Amex Archives - Wolf Creek Angler

Mid December on the MO

All is quiet on the MO right now.

With the river having been firmly held in winter’s grasp since early November, angling traffic has been sparse to say the least.

Oh sure, there have been a few folks out there on any given day but for all intents and purposes the 2022 late season has been defined more by the absence of traffic than anything else.

Our snow pack has been quietly building and we haven’t seen bare ground since early November thanks to the sustained well below average temperatures and above average snowfall.

It’s been cold. It’s about to get REALLY COLD. The forecast for next week, starting Sunday is for highs in the single digits and lows well below zero. Next Wednesday looks to be particularly brutal with a high of -9 and a low of -20.

River traffic has been sparse. It’s about to come to a stand-still though the hard water set should be mobilizing very soon. We’ll see highs in the mid 20’s for the next few days so if you must scratch that itch I’d plan on doing it sometime before Sunday.

Current river flow is 3300 CFS with water temp holding just shy of 34 degrees. I’d expect we’ll see a bump in flows next week to keep things moving but expect shelf ice to start to become an issue as those temps plummet.

Winter has undoubtedly become Swing Season on the Missouri but with the current and upcoming conditions deep nymphing will be your best bet for success. That being said, I know of at least one dry fly obsessed individual who has been finding rising fish and getting them to eat so don’t rule anything out.

Fish how you like to fish, just know that deep nymphing will give you your best odds at success from here on out. Of course it all depends on how you define success. If that definition is not tied to numbers then by all means, swing to your heart’s content, hunt those heads or strip those depths.

Best bets for those deep nymph rigs would be a pink Amex, Bubble Yum Scud, Rainbow Czech or Pill Popper trailed with a Soft Hackle Sow, Tailwater Sow, Pink Lightning Bug, Pink Ray or Pederson’s Sow. Run deep, 5-6 feet indicator to split shot and target the slow winter water. With water temps barely above freezing, fish are not expending a lot of energy. You’ll need to put your flies right in front of them as they aren’t going to move for them.

Obviously hooking and landing fish is a big part of why you’re out there but handling fish when air temps are in the mid 20’s can make you very uncomfortable extremely quickly. Good gloves are a must but there’s really nothing worse than fishing in gloves. I recommend putting hand warmers in the chest pocket of your waders or in your coat pockets as well as in a good pair of gloves.

Fish gloveless if you can, taking plenty of breaks to warm your hands and if you do happen to be “lucky” enough to have to handle a fish make it quick and get your dry hands in those pre-heated gloves immediately.

I’m all on board with #FORGETTHEFORECAST and I think you can do so with the right gear but even if your covered from head to toe and keeping that core temp where it needs to be, cold hands can ruin your day quickly and whether you’ve got a hike back to your vehicle or miles to row, cold hands will make it seem like an eternity.

That’s the advice for this week. Once we hit those single digits on Sunday my advice would be to STAY HOME!

Get that Christmas shopping done, sweep up those fallen pine needles, organize your gear or just sit around and daydream about coming warmer days on the water.

Winter is still technically a week out but we’ve already had a bunch of it and it’s about to put us in an arctic stranglehold, just in time for Christmas!

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-12-13T10:13:55-07:00December 13th, 2022|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: Amex, bubble yum, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, Pederson's Sow, pill popper, Rainbow Czech, running line, Soft Hackle Sow, Tailwater Sow, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

November Days on the MO’

It’s hard to believe but we’re already more than half way through November with the holidays rapidly approaching. Next week at this time the turkeys will already be in the oven and as if I haven’t been through enough torture this season, I’ll of course be watching the kickoff of the Detroit Lions annual Thanksgiving Day game.

We’ve reached that point of the season when days in the shop tend to be pretty quiet, despite what you may have heard elsewhere.

