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The Week Ahead

Are there any bugs you ask? Ummm....just a few! photo by Luke Koerten

Are there any bugs you ask? Ummm….just a few! photo by Luke Koerten

By all accounts from the past several days it’s GAME ON on the Missouri right now. Unfortunately the only bugs I’ve seen recently are the ones in our fly bins but I hope to rectify this situtation soon. I’ve been hearing good reports from all of our guides and our guests are raving as well, one calling his Saturday afternoon outing “the best dry fly day he’s had in years”.

Plenty of dry fly action on baetis and midges river-wide and if it’s nymphing you prefer it’s happening right now! I’m still hearing the occasional complaints of tough days from those fishing the top section but it’s been lights out in the middle and lower sections so spread out and have at it. Best selling bugs over the past couple of days have been Hogan’s S & M, LGM’s , MicroMay in Olive, firebead soft hackle sow, hot belly PT in purple, Purple phase loop wing, BWO Flash Cripple, BWO Drown Spinner, DOA Cripple Baetis, 2 Bit Hooker in Red, Kyle’s Superflash PT in Olive, Circus Peanut, Polar Leech, Sparkle Minnow, Beadless Zebra Midge in Black and a bunch of other baetis stuff. We’ve got the bugs you want and the bugs you need and many many more. Come check out our selection, we’re confident you won’t be disappointed.

Bins full of BWO's at Wolf Creek Angler

Bins full of BWO’s at Wolf Creek Angler

Weather wise we’re looking at sunny warm days through Thursday, possibly reaching near 80 on Wednesday. A 50 percent chance of rain on Friday may mean a better bwo day but the bottom line is that you really couldn’t pick a better week to come hit the MO. The weather is great, the bugs are plentiful, the fish are happy and hungry…what more could you ask for?

Remember our $300 spring special guide trips and our discounted lodging rates run through the end of April so time is running out. You’ve got 10 days left to make it happen so don’t put it off any longer. Give us a call at the shop today and book your Missouri River trip of a lifetime. It’s the best fishing we’ve seen this year and traffic remains relatively light, especially during the week.

Flows are holding around 3800 with water temps around 45. The lower water means more access for the wade anglers and less navigable water for boats and the increased potential for conflicts. Please be courteous to your fellow anglers whether wading or floating and try to give each other as much room as possible. There are miles and miles of water and there are fish everywhere. There is no reason to crowd each other.

Lodging is filling quickly for the coming weeks. We’ve got plenty of availability tonight and tomorrow but things start to become scarce starting on Wednesday. A couple of rooms remain for the weekend -they will likely be gone by the end of the day.

 

Full Swing

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The season is definitely in full swing here in Wolf Creek. Guide trips out daily, all lodging units open and most occupied (at least for the weekend), and a shop filled with all kinds of cool new stuff including over a thousand dozen new bugs and a bunch of new logo gear. We’ve had some crazy busy mornings and enough traffic throughout the days that it’s obvious the word is out.

With affordable lodging, a great guide staff and a first rate fly shop located just minutes from Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge, Wolf Creek Angler is your base camp for Missouri River Fly Fishing. Start your day at WCA. Shuttles, RO drift boat rentals, a great fly selection, all the tools and accessories you need, clothing and gear for all weather conditions and what some have called the best cup of coffee in Wolf Creek.

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Lots of boats below Craig today with the top section reportedly back to her moody ways as of yesterday. Slow was the collective description from the dam to Craig but it could very well be a completely different story on this dreary wet day which, by the way, we are very happy to see. The powers that be continue to scale back the flow predictions for the season which has led to quite an increase in flow related call volume. I’m sticking with what I’ve said all along related to flow predictions which is that I’m not going to make any. We will leave it to the “experts” to make those predictions and leave it to mother nature to make the final call. That being said we’re happy to see spring days like this and if I wasn’t in the shop all day I’d be more than happy to fish on a day like this. Streamers anyone?

Partly cloudy skies and a high of 58 on tap for tomorrow. Sunny and warm for the first part of next week with highs possibly reaching the mid 70’s by Wednesday before we see another chance for rain late next week. Whatever the weather, the fishing should be fine.

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Weekend Outlook 4/17/15

Doubled Up time on the MO.

Doubled Up time on the MO.

Beach weather expected today with sunny skies and a high of 71. Winds south at 5-10 mph. A perfect day for a float and while the sun might not make for ideal fishing conditions it’s tough to complain about a 70+ degree sunny day in mid-April.

Saturday will be a little more spring-like with steady light rain in the morning and showers continuing into the afternoon with highs in the low to mid 50’s. Intervals of clouds and sun on Sunday with highs near 60. Sounds to us like three perfect days to spend on the Missouri.

Traffic remains pretty light out there despite the fact that fishing has been consistently good all week. Dam to Craig had been fickle last week but seems to be improving. We had several trips through there the last couple of days and they did very well with the fish preferrring the smorgasbord approach to any one pattern in particular. Nothing new to report on specific patterns – sounds like a little bit of everything is working. Sowbugs, Rainbow Czechs, SJW’s, Military Mays, S & M’s, LGM’s, BWO Magic Flies, Hot Belly PT’s and on and on. Stop by the shop and we’ll get you set up with any and all of the above and more.

There were a bunch of BWO’s around yesterday along with the piles of midges we’ve been seeing daily but not much in the way of fish up, at least during the early to mid afternoon save for a few small pods where you would expect to find them.

We devoted a good couple of hours to throwing streamers yesterday and didn’t have a lot of action which wasn’t a big surprise in the bright sun but we did manage to move a few good fish regardless. We tried a bunch of different bugs and only got them to move on one of them. We threw polar leeches, smolts, sparkle minnows, circus peanuts, kreelex, rattlesnakes, buggers and more in a bunch of different colors – stop by the shop and we’ll let you know which one worked. We’ve got plenty of all of them and tomorrow just might be the day to throw them.

Discounted lodging and $300 spring special guide trips available through the end of the month. Book yours today.

Mid Week Missouri River Fishing Report 4/15/15

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Cooler, cloudier weather yesterday and today has ushered in some solid nymphing action and some prime conditions for streamer fishing.

It sounds like Holter to Craig was the section yesterday with fish congregating in most of the go-to spots. From what we’ve heard the fish are not consistently eating anything in particular so you may have to switch it up often to get them to go. Rainbow Czechs, S & M’s, Hot Bead worms, Military Mays, Green Machines, Sow Bugs, PT’s, Zebras…they are all getting eaten so don’t be afraid to change bugs often.

Streamer action  continues to be hit or miss but it’s definitely worth the effort in our humble opinion. Dry fly fishing has been good with a fair amount of BWO’s around and plenty of midges. We saw a lot of fish up in the canyon section on Monday and landed a few on the Parachute Adams/midge rig and even got a couple to go on the bigger bugs.

Sunny skies return tomorrow and Friday with highs back in the mid to high 60’s. Why not use that tax refund and book yourself a $300 Spring Special Guide Trip on the Missouri, you only have 15 days left before regular season rates return on both guide trips and lodging.

Stop by Wolf Creek Angler on your way to the river for everything you need for your day on the Missouri. The hardest working guides on the river, lodging, shuttles, RO drift boat rentals, all-conditions gear from KAST Extreme Fishing Gear, hand warmers, gloves and hats from Outdoor Research and of course the recently expanded largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana.
See you in the shop and on the water.

The Week Ahead

A day of firsts for Tara. First trout EVER including a couple of nice bows and this brown.

A day of firsts for Tara. First trout EVER including a couple of nice bows and this brown.

It looks like today will be the nicest day of the week with mostly sunny skies and a high near 70. The breeziness continues with South wind 8-15, gusting to 22.

A good chance of rain tomorrow and maybe even some snow on Wednesday with more seasonable temps hanging in the high 40’s and low 50’s, back into the 60’s by Thursday and Friday.

The action remained solid over the weekend with plenty of fish showing interest in nymphs and dries alike. We haven’t heard too much on the streamer front but a couple of cloudy days this week with water temps in the low 40’s could make for some pretty good action. We’ve got a bunch of new streamers in the bins, come by and check them out.

Rainbow Czechs, Military Mays, Pink Amex, Red 2 Bit Hookers, S & M’s and Tailwater Sows have all been effective nymphing patterns but the Little Green Machine has once again become the go-to fly on the river. We’ve got bins full of all of them. Short leashing the faster shallow water has been very effective the past few days but there are still fish in the slow deep stuff as well. It’s the Missouri – the fish are EVERYWHERE!

There have been a few BWO’s around and fish are being caught on emergers and cripples as well as the midge stuff. Keep throwing the clusters (Griffiths gnats/buzzballs etc). We haven’t been getting too crazy with trying BWO patterns yet but we’ve got a bunch of them and it certainly wouldn’t be a bad call. If you want to keep it simple a Hi Vis Parachute Adams trailed with a Griffiths Gnat is a great option. Come on in for all the flies you need including some “top secret” bugs which have been on fire.

We’ve got all of our lodging open now and while things are starting to fill up we’ve got plenty of rooms available this week and into the weekend. $99 gets you a cabin or bungalow with full kitchen through the end of April. Motel rooms also available at $60/single and $69/double. Don’t forget $300 Spring Special Missouri River full day guide trips through the end of the month. We’ve got a lot of trips out this week, would love to have more. Give us a call and book yours today. Guides are standing by at the ready.

Dan with a MO River cookie cutter

Dan with a MO River cookie cutter

Mid Week Missouri River Fishing Report

Spring is beginning to show itself on the MO. Photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Spring is beginning to show itself on the MO. Photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Spring is in bloom on the Missouri! It’s one of my favorite times of year when the drab winter landscape begins to take on the green hues of summer and as the warm spring sun starts to coax the buds into bloom it also warms the water bringing forth spring bug hatches and ushering in the dry fly fishing for which the Missouri is world-famous.
We’ve heard enough reports of BWO’s over the past week that is seems we are in for an early season and following the absence of bugs last fall hopes are high that it will be a good one. It really is an amazing time to fish the Missouri. I can’t think of a better way to spend a spring day than nymphing or throwing streamers while seeking heads. It’s all effective this time of year and when you do find those pods of rising fish you won’t have a better opportunity this season to fool them as they have yet to be educated by the masses. Dry fly fishing on the Missouri can be extremely technical and should always be treated accordingly but that being said, if there is ever a time a less-than-perfect presentation is not an absolute necessity….this is it.

It’s going to be on the sunny side today which isn’t the ideal but it looks like a chance of rain and snow showers each day for the rest of the week which would be perfect. Book your $300 spring special guide trips and discounted lodging today and take advantage of the spring solitude.

By |2016-10-25T16:15:55-06:00April 8th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|0 Comments

Back in Action

Fully Stocked with more arriving daily! photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Fully Stocked with more arriving daily! photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Back to work today and arrived this morning to find a shop full of goodies that weren’t here a week ago. Lots of new flies, a bunch of Fishpond and Loon tools and accessories, the best selection of fly lines we’ve ever had, eyewear from Smith Optics, more Kast Extreme fishing gear, Simms logo wear, fully stocked Rio and Trouthunter leader/tippet inventory, Hydroflask cofee flasks, watter bottles and growlers in all kinds of cool colors….just to name a few.

The shop has never looked better and we invite you to stop in and see what the buzz is about.

Traffic on the river is still relatively light though that will begin to change from here on out as things heat up out there.
Flows continue to hold around 4000 and water temps are currently hanging in that low 40’s range – perfect for this transition period as we move from targeting slow deep water and the semi-lethargic fish holding there to faster shallows and flats and fish willing to chase and ready to put up a fight.
We’ve got a chance for rain and snow each day this week with highs in the 50’s which could make for some great fishing whether you’re looking for dry fly action or you prefer the sub-surface game. We’ve heard good reports from the last couple of days on both.
Hot bugs for today in no particular order have been Pink Amex, Grey LGM, Parachute Adams, Olive Smolt, BWO Magic Fly, Rainbow Czech, Juju Baetis, Hi-Vis Griffiths Gnat, Brown Polar Leech, Beadless Black Zebra and Tailwater Sowbugs…all available at Wolf Creek Angler.

Plenty of lodging available this week and don’t forget to book your $300 Full Day Spring Special Guide Trip through the end of the month. Make Wolf Creek Angler your first stop on the way to the river – we’ve got everything you need for Missouri River fly fishing and we are closer to the Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge access sites than ANYONE.

Missouri River Friday Fishing Report 4/3/15

Another great visit to Michigan's Pere Marquette River - photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Another great visit to Michigan’s Pere Marquette River – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

As we wrap up our spring break here in Michigan and prepare for the long journey back to Wolf Creek I’m hearing nothing but good things about the fishing on the MO. LGM’s, Rainbow Czechs, Wire Worms, Pink LB’s, Black Zebra midges and tungsten Tailwater Sows are reportedly all getting plenty of attention and while I’m experiencing the usual end-of-visit blues, I can’t wait to get back on the Missouri this week and find out for myself what’s happening out there. Most of what I am hearing is that the nymphing is really heating up and I’m confident there will soon be some solid streamer action as well with the water temps climbing into the low 40’s. Mostly cloudy skies with a chance of rain and snow and daytime temps in the 40’s through the middle of next week should translate into some pretty good days out there both on top and underneath.

I closed out my Michigan fishing on Wednesday with another visit to the Pere Marquette, this time a walk-wade outing to the upper flies only. Things were a little slow by most reports but we did manage to do battle with a few and also picked up a good brown feasting on the train of eggs behind the spawning fish. I’d forgotten about the impressive browns you can almost always find hanging behind the redds. A well placed #14 double egg rig is ultra effective on these fish and while they don’t give you quite the fight of the chrome rockets it’s an opportunity to sight fish for big browns with a pretty good chance for success.

