AM ) and will continue to do so until conditions improve. Traffic has thinned to the point where we’re not as concerned about the pressure on the fish but you can expect your guide to check water temps frequently and as stated above, once that temp hits 68 degrees, it’s time to quit fishing and sit back and enjoy the summer scenery.

The bite has slowed a bit but hopper fishing has been good enough and Tricos are providing daily opportunities for those who can get it done. Nymphing has been hit or miss and has been increasingly challenging with a fair amount of weeds now in the system. Warm water, hot sun, weeds….it’s August on the MO but don’t let that scare you. There are plenty of fish to be caught out there, it’s just a matter of modifying your techniques to fit the conditions and perhaps adjusting your expectations.

The crowds are gone and the bugs are here. Get on early. Get off early and leave the heat of the day to the rec floaters.

The shop is still opening at 6:30 AM Monday – Saturday. Closing time has been somewhat random as we’ve been known to cut out early when it’s blazing hot out there. We’ve officially changed our Sunday hours to 7 AM – 2 PM to accommodate staff changes as our summer crew is soon to be cut in half as Phil returns to school next week.

Should you decide to add a visit to the MO to your late summer agenda we’ve got all kinds of lodging available and could likely even come up with a guide for you.

Great end of summer deals on Simms summer gear and much more at Wolf Creek Angler.

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-08-09T11:50:25-06:00August 9th, 2022|Categories: Shop Life|Tags: fly fishing, Hoot Owl Closures, Hoppers, Missouri River, Montana, running line, simms, tricos, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Dog Days of Summer

The Dog Days of Summer have officially arrived.

It’s the time of the summer season when angling traffic slows to a crawl and most of those on the water are there to keep cool while enjoying the summer sun. If you find yourself fishing on the weekend you will likely be outnumbered by at least 3:1, rec floaters to drift boats.

With daytime highs in the 90’s and nearing 100 over the weekend I’d expect this trend to continue.

Fishing has remained good though it’s been markedly slower as of late with the added challenge of weeds now a part of the equation. They aren’t terrible. We’ve seen them much worse but you’d be wise to prepare yourself mentally for the challenge.

Tricos have been consistent with an abundance of bugs daily. Fish up have not been as consistent but if you put in the time you’ll find some willing players. Evening caddis action has been the better option, particularly at last light and into the darkness.

Small hoppers, Chubbys, Micro Chubbys and various ants have all provided decent mid-day action with or without a nymph dropper and blind fishing a Caddis throughout the day will get some looks as well.

And speaking of nymphs…if you opt for the bobber game Tailwater Sows, Frenchies, S & M’s, Green Machines, Purple Weight Flies, Tung Darts, Peep Shows, PT’s, Black or Olive Zebra midges, Olive or Purple lightning bugs and Nitro Caddis are all good options.

We even tried some night ops this week with the fur balls but were thwarted by the after-dark caddis smorgasbord and later by a howling north wind.

The traffic has been primarily in the Wolf Creek to Stickney section so maybe opt for the canyon or below if you’re looking to minimize contact with other humans. What the lower river lacks in ease of access it often makes up for in solitude and the occasional hopper hunting big brown but be prepared to deal with a fair amount of weed mass.

We’re continuing to open at 6:30 AM for the time being but will likely adjust accordingly as traffic and daylight dictate.

End of Summer Sale on now with 25% off most summer gear as we make room for fall arrivals.

Lodging is plentiful and guide trips are more or less available for the next few weeks as we close out the summer season and shift our focus towards fall. Take advantage of the solitude while you can as it looks to be a busy September/October on the MO. And if fall fishing is your plan we’d advise you book those dates sooner rather than later as we’re filling up fast.

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-07-28T08:08:37-06:00July 28th, 2022|Categories: Shop Life|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, Missouri River, running line, tricos, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Summer Solitude

Deep in the heart of summer here on the MO and all is well in our world.

The hatches have been consistent. The flows are near perfect when they’re not getting bounced around. The weather, while a little unstable, has been pleasant with cool evenings and mornings and just enough heat in the day to remind you it’s our hottest month of the year. The fish are happy and hungry and the crowds have thinned to the point where there is plenty of solitude to be found on the water which isn’t great for us but which should make you drop what you’re doing and head to the MO for one of the better dry fly seasons we’ve had in recent memory.

