The slow slog through August continues.

Crickets!

Speaking of crickets, it might be worth throwing one. Ants and hoppers have been the dry flies of choice but don’t be afraid to experiment when it comes to terrestrial fishing. Sure there are some tried and true terrestrials (Morrish Hoppers, Flying Ants and the like) but there’s no reason you shouldn’t switch it up and try a beetle or a cricket or maybe even a small mammal!

The weather has been gorgeous, the fishing has been steadily improving and as is generally the case in late summer, for the life of me I can’t understand why there’s nobody here.

But so be it, we’ve been making the best of the situation and enjoying having the river to ourselves.

Nymphing has been good and seems to be getting better every day. A #18 Silver Tungsten Bead black zebra midge (maybe even two) is all you need. I’ve been running mine with wire worms and cray fish and getting eats on all of it.

Plenty of lodging and guide trips available through the rest of the month and into early September but then things start to fill up so if you’re contemplating a fall trip to the Missouri then now is the time to make the call.

We’re looking at very comfortable daytime temps in the low 80s for the next while with lows dropping into the low 50’s at night. River flows are stable in the 4400 cfs range and water temps at the dam are in the 64-65 degree range. Yes there are some weeds to contend with but overall you really couldn’t ask for better conditions for late summer. A few clouds here and there would be nice but the fish don’t seem to mind the sunny days so you shouldn’t either.

We hope you make WCA your first stop on the way to the Missouri. We are your one stop shop for everything you need for your day on the water. Open 7 AM daily.