November Browns on the MO’

We’re continuing to take advantage of some extremely mild November weather this week on the MO’. Yesterday saw record highs pushing 70 degrees and it looks to remain unseasonably warm through the weekend and heading into the early part of next week.

Those who are anxious for winter to arrive will be glad to hear that the forecast is calling for colder temperatures and a pretty good chance for some precipitation in the form of snow starting on Wednesday of next week.

Cloudless blue skies and sunshine are not exactly the best for fishing but you can’t help but enjoy it out there right now as you soak up the sun knowing that soon enough you’ll be fighting the elements and battling ice in the guides with cold hands and numb fingers while you continuously reevaluate your decision to float the Missouri on a semi-arctic day.

Don’t get me wrong. We are anxious for some fishier days to arrive and when they do we’ll be out there, regardless of the weather but in the meantime we’ll enjoy what is likely the last gasp of Indian Summer.

And speaking of fishy days, we’ve got no complaints about the fishing this fall. Nymphing has been off the charts most days and while we would certainly benefit from some darker skies the streamer fishing has been good enough to keep us coming back.

Bugs and techniques have not really changed much over the past few weeks. Your best bet for numbers is going to be nymphing a medium to long rig with some sort of sow or scud combo. Tailwater sows, soft hackle sows, Rainbow Czechs, Ninch’s Bubble Yum Scuds, Pink Amex, UV Czechs, Rainbow Warriors, Rainbow Weight Flies….you know the drill. You also might not want to overlook pink or purple lightning bugs, grey Little Green Machines, Dark Peep Shows, Juju Baetis, Zebra Midges and Firebead anything.

Dry Fly fishing continues to be an elusive prospect though nobody would fault you for running a dry dropper rig with an October Caddis or something along the lines of a parachute Adams. BWO’s? So far pretty much a bust this fall but don’t give up….it could happen.

If streamers are your game this is your time. As I’ve stated many times the Missouri is not the best streamer river in the world and bright sunny days are not ideal for streamer fishing but that being said there is no reason you shouldn’t make a serious effort at it. There are plenty of big browns (and bows) willing to chase a streamer and if you cover enough water and are willing to change bugs as necessary you might just find yourself having a great streamer day on the Missouri.

Some like to swing and thoroughly work a piece of water. My preference is to fish from the boat, covering  a lot of water and working the banks and the seams, switching bugs and varying the retrieve until I find something that works. You can definitely catch fish either way and while I know some who measure success by numbers (fish to the net)  even when streamer fishing, I’ve always considered the number of fish moved to be my measure of a successful streamer day. Obviously fish hooked and better yet landed go a long way in making a good streamer day great but moving a few giants should definitely be counted as a success in my book.

JJ Sparkle Minnows, Black Circus Peanuts, Brown or Black Dirty Hippies, Dolly Llamas in Olive/White, ZK’s Ragnar in black, Hot Head Kreelex, Olive/Black Space Invaders and Polar Leeches in various flavors have all been moving fish. We’ve picked up a few in the bright sun but your best bet on the sunny days is to find the banks cloaked in shadows. Trout like to hide in the shadows on sunny days so you should fish them where they are most likely to be and then fish them where you wouldn’t expect them to be because they don’t always follow the rules.

Stop in for all the latest intel on the when/where/how and don’t forget, we are your destination for late fall and winter fly fishing on the Missouri River with more on-site lodging than anyone and a shop packed full of everything you need for your day on the water. Winter lodging rates are in effect now at Wolf Creek Angler.

Our vote is for fishing the MO’……early and often.

All is quiet in Wolf Creek this day and while we’re a little surprised we haven’t seen more traffic, especially with such mild weather, it’s par for the course for early November.

We had a surprisingly busy weekend with guide trips and lodging and also had our annual end-of season guide and staff party at Lewis and Clark Brewery which was a great time as always.

These next months will be quiet ones for us with many focusing on filling tags rather than fly fishing and with Thanksgiving just a couple of weeks out the focus will soon shift to the holiday season.

It’s a welcome break for some. A chance to decompress and unwind. A chance to catch up on projects abandoned at the start of the season and a good time to get rolling on end-of-the year busy work while looking ahead to the 2017 season.

That’s all fine and well and we all stand to benefit from the downtime but as far as I’m concerned I can’t wait for the new season to get underway.

We’ll bide our time counting and tying flies, booking 2017 trips, tending to other shop business and doing a fair amount of fishing ourselves as we await the new season and while we’re always anxious for the return of the crowds we understand and appreciate the necessity of a period of rest for the river.

It’s been another record-setting traffic year on the MO’ with things having been fairly busy since sometime around mid March so after nearly eight months of pressure the fish could definitely use the break.

That being said, most do their fishing on the Missouri between the months of May and July and that’s not going to change. Late fall and winter will always provide a much-needed rest for the fishery.