A good number of inflatables out there on the weekends so maybe skip those days or just get a super early start and be off the water before they get there. Or just fish in the midst of them and be happy that everyone is out there enjoying the resource.

We’ve been starting our trips early (6:30 – 7), leaving the heat of the day to the rec crowd. The heat of summer has started to have an effect on some of our regional waters with the Sun, the Smith and the Madison all on Hoot Owl restrictions. Hopefully with these steady flows in the 4K range, plenty of water in Canyon Ferry and these cool overnight temps we’ll steer clear of the Hoot Owl here on the Missouri.

Tricos are your early morning and daytime target with caddis providing some near-dark evening action. Hoppers and ants should also be in the mix with or without a nymph dropper.

Those choosing to chase the bobber are getting the numbers with sow bugs, Green Machines, Zebra midges, Frenchies, Purple or Gold Weight flies, Nitro Caddis, S & M’s and pheasant tails.

Plenty of lodging available right now and maybe even a guide or two available though that’s definitely been hit or miss.

Rental boats are finally available again after a busy three weeks.

It’s really the perfect time to sneak away to the MO where the fishing has been epic, the weather and water conditions couldn’t be any better and you might just have it to yourself. Whatever you do, don’t tell anybody!!

We’re open at 6:30 AM daily for all of your Missouri River fly fishing needs.

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-07-19T13:15:20-06:00July 19th, 2022|Categories: Shop Life|Tags: caddis, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, Missouri River, running line, tricos, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|0 Comments

Summer Days on the Missouri

Summer officially arrived last week and with it The Blur which is how we refer to this portion of the season when days blur together and the busy weeks we anticipate, prepare for and look forward to all year fly past, carrying us to the Dog Days of August and soon after the start of the fall season. Do you have your fall dates booked? It’ll be here before you know it.

We saw some fluctuations in flows last week which left some frustrated, but things have since stabilized and we’re currently looking at flows of 4100 CFS where they will likely hold for the remainder of the season. Water temps are creeping up with summer’s heat having finally arrived, but at 58 – 59 degrees we’ve got absolutely nothing to complain about.

Conditions are truly ideal right now with stable flows of cold clean water, lush green landscapes and happy, hungry trout feasting on PMD’s daily. The long days mean long hours on the water with many dry fly obsessed anglers fishing the last light of the day.

These are the days that define Montana fly fishing in the minds of many. And these are the days we savor every season.

The fishing has been phenomenal more days than not except for those couple of days with the big bumps and drops in flows.

PMD’s are still the main course though we’re approaching the end of the PMD cycle over the next two weeks. Caddis action is somewhat sparse but seems to be gaining momentum. Look for things to improve as we close out the month of June and roll into the 4th of July weekend. PMD’s still here. Caddis gaining steam and Tricos on the way. It’s Dry Fly Nirvana on the Mighty MO. Oh, and don’t forget…hoppers aren’t that far off!

We’ve got you covered with massive quantities of dry fly patterns for all of the above along with a vast array of floatants and a wide variety of general and specialty lines for your optimum dry fly presentation. We’ve got everything you need to make it happen…the rest is up to you.

There are plenty of folks throwing bobbers as well and hooking up plenty. PMD nymphs (split case, magic fly, redemption, Psycho May, etc. ) and caddis nymphs should be your go to bugs but don’t count the sowbugs out. Sowbugs are always on the menu. Best sellers the past week from the nymph bins include Tailwater Sows, Purple Weight flies, Frenchies, Perdigons, Split Case PMD’s, Little Green Machines and PMD Redemption.

Stop in and stock up on bugs and sun protection and ice and whatever else you need for your day on the water. Shuttles have been crazy to the point that we’re cutting off shuttle sales fairly early each day depending on the traffic. Get here early to make sure you can get a shuttle. We aren’t the only ones cutting shuttles off so you could find yourself without a shuttle if you arrive late on a busy day. We apologize for the inconvenience, it’s a BUSY year on the Missouri!

We continue to get a ton of calls daily for guide trips and while we have been able to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat a few times chances are slim that we’ll be able to book any additional trips over these next couple of weeks. The same holds true for lodging. We do get cancellations here and there but for the most part we are booked solid through the middle of July. Things open up at the end of the month.

Welcome back to the Blur. We hope to see you soon. We’re open 7 AM – 5 PM daily and will adjust accordingly once the Tricos commence.

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-06-27T16:02:07-06:00June 27th, 2022|Categories: Fishing Report, Shop Life|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, Missouri River, Montana, pmd's, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

NOT the Missouri River NPS / Jacob W. Frank

The calls have been non-stop the past few days with concerned guests calling to check on conditions in response to national news coverage of the devastating flooding on the Yellowstone River and elsewhere in the region.

Our hearts go out to our friends in Gardiner, Livingston, Red Lodge and elsewhere as they pick up the pieces following this historic flood event. Still on the rebound from suffering through the effects of the Covid economy the past two seasons, this is a tough pill to swallow. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected.

That being said, Montana is a BIG state and what’s happening 150 miles away is not happening here on the Missouri. Even so, conditions have evolved dramatically over the past few weeks and what looked like a season of low flows on the MO now looks to be the ideal conditions we hope for every season.

We’re seeing a big bump in flows right now, currently at 8380 CFS, a far cry from the static 3K flows predicted for the entire season just a month ago but nothing to be worried about. Bumps and drops definitely have an immediate effect on the fishing, don’t get me wrong, but we’re looking at the Big Picture here and we’re loving what we’re seeing.

A couple thousand CFS increase carries with it a lot of debris as the waters rise and carry away the accumulation of wood and other objects lining our low flow exposed river bed but once it’s carried said debris downstream things tend to settle and stabilize fairly quickly. We haven’t reached peak flows and I won’t venture a guess where that’s going to end up but we do have a high confidence that flows will recede to a steady 4-5K in the not too distant future, perfect conditions for our summer season.

The bottom line is that if you’re coming to fish the MO you can expect great conditions and great fishing. It may not be that 3K loved by so many of the wade angling crowd but the fact of the matter is 3K is simply not good for the MO.

There may be a few challenging days here and there with bumps and drops in the flows but overall the 2022 water outlook is shaping up to be so much better than we thought possible just a month ago.

We’re happy to take your calls of concern and we’re ready to talk some of you off of the ledge if necessary but rest assured, your 2022 Missouri River fly fishing pilgrimage is not in jeopardy.

PMD’s are here and will be the mainstay for the next several weeks. Caddis in play as well with Tricos just around the corner.

Higher flows are perfect for the nymphers with Sows and Scuds and Worms and Crays on the menu along with those Split Case PMD’s, Magic Flies, Psycho Mays, Frenchies, etc.

Streamer fishing is typically on the wane this time of year but with this unexpected increase in flows and the cool conditions which have kept our water relatively clean and weed free we would most certainly recommend chucking meat if that’s your thing.

We’ve had a few cancellations from the wade crowd, scared off by the flows so if a last minute trip to the MO is on the agenda give us a call, we may just have a room for you and we most certainly have rental boats available most days for the next couple of weeks.

We’re open 7 AM – 5 PM daily with everything you need for your day on the MO. High water nymphs, the best dry fly selection in the canyon, streamers a plenty, Simms waders and boots, Flyagra, Sun Protection, Oros indicators, shuttles, Adipose Drift Boat rentals and so much more.

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-06-16T14:00:22-06:00June 16th, 2022|Categories: Fishing Report, Shop Life|Tags: caddis, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Streamer Fishing, tricos, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, Yellowstone River|0 Comments

PMD’s are what’s on the menu. Stop by Wolf Creek Angler for the widest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana.

Our steady flow towards PRIME TIME on the MO was interrupted briefly yesterday with a significant bump from 3000 CFS to 5200 CFS reportedly due to dam maintenance. They dropped flows back to 4700 CFS today and we’ll likely see another drop overnight into tomorrow when things should begin to stabilize once again.

Conditions had been prime for the coming BIG PMD SHOW and we should be back on track soon with stabilizing flows and water temps hanging in the mid 50’s. The weather these next few days will be conducive to bug activity with highs nearing 80 through the weekend. We’ll cool down again starting on Sunday, dropping back to highs in the 60s and overnight lows in the 40s but the 10 day shows another warm up late next week.

Judging by the number of bugs we’ve been seeing, particularly in the canyon, we’re expecting good things to happen VERY soon. We can’t guarantee bugs or feeding fish on any given day but we can guarantee that if you aren’t prepared with the latest and greatest PMD patterns from WCA then you’re putting yourself at a tremendous disadvantage every time you hit the water with the potential for epic dry fly fishing looming.

