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Missouri River Fishing Report – Tuesday February 17th

Presidents Day Solo Mission on the MO – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

We were expecting things to be at least a little busy yesterday with the holiday and the near perfect weather conditions on the Missouri but apparently Presidents Day is not a big fishing day. With mostly cloudy skies and temps hanging in the mid 30’s and no wind to speak of I opted to fish in the afternoon and had an outrageously good couple of hours floating Wolf Creek to Craig with not another boat to be seen. A couple of wade anglers and a couple of pontoons – that was it – essentially the whole thing to myself with plenty of fish willing to play.
I chose two spots to nymph – one at the beginning of the float and one at the end, and spent the rest of the day exploring the slow banks and side channels looking for heads as I had not yet fished dries this year. I managed to stumble into a couple of different pods of feeding fish and while my first fish of 2015 on a dry-fly eluded me, I did have my first dry-fly refusals of 2015 and I was just thrilled to be out there throwing the 5 weight again to rising fish. The midges covered the water much of the day and the fish I found eating them were predictably in the slow spooky side channel waters. It was a great time and I’m looking forward to spending more time doing this in the weeks to come as it’s a major part of the winter fishing experience on the Missouri which I have, for the most part, overlooked.
On the nymphing side both spots I fished produced a lot of fish – many to hand and probably just as many missed. Nothing new here – Pinkalicious trailed with a firebead soft hackle sow bug. I fished the pink sow at the first spot until it was destroyed and having no more switched to the grey for the remainder of the day and did just as well. Only one fish on the Pinkalicious so I would highly recommend going with at least one firebead soft hackle sow. Fish the sloooow deep water and hit any movement of the indicator. Some aggressive takes but mostly on the subtle side. Overall a tremendous day on the water.
It looks like a couple of nice days ahead and then a little colder with a chance for some snow over the weekend but not so cold or so snowy that you shouldn’t be fishing. We are closed today but will be back in the shop tomorrow for the remainder of the week. Lodging has started to fill for the weekend but we do still have some vacancies so book your room now and make Wolf Creek your weekend destination.

Plenty of these and not a soul to be seen – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:00-06:00February 17th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, indicator, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Snowy Sunday 2/15/15

Winter returns to Wolf Creek – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

It’s looking a little more like February out there today with the snow coming down though it’s still great fishing weather with temps in the mid 30’s going up to 43. More of the same tomorrow with little to no accumulation and little to no wind.
Reports this morning are that things turned around yesterday and that it fished very well, “incredibly well” by some accounts. No surprises – pink scuds/firebeads/zebra midges and tailwater sows working like they should where they should.
Hopefully that trend will continue today as I’ve got an instructional trip this afternoon with a very demanding client who expects to not only learn to fly fish but also to land her first Missouri River Rainbow. It should be a fun day!
The shop will be closed Monday and Tuesday but we will be back in on Wednesday as spring weather returns with temps back in the 50’s. Lodging and guide trips available every day.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:01-06:00February 15th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: fly fishing, RO Drift Boats, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|0 Comments

Weekend Report

Valentine Sky at Holter Dam – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Lots of people out and about and enjoying the 60 degree weather yesterday but from what we’ve been hearing this morning things were on the slow side, at least between Holter Dam and the Dearborn launch. Sounds like a few fish being taken here and there but nothing like the reports from Thursday which was good to great for many and bordering on epic for some. I was not able to get out during the day on Thursday but I did walk in for an hour or so at last light and cleaned up with all but one fish coming on the pink firebead soft hackle sow.
It’s another April-esque weekend with lots of people around, full lodging, a couple of boat rentals out, a decent stack of shuttles to run and lots of bugs going out the door.

The day started on the cloudy side and they are calling for a chance of rain this afternoon but we are currently looking at sunshine and blue skies and 53 degrees. It’s a perfect day to spend on the water with your valentine.