It’s time to count flies and confirm bookings and to essentially wrap up the season. We’ll do another round of winterizing next week which will leave us with the bungalows being the only remaining lodging option from here on out. Winter rate is $99/night plus tax. While we haven’t been setting any lodging records for November we have had the usual steady flow of hunters and late season anglers keeping us busy by late season standards.

We’ll likely make the shift to limited winter hours soon but for the time being here’s what you can expect for the next week. Open tomorrow at 8 AM. Closed this weekend for Griz/Cat Brawl of the Wild. Open Monday – Wednesday at 8 AM. Closed Thanksgiving through 11/28.

The river is quiet, even on the nicest days so if you like having the water to yourself and you don’t mind the creep towards colder winter weather this is your time to be here.

Of course the amenities are few and far between with all dining out options done or very soon to be done and while you can still find yourself a cold beer at The Oasis in Wolf Creek or Joe’s in Craig, it’s definitely the time of the year when you want to be as self-contained as possible.

Now, more than ever, it’s all about the fishing (or hunting) and not much else. So if spending the daylight hours in the woods or on the water and returning to your cozy confines at WCA to prepare your meals as you relax with your traveling partners sounds appealing then this is your time to be here.

If you require some semblance of social engagement to complement your stay, you might want to wait until spring.

Fishing has been good enough but seems to be transitioning to more winter-like conditions. There were plenty of bugs around last week but it feels like the shift has occurred so concentrate your efforts sub-surface on winter nymphing and streamer fishing.

Sows and scuds will be your go to nymphs from now until spring. You’ll want to stock up on Tailwater Sows, Tungsten Tailwater Sows, Rainbow Czechs, Bubble Yums, Pill Poppers, Amex, Soft Hackle Sows and various Pink Bead and Fire bead offerings. Keep those rigs relatively short (3’ – 4’ bobber to first bug) concentrating on the medium fast water in the 2’ – 4’ depth range. Water temps continue to drop and are currently hanging around 46 degrees. Keep working that faster water until things really start to cool down which will hopefully be soon. Slow winter water has yet to produce. I’m sure there are fish moving into that water but it has not yet proven to be productive.

A slower retrieve has been key when stripping streamers with plenty of pauses in between strips and perhaps the occasional swing, especially on the tailouts. Strip through the seam and then let it swing or do like the cool kids and stick to the swing exclusively. You can get em’ either way but it’s hard to beat a tactical retrieve off of structured banks if you’re hunting those fabled fall lunker browns.

Best streamer bets as of late have been JJ Sparkle Minnow, Sculpin Sparkle Minnow, Craven’s Swim Coach in brown or olive, Craven’s Dirty Hippy or Double Dirty Hippy in brown or black and ZK’s MK Ultra in grey/pink and Gladio in tan.

Swingers are finding success on buggers, Thin Mints, Kreelex, Polar Leeches, Balanced leeches etc.

It’s quiet time on the MO. The absence of anglers, the abundance of solitude, the bite of the crisp fall air…it’s not for everyone but it’s definitely for us and we LOVE it.

By Jason Orzechowski|2021-11-18T12:25:37-07:00November 18th, 2021|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: Amex, brown trout, bubble yum, Craven's Dirty Hippy, Craven's Swim Coach, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, JJ Sparkle Minnow, Missouri River, pill popper, Rainbow Czech, running line, Sculpin Sparkle Minnow, Streamer Fishing, Tailwater Sow, Thanksgiving, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, ZK's MK Ultra|0 Comments

Winter on the Way

Well it had to happen sooner or later.

Following weeks of mild weather with well-above average temperatures winter is about to arrive in Western Montana.

The 40 degree days we’ve been enjoying are soon to be replaced with single digits so count yourself lucky if you were able to make it out fishing over these past several weeks and if you didn’t you’ve got a couple of days left before the arctic blast hits.