You needn’t feel like you shouldn’t come fish the Missouri during this time because there simply aren’t now and likely will never be that many people interested in fly fishing in Montana during the dead of winter. After all there are plenty of other things to do here during the winter months and there are plenty of warm places you can go if warm weather is high on your list of prerequisites for fly fishing destinations.

If, however, having miles of prime trout water virtually all to yourself sounds appealing and if you don’t mind the likelihood of fishing in cold and snowy weather then late season fly fishing on the MO’ might just be your thing. No crowds, just thousands of hungry trout per mile!

We hope you make Wolf Creek Angler your late season Missouri River fly fishing destination. We’ve got more on site lodging than anyone and we’ve got a fully stocked shop with everything you need for late season success including vehicle shuttles, cold weather gear from SIMMS and KAST and the best winter bugs in the canyon.

Additionally Wolf Creek is the place to be during the late season with the only restaurant and the only gas station/convenience store between Helena and Cascade and all just minutes from Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge.

And just to reiterate – the cold will come sooner or later and we’re ready for it,  but in the meantime we are enjoying unseasonably warm weather once again this week  so if the whole late season thing sounds good to you but you aren’t a fan of the cold then this is your time. Rooms and guides ALWAYS available at WCA. Book your late fall getaway today.

Expect plenty of sunshine out there this weekend and not much in the way of cloud cover. Temperatures in the high 50’s and low 60’s make it feel more like early October than the 5th of November and it sounds like we’re going to continue to see above average temps at least through the middle of the month.

We’re all anxious for cold, cloudy days but in the mean time we’re making the best of it and enjoying the mild weather while it lasts.

Nymphing will be your best bet on these sunny days but don’t count out the dry fly fishing. There are definitely opportunities if you know where to look and if you don’t know where to look we’re happy to get you headed in the right direction. It’s not exactly prime streamer weather either but fish eat streamers on sunny days too. You just need to know where to go and where to throw and we’re happy to tell you.

Status quo on the nymph selections. SOW BUGS, SOW BUGS and SOW BUGS. You’ll also do fine with Little Green Machines, Juju Baetis, BWO Magic Flies, Purple or Pink Lightning Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Rainbow Czechs and a host of other mayfly, scud and sow patterns. We haven’t had a ton of action on the firebeads but it won’t be long.

It’s been another week of great fishing on the Missouri with very little traffic. You should be here. If late starts, frequent hook-ups and little to no traffic sound good you’ve got at least another week or two to experience the best fishing of the fall season on the Missouri. Couple that with $99 winter lodging rates and you’ve got the perfect late fall getaway before the holiday rush begins.

And speaking of that holiday rush….we are loaded up with all kinds of great gift ideas for the fly fishers on your list. Winter wear from SIMMS, WCA Growlers and flasks from Stanley and Hydroflask, ready to fish Redington Path combos, WCA logo gear, Fishpond packs a plenty and much more. Not sure what to get? Wolf Creek Angler gift cards in any amount can be used to purchase absolutely anything we sell. Guide trips, lodging, flies, shuttles…anything and everything we sell.

Look for a huge holiday rod and reel sale coming soon. We’ll be putting together some great combo deals from Loop, Echo, Redington, St Croix, Ross and Nautilus.

Plenty of lodging available for the coming week and guides at the ready. Call and book today to get in on some of the best fishing we’ve seen all season.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM WOLF CREEK ANGLER

This could be your best day of the week to fish the MO’. Skip the trick or treating and get out there. Light rain falling now, cloudy skies expected throughout the day. It might get a little breezy but the streamer fishing could be SCARY good…..or not. There’s only one way to find out for sure!

November will arrive tomorrow with not much change in the weather. We’ll be looking at partly sunny skies with highs in the mid 50’s throughout the week.

Nymphing will continue to be good to great and while we’re hoping for the BWO action to kick into gear the predominantly sunny forecast for the week may not be the best for those intent on fishing dries. Not to say there aren’t plenty of dry fly opportunities to be had out there, even on the sunny days. If you cover enough water you’ll find fish up and if you mind your presentation and make your first cast your best cast then the odds are definitely in your favor to get your dry fly fun card punched repeatedly.

You can expect light traffic this week as the masses continue to turn their attention to other pursuits of the season. It’s a great opportunity to experience all the Missouri has to offer minus the crowds.

We’ve got plenty of lodging available this month and with winter rates going into effect tomorrow you’ll save a bunch. $99 plus tax gets you a cozy cabin or bungalow with a full kitchen all winter long. Come discover the secret season on the Missouri, you’ll be glad you did and you may just make it your annual thing.

Starting tomorrow we’ll be opening at 8:00 AM daily. It’s damn dark at 7 AM right now and while next weekends time change will bring a return of morning light most aren’t in too big of a hurry to get on the water in the late fall and into the winter months. Mornings have been slow out there as of late. We’ve had our best action in the late morning/early afternoon with that 2-5 pm  slot being the best.

