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The leaves aren’t the only colors of fall. It’s time to go on the hunt for Missouri River browns.

Here we are mid-way through September and just under a week out from the official first day of fall. The march to our Second Season is on and each day brings us closer to those ideal autumn conditions which make fall fishing on the MO’ so spectacular.

In the meantime we wait.

Traffic has increased considerably over the past 10 days and these next several weeks look to be our busiest of the fall. There is definitely reason for renewed optimism coming off of the long hot August ghost town. That being said, I caught myself yesterday giving what was perhaps, an overly pessimistic assessment of the current opportunities and conditions to some folks from out of the area who had stopped in for a report.

As I gave these folks the lowdown on the nymphing and warned them about the abundance of weeds and the lack of dry fly fishing opportunities it struck me that for people showing up here for the first time and hearing this, I was painting a bit of a bleak picture which is the last thing I want to do. Following this exchange I did reformulate my presentation to paint things in a better light but at the same time I made certain to maintain an honest evaluation and to not oversell it.

Let’s be honest, early September can be tough and while it does carry with it the promise of ever-improving conditions as we transition to fall it can be a challenging time to fish the Missouri. Those first two weeks of September are essentially a continuation of the Dog Days but with some cooler temperatures creeping in, especially in the early and later parts of the day, keeping our focus trained on what’s coming.

My standard report as of late is that that nymphing is the ticket to numbers and that the dam to Craig is the ticket to the nymphing but that’s not to say that things are horrible elsewhere. And in fact, when traffic is stacking up at the dam I always advise seeking out other opportunities as there’s simply no reason to pack into one 8 mile section of river when we’ve got 30 plus miles of river and plenty of fish throughout.

If I’m asked if the weeds are bad my standard response is that they could be worse, which is definitely the case, but sometimes I feel like people don’t really want to hear it. Sometimes I feel like people want to hear that there are no weeds, that there are no crowds at the dam, that the fish are incredibly grabby every day and that opportunities abound no matter what your preferred method but this simply is not the case and I would be doing you a disservice by telling you it was. 

 
On a positive note nymphing is pretty darn good right now and should continue to carry the day. Most days have seen a big push of traffic at the dam and for good reason. The grass flats below the dam typically shine in September which has in fact been the case more days than not as of late but if the bumper boats isn’t your thing then don’t be afraid to skip the dam, there are plenty of fish throughout the system.

You could very well make it through your day without changing rigs but it never hurts to show them something different either. Frenchie/Zebra, Purple Weight Fly/Tailwater Sow, Zebra/Sow, Tung Dart/JUJU, Zirdle/Sow, Claws R/Zebra…there are a lot of rigs working right now but fail-safes have been #18 Black or Purple Zebras, #16 no-bead Tailwater Sow, #16 Frenchie, #16 Purple Weight Fly and #8 Zirdles in natural or olive. Again, there are plenty of other options which you should not overlook. Flashback PT’s, Rainbow Warriors, Split Case BWO’s, Olive S & M’s, Pearl Lightning Bugs, Soft Hackle Sows, Olive Psycho Mays, Poxyback Sows, Snapping Crays, Magic Flies, 2 Bits, LGM’s…good options every one of them. 

Dry fly fishing proper is not great though the terrestrial game remains strong depending on the day. Smaller hoppers and ants and October Caddis will get some attention, particularly in the middle and lower sections. I’ve been getting a lot of calls about BWO’s. Not yet. Probably a month or so. Perhaps a trico or two around and the random caddis but this is what I’m saying about September…it’s simply not our best month for dry fly fishing. We’re in between hatches, closing out the tricos and awaiting fall BWO’s.

Blind fishing terrestrials can be very effective. It can also make for a long day. It just depends on the day. It’s definitely worth your time to give it a go but if hunting heads and targeting rising fish is your game then bide your time, keep an eye on the reports and be ready to make your move on a moment’s notice. My guess is mid to late October.

Fall is also traditionally Streamer Season and there’s no time like the present to get after it. Weeds will frustrate and challenge you throughout the fall season, they aren’t going anywhere. But that being said, hooking into those aggressive fall browns makes it all worthwhile EVERY TIME!

We’re stocked up on streamers and sinking lines and we’ll talk streamer fishing for as long as you can stand to listen. Weeds or not, it is the most wonderful time of the year!

We are your Missouri River Fall Fly Fishing destination, your one stop shop on the MO’. Look no further than WCA for a wide range of lodging options, the most professional guide crew on the river, Adipose drift boat rentals (including free rentals for vets and active duty military personnel through Mending Waters Montana), and a shop filled with the goods you need for fall fishing on the Missouri and beyond.