Stop in and see us and we’ll get you set up for the Big Show and also get you lined out with all the must have nymphs you shouldn’t be without. Think SPLIT CASE PMD’s! We’ve got em’ by the bin full.

Crazy Big Snow pack numbers are keeping us perplexed and optimistic for what’s to come. Canyon Ferry continues to fill and is currently at 76.5% full. Tribs are not doing much. Little Prickly Pear hasn’t done much of anything and the Dearborn is on the drop. Still floatable for sure but trending the wrong way at this point. We’ll see what effect the coming mini heat wave has on flows over these next few days.

Water is on the rise around much of the region, making the Missouri River THE destination for fly fishing in Montana at the moment. A fair amount of traffic out there with busy boat ramps but everyone seems to be playing nice so far. Going out of your way to be kind and respectful to your fellow anglers and river recreationalists is the right thing to do and will stack your ledger with good fishing karma!

We’re just entering the outer edges of The Blur right now, that time of year when the rooms are all full, the boats are all out, the days blend together, the weeks fly by and before you know it Prime Time is in the rearview. But, we’re not there yet. We’re settling in and getting acclimated to making the proverbial hay.

We’re open from 7 AM to 5 PM daily with everything you need for your day on the water. Shuttles, bugs, boats, sun protection, Simms wading and rain gear, awesome Lamson rods and reels, SA, Airflo and Rio lines, leaders and tippet, Fishpond nets and accessories, piles of new WCA logo wear and the friendliest shop crew on the river.

Stop in and see us soon.

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-06-08T16:51:31-06:00June 8th, 2022|Categories: Shop Life, Uncategorized|Tags: dry fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

The Season is officially unofficially underway

A chilly, rainy Memorial Day weekend has ushered in the unofficial start of summer and while we’re still waiting for that first extended heat wave of the season to bring out the recreational floaters, the daily angling traffic definitely has a summer look about it.

It’s been an interesting season so far with the cool weather seemingly throwing the transition to late spring green off by a week or two. We’re definitely getting there now with the recent moisture but the weather still feels more like we’re headed into May than one day away from June.

That being said, where the fishing is concerned we’re right on schedule. Bugs galore and plenty of hungry, happy trout enjoying our cold clean, albeit LOW, water. It’s a refrain I’ve been repeating since February and I’m not going to stop now.

Spring dry fly fishing has been the best it’s been in recent memory with ample opportunities most days, thanks to the presence of midges, BWO’s, Caddis and now, even a few PMD’s being spotted in the mix in the lower reaches.

We just recently shifted the dry fly bins to highlight PMD’s rather than BWO’s and found that BWO dry fly sales far exceeded anything we’ve seen in the past several years. A good bug year coupled with what feels like a definite continuation of the post-Covid angling traffic uptick has definitely been a boon for the fly shops thus far in 2022.

Despite the rosy picture that is this spring season 2022, we want to be careful about not overselling it. Our observations are based on our experience, year in and year out on the Missouri. Based on those observations, including the ebbs and flows in water and weather conditions and fish populations and bug life etc. we are very comfortable proclaiming 2022 as a markedly exceptional year thus far but we want to be clear that this proclamation does NOT mean you are guaranteed epic fishing. As anyone who’s been doing this for any length of time knows, there are no guarantees.

There are good days and slow days no matter how you choose to fish. Overall the dry fly fishing has been very good for this time of year. Nymphing has been consistently good and those stripping and/or swinging have been finding plenty of success as well. This is the 30K foot view – overall it’s been a REALLY good spring. BUT – there are days the fishing has slowed. Some stretches often fish better on a particular day than others. Sometimes the MO will humble you. You didn’t hear it from me but sometimes there are even days where folks actually get SKUNKED (GASP) on the MO.

Yes, the fishing is good but it’s important to manage your expectations. There are many factors that go into making a great day of fishing, not the least of which is the proficiency of the angler. You can have bugs and hungry fish eating them but if you can’t deliver the cast or get the drift, you likely won’t have much luck.

You can run the exact bug at the exact depth the guide showed you yesterday but if you’re in the wrong water you aren’t going to catch fish.

That doesn’t mean the fishing is slow.

But, that being said, you could also be doing everything right….the right bugs, the right depth, the right water and for some reason the fish aren’t eating. It happens.