Start your day on the MO’ with a visit to Wolf Creek Angler where you’ll get all the latest on what’s working when and where while you enjoy a damn fine cup of coffee on us.

We are your Missouri River Fly Fishing One Stop with the best guides on the river, clean affordable lodging,  vehicle shuttles, RO and Adipose Drift Boat Rentals, a bug selection that is bordering on legendary and anything and everything else you may need for your day on the water.

Overcast day on Hemingway’s Flat

I was reminded last night how important it is to keep things in perspective when reporting on fishing conditions.

We are fully committed to honesty with this blog, probably to a fault. We’ll tell you when and where it’s good. We’ll tell you when and where it’s not. It’s a pretty simple concept.

Reporting that the fishing is slow doesn’t do a lot to bring people here but reporting that it’s great when it really isn’t is in my opinion far worse for long-term growth.

I’ve been painting a pretty rosy picture of things these last few days and I stick by those reports. If you follow our blog at all you know we tell it like it is.

I was out last night for a while and ran into a guy who told me he hadn’t caught a fish all day. He’d been out there since the early afternoon and hadn’t had a strike. He had tried a bunch of different nymphs and also threw dries at a few sporadic risers and hadn’t had any luck.

So this is the wildcard. Yes it has been really good overall but sometimes individual experience differs from the overall and this being the case if you happened to read a few Missouri River reports that were proclaiming how hot the fishing is and you came out and had a day where you got blanked then you might think the folks writing those reports were at best exaggerating but possibly even blatantly lying about fishing conditions just to get customers into their shops.

I’ll go on the record right now saying we will NEVER do that and I don’t know of anyone else who would do it either. We have all had tough days where it’s just not happening but it’s important to look at the overall conditions and the overall success or lack thereof that people are having. Guides usually put their clients on fish – they are professionals and it’s their job. We don’t base our reports strictly on what the guides are doing.

The nice thing about having a shop and lodging is that we get the whole spectrum of experience with our customers.  On any given day we’ve got total beginners and seasoned vets who’ve been fishing the Missouri forever and everything in between so we generally have a pretty good sense of what’s happening out there based on our conversations with our guests and shop customers. We get the guide reports and we’re out there fishing ourselves so we factor all of this in to our reports. If, based on all of these reports, we’re telling you the fishing is good then you can believe it really is. That being said, there’s always the chance that things will be different tomorrow and there’s also the chance that you might just have a tough day in spite of the overall conditions.

So – following this wordy disclaimer the collective report from yesterday was that things were “pretty good”. Not on fire, but good nonetheless. Good nymphing, not much on dries and a decent streamer bite.

We’ll stick with calling it good for the time being.

Give us a call at the shop for up-to-the minute reports and conditions. We are your source for the daily skinny on the MO’.

The shift has occurred.

Sometime over the last few days LATE season arrived.

The weather is fine. The fishing is really good and destined to get better over the next couple of weeks.

Mornings in the shop are still bordering on bustling, depending on the day.

There are some folks around.

Wolf Creek and Craig have not exactly reached Ghost Town status just yet but there’s definitely a different feel to things this week.

The parking lots at the boat ramps are starting to look pretty empty and post 11 am in the shop has definitely taken on that winter vibe.

This is the time of year we shift gears as we acclimate to shorter days and much less traffic.

It’s the natural progression of the season. It’s not a bad thing. It just takes some time to adjust.

That being said there is no reason you shouldn’t be here right now. Once again, we could be looking at some of the best fishing of the season in the coming weeks so book those rooms and boats and guides….it could be off the charts.

Yes your dining options are dwindling by the day but don’t let that stop you. After all if you’re coming here in late October/early November you’re coming here for the fishing, not the culinary experience.

The Oasis is open Thursday – Tuesday and there are other dining out options if you don’t mind traveling, one of which is the Beef N Bone in Ulm which I went to last night for the first time. It’s definitely a bit of a drive but absolutely worth it. A great steak for sure!

Another option you have any day of the year at Wolf Creek Angler is to bring your own food and prepare your own meals right in your cabin or bungalow. We’ve got full kitchen units with full size refrigerators, microwaves, ranges and access to gas grills. Sure you have to do the work yourself but with darkness arriving earlier every day you’ll have plenty of time for cooking.

The late fall and winter seasons are when Wolf Creek shines. We’ve got the only open restaurant and the only gas station between Helena and Cascade, not to mention the only place to buy daily essentials including an awesome Montana Microbrew selection at the Canyon Store.

Couple that with a fully stocked, full service Missouri River Fly Shop with lodging available 365 days a year located just minutes from Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge and you’ve got your late season fly fishing destination. Why would you go anywhere else?

I’m getting ahead of myself. We definitely have yet to descend into the depths of winter but we hope you keep us in mind as the shift continues.

In the meantime we’ve got a breather today (meaning plenty of open lodging) but things fill up again tomorrow for the weekend though we do have a room or two still available so make that call today.

We hope to see you soon at WCA.