fly fishing Archives - Page 15 of 46

Welcome to September and to New Beginnings

Autumn is a magical time on the Missouri – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

The Dog-Day Slog of August is over. At least that’s what the calendar says. There’s been no drastic change on day one of September but according to our lodging book we’re just a few days out from a return to busier days and it can’t come soon enough!

The river has remained quiet with just a handful of folks around on any given day. I would expect that that’s about to change.

Sure, we’ve seen plenty of cancellations for the fall and yes, the world still seems utterly insane (somehow seeming more so every day) but there’s nothing like the arrival of fall to shut the door on the summer season and collectively move us towards new beginnings.

After all, the lazy days of summer are drawing to a close and it’s time to get back into action. A new school year has begun, election season is in full swing, NFL football is on track to start at its normal time of year and fall fishing is about to heat up. And ultimately while we don’t know how any of this will pan out we are ready for the new beginnings.

Of course we’re continuing to track the Covid numbers and we’re continuing to do everything in our power to keep our guests, customers and employees safe and healthy but as we head into autumn we’re excited to embrace the change of season and while it may in fact just be wishful thinking, I for one feel like it’s time to move on. Mind you I’m not talking about moving on from mandates or from doing all of the things we’ve been doing for SIX MONTHS now to protect ourselves and others from sickness. What I’m talking about is moving on from the mental anguish of letting these things drag us down.

I hope to hell things go smoothly this fall. I hope there are no major outbreaks and that school at all levels remains open and continues to make strides towards business as usual. I hope we get through these next couple of months leading up to the election without continuing to be so entrenched in our respective ideologies that we choose politics over relationships, echo chambers over open discussions and tribalism over tolerance.

One thing I do know for certain is that there are places you can go to escape. Places that are a long ways from the chaos. Many of these places are not solely physical locations but are the fusion of beautiful and remote places combined with a renewed and refreshed and relaxed state of mind one can only attain by removing oneself from the daily and immersing oneself in the moment. That moment might consist of wandering in the mountains, wading in a stream or floating down a river. It might consist of simply sitting in silence, unplugging from everything and appreciating the moment for what it is.

Needless to say, there are many places you could go to chase this elusive state of enlightenment (satori) and one of those places is right here, floating down the Missouri River on an early autumn day. Covid disappears, social unrest disappears, politics disappears but only if you allow them to do so. Out here it’s sun and sky, moving water, gentle (and at times not so gentle) breezes and your focus on your cast, your drift and with any luck your proficiency at fighting and landing fish, all the while taking in the amazing scenery around you.

Fly fishing is the ultimate escape from the chaos.

Let us facilitate your escape and deliver this experience to you this fall at Wolf Creek Angler.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-09-01T20:30:44-06:00September 1st, 2020|Categories: Shop Life, Uncategorized|Tags: fly fishing, Missouri River, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|4 Comments

The View from Above

Traffic has slowed to a crawl on the Missouri per the established seasonal ebbs and flows and with the exception of Saturdays when the rec floaters are out in droves soaking up the last days of summer, things have been quiet.

The shops are quiet. It’s the time of year we’re busying ourselves by cleaning house, watering grass, mowing grass, painting decks, sweeping the parking lot, washing our boats…just looking for ways to pass the time as we await The Return.

It’s also that time of year when we are busy putting together pre-season orders for spring, a process which has become extraordinarily challenging in our Covid World where we don’t know what to expect other than a steady supply of the unexpected. I for one am a little gun shy in regards to ordering, trying to strike a balance between cautious conservatism (essentials only) and a more hopeful optimism that we’ll see a return to normal and that we should order accordingly. As you would expect I’m leaning towards caution in response to the fact that while I am hopeful for the future, I can’t help but think “a return to NORMAL” is a ship that has long since sailed.

From where I sit it makes perfect sense to load up on essentials such as flies and terminal tackle. Beyond that I’m not so sure where this is heading. I expect there will continue to be plenty of people fishing regardless of what the future brings but based on what we’re seeing in the way of fall cancellations as well as on what feels to me like an attempt to normalize the turning upside down of our existence and a disturbingly widespread willingness on the part of many to accept it, I feel caution remains the best course of action.

We continue to do our part to protect the health and safety of our employees and our customers but our patience is eroding and weariness has gained a strong foothold. We’re tired of social distancing. We’re tired of masking. We’re tired of Plexiglas dividers. We’re tired of cancellations. We’re tired of being divided. We’re tired of all of it and we’re OVER it!

That being said, there’s not much else to do other than deal with it so thank you for the opportunity to vent. Now, on with the socially distanced, double disinfected and triple sanitized show.
In spite of the late summer doldrums fishing, as always, has remained a welcome escape from the world.

Nymphing has continued to produce those much sought after numbers and between Tricos and Caddis and Terrestrials, there are enough dry fly opportunities to keep the bobber averse engaged and entertained most days.

Weeds continue to frustrate so make sure to mentally prepare before you get out there and don’t let them get you down. After all, weeds or not, wouldn’t you rather be wade fishing or floating mask less down the river on beautiful late summer day than doing almost anything else in the Covid world?

Nymphing has been best between the dam and Craig with black Zebra midges, Little Green Machines, brown S & M’s, Tailwater sows, purple weight flies, purple lightning bugs, dark Peep Shows, Frenchies and more. Crayfish are hit and miss but always worth a try.

Tricos have continued to be a disappointment. 2020 will be remembered for many things. Tricos on the Missouri will not be one of them! Even so, keep those hi-vis Trico spinners, Indicator Spinners and Double Wings at the ready just in case.

Hoppers and ants will get some looks and generally some eats as well. We’ve been targeting the lower river for hopper action but the Craig to Mid zone has had some decent days as well. We have not ventured into the canyon as of late but I would expect adequate action there as well. Smaller hoppers in the #12 range seem to be what they want these days and if the hoppers aren’t getting the looks then fish the ant. They will eat the ant.

Standard operations right now for late summer as we anxiously await fall and what we hope will be a busy late season on the Missouri.

We’ve got plenty of lodging available and the guide schedule is fairly open for another week or two before the fall season kicks into gear.

Fall shop hours are 7 AM – 5 PM daily. We are your one stop shop for everything Missouri River fly fishing and beyond. A lodging and guided fly fishing experience for every budget, Adipose drift boat rentals, shuttles, Simms waders and boots, Fishpond packs, Smith optics, Rio lines and leaders and the now near-legendary largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana. Our bug selection rivals (and in our opinion bests) that of any other shop on the MO and our customer care is second to none.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-08-26T17:37:27-06:00August 26th, 2020|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: caddis, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, simms, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|0 Comments

It’s Trico Time on the Missouri – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

It’s what some of you have been waiting for….Tricos on the MO’.

Others despise the challenges presented by tiny dry flies and finicky fish but for the hard-core DFO purists among you now is the time.

The quiet early mornings at the boat launches are a thing of the past for now as the Trico guys know an early start is critical for a shot at the prime spots during the spinner fall, somewhere around 9 – 10 am.

A week ago I had the ramps to myself at 6 am when I was dropping rental boats. Today I had to wait my turn behind a multitude of early starts with a steady stream coming in behind me.
Early on means early off which works out well as mid-day temps are currently pushing into the 80’s and 90’s with bright sun and minimal cloud cover the norm as of late. Tomorrow looks like a good chance for showers throughout the day before we resume the summer sun and heat through the weekend.

There continues to be a fair amount of evening traffic out there as well. We recommend self-shuttling for these late floats. We’ve been cutting off shuttles at 4 PM and while some may be doing them later than that I don’t think anyone is doing late night shuttling so if night ops are on your agenda please plan accordingly.

There are still some PMD’s around but definitely coming to a close. Tricos in the morning and Caddis in the evening and if that’s not your thing then have it to yourself during the heat of the day and start throwing some foam.

Hoppers and ants are starting to attract some interest. Not a ton of naturals around just yet but there will be soon enough. Fish the hopper (or ant) alone or drop a nymph (LGM, Zebra Midge, magic fly, lightning bug etc) and cover some ground. Hit the banks, hit the mid-river riffles, hit the spots you wouldn’t normally expect to move fish…you might just be surprised by where you find them.

The nymph game has continued to produce albeit somewhat inconsistently with the continued flow fluctuations taking a toll on the fishing depending on the day. We’re sitting at 4920 CFS as of this writing, I’d expect it to maintain in this range from here on out but I’ve been getting this one wrong more often than not so take it for what it is.

On the good days best nymph bets have been Purple Weight Fly, Frenchie, Brown S & M, Split Case PMD, Tailwater Sow, Black Zebra Midge, PMD Magic Fly, Pearl Lightning Bug, Little Green Machine, Peep Show, PMD Redemption, Tung Dart, PT’s, and the occasional hot streak on Olive or Natural Zirdles.

Top movers from the dry fly bin include Rusty Spinners, Buzzballs, Drowned PMD Spinner, Flash Cripple, Film Critic on the PMD menu. Caddis faves include Blooms Hi Vis Parachute Caddis, Stockingfoot Caddis, Outrigger Caddis, Cornfed Caddis and CDC Caddis Emergers. Go to Trico patterns – Indicator Spinner, Hi Vis Spinner, Double Wing, Hi Vis Sprout and other assorted flavors.

We’re open early every day, by 7 at the latest, with boat rentals in the water generally by 6:30 am. The weirdness continues to hamper our lodging and guide trip bookings but we’re plugging along piecing a season together. The point is, we’re getting enough cancellations that we’ve been able to accommodate last minute requests with a fairly high rate of success so don’t shy away from attempting to book those last minute rooms and trips.

It’s summertime on the Missouri, with Dog Days ahead.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-07-22T20:04:58-06:00July 22nd, 2020|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: caddis, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, Missouri River, pmd's, running line, tricos, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|0 Comments

Caddis Sunset – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Rapidly approaching mid-July and everything is falling into place.

The flows have been cut in half since last week and are currently leveling off at a wade-friendly 5900 CFS. July operation plans from the Bureau of Reclamation are predicting most probable flows to be right about where they are for the month before falling in August and leveling out at around 4500 CFS for the remainder of 2020. Water temps are holding at around 63 degrees.
The late push of water had many singing the blues these last two weeks but to be honest with you, the conditions couldn’t be much better than they are right now as far as flow and water temperature go. The weeds are definitely starting to take hold but we’re in really good shape for Mid-July.

So it took a while but the water conditions which are the first piece of the puzzle just fell into place. Obviously the other critical component of the Missouri River dry fly extravaganza is the bugs and we’re happy to report that this component has also been shaping up nicely throughout the season.

This time of the season is what makes the MO a legend in the lore of western fly fishing. PMD’s? Check. Caddis? Check. Tricos? Check. And some pseudos in the mix for good measure. So many bugs, so many trout and nothing but time.

These are the days of pre-dawn launches and of picking boats after dark. These are the days of sleep deprivation amongst crazed dry-fly anglers and shop staff alike. These are the days of hunting heads, of blanket hatches, of putting pods of fish down with blown casts and with any luck, of artfully delivered casts being rewarded with the take and the fight and just maybe landing the fish of a lifetime. Big fish. Small flies. Delicate tippet and a highly developed combination of steely determination, resolve and finesse (as well as one hell of a well-rehearsed and more often than not, perfectly executed reach cast) culminating in an oddity known in our world as the DFO.

They’re a rare breed and the banks of the Missouri are crawling with them right now. That being said, “crawling” might be a stretch. After all, it’s the season of Covid and nothing is quite as it should be. Don’t get me wrong, there are folks here and we’re “busy” by 2020 standards but in a normal year with these bugs and these conditions you would expect the Missouri to be overrun with anglers which it is not.

That being said, we’ve been doing this dawn and darkness boat thing for years and while it’s definitely not every night, there have been a couple evenings at the ramp, the likes of which I’ve never seen with the parking lot at the takeout looking like 3:30 pm on a summer afternoon with nearly every trailer spot occupied.

Other days (and nights) it’s already feeling like the coming Dog Days of August with next to no one around.

Weekends are a different story as it seems Covid has kept folks close to home. A ton of rafts and SUP’s and all manner of floaty things assembled on all stretches of the river have made Saturday the day you probably don’t want to try to fish the MO.

Aside from Saturdays however, this is the season to be here if you want to experience the Missouri River at PRIME TIME like you’ve never experienced it before and hopefully won’t again with light to moderate traffic and an abundance of target-rich water there for the taking.

A recent lull in our lodging caused by Covid cancellations has ended and we’re back to full bore with a nearly full house for the remainder of the month.

Guide trips are filling in nicely and requests have reached a point where we’re having to turn down days because all of our guides are booked. This is a welcome development in a season we feared we might lose altogether.
We continue to play the fill-in game with inventory at the shop, walking the fine line between cautious purchasing and having everything on hand you might ask for. We still don’t know where this thing is going so we’re continuing to cautiously plot the remainder of the season but rest assured we do have bugs a plenty as well as a full stock of leaders/tippet/lines/tools/accessories/ etc. and we’ve also just placed a couple of logo orders to replenish our depleted stocks of WCA gear. New stuff coming soon.

The fly bins are full with all of the PMD, Caddis and Trico patterns (as well as the largest assortment of Missouri River nymphs ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek MT) And don’t miss our drawer of foam fully stocked with all of the best hopper patterns for the rapidly approaching terrestrial season.

Summer hours 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM officially, and usually someone around before and after those hours. Shuttles, sun protection, Adipose Drift Boat rentals, Affordable lodging and the hardest working guide crew on the MO’.

We are your Missouri River summer fly fishing destination.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-07-14T21:30:56-06:00July 14th, 2020|Categories: Shop Life|Tags: Adipose, caddis, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, pmd's, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Summer Days on the Missouri

2020 continues to confound.

It’s hard to believe but July is upon us, and with it, the continued peak flows of the season. 10,900 CFS at the time of this writing with a couple of more bumps to come today and tomorrow. We may in fact be bumping up against 13K by tomorrow and while that’s far from ideal for the legions of wade anglers currently either sitting on the sidelines or renting boats, it’s not all bad.

Canyon Ferry is currently 100 percent full with the flood control pool currently 14.5% full. Inflow is 10,377 with outflow at 10,040 CFS. We’re approaching equilibrium with plenty of water for the season ahead. That’s good news.

Soon enough the flows will be reduced and conditions will again approach perfection. In the meantime we’re already looking at flows exceeding 12K below the Dearborn but after cresting yesterday things are on the drop and it shouldn’t take long to clear.

Water temps are still holding at around 59 degrees thanks to below average temps during the day and downright chilly nights which have been dipping into the 40’s regularly. It doesn’t feel much like summer but it will soon enough. Our extended green season will soon be behind us but thankfully healthy flows should maintain for the season.

Despite the higher flows the fishing has actually continued to be fairly consistent both for the dry fly crowd and the nymphing set alike and the hard core streamer contingent continues to thwart convention, taking advantage of the extended clean-water season. We’ve been exploiting these higher flows and the color being added by the LPP and Dearborn to put together some respectable days on streamers and it looks like we could have at least another week of it.

We’d recommend concentrating your efforts sub-surface for the remainder of the week as the additional couple thousand CFS promised for the next two days may effectively shut down dry fly fishing for the time being. If you simply can’t accept that then focus on the side channels and soft water locales for your dry fly fix. We’re not sure when she’s coming down but it shouldn’t be long. If I had to venture a guess I’d say that we should see flows start to fall by the weekend and certainly by next week.

Dry Fly options still PMD’s and Caddis. Tricos on deck. Best bets – Rusty Spinners, PMD CDC Spinner, Buzzball, Film Critic, Flash Cripple, Blooms Parachute Caddis, Outrigger Caddis, Cornfed Caddis, CDC Caddis Emerger. We’ve gotten a few calls inquiring about Terrestrial Fishing this week and while it’s not quite prime-time for terrestrials you could certainly do worse things than throw an ant these days.

Best bet for nymphing – PMD nymphs (Crack Backs, Split Case, PMD Redemption, Frenchie, Psycho May, S & M PMD, Magic Fly, LGM) Caddis Pupae (Purple or Gold Weight Fly, Tung Dart, Nitro Caddis) and general purpose staples like Fish Finder Worms, Pheasant Tails, Sow Bugs and Czechs.

Streamers – Olive buggers, Lil Kim, Sparkle Minnows, MK Ultras, Dirty Hippie (Brown), Mini Dungeons, MoJo Minnow etc. Fruit Rollups and Pine Squirrel Leeches are never a bad call and crayfish have had their moments as of late.

Boat rentals have blown up this week so you’ll definitely want to call ahead if you’re thinking you’re going to rent a boat. We’re in the thick of it with guide trips but do have openings for those last minute plans. Lodging is full of holes due to Covid cancellations. We’re busy with lodging but not nearly as busy as we should be during the first week of July so if you’re thinking of changing summer travel plans and possibly putting together a trip to the MO give us a call. It’s likely we can get you set up with guides and lodging in the weeks to come.

The balancing act continues in the shop, trying to keep things somewhat minimal while at the same time making sure we have all the staples you need and thus far I feel like we’ve done a good job with it. Flies, leaders, tippet, fly lines, tools and accessories are fully stocked. Hats and T’s and gifty things….not quite so much.

Official summer hours are 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily. Guide trips have been going out around 8 AM and Rental Boats have been being delivered at the crack of dawn.

We’re keeping a close eye on the Covid situation and doing everything in our power to operate in the safest possible manner for our clients as well as our employees. You can rest assured we’re committed to our cleaning/disinfecting protocols in the shop and we’re leaning heavily towards requiring masks for our customers. Not quite there but we’ll keep you posted.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-07-01T18:56:34-06:00July 1st, 2020|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: caddis, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, running line, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Summertime on the Missouri River

And just like that summer (and big water) arrived.

Here we are with but a week left in the month of June which doesn’t seem quite possible but alas, it is so.

These last couple of weeks have been as good as it gets for PMD’s and the Caddis have been making a strong showing as well providing a wealth of opportunities daily for the dry fly angler. A week ago water conditions were optimal with flows at around 6500 CFS and no expectation of increases.

Fast forward to today and we’re sitting at 9300 CFS with a couple more bumps on the way this afternoon and tomorrow which will likely take us to around 10,500 CFS. Needless to say, those here for the wade fishing are not pleased.

Thanks to a bunch of rain and a substantial snow event in the high country last week the SNOTEL chart is once again in play. Canyon Ferry Reservoir is currently 100 percent full so it doesn’t look like there will be any shortage of water on the MO in 2020.

So what’s that done to the fishing?

I haven’t heard a report post 9000 CFS but with things on the rise yesterday we found ample dry fly opportunities in the Craig to Mid stretch and from what I understand the caddis in the canyon yesterday evening hearkened back to days of old. Hopefully more of this to come!

This past week also seems to have ushered in the Prime Time traffic and while it may be short of what we are used to seeing in late June it’s a drastic change from what has been. The river is busy, the ramps are bustling with activity, the restaurants are full (by Phase two standards) and traffic in the shop is steady all day every day.
There are a lot of folks around right now coming from all corners and while we’re thrilled to be doing something close to normal business we are mindful of the fact that the Coronavirus is still a thing and we’re still having to operate with restrictions in an effort to prevent the spread.

Our “new normal” routine includes cleaning and disinfecting the shop throughout the day. We’re masked up and we’re strongly encouraging our customers to wear masks in the shop as well. Our housekeeping procedures continue to reflect the seriousness of the present circumstances and you should know that we are continuing to make the safety and health of our employees and our customers and guests our number one priority.

Our guides continue to take extra measures to clean and disinfect boats and equipment as well as their vehicles and while we’re confident we can safely deliver you to and from the river in our guide rigs, you are always more than welcome to meet us at the put in and have your vehicle shuttled to the takeout if you don’t feel comfortable riding in our vehicles.

We’ve definitely observed a softening of adherence to safety measures among the public over the past couple of weeks as things continue to open up and as we move towards what is actually beginning to feel like “normal” but we encourage you to remain vigilant. Case numbers continue to increase in many areas of the state, likely due in large part to the tremendous increase in testing but that being said, people are still getting sick so we’re 100 percent committed to doing everything in our power to keep this thing held in check and keep our shop and lodge open and our guides on the water.

Hot and sunny summer days on tap this week through Saturday. We’ll see things cool down again and likely some precipitation starting Sunday and into the first part of next week.
Lodging and guide trips are in full swing right now and the phones have been EXTREMELY busy with folks looking to book dates later this summer. We are approaching our busiest time of year but we do still have some holes in the schedule due to cancellations.

Give us a call if you’re interested in a trip to the MO this summer and we’ll see if we can make it happen.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-06-23T23:09:51-06:00June 23rd, 2020|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: caddis, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, summertime, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

June 9th Bugs and Water Update

The Bureau of Reclamation made liars out of us last weekend as flows bumped to near 9500 CFS on Sunday and Monday thanks in part to a storm system which brought a fair amount of precipitation to the area in the form of both rain and snow. This, just after we’d gone on record in our blog a few days earlier, stating that our most probable peak flows would top out around 7K. Such is springtime in the Rockies. We’ve seen a couple of decreases in flows since and at the time of this writing we’re sitting back near that proclamation at 7730 CFS and with another drop scheduled for tomorrow morning that should take us right back where we started.

Friday was one of the tougher days we’ve had out there this year as we saw those flows bump throughout the day shutting the fishing down for all intents and purposes and mobilizing a steady flow of woody debris river-wide.

The bump in flows and some rainy and cold weather discouraged much of that local weekend traffic we’ve been seeing but with the river on the drop, the PMD’s popping and the return of warm weather later this week and into the weekend I’d expect we’ll be seeing the start of summer traffic soon. Believe it or not the first day of summer is just a week from Saturday which I’m having a difficult time even comprehending but be that as it may, it’s time to settle in and salvage this 2020 season as best we can.

The aforementioned PMD’s should help in that endeavor as we are feeling like the current conditions and trends are pointing towards what could be a phenomenal PMD event. A return to flows in the 5-7K range and water temps hovering around 58 degrees are exactly what we need and if yesterday’s proliferation of bugs is any indication we’re in for some excellent days of hunting heads from here on out.

While you’re waiting for bugs and rising fish focus your efforts sub-surface. Tailwater sowbugs will always catch fish but that being said, it’s definitely time to take advantage of what’s going on down below which is PMD nymphs struggling to make their way to emergence. Split Case PMD’s, Crackbacks, Magic Flies (Rusty or PMD), Angelcase Emergers, Military Mays, Psycho Mays, Redemptions, Frenchies, plain old BH PT’s and many more will cover your bases as you anxiously await surface opportunities.

A short leash rig comprised of an adequately buoyant PMD adult trailed with a pheasant tail or Split Case PMD nymph in the shallow flats can be deadly as the trout move into those feeding lanes and set up for the duns.

Busier days lie ahead with lodging filling up and more and more trips hitting the water each week. That being said, we do have openings for both and we’d like nothing better than to play host to your adventure on the Missouri River.

See you soon for Prime Time, PMD Edition on the greatest river in the lower 48!

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-06-09T23:06:16-06:00June 9th, 2020|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

A Different June for sure but regardless, PMD’s have emerged on the MO’ – photo courtesy of montana-riverboats.com

We’re three days into June and while in some respects things seem to be approaching normal, in many others the sense of Covid weirdness still pervades.

The biggest stride towards normalcy we’ve seen in months happened on Monday as Montana entered Phase II of reopening which included the lifting of the mandatory 14 day quarantine for those coming from out of state. We did have some spur of the moment lodging and guide trip bookings from out of state residents on Monday and Tuesday but for the most part Phase II feels about like Phase One did with light traffic on the river and an eerily quiet atmosphere in Wolf Creek and Craig.

Weekends have been a different story, feeling much more like the heart of the season with overflowing parking lots and flotillas of drift boats, rafts and all manner of floating apparatuses. Montanans were out in force over the weekend taking advantage of the clean, controlled flows of the MO and also re-discovering the Dearborn River in droves.

We’ve always advised against scheduling your guide trips on weekends, particularly on Saturdays. It’s no different this season. There has been a well-documented shift towards outdoor activities since things began to open up and we’re expecting that this trend will keep things busy here on the weekends as Montana residents stay close to home.

Obviously, our hope is that things get steadily busier during the week as we transition into Phase II but at this point our loss of out-of-state business is your gain as this could be the least fishing pressure the Missouri River has seen in decades. Between the continued Covid restrictions around the country and the travel complications caused by a reduction in air traffic the MO will likely see a relatively quiet June so if you have avoided the Missouri in the past due to the crowds and you are within a day’s drive we would love to be your June destination on the Missouri.

Conditions couldn’t be better. The weather has been nice and the water is in great shape. Flows are currently at 5100 but will bump over the next two days, nearing 7,000 cfs on Friday. Water temps are ideal at around 57 degrees and the Dearborn and Little Prickly Pear are dropping rapidly and should not be a factor going forward unless we get a bunch of precipitation.
Snowpack is dwindling but we’re in good shape for a good water year.

Oh, and the fishing? The fishing has been consistently solid and is about to get super fun as PMD’s emerge on the scene. We’ve had some sporadic bugs but it’s just getting started so if you’ve ever wanted to fish the PMD hatches on the MO’ now is the time. We’re also seeing plenty of caddis around though the fish have yet to settle into surface feeding mode. Rising fish have been few and far between but fear not, it’ll happen soon. Make sure you’re out there when it does.

In the meantime, nymphing has continued to be the go-to with, you guessed it, tailwater sow bugs continuing to be the nymph of choice. Split Case and Crack Back PMD’s, PMD Magic Fly, PMD Redemption, Psycho Mays, Peep Shows, S & M’s, Frenchies all on the menu right now. Gold or Purple Weight Flies, Tung Darts and other Caddis pupae patterns are all good choices for a point fly and we’ve heard a few rumors of the Zirdle getting eaten as well. Medium depth, fast (ish) water with or without lead, depending on the day. Target those nymph runs while keeping an eye on those PMD flats for bugs and rising fish. Rusty Spinners, Buzzballs, PMD Sprouts, HI Vis PMD’s, Film Critics, Flash Cripples, Doc’s PMD all good PMD Go To’s. All these and more currently filling the bins at WCA.

Restock that caddis box as well with Outrigger Caddis, Cornfed Caddis, Bloom’s Hi Vis Caddis, Stockingfoot Caddis and the ALMOST ALWAYS EFFECTIVE CDC Caddis Emerger. The time is drawing near!

We haven’t heard much on the streamer front this week but with the bump in flows coming and hopefully at least a couple of weeks left before the weeds arrive you could do worse than bombing the banks with big bugs as you hunt for rising fish.

The bottom line is the fish are here, the bugs are here….the people really aren’t. It’s a rare and golden opportunity to enjoy some summer solitude on the Missouri.

The shop is open at 7:30 daily and while we may be a little skinny on T shirts and trinkets this season we’re fully stocked on the stuff that matters. Bugs, Bugs and more bugs. Lines, leaders and tippet a plenty.

We’ve got good availability on lodging and guide trips through around the third week of June and limited availability of both right on through prime time. Shuttles, sun protection, Air Lock Indicators, Simms wading gear and sportswear, Adipose drift boat rentals, essential tools and accessories and a sensible inventory of rods and reels from Loop, Echo, Redington, Ross and Lamson.

We are the preferred fly fishing destination operation on the Missouri, close enough to the action but far removed from the chaos. We are closer to Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge than any other shop and it won’t take but a few minutes spent on the porch at cocktail hour, scanning the hillsides for roaming critters, to realize that what the town of Wolf Creek lacks in publicity it more than makes up for in genuine Montana Ambiance.

Shotgun Annie’s is open daily from 11 AM to 8 PM and serving breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:30 am – 11:00 am and our friends at Izaak’s just down the road in Craig is open Wednesday – Sunday from 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM. We urge you to support them both.

We’re also loving the breakfast and dinner delivery right to your door from MO’ River Eats. Call your order in the night before and have an amazing breakfast delivered to your door. Order the morning of and Kelli will return in the evening with absolutely delicious dinner once again delivered right to your door.

Are things weird this season in Wolf Creek and Craig? Of course they are, but we can’t stress enough the opportunity this is presenting to those in close proximity to enjoy relative solitude on one of, if not THE BEST fishery in the lower 48.

Book it!

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-06-03T19:25:44-06:00June 3rd, 2020|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: caddis, Echo, fly fishing, Holter Dam, Loop, Missouri River, Montana, pmd's, running line, simms, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Phasing Out Phase One this week on the MO’

As we close out the month of May this week I dare say things around here are actually starting to feel something close to normal.

There’s no doubt, the seemingly parallel universe of life under Covid19 has thrown all of us off. It seems like yesterday we were doing our late winter plotting and strategizing in anticipation of the coming season and then, just like that, time stopped but at the same time accelerated to the point where we’re now looking back at spring and wondering where it went as we begin to approach prime time on the Missouri River.

We got a taste these past couple of days of what’s hopefully to come with holiday traffic streaming into Wolf Creek and Craig. Nice weather, good fishing and the unofficial start of summer brought the crowds to the river this weekend.

A perfect way to end the week which brought us the best news we’ve heard in a long time as Governor Bullock announced that Phase II of Montana’s reopening would begin on June 1st. Included as part of phase II is the lifting of the mandatory 14 day quarantine for out of state travelers which was cause for celebration amongst not only fly shops, fishing guides and outfitters but also amongst the collective outdoor tourism industry in Montana. We spent last week passing the good news on to our out of state clients who’ve been anxiously awaiting a verdict on their summer travel plans.

Mind you we’re not abandoning safe practices and social distancing measures but the continued downward trends in the numbers along with news from the CDC late last week that the virus does not spread easily on contaminated surfaces as had previously been thought, is cause for optimism and yet another step closer to normalcy.

In keeping with the good news, it looks like it’s going to be an absolutely beautiful week on the MO’ and with the Dearborn and Little Prickly Pear on the drop we’ll look forward to spreading out again and seeing what’s happening in the canyon once the mud clears.

The Holter Dam to Craig beat was busy over the weekend but traffic has been light during the week. Make it a point to get out there this week and enjoy the Montana solitude before the out of state traffic returns next week.

Mid 70’s to mid 80’s on tap all week long with plenty of sunshine and highs near 90 on Saturday. I expect we’ll see a busy river again this weekend.

BWO’s and March Browns in the rear view but there have been caddis around and PMD’s won’t be long.

Nymphing has been good to great most days with the best action in the faster water, medium to shallow in depth. The Tailwater Sow Bug continues to rule the day but we’ve also had good action on worms, Rainbow Czechs, Pill Poppers and Little Green Machines. I’ve been cycling in some PMD standards like the Magic Fly and Crack Back PMD but we’re not quite there yet. Keep them in the mix but don’t spend too much time on them it they’re not producing.

Streamer fishing has continued to be inconsistent but could be good this week as things start to clear. Water temps are in the low 50’s and will be on the rise this week so don’t be afraid to move those bugs. Mix it up with short, fast strips with plenty of pauses and a few long strips thrown in for good measure. Switch up your bugs, your colors and your retrieve until you find what works (or until you hit the takeout, whichever comes first)! We’ve got a few weeks left before the aquatic vegetation becomes an issue. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Per the Covid retail protocol we’ve been trying to run as lean as possible but we’re stocked up on essentials with our focus on flies and terminal tackle this season. Plenty of Simms waders, boots and sportswear on the shelves and a workhorse lineup of rods and reels from Loop, Echo, Redington, Ross and Lamson. We’re also stocked up on sun protection from Blackstrap, Buff and Simms (which double nicely as masks) and we’ve got enough packs, tools and accessories to meet most, if not all of your needs. Anything we don’t have we’re more than happy to order for you.

We’ve got plenty of lodging available these next couple of weeks and guides are standing by. We’re happy to be resuming our out of state bookings next week but we have had substantial cancellations and we’d like nothing better than make up some of that ground and get some folks back in our guide boats and cabins. Give us a call if you’re interested in booking lodging, guides or drift boat rentals for PMD season…I think it’s going to be a good one!

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-05-26T19:36:31-06:00May 26th, 2020|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: caddis, Craig MT, Echo, fly fishing, green machine, Holter Dam, Missouri River, Montana, pmd's, Redington, running line, simms, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Have it all to yourself (for the time being) this spring on the MO’

We’re three days into a dreary, wet and cold week on the Missouri with likely a couple more on the way. Welcome to springtime in the Rockies!

Our forecast for the remainder of the week looks to be much of the same with cool temps and a chance for rain and or snow most days but we should start to see some peeks of sunshine starting tomorrow. The grey days can be a little tough to take sometimes but on the bright side things are greening up nicely and it looks like we’ll see a bit of a warm up this weekend.

We’re still dealing with a mandatory 14 day quarantine for all out of state travelers which is substantially limiting our business right now but thankfully as things continue to open up in Montana we’re seeing business start to pick up as many look to get out of town and take advantage of having one of the premier trout rivers in the world right in their back yard. Lodging has really started to pick up and we’re managing to do a few guide trips here and there as well. All of this has us feeling cautiously optimistic about the future as we continue to adapt to the new normal.

Obviously things are far from normal but the hope is that if we continue to work hard at doing things right through these early phases of the re-opening then hopefully we’ll be able to expedite the easing of restrictions.

We’re still obsessively cleaning and sanitizing in the shop and limiting customers to four at a time. We’re wearing our masks and we appreciate when you do as well. I don’t see getting away from these practices anytime soon and whether we’re actually dealing with exposure to coronavirus or not it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a clean and germ-free shop.

Ditto with our enhanced housekeeping procedures. We’ve essentially doubled the time it takes to clean a room with the additional steps we’re taking to clean and disinfect so you can rest assured your health and safety, along with that of our employees, is our number one priority.

Guide trips look and feel a little different these days as well with a lot of disinfecting of surfaces and equipment happening as well as more attention paid to keeping our boats and our rigs clean. We’re wearing our masks in the vehicle on the way to the river as well as in the boat and asking our clients to do the same. Some aren’t crazy about the mask thing but it’s not so bad once you get used to it and if it allows us to get out there and put our clients on fish we’re happy to comply.

Slowly but surely it’s starting to look more and more like an actual season. Shotgun Annie’s and Izaak’s are open for business (with social distancing directives in place) so the food challenges are becoming less so. Annie’s is open Monday – Friday from 11 AM – 11:30 PM and 7:30 AM – 11:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Please note, closing time is dependent on how much business they are doing so I wouldn’t wait until 10 pm and head there for dinner, at least not without calling first. Izaak’s is open Wednesday – Sunday from 3 PM – 9 PM. We’re super-stoked to have them both back and we encourage you to support them through the challenges of limited capacity re-opening.

One more food option we’re super excited about this season is Mo’ River Eats. Kelli is providing us with exceptional lunches for our guide trips this season and also offering breakfast and dinner DELIVERED to your room at Wolf Creek Angler. You’ll find menus in all of our rooms with contact information so if you want a great dine-in option for dinner or want to start the day with an amazing breakfast burrito, breakfast sandwich, sausage biscuits or a Greek Yogurt Parfait all you need do is let Kelli know by 9 pm the night before and she will deliver items right to your room. I’ve sampled breakfast, lunch and dinner and highly recommend them all and the fact that she delivers is a game-changer. I’m expecting a busy season for MO’ River Eats as word gets out and hope you’ll give them a try.

So there you have it. We’ve got all kinds of lodging available AND you have a multitude of options for dining, including bringing your own food and preparing it in your fully furnished kitchen AND THE FISHING IS GOOD AND GETTING BETTER.

Dry fly fishing, nymphing, streamer fishing…all solid options right now.

So while things are still weird out there we are happy to provide you with an escape from the weirdness. Fresh air, moving water, wild trout….I can’t think of a better escape. And while we’re definitely hoping for a rapid return to being able to host out of state clients, at this point their absence is your gain as traffic is but a fraction of what it would normally be this time of year.

We hope to see you all very soon.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-05-12T19:47:05-06:00May 12th, 2020|Categories: Shop Life|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Izaaks, Missouri River, Mo' River Eats, Montana, running line, Shotgun Annie's, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

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