With water on the rise around the state, the MO has become a busy place this week with steady low flows providing one of the better fishing options in the region. Traffic remains moderate for the most part as The Grind approaches. 

Spring is settling in with some nicer days as of late but cool temps and rain are on tap for this weekend which will likely make for some good baetis opportunities as well as optimal streamer fishing conditions. 

Nymphing has been strong, rain or shine, with the baetis nymphs maybe starting to edge out the sowbug/scud selections ever so slightly. There’s still been a run on Pill Poppers, Tailwater Sows and Caviar Scuds but we’re also moving a bunch of Little Green Machines, Olive Psycho Mays, BWO Magic Flies and the like as we move into mayfly season.

For my money I’m still starting out with a Pill Popper and no bead sow and not messing with a good thing but if that rig goes quiet you’d be well advised to show them a green machine or the like.

Sunshine has rendered the streamer game less than stellar but we’re moving fish and getting some good grabs even on the cloudless days. It’s all about persistence!

Bugs have been plentiful and the fish are starting to look up but the majority of the pods I’ve observed lately have been smaller fish. Expect some good top water action this weekend with the weather and study those rise forms to locate the bigger fish. They’re out there. You just need to work for them.

We’re still in the prime of spring fishing where you can realistically expect to have great action with whatever method you choose. I’ll throw streamers all day, any day but I’ve always got the dry fly rig at the ready this time of year as well as a bobber rig for those times we just need to catch a fish. 

Mornings in the shop have been increasingly busy with the bump in traffic this week and we continue to be encouraged by bookings for the season ahead. Most of Prime Time is booked solid and fall is just starting to take shape.

Lodging has been busy but it seems to come in waves. We’ll go a day or two with just a couple of rooms occupied and then things blow up and we’re booked solid. At this point the weekend looks to be a little slow but again, that can all change with a couple of phone calls. If you’re looking to come out and enjoy some spring fishing on the Missouri over these next couple of weeks we’ve got you covered with plenty of lodging options and access to some of the best guides on the river. It’s always a challenge to line up a guide for the next day but if you can give us a couple of days to work on it we can generally get you on the water with a great guide.

Bugs are moving from the bins at a fevered pace and so far we’ve been able to keep most of those bins stocked with all of the Missouri River essentials. Other product has been more of a challenge but we have no shortage of gear in stock with more arriving daily and we’d like nothing better than to keep all of these items moving through.

Waders will continue to be a challenge but we’ve got plenty of Simms G3’s in stock as well as Simms Flyweight, Freestone and G3 boots and Korkers a plenty including the new River Ops boot which has been receiving rave reviews.

Fishpond Eddy River and Lowcountry hats are back in stock and we’ll have a large shipment of WCA logo gear arriving soon, including sun hoodies, just in time for the warm weather which should arrive soon.

We’re open from 7:30 – 5 PM daily for all of your Missouri River fly fishing needs.