All this to say keep your expectation realistic. No matter what the reports say there are a myriad of factors that can contribute to your success or lack thereof.
We’re enjoying a fantastic spring and we’ve definitely had no shortage of smiling faces in our guide boats this spring and we’re looking forward to a continued epic season on the MO.

You’ll be seeing some new faces in the shop this year and we can’t wait to introduce you to our new team.

The shop is open from 7 AM to 5 PM daily and we’re here for ALL of your Missouri River fly fishing needs.

See you soon.

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-05-31T12:22:39-06:00May 31st, 2022|Categories: Fishing Report, Shop Life|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Below average temps and above average precipitation starting to improve the outlook for much of the region

Warm spring days are upon us…at least for a day or two. We’ll see highs near 70 today and tomorrow before things cool off on Wednesday ushering in what looks to be a cool and wet couple of days as we head into the weekend.

We won’t complain about a couple of sunny warm days but happy to see the return of cooler temps to preserve that critical snowpack for as long as we can.

Traffic is steadily picking up and we’re now getting to the point where the weather won’t have much of an effect as we’re getting into the thick of it with trips that have been on the books for months. Rain or shine – it’s go time.

We’ve got a few holes in the lodging and guide books this week so give the shop a call and we’ll get you booked for that spontaneous last minute trip on the MO.

We expect fishing will continue to improve with dry fly opportunities becoming more abundant from here on out. BWO’s a plenty, we just need to get those fish looking up. Nymphing is your numbers game and the streamer junkies are in PRIME TIME right now. Not a bad time to fish the MO, no matter what your go-to method.

We’re now open daily at 7:30 AM for all of your Missouri River fly fishing needs. Clean and affordable lodging, the best guides on the water, Adipose drift boat rentals, shuttles, bugs and so much more.

Look no further than WCA for anything and everything you need.

A quick note about boat parking.

One of the most frequent pieces of feedback we’ve gotten over the years is that boat parking can be a challenge and more than that, a limited space parking lot filled with drift boats leaves very little room for vehicle parking. Some of our guests have utilized the large turnout at the end of our property for years to stash boats which was not looked upon favorably by the owner of that piece of property. Fortunately we were able to come to an agreement with the property owner at the end of last season and we now have the exclusive use of that turnout. We’ve cleaned it up and topped it with gravel and it’s now an awesome space for auxiliary parking.

Please utilize this space for your vehicle/drift boat rigs and make sure our guests who aren’t towing boats have spots in front of their rooms to park their cars. It’s not to say we’re prohibiting folks from parking their hooked up rigs in front of their rooms but if it looks busy at all (which it will more often than not from here on out) then please be considerate of our other guests and leave boats in the auxiliary lot when space is at a premium.

The season is upon us…Here’s to busy parking lots and hungry trout!

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-04-25T13:36:50-06:00April 25th, 2022|Categories: Shop Life|Tags: Adipose, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, running line, streamers, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Winter Returns

24 degrees this Monday morning in Wolf Creek with a light snow falling…the calm before the storm.

There is a Winter Storm Warning in effect from 6 PM tonight through 6 AM Wednesday for heavy snow and gusty winds starting late this afternoon.

We saw temps near 80 degrees last Friday and while it’s hard to not enjoy a day like that, we hope we don’t see that again for at least the rest of April. The forecast is calling for blustery north winds at 24 – 28 mph this evening with 4-8 inches of snow expected followed by more of the same with an additional 2 – 4 inches of snow tomorrow. The snow tapers off on Wednesday but we won’t make it above freezing that day and the temps actually dip into the single digits Wednesday night with a low of 6.

Things return to somewhat more seasonable conditions starting on Thursday with daily highs in the low 40s. Storm Total snow accumulations of 5-10 inches expected at lower elevations with 10 – 20 inches of desperately needed snowfall expected in the mountains. Let’s hope so!

We had a fairly busy week of guide trips scheduled and have already cancelled all trips for Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully we’ll be able to salvage a few days at the end of the week.

The extended forecast looks good as far as fishing weather goes with temps back in the 50’s next week but we’ll take as much of this winter weather as we can get.

Our lodging is 100 percent open now with plenty of availability throughout the rest of the month. Things get progressively busier once we hit May but we’ve generally got at least a vacancy or two most nights until we hit June so we hope you make us your Missouri River spring fly fishing destination.

The shop is bursting with new gear. In fact we’re running out of places to put it all.

We’re open at 8 AM daily with everything you need from guides to lodging to shuttles to flies and all the gear you could possibly want.

Sit back and enjoy the spring snow storm resting assured that this is exactly what we need, and we’ll see you on the other side.

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-04-11T09:58:31-06:00April 11th, 2022|Categories: Local Buzz, Shop Life|Tags: Missouri River, Montana, running line, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Doubled Up Streamer Eating Beasts on the MO

The spring season is now in full swing but you might not know it based on the weather conditions this morning. A taste of winter has returned with a dusting of snow and temps hovering in the mid 30’s. We saw downright summer-like weather over the weekend and yesterday with plenty of sunshine and temps breaking the 70 degree mark. Dramatic changes in the weather are a spring staple in the Rockies so no surprise there. In fact we’re stoked for the precipitation in any form and looking forward to the greening we should see soon as conditions return to seasonal norms later today and through the remainder of this week. Expect daytime highs in the 50’s with overnight lows in the 30’s, a chance of rain here and there and plenty of sunshine….quintessential early spring weather on the MO.

As expected, the weekend brought the traffic with Saturday having been our busiest day of 2022 thus far. A lot of boats on the water that day, primarily in the Holter Dam to Craig stretch which will likely be the case for the next month or so despite the fact that there are plenty of fish to be found river wide.

Knowing there was an approaching weather system we took advantage of the Monday lull closing the shop, grabbing the streamer sticks and hitting the water to see if we couldn’t find a willing player or two.

WCA Super Guides Luke Koerten and Brad Turner joined me for a fun day of pre-season fishing before things start getting crazy for all involved. Once the guide season gets rolling we don’t get a chance to fish together so it’s always good to get out and enjoy what brought us all here.

Not exactly lights out, but enough action to keep things interesting throughout the day and a perfect storm of the right water, the right time of day, the leading edge of the weather system, the right bugs and maybe even something to do with the ones throwing them all culminating in an epic 10 minutes of fishing with three 20 plus fish landed, two of which came on an extremely rare big brown double. Doubles happen fairly regularly when nymphing and you get the occasional streamer double but hooking two fish over 20 inches, one from each side of the boat, and landing them both….that’s a day maker for anyone.

As I said, it wasn’t exactly lights out but it won’t be long. The water temps are still cold, in that 36 – 38 degree range but these next few weeks should bring about the prime time spring streamer fishing. If you’d like to fish prime streamer time on the MO and get a shot at that fish of a lifetime make those plans NOW! It’s a lot of work and it’s definitely NOT a numbers game but if you get the streamer game then you already know that. There’s a few of us who are Streamer Obsessed and who would like nothing better than to take you on a hunt for that Missouri River fish of a lifetime.

If nymphing or dry fly fishing is your preference I’d suggest staying up high, at least based on what we saw yesterday. Very few midges in the canyon and the little bit of dry/dropper fishing we tried failed to produce.

The word from the Dam section is abundant dry fly opportunities and solid nymphing on Pill Poppers, Tailwater Sows, Caviar Scuds, Pink Rays, Pederson’s Sow, Zebras, Cotton Candy, Bubble Yums, Amex, Yum Yums etcetera along with mayfly nymphs like BWO Magic Flies, Little Green Machines, Psycho Mays and Split Case BWO’s all getting some attention.

Our advice on dry fly fishing is keep it simple with a Griffiths gnat and a Parachute Adams. They’ll also eat various midge clusters, Black Midges, Black Sippers and the like but why not just keep it simple while you can?

Soon enough they’ll have smartened up and won’t be so eager to eat just any old bug you throw at them. A sloppy cast with a skating fly that doesn’t match the hatch in both size and profile is not, generally speaking, an effective strategy on any water but particularly on the Missouri where the trout are famously picky and educated and sophisticated and do not suffer amateurish casting or fly selection.

The shop is loaded up with new spring gear. New flies, rods, reels, waders, boots, lines, leaders, nets, tools, accessories, drinkware, headwear, eye wear… and on and on. We’re bursting at the seams.

Open daily at 8 AM for all of your Missouri River Fly Fishing needs.

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-03-29T11:57:01-06:00March 29th, 2022|Categories: Fishing Report, Shop Life|Tags: brown trout, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, Holter Dam, midge, Missouri River, running line, Streamer Fishing, streamers, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

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