A chance of snow tomorrow but still nice with a high of 43 and calm winds. Snow and a high of 36 for Presidents Day and then back to 40’s and 50’s later next week. You’ve got a couple of weeks left to take advantage of our February special. Book a full day guide trip at the $395 winter rate and get a night’s lodging in one of our bungalows for $59! Our guides have been out on the water getting things dialed in and they are ready to show you what an awesome winter fishery the Missouri can be. Nymphing has of course been the most effective method of putting fish in the boat but streamers are having their moments as well and there are just enough fish rising to midges on a daily basis to make things interesting for the dry fly guys. Spend a day on the water with one of our expert guides and enjoy the solitude offered by the winter months. Your full day trip includes a delicious hot lunch and hot and cold beverages as well as all the flies and the use of any equipment you may need and transportation to and from the river. Take advantage of this great deal and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having all month.

Not looking for a guided trip? That’s ok too – we’ve got rooms available for $99/night, each with it’s own full kitchen and bath. Rooms sleep up to four very comfortably. Wolf Creek is definitely the place to be for winter fishing on the Missouri with the only restaurant and the only gas station/convenience store between Helena and Cascade and since you will likely be fishing somewhere between Holter Dam and Craig this time of year why wouldn’t you stay at Wolf Creek Angler considering that we are closer to Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge than ANYONE? We’ve got plenty of parking space for your boats and our shop has everything you need for fishing the Missouri including shuttles and the largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana.

We hope to see you in Wolf Creek soon.

Wolf Creek Angler is your full service Missouri River Fly Shop – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:01-06:00February 14th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: fly fishing, Holter Dam, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, Montana, running line, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Tuesday Fishing Report

February fishing on the MO

Ran out of time to do the dam to Craig yesterday and just did the usual Wolf Creek to Craig. As has been the case as of late we started a little slow but things really picked up in the afternoon, our best time slot being 4 – 5 pm.
Switched things up a little on the rigs trying some different bugs we haven’t been using but soon returned to the Pinkalicious/Firebead Soft Hackle Sow combo with good results.
We’re heading back out this morning – wrapping up a great group of days with a fish obsessed client from Michigan. Full report tomorrow. We’re looking at snow and a high of 32 today with a NNE wind around 10 mph. Back to sunny skies and 50’s and maybe even 60’s by the weekend. A couple of vacancies left for the weekend, and don’t forget – during the month of February when you book a full day guide trip you get one night’s lodging at the ridiculously reasonable rate of $59.
We are closed the rest of the day today but I will be back in the shop bright and early tomorrow and for the remainder of the week.
See you out there.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:01-06:00February 10th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: fly fishing, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|1 Comment

Thursday Fishing Report 2/5/15

February fishing on the Missouri River

Spring-like weather continues here in Wolf Creek and with it some very good days on the water. We haven’t heard any reports this week of off-the-charts numbers but there is plenty of action to be had, certainly by early February standards.
Reports we’ve heard from the dam to Wolf Creek have not been great and many are opting for the Wolf Creek to Craig stretch and below. I spent a couple of hours wading the Bull Pasture to dam section on Monday and picked up a few fish in the dead slow frog water but it was on the slow side. The usual spots between Wolf Creek and Craig are holding plenty of fish and from what we’ve experienced things seem to improve in the late afternoon/early evening.
The water temp ticked up a couple of degrees over the last two days and is holding close to 36 with flows holding right around 4900. The warmer water coupled with partly cloudy skies and a chance of rain today has us thinking Streamers but the nymphing should be strong as well.
Go to’s have been the pink lightning bugs and firebead soft hackle sows with the lightning bugs seeming to work better earlier in the day. Pair either with a Casne’s Pinkalicious, fish 5 or 6 feet from your indicator to your split and work those spots you know the fish are holding in. Grid your water out starting in close and working your way out until you’ve covered what you can reach – adjust your rig accordingly and do it again. Wondering where those usual spots are? A drive from Wolf Creek Bridge to Craig will usually give you a pretty good indication based on traffic but if there is no traffic and you haven’t spent much time on the Missouri we highly recommend hiring us to guide you. It’s a terrific investment if you plan on making fishing the Missouri a habit, especially at our $395/full day winter rate. If you are new to the area, just getting into fly fishing or just haven’t spent much time on the Missouri a day on the water with one of our expert guides is a great way to get dialed in. It could take weeks, months or even years of fishing on your own to gain the experience and knowledge you’ll get from a day on the water with one of our guides. Interested? Call 800-800-4350 and book your trip today.

50’s through the weekend, 40’s next week with a chance of rain most days. Tomorrow looks great with highs in the mid 50’s and plenty of sunshine. The winds will blow most days but at this point it looks tolerable with teens and low 20’s and some stronger gusts. Lodging is filling quickly for the next two weeks but we do have a few vacancies remaining.

Hot February Nymphs
Top to bottom; Pinkalicious, Firebead Soft Hackle Sow Bug Grey, Firebead Tungsten Sow Pink, Pink Lightning Bug. All available at Wolf Creek Angler. photo by Wolf Creek Angler

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:01-06:00February 5th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: Casne's Pinkalicious, fly fishing, Holter Dam, indicator, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, nymphs, running line, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|1 Comment

February on the Missouri

February Midge Madness on the MO – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

February can be an excellent time to make a trip to the MO and while the weather can sometimes be a challenge if you hit it right you could experience some absolute spring-like conditions and some great fishing. While nymphing is by far the most productive and widely utilized technique during the winter months don’t overlook the streamer action (swung or slowly stripped) or the dry-fly action as the fish target the tiny midges that are present more often than not when the sun is shining on the Missouri.

It looks like we’re in for a pretty decent stretch of weather starting on Thursday with temperatures climbing into the 50’s and near 60 on Friday. As it stands now the long-range has us holding in this weather pattern through the middle of the month so it’s the perfect time to plan a trip to Wolf Creek Montana. We would love to take you fishing.

As if the spring weather weren’t enough to bring you here, we’re offering an awesome deal this month only where if you book a full day guide trip at our ridiculously reasonable winter rate of $395, we’ll throw in a night’s lodging in one of our bungalows for $59! A guided day on the river includes expert instruction from one of our world-class guides, all the flies you need, a hot lunch and hot and cold beverages and transportation to and from the river. Take advantage of this offer while it lasts and don’t worry about being locked in. If the weather is unfavorable or if you just decide you don’t want to do it you are free to bail with no penalty.

Not looking for a guided trip? Come stay with us at Wolf Creek Angler and do it yourself. Our warm and cozy bungalows are priced right for the winter at $99/night. Start your day with a hearty breakfast at The Frenchman and then stop in the shop for a shuttle and whatever you need for your day on the river. We’re loaded up with winter bugs, cold weather gear, terminal tackle, licenses, RO drift boat rentals and some great deals on merchandise we need to move to make way for spring shipments.

No need to rush – you are just minutes from Holter Dam and the Wolf Creek Bridge. Spend your day on the water and return to your home-away from home where you can either utilize the full kitchen in your bungalow and make your own meal or head to The Frenchman for a night out in Wolf Creek. Don’t miss Uncle Joe’s Oasis for a night-cap and stop by the Canyon Store for provisions including an excellent selection of Montana Microbrews.

Wolf Creek is the place to be for winter fishing in Montana and Wolf Creek Angler is proud to be your full service Missouri River fly shop. Book your trip today!

Wolf Creek Angler is your full service Missouri River Fly Shop – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:01-06:00February 3rd, 2015|Categories: Montana Fly Fishing, Uncategorized|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Holter Dam, midge, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, Montana, RO Drift Boats, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Your Sunday Missouri River Fishing Report

Spring-Like temps in late January have brought the crowds back to the MO.

Busy Sunday on the MO. Lot’s of people around today enjoying ridiculously warm weather and, from most of what we’ve heard, ridiculously good fishing.
Most are nymphing and doing extremely well in the slow deep runs. The hot sellers yesterday and today were tailwater sows, Pinkalicious, Tungsten Warriors, firebead soft hackle sows and pink lightning bugs followed closely by firebead steelie worms. It sounds like it’s all working and it sounds like many of the go-to spots are stacked with hungry fish willing to eat just about anything as long as it’s pink!
Wolf Creek to Craig seems to be the section to fish right now though there are a fair amount of folks doing the dam float as well and some even venturing below Craig.
If you’re coming out don’t forget your streamer rod. Heard one report of yesterday being an insanely good streamer day with fish willing to chase and even surface smacking streamers as they landed. Sorry I missed that…we live for that stuff.
Fish streamers, fish nymphs, fish slow deep water, fish fast shallow water…it’s on…or at least it was yesterday.

Above average temps will continue this week. Come on out and fish. We are booked through Monday but will have lodging available again starting Tuesday. Why not take advantage of the nice weather and the winter rates and book yourself a room for $99 and a full day guide trip for $395. Spring-like fishing conditions on the cheap. Call (406)235-4350 and book today.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:02-06:00January 25th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: fly fishing, Missouri River Winter Fishing, Montana, nymphs, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Happy New Year from Wolf Creek Angler

Happy 2015 from Wolf Creek Angler

Best wishes for the new year from all of us at Wolf Creek Angler. 2014 was monumental for us, being our first year in business and we believe 2015 is going to be even better!
The numbers are in and we had a fantastic first year which in many ways exceeded our expectations. We will build on the success of our first year and continue to grow our business in ways that will hopefully exceed your expectations and keep us moving in an upward trajectory. Our goal will always be to provide you with a first-rate Missouri River fly fishing experience and we will continuously re-evaluate our business in an effort to evolve and improve and redefine for ourselves what this means. The bottom line? You should expect great things from Wolf Creek Angler in 2015 and beyond. Expect continuous improvement rooted in a committment to customer service.

We will always offer a great lodging value and our intention is to become your Missouri River fly shop and guide service of choice. We are dedicated to expanding our inventory to include the products you want and you expect your fly shop to carry. This is definitely easier said than done as there are a myriad of hoops to jump through in order to stock the products we want to offer our customers but we are definitely working on it and we are confident you will find more of what you want at Wolf Creek Angler every time you visit our shop.
We are also committed to building what we intend will one day be the best guide service on the Missouri. Change has come to Wolf Creek and we are proud to announce a brand new guide team built with the future in mind. We will be introducing you to our guides in the weeks to come. They are not new to the Missouri but they have been hand-picked by us because we feel they best represent what Wolf Creek Angler is and what it will grow to be.

Why not book a trip today and find out for yourself why we picked this guide crew? We have no doubt that they will play a huge roll in continuing to put Wolf Creek back on the map. We are currently offering $395 full day guide trips through the winter and we are also offering winter lodging rates of $99/night. Stay tuned for spring specials starting in March.

Now through February book a guide trip for the 2015 season (May-November) and receive a $25 Wolf Creek Angler gift card good for everything we sell. Be sure to mention this offer when you call us at (406)235-4350 or toll-free at 1-800-800-4350.

Thank you all again for making our first year a great one. Here’s to a fishy 2015!

Thinking about summertime… photo by Wolf Creek Angler

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:03-06:00January 3rd, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: fly fishing, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Deep Freeze

Deep Freeze on the MO this week – come out and have the river to yourself! – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Winter has arrived in Montana this week with temps in the single digits and wind chill values as low as -30 tonight. When we decided we were going to remain open and also keep limited lodging available for the winter these were the types of conditions we were concerned about as most of our buildings are not exactly designed for winter use. So far so good! If we make it through the next couple of days without having frozen plumbing we will know that we are on the right track. That being said, it’s all a gamble as these are not ideal conditions for fishing the Missouri so we will definitely need mother nature’s cooperation to make a go of it this winter. We do have guests staying with us this week and they reportedly did pretty well yesterday during the early part of the day but we’re not sure how long they will stick around as it appears we’re going to be stuck in single digits at least trough tomorrow. Teens through the weekend and a warm up on Sunday. The way it looks now we should be back to comfortable fishing conditions by the first part of next week. Might we see some BWO’s next week? We hope so but there are plenty of other options including throwing streamers which has been good and getting better over the past week or two. Our WCA Polar Leeces, particularly in Olive/Copper, have been moving a ton of fish and we’ve also been doing well with the Gold/Brown Kreelex and Sculpin Sparkle Minnows – all available at Wolf Creek Angler. Nymphing has been hit or miss with the go-to’s still being Rainbow Czechs, Green Machines and Tailwater Sows. Heard of a few guys doing ok on the hot bead wire worm as well.