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It was a great couple of days with great friends back on the PM. I got my steelhead fix for the season and I’m ready to get back to the MO. I spent yesterday visiting the past and continued the tour of new Michigan breweries. Two things I love about Michigan and Montana – the spectacular fishing opportunities and the craft beer culture. Both states are great for these reasons and many others, the main reason in Michigan of course being the amazing friends we will always have here. It’s been a great visit and now the mountains are calling and I must go!

Thanks to WCA guides Jim Murray and Matt Hargrave for helping out with the blog this week. These guys do a great job of writing and an even better job of showing clients a great time on the Missouri. Give us a call and book a $300 Spring Special trip with one of them or any one of our other expert guides today. The spring special and our winter room rates run through the end of this month so don’t miss this opportunity.

I can’t wait to get back to the shop and see all of the new stuff that’s arrived. It’s full on spring fishing season now. New clothing, new gear, new bugs, new accessories etc., shuttles, rental boats, lodging and the same friendly service and commitment to making WCA everything you expect your Missouri River fly shop to be.

See you soon in the shop and on the MO.   ~Jason O.

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Weekend Edition

Spring weather underway in Wolf Creek

Spring weather underway in Wolf Creek

Ending the week with some summer temps here at the end of March with a high of 75 expected today. It could get a little breezy with gusts up to 21 mph but all in all it’s a gorgeous spring day to fish the Missouri. The water temp is bumping up against 40 at the dam and is starting to warm enough the further down you go to provide for some pretty solid streamer action. Fish are starting to be picked up in the shallows as well as the winter water so don’t overlook any of it right now.
There continues to be plenty of action on top pending the sun and the wind conditions and the nymphing is heating up. Firebeads and pink stuff have slipped out of style for the time being but we’re thinking they’ll be back at some point. In the meantime zebra midges, tailwater sows, LGM’s, Peepshows and Micromays have been gaining popularity amongst our customers and presumably amongst our trout.
Sparkle Minnows, Gold/Brown Kreelex, Black Buggers, Olive Smolts and Polar Leeches in all flavors have been getting some attention out there. Keep the bugs in the deep slow water and the retrieve on the slow side to start but don’t be afraid to target some shallow spring trout lies and speed up your strip with plenty of pauses in between.
Midge clusters some days, single midges on others. Try trailing an emerger to increase your odds.
We have plenty of winter-rate lodging available for the weekend and don’t forget our $300 Spring Special Full Day Guide Trips happening NOW through the end of April.
Stop by WCA on your way to the river for EVERYTHING you need for your day on the MO. Shuttles, boats, lodging, Kast Extreme Fishing Gear, friendly service and the largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana.

The Week Ahead

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Closing out the weekend with sunny skies and low 60’s today. Traffic on the river was moderate yesterday and, as has been the case lately, reports have been a mixed bag but it sounds like those in the know have been doing well both on top and sub surface while those working on getting it figured out are experiencing some challenging days.
Stop by the shop and we’d be happy to help you get your game dialed in. We’ll get you set up with the right bugs and help you out with rigging and give you some ideas on where to go. Sometimes this is all it takes but if you really want to get it figured out the best way to do it is to hire a WCA guide for a day.
New to the MO? Let us show you what this amazing river has to offer. We’ll spend time showing you our preferred techniques for nymphing and dry fly fishing and streamer fishing as well if that’s of interest to you. Want to work on your casting and mending? We can help. Presentation is EVERYTHING on the Missouri. Whether fishing tiny dries or nymphing, presentation is critical. Drag free drifts are a must so if you’re willing to put in the time we will teach you everything you need to know to make it happen.
Some aren’t overly concerned about technique and just want to catch a bunch of fish – we can certainly work towards that goal as well. Some are dialed in but just need someone to row them down the river. We will tailor your trip to whatever you desire – regardless of your skill level. And the best part? Now through the end of April you can do it for just $300 for a full day – a fraction of the cost of our regular season rates.
Give us a call today and book your spring special guide trip along with discounted lodging through the end of April- you can’t afford to pass this up.

The week ahead looks good weather wise with 50’s and a good chance of rain on Monday and cloudy skies Tuesday. Sunny and warmer towards the end of the week – back near 70 on Friday. Lodging will be busy from here on out so it’s definitely a good idea to book early rather than waiting until the last minute.
Hot sellers this weekend? Pink Lightning bugs, pink FB soft hackle sows, tungsten Tailwater Sows, FB Rainbow Weight Flies, Rainbow Warriors, buzzballs, griffiths gnats, hi-vis midges, Olive/Copper Polar Leeches, Gold/Brown Kreelex, Dark Peep Shows, black zebra midges, Rainbow Payczechs, Sparkle Minnows and Hi Vis Parachute Adams – not necessarily in that order.
Stop by the shop on your way to the river for any and all of the above.

By |2016-10-25T16:15:58-06:00March 22nd, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|0 Comments

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