Today looks to be the last best day but temperatures will linger in the 30’s for the next couple of days before plummeting into the teens on Sunday and colder yet early next week. The coldest day looks to be Tuesday with a high of -8 and a low of -17. It starts to tick upward later in the week and looks to be back to around 20 by next Friday. We’ll see if that turns into a warming trend or not but I wouldn’t plan on doing any fishing next week.

We’ve been getting a lot of calls from folks wondering if there is any ice on Holter Lake (which there isn’t) but that’s likely to change next week. We’ll keep you posted.

For those looking to make it out before the cold hits you need to know that the past couple of days have been the best nymphing action we’ve had in weeks. We can’t promise you that this will continue to be the case over these next couple of days but I think there’s a good chance it could be.

Winter bugs, winter water….as easy as it gets.

We did our first guide trips of 2020 yesterday and the day did not disappoint. This same group fished with us on January 3rd of 2019 and had a similar day so they really know how to hit it right.

Wolf Creek to Craig, deep buckets, pink bugs, hungry trout, and rods bent. That is the report from yesterday and the previous several as well.
Days like these make winter nymphing the worst kept secret on the Missouri. The wind can be a nuisance but outside of that, when it’s on like this it doesn’t get much easier. The choice of bug is typically not critical. Pill Poppers, Pederson’s Sow, Amex, Bubble Yum, Cotton Candies, Tailwater sows, Caviar Scuds…all the same stuff we’ve been pushing for the past month or so. Again, when it’s ON the specific bugs don’t seem to matter all that much which makes it nice because you can roll with the same rig all day rather than feverishly swapping out bugs and racking your brain trying to figure out what they want.

Run deep in the buckets with a bb split or two and hot spot your way down.

We did see a few folks around yesterday but for all intents and purposes the river is VOID of traffic which is another reason winter fishing can be such a blast.

Again, we can’t promise you great fishing every day but at just $400 for a guide trip you can’t beat the price and as is always the case with winter trips, if the weather turns or if you simply change your mind, no harm no foul…NO CANCELLATION FEE! You won’t find a better deal ANYWHERE so why not book a winter day on the MO with us now? You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.

If you prefer the wait and see approach that’s ok too. We can generally accommodate your request with as little as a day’s notice. Keep in mind we can also provide quality lodging at an affordable price so you can spend your time on the water, not on the road. $99 (plus tax) for a cozy bungalow with full kitchen and private bath. Bungalows sleep three very comfortably.

Hunker down for the coming arctic blast and then make a plan to get out and fish the Missouri this winter when things warm up.

We have shifted into our winter schedule at the shop. We’re open from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM Wednesday – Saturday and 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM on Sundays BUT there’s a very high probability that we will be closed on days when the temperature is at or below 20 degrees so please call ahead on those really cold days if you’re planning on us being open.

Accordingly, we will likely be closed most of next week or will just be here for limited hours.

That being said, we are open for lodging and guide trips EVERY day and calls are forwarded when the shop is closed so don’t hesitate to give us a call any day to book.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-01-08T19:31:44-07:00January 8th, 2020|Categories: Fishing Report, Uncategorized|Tags: Amex, bubble yum, Caviar Scud, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, pill popper, running line, Tailwater Sow, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Piles of new flies now at Wolf Creek Angler

Piles of new bugs in the bins at Wolf Creek Angler. We spent the better part of yesterday checking them in and rearranging the bins to accommodate all the new stuff.

700 some dozen yesterday and many more on the way making the largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana even larger.

Streamers, nymphs, dries…..we’ve got em. Everything you need for Missouri River success including plenty of Little Green Machines, Peep Shows, Amex, Payczechs, Circus Peanuts, Kreelex, Military Mays, S & M’s, Polar Leeches, Magic Flies and many more.

Stop in and see what the buzz is about at WCA.

Streamers Aplenty at WCA

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:55-06:00April 10th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: Amex, Circus Peanut, Hogan's Military Mayfly, Hogan's S & M, Kreelex, Little Green Machine, Mason's Peep Show, Two Bit Hooker, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments