Uncategorized Archives - Page 3 of 53

Autumn’s Arrival

With the Autumnal Equinox just a day away, finally it feels like fall.

It’s been a very fall-like week with morning temps in the 40’s and daytime highs topping out in the low 70’s. We’ve seen a nice mix of clouds and sun with breezy conditions more days than not.

Today is the kind of day streamer addicts dream about with highs barely reaching 50 and a persistent soaking rain. What’s typically not included in the dream but more often than not accompanies this weather pattern is the substantial east northeast wind which is likely making things on the uncomfortable side for even the hardiest of anglers.

And it just so happens we have the hardiest of crews on the water today closing out another fantastic week with our friends from Schultz Outfitters in Ypsilanti MI here for their annual fall fishing extravaganza. We’ve been covering many miles of water this week from the MO to the Blackfoot and Clark Fork and as per usual, it’s been a ton of fun with an awesome group of anglers. This trip is always a highlight of our fall fishing season.

It feels like it’s probably time to pack the shorts away for the year and this is the type of day that tests your gear. Should you find you’ re due for an upgrade in the wader/boot/rain gear/hat and glove department we’ve got you covered from head to toe with Simms gear, the choice of professional guides everywhere!

Back to the topic of Streamer Addiction….it’s on! Weeds are still going to bother you but streamer season is in full swing and the browns are on the prowl. If streamers are your game, this is your time and we are your shop with streamer sticks for every budget and all kinds of sinking lines for all techniques and conditions as well as the best streamer selection on the MO.

Nymphing still ruling the day with zebra midges and sow bugs continuing to be consumed with reckless abandon, particularly in the Holter to Wolf Creek run but the whole thing is fishing well right now.

We’ve had some slower days, especially in the afternoons but overall September fishing has been excellent.

Dry fly fishing has taken a back seat as of late with limited top water activity though hoppers and ants will continue to produce as will October Caddis, the occasional callibaetis event and pseudos for those who find pleasure in fishing bugs you can’t see. BWO’s on the horizon.

Water conditions are coming into shape with flows continuing to hold steady in the 5K range (currently 4900 CFS) and temps on the drop at 60 degrees.

With fall darkness taking hold we’ll be modifying our shop hours for October. Beginning October 1st hours will be 7:30 AM – 5 PM daily. We hope you start your Missouri River day at Wolf Creek Angler. We’ve got everything you need for your day on the water. Shuttles, bugs and so much more.

Happy fall!

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-09-22T08:09:41-06:00September 22nd, 2023|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: brown trout, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Holter Dam, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Schultz Outfitters, simms, Streamer Fishing, streamers, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

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.

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-08-01T15:04:42-06:00August 1st, 2023|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: brown trout, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, Missouri River, running line, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|0 Comments

An Intro to Holter Dam

Much of the information below was compiled from the article Holter Dam’s Century of Excellence from Hydro Review, March 25th, 2020. Historic photos courtesy of Helena as She Was

It’s not something we spend much time thinking about but that massive structure we’ve become so accustomed to seeing, which holds back the Mighty Missouri and which marks the start of one of the most prolific trout fisheries in North America, not only produces electricity to supply much of the region with power but is also an amazing piece of engineering history, having been in operation for more than 100 years.

Recently our shop staff had the opportunity to tour the facility from the bottom up and it is truly an amazing thing to see.

Holter Dam is one of a series of hydroelectric, straight gravity dams on the Missouri River. The dam is a run-of-the-river dam because it can generate electricity without needing to store additional water supplies behind the dam.

Prior to our tour I had little understanding of how a hydroelectric dam works and while I’m still fairly ignorant of the process, it’s nice to finally have a basic knowledge of what’s happening inside the Powerhouse of a dam. The illustration below is not Holter specific but does show the basics of hydroelectric power generation.

One of the things that really struck me is that much of what you see in the way of design and equipment are much the same as they were when construction of the dam was completed in 1918. When you consider the pace at which technology is currently progressing, it is amazing to think that power generation is happening the same way now as it was in 1918. It is obviously more efficient now, but the basic concepts and designs are unchanged. Holter Dam continues to perform with high reliability with the original infrastructure and design intact.

Electricity produced by Holter Dam is used to supply tens of thousands of residential and commercial electric customers in Helena, Great Falls, Butte, and Missoula with clean, affordable, and reliable energy.

The dam was inducted into the Hydro Hall of Fame in 2019.

Originally known as the Wolf Creek Project, Holter Dam was one of several business ventures of a partnership formed between Anton Holter and entrepreneur Samuel T Hauser. Construction of Holter Dam was on the drawing board during the construction of Hauser Dam at the turn of the century.

Both projects came at a time when the State of Montana was developing Hydro power in large part to support copper mining in the region which was booming because the country was in the process of electrification and needed copper wire everywhere.

Work was halted on the dam in 1909 due to cost over-runs and fear of bankruptcy. Work resumed in 1916 by Montana Power Company with around five hundred workers on the job site. The construction camp at Holter was the largest ever built by MPC and included more than 115 structures, the very last of which still stand as dam employee housing.

The first turbine-generator unit was operational by 1917 and was joined by three others in 1918. The finished dam was 1,350 feet long and more than 110 feet high, which was the highest dam in Montana at the time of completion.

The powerhouse contains 4 12-MW turbine generator units that generate 6600 Volts, four 20,000 kVA transformers that set the voltage to 100,000 volts. Holter Lake impounds 240,000 acre-feet of water.

MPC owned the dam until 1999 when all power generating facilities were sold to PPL Montana which operated the facility until 2014 when Northwestern Energy purchased the PPL Hydro facilities.

So next time you are fishing the dam and you hear the siren indicating an increase in release volume from the spill bays you might take a second and think about what’s actually going on in that building which we often don’t even notice because we’ve seen it a million times.

We often reduce the dam operation to Cubic Feet per Second and how flows are going to affect our fishing but there is a much larger picture, one framed in history, which it is worth taking the time to understand and appreciate.

Our sincere thanks to Cody Gatch, Operations Foreman at the dam, for taking the time to give our shop staff an informative, interesting, and entertaining look at Holter Dam.

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-07-30T16:43:38-06:00July 30th, 2023|Categories: Local Buzz, Uncategorized|Tags: Holter Dam, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Project|1 Comment

Summertime

The frantic pace of June has slowed.

Crowds have thinned a bit with a good number of our seasonal regulars having already come and gone, most of them having booked their dates for 2024 which is always a good feeling from where I sit.

Flows are still running higher than what the wade anglers would prefer, currently sitting at around 8100 CFS. Most Probable outlook from the Bureau of Reclamation has us at around 5K for July so we should start to see things drop very soon.

PMD report has been mixed but the consensus is that sporadic is an apt description of PMD activity in 2023. Are PMD’s done? Not likely, but it seems we’re trending that way. That being said, I’d encourage you to keep that PMD box close at hand with plenty of spinners (Rusty has been $$) and cripples at the ready.

Evenings have provided plenty of caddis action…so much so that some of our most ardent evening floaters have opted out choosing instead to ply the wadable waters on foot.

Cornfed Caddis has been king, always accompanied by a CDC Caddis Emerger. Missouri CDC Caddis, Iceberg Caddis and Stockingfoot all wise options as well.

Tricos are here…just getting started. The fish have yet to key on them but they’re definitely starting to take notice. Two-Wing tricos and Indicator Spinners are a couple of my favorites. We’ve got plenty of both with many more to choose from.

Still chasing bobbers? Sow bugs, Frenchies, Purple Weight Flies, Little Green Machines, Split Case PMD’s, PMD and Rusty Magic Fly, Psycho Mays, Nitro Caddis, Translucent Caddis Emerger, plain old Pheasant Tails and Zirdles all attracting plenty of attention.

Streamer season is over according to the calendar but you’re still allowed to throw them and with the higher flows weeds have yet to get a real foothold so strip to your heart’s content.

We’re a couple of weeks out from hoppers but there are some naturals around. If you’re bored with the bobber replace it with a hopper. Drop a Pheasant Tail, a sowbug or a Green Machine and see what happens. You might be surprised.

Conventional wisdom says Hot Summer nights are best for throwing the mouse. I agree with that wisdom from a comfort perspective but I don’t know that the fish care whether it’s a warm night or a cold night and I know the mice don’t care so if you’re into the nocturnal game, cool nights aside, it’s probably go time.

It’s summertime and there is a tremendous abundance of trout food out there. You are right smack dab in the midst of Prime Time so enjoy it. The march towards winter’s darkness is underway and this will all be over before you know it.

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

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-07-06T17:20:38-06:00July 6th, 2023|Categories: Fishing Report, Uncategorized|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, Missouri River, running line, tricos, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Summer Solstice

We started this first day of summer on the MO at a chilly 39 degrees. It’s warmed up a bit to the mid 60’s but not exactly what we’d expect on the first day of summer. The cooler weather will persist throughout the week with daytime highs in the low 70’s but it looks like we’ve got some heat arriving Sunday when temps will finally hit 80 again. I can’t even recall an 80 degree day so far in June. We may have had one but overall it’s been a chilly and wet June on the MO.

We are smack dab in the midst of PRIME TIME and conditions are starting to come into shape just in time. Current flows are 10,400 CFS with water temp right around 60 degrees. We should see a continued draw down on those flows over the next couple of weeks.

PMD’s are underway and gaining momentum. Also a few caddis around providing ample opportunities even in these higher flows for the dry fly set.

A benefit of the cooler weather and higher flows is that the weeds are slow in coming. Plenty of clean water out there making things easy on the nymphers and keeping the streamer game alive.

Still a sow bug game but if you aren’t mixing in some Caddis pupae and some PMD nymphs, you should be. And if you haven’t been trying a crayfish or Zirdle here and there, you should be doing that as well.

This is our busiest week of the season by far for guide trips and that doesn’t seem to be limited to us. The river is definitely busy though with most transient guides having returned to their home waters it doesn’t feel quite as busy as it did a few weeks back. Early starts get you ahead of the crowds. Late starts get you behind them. Maybe best to avoid the 8 – 9 window. The busier days have seen waits up to an hour at the ramp.

We’re open early at 7 AM daily and usually around well before that running rental boats to and fro. These next three weeks are the busiest ones of the season for guide trips, lodging and boat rentals so we don’t have much availability but there are a few holes in the schedule here and there so give us a call if you’re in need of a place to stay and we’ll see what we can do.

We’re stocked up on PMD’s and Caddis and terrestrials on the dry side and plenty of nymphs to boot though the sowbug shortage is real! We’re working on it.

Lots of new WCA T’s and sun hoodies and hats in stock with more on the way and all the sun protection you need should summer ever settle in. The brand new Korkers All Axis Wading shoes and Swift Wading sandals are flying out the door – get em’ before they’re gone.

The word is out – WCA has the Cheapest Dam Shuttles on the MO! We appreciate the increase in shuttle business and invite you all to give us a try.

The calendar says summer, the weather says not quite but regardless, we’ll see you soon at your favorite Missouri River Fly Shack.

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-06-21T15:32:01-06:00June 21st, 2023|Categories: Uncategorized|0 Comments

The State of the Missouri

Now that it seems winter has FINALLY relented, let’s take a look at what the season has in store.

With our first somewhat sustained heatwave of the season on the way later this week you can expect plenty of traffic on the MO as runoff conditions commence around the region driving the throngs to the MO.

Locally, flows bumped to near 5800 cfs today with water temps slowly climbing (currently 41.5 degrees). We’re expecting to see continued increases in flows with most probable flow models calling for max flows near 8k in May and possibly a peak of 10 – 12K in June.

Obviously the 6K plus flows are not ideal for wade fishing but for those doing the boat thing these predicted spring flows are right where we want them. Not too high, not too low. And these flows are great for the fishery as well giving our spawning rainbows more cover and also providing them access to side channel habitat which has been dried up the past couple of seasons. Please keep an eye out for those redds when you’re wading and avoid walking on them.

And speaking of the fishery – we’ve been meaning to share these numbers for a few weeks now but just haven’t had a chance to get to it.

As if you needed any more of a reason to fish the Missouri this season, the numbers are in and they confirm what we’ve been telling you all along, that the MO is hands down one of, if not THE best trout fishery in North America. Prolific doesn’t even begin to describe what we’ve got here but it’s a start.

Just how prolific are we talking? How about over 7700 trout per mile in the Craig stretch? Sounds pretty prolific to me.

That’s 6,132 rainbows (almost double the mean of 3,263) and 1,594 browns (approaching three times the mean of 604). This is the third highest total count since they’ve been keeping records, down just slightly from 2021 which was the second highest count on record. And for those who are big fans of brown trout – this is the highest count ever of brown trout in the Craig stretch.

And these aren’t minnows we’re talking about. These are all fish over 10” with an abundance of fish that will likely be pushing 18” – 20” this season. Last year’s rainbow count found over 1000 rainbows per mile in the 16” class and there were also a bunch of browns in that 12” – 14” range so expect plenty of 16” plus browns this season. There should also be some lunkers out there with over 100 browns in the 20” – 24” class last year.

The Cascade stretch also saw good numbers with close to 2000 trout per mile. That’s 1,265 rainbows (down from the 1703 average) and 566 browns (well up from the 393 average).

It’s a busy river with a ton of angling pressure and conditions have been less than ideal for a couple of seasons now with drought conditions which even led to Hoot Owl Restrictions on the MO in 2021. Low flows, high water temps, high angling pressure…these are not ideal conditions for any river and in many cases these conditions can lead to a serious decline in the quality of the fishery.

But not on the MO.

She continues to amaze each season but that being said, we refuse to take this amazing resource for granted and you shouldn’t either.

Please consider making a donation to one or more of the watchdog groups on the MO who make it their business to monitor and care for our amazing fishery.

The Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance, Pat Barnes Trout Unlimited, Missouri River Flyfishers and Montana Trout Unlimited could all use your help today.

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-04-26T10:12:11-06:00April 26th, 2023|Categories: Local Buzz, Uncategorized|Tags: 7700 trout per mile, brown trout, fly fishing, Missouri River, running line, State of the Missouri, Wolf Creek|0 Comments

Not So Fast…

We’re five days into spring and we have had a taste of spring weather but don’t put the cold weather gear away just yet. It looks like winter is about to return with snow in the forecast every day starting tomorrow and running through Thursday with a couple of inches expected on Sunday.

Temps will hover around 40 each day so not exactly an arctic blast but for those who have been waiting for those warm and sunny spring days, you’ll have to wait a little longer. Or maybe a lot longer. The long term is calling for below average temps and above average precipitation at least for this first half of spring.

Overnight lows are trending up into the 20’s rather than the teens so you may be able to get an earlier start with things warming up quicker but I’d expect those water conditions to remain static for the time being. Flows are currently holding right around 4000 CFS with that 34.5 degree water temp having a hard time going much of anywhere.

These are fairly standard early spring conditions, nothing too out of the ordinary but it’s been a LONG winter and we’re ready for warmer days. Fishing has been good with nymphing being the go to for numbers but there are plenty of folks swinging and stripping streamers as well and the low light midge fishing has definitely been productive.

Standard fare on the nymphing with pink leading the charge. Must haves include Pill Poppers, Pederson’s Sow, Bubble Yum Scud, Pink Soft Hackle Sow, Cotton Candy, Lucent Bead Pink Ray, Tailwater Sow.

Streamer fishing has been hit or miss but we’ve had a few decent days. Swing a Polar Leech, Thin Mint or Kreelex. Strip a Sparkle Minnow, Skiddish Smolt, Dirty Hippy, D and D, Gladio, MK Ultra, Wedge Head, Silk Kitty or Swim Coach. Go deep and strip slow or hit the sunny shallows to target those fish seeking warmer water.

Midges have been plentiful most days and you’ll find fish up here and there but the better dry fly action has definitely been during low light conditions which generally means evenings but the cloudy conditions expected this weekend could bode well for daytime action.

It’s definitely on the cold side for doing so but it might be getting to be time to start throwing a skwala around on select stretches of water. Not a major player on the MO but always worth a try as we transition into spring. Big bugs = big fish (sometimes). We’ve got a good variety of skwala patterns in the bins for those wanting to give it a shot.

Winter lodging rates are in effect through the end of the month so you’ve got a week left to take advantage of CHEAP rooms. You’ve also got a week left to shop TAX FREE as the resort tax in Wolf Creek goes back into effect on April 1st.

We’ve got 2/3rds of our lodging open and will have the motel units open by the middle of April. Guide trips are starting to pick up but we’ve got plenty of availability through the month of April and into the early part of May.

Shop hours are 8 AM – 4 PM Monday – Saturday. We’ll add Sunday to the mix and extend our hours just as soon as the help arrives for the season which will be soon.

Start your day with a stop at WCA for shuttles, bugs, fishing licenses, hats, gloves, fly lines, leaders, waders, boots, rods, reels and so much more. We are your FULL SERVICE MISSOURI RIVER SPRINGF FLY FISHING DESTINATION. Those in the KNOW shop WCA, far and away the very BEST FLY SHOP in Wolf Creek MT and consistently proclaimed to be the BEST FLY SHOP you never even knew was here.

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-03-24T10:28:02-06:00March 24th, 2023|Categories: Shop Life, Uncategorized|Tags: BEST FLY SHOP, Cheap, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, running line, Streamer Fishing, tax free, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Predlude to Spring

It’s been a roller coaster weather wise this week on the MO with spring showing up on Monday and Tuesday before another winter smack down in the form of a Winter Storm bringing 6 plus inches of new snow on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

The sun is shining this St Patrick’s Day morning and the forecast looks good with an abundance of sunshine and a high near 42 and south southwest wind just 7 – 11 mph. Definitely a favorable forecast for spring fishing on the MO but you might want to give it a minute as we’re currently sitting at 14 degrees.

And speaking of spring fishing – Monday is the day, the official first day of spring. The current forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies with a high near 50 and calm winds. If that forecast holds you can’t do much better than that for the first day of spring on the Missouri River.

Between now and then the weekend looks similarly appealing with highs right around 50 each day, manageable winds on Saturday and calm winds on Sunday. No sign of snow in the forecast until Monday night and that chance will linger throughout next week but maybe, just maybe we are past the significant winter weather. A welcome change to be sure!

In spite of the weather ups and downs what has been consistent is the fishing which has been consistently good all week long. Early spring is amongst the very best times to fish the MO if numbers are important to you. It’s already heating up as our fish emerge from their winter slumber. A couple of more ticks up in the water temps and it’s going to go off! We’re still hanging around 34 degrees which is on the cold side but it won’t be long and those spring sun BTU’s will get things moving towards optimal trout temps (44 – 67 degrees).

Best bets for nymphing – Pill Popper, Bubble Yum, Cotton Candy, Pederson’s Sow, Tailwater Sow, Rainbow Czech, Pink Amex, Pink Lucent Bead Ray Charles, UV Yum Yum, Caviar Scud, Radiation Baetis, Zebra Midge, Firebead Ray, Firebead Czech, UV Sow, Soft Hackle Sow…you get the picture. All of these and many more in stock NOW at WCA.

Midge Madness on any given day for those looking to catch that first fish of the season on a dry fly. Try a Griffiths Gnat, Grizzly Midge, Bucky’s Midge Cluster, Black Sipper, Black Midge or even the tried and true Parachute Adams.

We’re a couple of weeks out from Prime Time for streamer fishing but there’s no time like the present to start down that road. Good reports as of late on white, grey and black but that will change with the day depending on water conditions and light levels. Polar Leech, Kreelex, Sparkle Minnow, Skiddish Smolt, Thin Mints, Mod Maidens, Mojo Minnows, MK Ultralite all good on the slow strip. Best bet on the swing would be leeches, buggers, Fruit Rollups and the like.

The shop is stocked up with TONS of Bugs, Simms Waders and boots, a bunch of new sweet sticks from Sage, Lamson, Echo and Redington and all the gear and accessories you’ll need for your day on the water.

We’re open from 8:30 – 4 PM Monday – Saturday and will expand those hours as things get busier.

Stop in for shuttles, fishing licenses, intel, the best coffee in the canyon and so much more.

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-03-17T11:15:59-06:00March 17th, 2023|Categories: Fishing Report, Uncategorized|Tags: Black Midge, Black Sipper, bubble yum, Bucky's Midge Cluster, Caviar Scud, cotton candy, dry fly fishing, Firebead Czech, Firebead Ray, Griffiths gnat, Kreelex, Lamson, midge, Missouri River, MK UYltralite, Mod Maiden, Mojo Minnow, Pederson's Sow, pill popper, Pink Amex, Pink Lucent Bead Ray Charles, Polar Leech, Radiation Baetis, Rainbow Czech, running line, simms, sparkle minnow, Streamer Fishing, Tailwater Sow, Thin Mint, UV Yum Yum, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|0 Comments

Sunny Late Winter Vibes as Wolf Creek ANgler

Blue skies and sunshine this ninth day or March, exactly the kind of day we need to get into spring fishing mode. The temperature hasn’t broken the freezing mark in a couple of days but we’re headed there today with a high near 40 on tap. Calm south winds in the 6-8 mph range make today the day to be on the water.

Snow and light winds from the NORTH tomorrow with a high of 33. 1-3 inches of snow expected. I’ll just leave that there without commentary.

Power through it. Spring weather will arrive next week with highs in the low to mid 50’s starting on Monday.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect!

We’ve opened a third of our lodging in preparation for a full house next week when our friends from the Bitterroot arrive for their Annual pre-season fling on the MO.

It’s been a couple of worrisome nights hoping for the best in regards to the plumbing with temps dipping into the single digits (so far so good) and we’re not quite out of the woods just yet but things look to be trending in the right direction.

Target date for opening the remodeled bungalows is April 1st or before and motel rooms will likely be opened by early to mid-April.

The shop is in GO mode with piles of spring inventory awaiting your arrival. We’re stocked up on Simms waders and boots, Sage rods and reels and of course the largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana.

Streamer bins are full, Sow Bug bins are full, Midge bins are full….we’re ready to rock and roll at Wolf Creek Angler.

We’re also your exclusive FWP License Provider in Wolf Creek and while we encourage all of our guests to purchase licenses online which you can do here, we’re happy to provide this service to our customers. After all, what kind of fishing shop doesn’t sell fishing licenses?

Fishing has been good and it’s about to get a whole lot better as that blazing spring sun warms the winter waters letting our trout know it’s GO TIME.

For the rainbow population that means gearing up to spawn. For the browns that means it’s time to feast. Time to feast on midges, time to feast on nymphs, almost time to feast on eggs and most importantly, time to feast on baitfish. Streamer Time on the MO!

It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year for those to whom enticing a hungry beast of a brown with a well-stripped streamer is the Holy Grail of fly fishing. Mind you we’re well aware that to some the Streamer game doesn’t even qualify as “fly fishing” and that’s ok.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and our opinion is that we’re all seeking the “tug” and it doesn’t really matter how we get there. We LOVE feeding dry flies to sipping fish. We LOVE chasing bobbers and you already know how we feel about streamer fishing. Find what you like and do it. It needn’t be any more complicated or controversial than that. #COEXIST

We’ll be adding Mondays back into the mix starting this week so starting on Monday the 13th, spring shop hours for now will be Monday – Saturday 9 AM – 4 PM.

Time change happens this weekend so don’t forget to Spring Ahead. Long hours of daylight on the way!

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-03-09T13:01:24-07:00March 9th, 2023|Categories: Shop Life, Uncategorized|Tags: #coexist, brown trout, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, midge, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Sage, simms, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Coutning down the days to Spring

By Montana standards we’ve had a very mild winter here on the MO.

After an early November arctic blast conditions have remained relatively mild and relatively stable all winter long with daily high temps averaging somewhere in the low 30’s with lows hovering in the teens.

We’re currently in the midst of a somewhat rare cold snap with highs in the single digits today and tomorrow and lows dipping into the negative double digits. A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect through Friday with wind chills as low as -35 possible. Mild weather returns this weekend with highs back in the 40’s and the winds you would expect with the warmer temps.

So yes, a mild winter for sure and a FAR cry from a couple of years ago when our average high for the entire month of February was in the single digits. But even so, as we near the end of February and creep ever closer towards spring (26 days and counting) winter has started to feel really LONG and monotonous and I’m sure I’m among many who are over it. Spring can’t get here soon enough!

I say that, but at the same time we need all of the days between now and then to complete our winter projects and to finish preparations for a busy upcoming season. Definitely a Catch 22 as winter conditions certainly add challenges to getting things done. Our parking lot has been covered in ice for the most part since November. The snow comes and goes. The ice remains and will likely do so for at least another couple of weeks until the sun finally inches its way onto our property and starts to melt the winter away.

So yes, I’m breaking my own rules regarding complaining about the weather and every year those posts I see from seemingly everyone but me from their winter fishing trips to South America, Belize, Cuba, Louisiana, Arkansas etcetera look more and more appealing. I’ve had it with whiteouts, black ice, wind chill advisories, shoveling snow, NOT fishing….bring on the spring weather!

While we wait for spring and try to focus on the bright side there are definitely reasons for optimism. Snowpack conditions look pretty good at the moment provided things stay cold in the high country. We’ll continue to build on that snowpack through much of March so by all indications it should be a good water year on the MO.

Traffic has been very light for much of the winter, save a few nice days that saw substantial fiberglass and Gore-Tex hatches but I expect that will change very soon, likely with the next warmup which looks to be happening this weekend.

We’re a ways out on the remodel but we will be looking to get some lodging opened up in the next week or two as we’ve got a number of groups scheduled for the middle of March and judging by the calls I’ve been getting lately I don’t think we’ll have any problems filling rooms once that warming trend has been established. It sounds like people are READY TO FISH! I know I am!

Give us a call to book your spring lodging and guide trips. We’re anxious to see some lodging traffic again and to see some cash flowing IN rather than OUT which is pretty much the only direction it’s been flowing this winter. Guides are HUNGRY and the fish are as well.

Wolf Creek is ready to be your Missouri River spring fishing destination with everything you need right here. Affordable lodging, the friendliest fly shop on the MO, great food and over 20 amazing beers on tap at Lazy I Beerworks which is OPEN EVERY DAY, the ONLY spot for gas and provisions between Helena and Cascade at The Canyon Store and all within a couple of miles of Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge, as close as you can get.

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-02-22T11:13:12-07:00February 22nd, 2023|Categories: Shop Life, Uncategorized|Tags: Holter Dam, Lazy I Beerworks, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, running line, spring fishing, The Canyon Store, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, Wolf Creek Bridge|0 Comments

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