Flows are back up toi 4460 today after dropping below 4000 for the past few days. The water temperature is at around 49 and dropping.

Stop by the shop for bugs, shuttles, boat rentals, lodging and cold weather gear from Outdoor Research and more. It’s not too early to start your Christmas shopping and we’ve got all kinds of gear for the fly angler in your life. Wolf Creek Angler gift cards can be purchased in any amount and are good for everything from merchandise to shuttles to lodging and guide trips. We’re happy to send gift cards to anywhere in the world so give us a call at 800-800-4350 and purchase one today.

After careful consideration we have come up with the following winter schedule. The shop will be open from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Wednesday – Saturday with lodging and guide trips available any and every day at special winter rates. Should things get really fishy we will be here on Mondays and Tuesdays as well and should we see a bunch of single digit weather this winter we may NOT be here on some of the stated days. It would be a good idea to call before you come in but again, if it’s fishy weather we will likely be here. We will be closed on Sundays for the winter months.

We are anxious to see how things go this winter and we would love for you to make Wolf Creek Angler your year-round Missouri River fishing and lodging destination. We’ve got a busy winter ahead and have a lot of things we will be working on for next season and beyond.

Stay Warm!

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:05-06:00November 11th, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: Christmas, fly fishing, green machine, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Location, Location, Location

Fall nymphing on the Missouri River – photo by Wolf Creek Angler, LLC

Guest Blog by Wolf Creek Angler guide Jim Murray

It’s not just the golden rule of real estate, but of nymph fishing the Missouri as well.

There’s a lot of fish in the Mighty Mo, and those fish like to eat (shocking I know). Luckily for all those fish, the Missouri ecosystem produces A TON of food for them to eat. And while this is great for the fish, it can sometimes be less than ideal for the fisherman. Let me explain.

This great amount of food (insects, worms, crustaceans, etc.) flows through the river constantly, giving these fish a buffet table of food to choose from. As a result, these fish don’t have to travel very far to get a bite to eat. What this means for the fisherman, is that this river fishes very differently from many of our great freestone rivers in this state. Fish in small streams, and even some of the larger freestone rivers are very opportunistic feeders. They will move, sometimes even a few feet, to eat a morsel of food that they see pass through their window of opportunity to get a bite and fill their stomach. The residents of the Missouri do not need to do this. They tend to stay in their prime feeding lies, rarely moving unless forced out. As a result, they will not travel far to eat your fly. They don’t have to.

When fly fisherman, myself included, start struggling to get a lot of eats on the river, the first instinct is often to change the fly. Micro May not working? Let’s try a Green Machine. Size18 not working? Let’s go to a 20. Worm? Sow? What are they eating?!?

More often than not, it’s not the fly, but the location of the fly. The next time you aren’t catching the amount of fish you feel that you should, change the location. This means both depth and range. If you are fishing deep, shorten it up. Already short? Go deep. Add some weight. Take some off. One of my good friends, and probably the best nymph fisherman I know, Bob Glassen, states that he “changes depth constantly”. He’s not satisfied until he’s found out where they are in the water column. Also, if you float through a good run that you are sure is holding fish, don’t be afraid to go back up, move over 3 or 4 feet and run it again. You will often be surprised by the results. A few feet on this river can be the difference between a great day in the boat and a slow or average one.

This isn’t to say that fly choice doesn’t matter at all, but It’s been my experience that if you put the fly in front of the fish, they will eat it. So the next time you aren’t getting into them like you should, remember the old real estate adage, Location, Location, Location, and adjust accordingly. You’ll be happy you did!

Give us a call at (406)235-4350 and book a trip with Wolf Creek Angler today.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:06-06:00October 27th, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report, Montana Fly Fishing|Tags: fly fishing, green machine, indicator, Missouri River, nymphs, running line, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments