fly fishing Archives - Page 39 of 46

The week ahead

All kinds of cool logo gear available now at WCA

A cool down is underway and we should see highs decline daily, down to 90 by Thursday. Hot again on Friday but it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful fourth of July weekend.

Flows are holding steady in the 4100 range with water temps in the low 60’s.

Dry fly fishing has been very good despite the heat with plenty of PMD’s and Caddis river-wide and the nymphing, by most accounts, has been exceptional.

Expect PMD’s mid-morning and throughout the day. Best PMD patterns have been CDC Rusty Spinners, Hi-Vis Rusty Spinners, No Hackle PMD’s, Flash Cripples and Parachute Adams. Big movers from the caddis bins have been the Outriggers, X-Caddis and of course the CDC Grey/Tan Caddis emergers.

Beadless Split Back PMD’s continue to be the biggest mover from the nymph bins but there’s all kinds of bugs working including, but not limited to, olive WD 40’s, PMD Psycho Mays, MicroMays, Tung Darts, Purple Zebras, Peep Shows and PT’s.

Come check out our Fourth of July sale starting Friday and running through the weekend. 15% of most everything including Smith Chromapop sunglasses, Yeti Coolers, Fishpond Nomad Boat Nets, Simms logo wear, Kast Extreme Fishing Gear and of course, the largest selection of flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:51-06:00June 29th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Angling for Wolf Creek

Last month Wolf Creek Angler was featured in the Helena IR, The Billings Gazette and The Missoulian newspapers. Check out the article here.
http://helenair.com/news/local/angling-for-wolf-creek-montana-fly-shop-owners-are-living/article_d3adcf18-769e-5ac7-be1c-06676703b8a2.html

By Jason Orzechowski|2018-08-01T21:08:58-06:00June 26th, 2015|Categories: Local Buzz, Press|Tags: fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

#12 Purple Haze and a 3 Weight

Snuck out of Wolf Creek for a few hours after work yesterday and headed west in search of solitude and hungry cutthroats, I found plenty of both.

I’ve said it before and will likely say it again. Wading small streams surrounded by wilderness armed with a 3 weight, a few big dry flies and a can of bear spray is about as good as it gets. It’s quintessential Montana summertime fly fishing.

Not to take anything away from the Missouri because it goes without saying that casting tiny dry flies to big fish on the MO certainly holds an appeal all its own, an appeal that allows us to make a living doing what we love in this amazing place. We can never get enough of the Missouri but sometimes it’s nice to get away.

Do yourself a favor and take the time to hit a stream or two this summer – you’ll be glad you did. It’s the ultimate way to relax and recharge. Where should I go you ask? There are miles of streams to explore and part of the fun is driving around the lesser-traveled back roads of Montana seeking out new water. Grab your Gazateer and your fishing regs and hit the road. We can point you in the right direction but the fun is finding a piece of water to call your own.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:51-06:00June 23rd, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, purple haze, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

The Week Ahead 6/22/15

Joanne with one of many beautiful browns from the past few days.

Fishing remains good to great for the DFO’s and nymphers alike. PMD’s are definitely the talk of the river with plenty of bugs everywhere. There have been a few days where the fish don’t seem to be particularly interested in them but when they are keying in we’ve had our best luck with Rusty Spinners, Flash Cripples, CDC PMD Spinners, Buzzballs and Parachute Adams. That being said, we’ve got bins full of all sorts of cool PMD patterns. Come in and check them out and you’ll find that our bug selection rivals that of any in the canyon. Caddis patterns aplenty as well. Outriggers, X-Caddis, Poly Spent Caddis and CDC Caddis Emergers have been the big movers, but again, we’ve got bins full of cool caddis stuff to choose from.

Nymphs, dries, terrestrials, streamers….we’ve got you covered on all counts with more bugs arriving almost daily.

With a full house every night and a bunch of boat rentals and guide trips going out we’ve been too busy to do much fishing ourselves as of late but everything we’re hearing from the past few days is that it’s ON. Nymphing from the dam to Craig has been consistently hot with the weight fly/split case PMD combo producing big numbers in all kinds of water. Expect traffic to remain heavy in the top section as the dreaded weeds have definitely begun to take hold – adding to the challenge of getting a good drift and frustrating many an angler.

Expect mid to high 80’s for the next few days before we start to cook over the weekend and into next week with temps forecast to exceed 100 on Monday. Not exactly what we wanted for the end of June but nobody asked us so we will take it as it comes and deal with it. Remember to stay hydrated out there on those hot and sunny days and cover up!

Missouri flow is currently at 4160 with water temps holding in the high 50’s to just over 60 degrees. The river is in good shape despite the weed situation and we’re told the flows will hold in the 4100 range for the season.

The shop is open daily at 6:30 AM for all of your Missouri River fly fishing needs including shuttles, drift boat rentals, fishing licenses, ICE, sun hats, sun gloves, sun screen, solarflex shirts and hoodies, Kast guide shorts, leaders and tippet from Rio and Trout Hunter and of course, the largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana. And don’t forget the free coffee…some say it’s the best in the canyon. Whether or not that’s the case it’s definitely worth the price.

See you in the shop and maybe even on the water.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:51-06:00June 22nd, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: caddis, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Father’s Day Gift Guide from Wolf Creek Angler

Great Father’s Day Gifts at Wolf Creek Angler

Father’s Day is coming up quickly, one week from this Sunday. Why not get your shopping done now with a trip to Wolf Creek Angler. We’ve got all sorts of great gift ideas for all the dads in your life.

Here are some great gift ideas, all available now at Wolf Creek Angler. Don’t want to make the trip? No problem. Give us a call at the shop and make your purchase and we’d be happy to ship it anywhere in the world.

– Handmade, River Series wood Fly Boxes from A.L. Swanson Craftsman Studios in Helena Montana

– Yeti Rambler cups

– A Wolf Creek Angler Hydro Flask beer growler with first fill from Blackfoot River Brewing Co included

– Nautilus FWX Reels

– Kast Steelhead Gloves (completely waterproof – the best fishing gloves on the market)

– WCA Logo Wear. Hats, Hoodies, T’s, Guide Shirts and more from Simms and Ouray

– Fishpond Hook Jaw River Tool

– A Day’s Rental of our brand new RO Tailwater Skiff

– WCA Gift cards good for ANYTHING we sell. Load one up for a season’s worth of shuttles. Who wouldn’t want that?

– Flies, flies and more flies. Choose from the largest selection of bugs ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana

– Books about fish and flies and rivers and Montana and more

– Sunblock Special. Outdoor Research Sun Hat, Buff, Smith or Fishermen’s Eyewear Sunglasses and sunscreen (20% package deal)

– Or how about the ultimate father’s day gift, a guided fly fishing float trip down the world-famous Missouri River with one of our expert guides. Special Deal – Book a guide trip for August plus one night’s lodging and get a second night free. (August Only)

Need some help finding the perfect gift? We’d love to help you out. Stop in or give us a call today.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:51-06:00June 12th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: Father's Day, fly fishing, Missouri River, RO Drift Boats, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Tuesday Missouri River Report

Gail with a Missouri River beauty – a reward for a day of dedication and hard work. We’re pretty sure she’s going to stick with this fly fishing thing. Great job Gail!

It’s been a hot couple of days here in Wolf Creek with little to no wind, lots of sun, very few clouds and temps in the 90’s. Perfect conditions for summer dry-fly fishing on the Missouri River. PMD’s are being spotted daily, more frequently below Craig. The same is true for caddis which, while abundant, are still more concentrated in the waters below Craig. We had some great days in the Pelican to Cascade stretch last week but that being said, the bugs are everywhere and it’s just a matter of time before it’s full on dry-fly madness river-wide.

Heavy recreational and angling traffic over the weekend gave way to empty parking lots at the dam and Wolf Creek Bridge on Monday morning and while there was a little more pressure down low I think it’s safe to say that we can treat these last quiet days as the calm before the storm. We are just days away from the start of peak traffic on the Missouri. Savor the silence, enjoy the open water, breathe deeply and get ready for the Big Show – come August you can breathe again.

We’ve been keeping an eye on the river flows and fielding a fair amount of calls about water levels. The talk has now turned from low flow concerns to high water concerns as Canyon Ferry Reservoir is now just shy of 98 percent full and the water has to go somewhere. We’ve not received the updated projections from those in the know just yet regarding what we’ll see for the remainder of the month and through the remainder of the season but we are happy with the flows right now (6000 ish) and the one thing we do know is that we will have water all season long, how little or how much remains to be seen.

Some of our wade angling guests have been expressing concern and disappointment with the “high water” and while I suppose there is a chance that we’ll see a brief period of big water we are not seeing anything remotely resembling big water at 6K. We would love to see 5,000 all summer long. Fingers crossed.

The nymphing game has changed a bit with the bump in flows. The Wolf Creek to Craig stretch has been on the slow side though if you spend some time working the areas you know hold fish, changing depths and bugs and weight and fishing lanes you should be able to get it figured out. We’ve found longer rigs with a bb and a #12 Rainbow Czech or Weight Fly trailed with some sort of sow bug (#18 tailwater sow for me) to be the most effective in the water above Craig but I’ve heard plenty of reports of people also getting it done with shallow rigs and no weight fishing shallow fast water with mayfly nymphs. There is no magic rig. You just have to make changes (one piece at a time) until you find what’s working.

Those interested in fishing dries should continue to concentrate their efforts below Craig though you can usually find some fish up if you know where to look no matter where you are at. I’ve got the dry-fly rod rigged up and at the ready every time I’m out and I would encourage you to do the same. A #14 Sloan’s Outrigger Caddis trailed with a Grey/Tan CDC Caddis Emerger is a great place to start. We’ve got bins full of new Caddis and PMD patterns so come in check out the new bugs.

Our Long -Time DFO Regulars are starting to arrive in droves beginning this weekend. The next six weeks are our busiest of the year for guide trips and lodging, both of which will be hard to come by as many of these dates have been booked since last year. That being said, if you are thinking you want to come out soon and see what this Missouri River thing is all about give us a call and we’ll see what we can make happen for you.
Stop by and pick our brains about water levels, PMD’s, Caddis, why the nymphing is so slow, why the nymphing is so good, how long it takes to float from the dam to Craig, why there are no bugs, why there are so many bugs, why the two-party system doesn’t work and on and on. We may not have all the answers you are looking for but we’re happy to give our .02 on just about any subject.
Shop open daily at 7 AM for all of your Missouri River fly fishing needs. Shuttles, bugs, boats, fishing licenses, leaders, tippet, fly lines, tools and accessories, bunches of Buffs, sunglasses, sunscreen, Sun hats and new hot weather logo gear from Simms along with more summer fishing wear from Kast Gear arriving soon.

We are proud to be your go-to Outfitter owned and operated full service Missouri River Fly shop. See you at Wolf Creek Angler!

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:52-06:00June 10th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report, Uncategorized|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Weekend Outlook

It’s going to be a great weekend to get out and fish the Missouri with overcast to partly sunny skies and a chance for showers and thunderstorms each day. Friday looks great with a mix of sun and clouds and a high of 71. Things heat up on Saturday and Sunday with highs near 80.

The potential remains for some great streamer fishing, especially below the Dearborn which continues to churn. The same goes for the worm which should definitely be a component of your nymphing plan for the next while. Tailwater sows and various mayfly nymphs have been effective as of late including LGM’s, PMD Magic Fly, Rainbow Warriors, Autocads, Military May, Peeps Shows, 2 Bit Hookers, Black PT’s, Hot Belly PT in purple, Olive WD40’s and Pearl lightning bugs. We’ve also seen a resurgence in Zebra sales in both black and purple with silver tungsten beads and various caddis patterns like the weight fly in purple or gold have certainly had their moments.

Dry Fly potential is ever-present with baetis and midges and the occasional caddis around but we seem to have officially reached the in-between hatches stage as we await the PMD’s.

Sparkle Minnows and Kreelex have definitely led the charge in streamers for the past week. We just got in a brown and yellow Kreelex that I can’t wait to try and of course we are well stocked on my favorite the Circus Peanut in tan, olive, black or white. We’ve got everything you need for streamer fishing on the MO and beyond with a wide selection of Streamer Tip and Outbound Short lines from Rio and Streamer Max from Airflo which has been my go to line this season. Looking for a streamer rod? We’ve got St Croix Bank Robber rods available for demo. Designed by Kelly Galloup these 9′ 7 weight rods are exceptional streamer sticks with plenty of backbone for casting big weighted flies effortlessly and with exact precision. Try one today and if you like it so much you decide you want to purchase one we’ll knock the rental price off of your purchase.

We’re also offering Galloups’s High Stick Drifter for demo. This 10′ 5 weight with a special light-weight tip offers superb sensitivity and control without the fatigue associated with holding the rod high for long periods of time. Call ahead and reserve your Bank Robber or High Stick Drifter demo rod today.

We’ve got a couple of vacancies for the weekend and a bit of a lull through the middle of next week before things kick into gear again with full lodging and lots of trips going out beginning late next week and running through the summer season. We’re taking a breath now while we can as we prepare for the summer rush. It would be a great time to book a room and a trip for yourself – guides are standing by. It’s the calm before the storm.

See you soon at Wolf Creek Angler, your full service Missouri River fly shop and guide service located just minutes from Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge – nobody’s closer!

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:52-06:00May 28th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, nymphs, running line, St Croix, Streamer Fishing, streamers, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Rainy Days on the MO

We did a lot of Dearborn River shuttles last week as people took advantage of 500 ish flows with the thought that the window to float would be short-lived. As of this morning the Dearborn is pushing at 807 so we may in fact have a Dearborn season after all, especially with rain in the forecast every day this week. Please give us a call today if you are interested in doing a day on the Dearborn. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to fish one of Montana’s hidden gems!

Back to the rain….obviously we were disappointed with the Dub C A Soiree getting rained out over the weekend and the soggy weather also put a bit of a damper on the Craig Caddis Festival the weekend before, though the word is that they did extremely well bringing in their biggest haul to date despite the low turnout.

So while there have been more days on the damp/cool side than not and mowing the grass has become a full-time job, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Things are really greening up everywhere you look, the high water in the creeks is making for some excellent streamer fishing opportunities both on the creeks themselves and on the Missouri and most importantly, Canyon Ferry continues to fill (currently at 88 percent) which will hopefully mean comfortable summer flows at or near the 4000 mark.

Flows in the mid 3000’s are what continue to be the prediction for the summer season and while these flows are not ideal for the overall health of the river a lot of the wade anglers love the fact that they can access so much more water. Consequently, the potential for conflict between wade anglers and boat anglers will be on the rise so please respect one another out there and give as wide a berth as possible to your fellow anglers whether in a boat or on foot. I personally go out of my way to give huge amounts of space to other boats and to wade anglers and I appreciate when others follow suit. There is plenty of water and plenty of room to spread out. If the majority of the traffic is concentrated in the top section why not go down low and explore new options. The fish are everywhere! We all have our comfort zones which we develop over time through our experience on the water but as the crowds roll in why not expand that comfort zone by frequenting some of the less popular stretches? Easier said than done, believe me I know, but it will make you a better angler and certainly a better guide if you get to know the whole river.

Stop by the shop or give us a call for up-to-the-minute reports and conditions. Open at 7:00 am daily for all of your Missouri River fly fishing needs including lodging, RO drift boat rentals, fishing licenses, shuttles and of course, the widely publicized largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana as recently reported in major newspapers across the state.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:52-06:00May 26th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, RO Drift Boats, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Missouri River Memorial Day Fishing Report

Guest Blog from WCA Guide Jim Murray

The big boys are out in full force on the Missouri as May turns to June. Reports of large fish being caught from the Dam to Cascade are becoming the norm. The fish are big, fat and happy. The much needed precipitation we’ve gotten over the last week has caused some fluctuation with the flows and a water temp, which has led to some inconsistent fishing depending on the days, but overall reports have been good to great. Pressure on the river is definitely increasing as well, as the season is kicking into high gear, which means you may have to kick your game up a notch or two to continue to get it done out there. Paying close attention to your presentation, whether nymphing or throwing dries, is becoming even more crucial, as fish are starting to see A LOT of flies. Anglers that continue to get good drifts, in the right zone, continue to have success.

The canyon continues to fish well, and I have been spending a lot of time down there, while many of my guide buddies continue to put great days together while fishing between Wolf Creek and Spite Hill. With these water fluctuations and wet weather, the worm has been a consistent producer, along with your mayfly nymph of choice. On Saturday, bugs were EVERYWHERE on the water, and the fish responded. I’ve noticed that I’ve had more success with “bigger” mayfly nymphs (size 16 vs. 18 or 20), as the fish are starting to see PMD nymphs. I’ve had mixed success fishing caddis nymphs, some days the fish seem to really key in on them, others, not so much. It’s only a matter of time (days?) until the caddis becomes a consistent producer out here.

The dry fly bite has been great, with reports of blind casting dries such as an Adams or Caddis producing fish. Finding pods of rising fish is becoming easier and easier, and the fish, while not as gullible as they were maybe a month ago, are still willing to eat a properly presented dry fly. Again, a good presentation is absolutely crucial. Those that practice this catch fish, those that don’t, well, don’t.

All in all, the Missouri is fishing great right now, and the fish are big and fat! The season is kicking into high gear, and we can’t wait. It’s going to be a great summer on the Mo!