Farewell to October

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM WOLF CREEK ANGLER

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM WOLF CREEK ANGLER

Halloween 2015. The weather conditions remain the same, unseasonably warm and sunny, however we are under our first winter storm watch of the season beginning Saturday night with the potential for 5-10 inches of snow at the higher elevations and 1-4 here on the Missouri. Could see rain or snow or both but the hope is that whatever weather we see it is accompanied by the BWO’s which have yet to make a real appearance. Fingers are crossed.
Fred and I traveled to Livingston Wednesday night and spent yesterday ripping streamers on the Yellowstone. Having been MO bound for the most part since April it was a great opportunity to get out and see some of the other awesome waters of the state. While I’ve fished the Yellowstone a time or two, neither of us had ever floated it. We were not disappointed! We committed to the streamer all day long and moved a ton of fish and even managed to boat a few. We will definitely be back.

Shades of brown on the Yellowstone - photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Shades of brown on the Yellowstone – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Floating the Yellowstone - photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Floating the Yellowstone – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Fred with a solid Yellowstone River Brown - photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Fred with a solid Yellowstone River Brown – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

 

Best of the day - photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Best of the day – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

 

Thanks to Matt for holding down the fort yesterday on his last “official day” in the shop. Hard to believe that the season is already over, it seems like we just opened the doors. Our inaugural season can only be described as a “blur” in the best possible way. We certainly had our hands full trying to figure this thing out and while I don’t think we’ll ever have it completely figured out we did learn a lot this season and we can’t wait to do it again. A huge THANK YOU to each and every one of our customers for allowing us to pursue our dream and to the fly fishing community in general for welcoming us into the fold. We are thrilled to be a part of this family, as dysfunctional as it sometimes seems. Special thanks to The Trout Shop, Crosscurrents, Headhunters Fly Shop and Trout Montana for doing what you do and for helping us do what we do. Thank you also to The Canyon Store, The Frenchman, The Oasis, Izaaks and the other businesses in the area as well as to all the folks in Wolf Creek and Craig who have gone out of their way to make us feel like we belong.

As always there are exciting changes coming to Wolf Creek Angler, changes which are, in large part, a result of your requests and suggestions. We are confident you will be pleased with the changes you will continue to see in Wolf Creek as we evolve and grow and continue to convert our inspired visions into reality.
A big topic of conversation amongst Fred and Sheila and myself has been what to do this winter. We’ve been contemplating everything from being fully open to fully closed for the winter months and believe we’ve found a happy medium that may or may not change depending on what kind of winter we get. As it stands now we will have cabins and bungalows available at least through the end of November and we plan to offer limited lodging through the winter months. We will have a couple of units available and will see how it goes. The shop is currently open daily from 7:30 am – 5 pm. With Fred heading back to Michigan soon for the winter we will likely be adopting a winter schedule which will probably mean 4-5 days/week. We’re still trying to figure out which days would work best but as of now we are leaning Thursday-Monday. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

For now we will see you daily 7:30 AM – 5 PM. Lodging is booked solid for the weekend but we do have availability next week should you decide to make the trek to the Missouri in search of BWO’s and the fish that love to eat them. Winter rates are in effect with cabins and bungalows going for $99/night. Give us a call to book lodging or guide trips or stop by on your way to the river for bugs, shuttles, boats and a bunch of great cold weather gear which just arrived from Outdoor Research.

Don’t forget the big Halloween party tonight at 7 PM at Uncle Joe’s Oasis Bar and Grill, it should be a great time.

See you in the shop and on the water.

~Jason O.

 

Weekend Report

Stormy weather on tap for this weekend. Streamer fishing anyone?

Stormy weather on tap for this weekend. Streamer fishing anyone?

Showers and thunderstorms on tap for this weekend. Missouri River flow currently at 11,100 cfs. Anglers from around the state have descended upon Wolf Creek and Craig in search of fishable water and we’re happy to report that we have plenty of it. Fishing has been good all week but has slowed a bit with the bump in flows yesterday and today. Nymphing is still the way to go with Hotbead Wire Worms and Sow Bugs leading the charge – especially with the bigger flows.  A couple of bb’s and a 6′ – 8′ leash from indy to lead should get you started. Fish the spots you know and adjust accordingly. Other bugs of choice this week have been Green Machines (Back in Stock at Wolf Creek Angler), Bubbleback emergers, dark Peep Shows, Rainbow Czechs, soft hackle sows, Tungsten tailwater sows, Tung Darts, Weight Flies in Gold and Purple and the Blue Faerie Circus in #18. It could be a worm game for a while with the higher flows. We’ve got plenty of worms in the bins though we’ve all but sold out of the hotbead wireworms. More on the way. Streamer fishing could be the way to go this weekend with cloudy skies and rain. We haven’t heard an abundance of reports on this front but we did manage to steal away for a few hours yesterday afternoon to give it a go in the canyon and it was surprisingly productive considering the blue skies and bright sun we had all day. Nothing much to report as far as dry fly action as of yet. Evenings have offered the best opportunities but for the time being it’s still primarily a sub-surface game.

A few vacancies for tonight and Sunday but for the most part the Inn is Full! Monday things open up but we’re rapidly filling up starting Tuesday and running through the remainder of the week. If you’re thinking of coming to Wolf Creek this week and you’re planning on having a place to stay we suggest you call sooner rather than later. Stop by the shop for bugs and shuttles and anything else you might need for your day on the water. RO Drift boats available for rent for $150. At 11,000 cfs we suggest you fish from a boat and we’d love to help you out with that. As long as you’re going to fish from a boat you may as well hire us to take you fishing. Expert guides standing by – ready to work.

Have a great Missouri River weekend. See you in the shop and on the water.   ~ Jason O.

Missouri River Rainbow photo courtesy of Ryan Casne

Missouri River Rainbow
 photo courtesy of Ryan Casne

It’s time for spring fishing on the MO

January on the MO?

cabins Spring Time on the MO

A fat and happy Missouri River Spring Bow

A fat and happy Missouri River Spring Bow

Winter continues to come and go here in Wolf Creek Montana, but the time has come to get out and fish our world class Missouri River and we’ve got some ridiculously affordable spring deals on lodging and fishing you can’t afford to pass up. $300 full day guide trips and lodging starting at $59/night – it’s almost too good to be true.

The river is currently flowing at 6570 CFS and is holding at around 36 degrees – perfect conditions for nymphing and streamer fishing and there are plenty of midges on the water every day if you just can’t wait to throw a dry-fly. More dry-fly opportunities coming very soon! The weather is pleasant for this time of year with temps in the high 30’s and low 40’s and it looks like we’ll be back towards 50 early next week. Traffic is very light during the week though the weekends have been bringing out a fair amount of anglers especially from the dam to Craig. Fishing has been good in that section for sure but don’t be afraid to try your luck further down river if you want to avoid the crowds, there are plenty of hungry fish throughout the system.

The shop is getting close to being ready and will be open for business on April 1st. We are open now for guided fishing and lodging. Give us a call today and book your $300 full day guide trip and while you’re at it, book a cabin. We’ve got cabin #3 available for $59/night + tax and if you need a little more space and a kitchen we’ve got cabins 2 and 4 available for $100/night + tax.

This is an awesome opportunity to experience spring time on the Missouri at a fraction of the cost of normal rates.  A full day of guided fishing on the MO and a night of lodging for as low as $359? The same thing will cost you just shy of $600 during the season! Worried about the weather? Don’t be!  We are well aware of the ever-changing weather conditions and we don’t expect you to fish in the cold and snow  (unless you want to).

See you on the water!

Jason O.

Cabin Fever Angling – Guest Blog by Wolf Creek Angler Guide Eric Mondragon

mondragon

A nice 19” fish caught by friend and fly fishing guru, David McClain

 

Fishing was out of the question for the duration of our recent Arctic weather. Instead, I caught up on some remodeling projects on the home front by installing acacia walnut flooring in four rooms, textured and painted walls in my office and guest room, and then finished all the trim around windows, doors and floors. All in all, it took about two and a half weeks, which worked out well. With an average day time high of minus ten degrees it was too darn cold to be outside for long.

When it warmed a little, I had cabin fever and was itching to get out. Last Sunday, I floated the Missouri from Craig to Stickney with my buddy, David McClain. Trout Dog, my golden retriever came along for the ride. From about 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., fishing was sporadically good.

We had some luck on the slow to medium speed water where it was three to four feet deep. Because of the long cold snap, fishing was better six to eight feet down in really slow frog water. We were surprised by the size of the fish staged in deep areas. We managed to land maybe a dozen fish that were eighteen to nineteen inches. When it is cold, deep fishing seems to be the ticket because water is warmer down there.

Hot bead flies, rojo, green machine and zebra midges are getting a few bumps. As Winter winds down and early Spring starts to take hold, more and more midge will start to stir. Fish will pay more attention to flies drifting by and strike harder. Right now, you pretty much have to hit the fish on the nose and strikes will be very subtle. They key to successful Winter nymphing is to find fish and stay on them. That old adage is true: “Don’t leave fish to find fish”. Take your time and work a specific piece of water well. It’s a Winter thing, so fish it up.

Go to Top