Daylight Saving Time ended this past Sunday, ushering in the coming days of winter darkness.

Not having given it much thought yesterday when we launched, I found myself rowing to beat the fading light after getting stuck on a mid-float dry fly flat, unable to resist the siren call of rise forms amidst an abundance of opportunity on water devoid of any sign of angling traffic.

We LOVE November on the Missouri!

That being said, chilly mornings and short days mean it’s time to shift gears. Shorter floats are definitely in order with only 6-7 hours of float time available considering you likely won’t be on the water much before 10 AM.

Holter Dam to Craig is doable as is Craig to Mid but for me Wolf Creek to Craig is the perfect late season float, not too long, not too short. Tacking on the additional 4 miles to Stickney will likely have you pushing to beat the darkness, especially if you get stuck on a dry fly flat half-way through and can’t bring yourself to leave.

From what I could tell by looking around the parking lots yesterday we were sharing 9 miles of river with three boats, two of which were exiting at Craig and only one of which we encountered at the very start of the day.

Have I mentioned we LOVE November on the MO?

The bobber fishing has been outstanding these last couple of weeks, a little slower yesterday but still good enough to qualify as near-exceptional, depending on your perspective of course.

The aforementioned dry fly fishing in the afternoons is good enough to keep you from getting to your takeout before dark and streamer fishing, while not exactly great on the brighter, sunnier days, always promises the potential for the fish of a lifetime.

Bottom line…it’s all good right now and there’s NOBODY out there (relatively speaking).

What are the drawbacks of November fishing? So far there really aren’t any. Weather wise we’ve had an absolutely amazing autumn with moderate temps and very little precipitation. A bit of wind more often than not but that’s a given anytime on the MO. Some cold mornings for sure but generally tolerable by 10 AM. Hopefully we’ll see some precipitation in the form of snow soon but in the meantime conditions are ideal for fall fishing. We’ve seen highs in the 40’s and low 50’s most days with overnight lows in the 20’s and 30’s, occasionally dipping into the teens. Most days see a mix of clouds and sun, with plenty of those gloomy light fall days that spell success.

Flows remain LOW, currently holding relatively steady at 2890 CFS with water temps on a slow drop, currently just shy of 49. Expect more of the same both on the weather and the water front for the time being with no substantial weather events on the horizon.

Our go-to dry fly rig – #18 Olive Haze trailed with a #18 Nyman’s DOA Cripple Baetis. We’ve got plenty of other options to choose from but I’ve been sticking with this rig for weeks now. I’ve found it to be a bit like novocaine…sooner or later it works!

Go To Nymph – Tailwater Sowbug. Pair it with a Rainbow Czech, an Amex, a Rainbow Weight Fly, a Tungsten Tailwater Sow, a Bubble Yum Scud or whatever you prefer. Other good options include soft hackle sows, Little Green Machine, Olive 2 Bit, Split Case BWO, Olive S & M or any other Baetis nymph but judging by these last couple of weeks I would suggest starting with the Tailwater Sow and moving on from there if need be.

Medium fast, 2-4’ water continues to be the go-to, don’t waste your time on the slow stuff just yet. It’ll happen soon enough.

We’re open daily at 8 AM for all of your Missouri River fall fly fishing needs.