green machine Archives - Page 8 of 9

Sunday Report- Guest Blog from WCA Guide Matt Hargrave

Danya with one of many from Friday’s float. photo by Matt Hargrave

Montana experienced a very mild winter this year, which created plenty of fishing opportunities for local anglers. Personally, I kept my eyeballs on the ten day forecast, and made sure I was on the water whenever air temps were 40 degrees and above. While the fishing wasn’t always on fire, it was nice to be in the boat, on what became “bonus” days for all us trout bums. Most of those “bonus” days proved to be slow fishing with few fish to the net, and some of those days the only thing caught was a buzz and a minor case of hypothermia.

Yesterday was the day that I had been waiting for. The forecast called for a high of 75 with gusty winds. It never reached 75, but it didn’t get windy either. Perfect. Danya and I floated Dam to Craig. I did the usual row around just below the wire. We touched a fish on the first pass, landed a fish on the next two consecutive passes, and touched another on the fourth. The fish were definitely hungry yesterday, and Danya was crushing fish in the front of the boat. I had a nymph rig set at around 6 feet from bobber to split shot, with a #14 Tungsten Tailwater Sow bug, trailed by a #20 silver bead black zebra midge.

I finally bailed due to a handful of boats anchored up around me. Things slowed down below the grass flats. I changed out the zebra midge for a #16 grey Little Green Machine. The trout were all over that! Most of the fish seemed to be holding in knee to waist high water. I avoided the riffles because Rainbows are starting to build redds. As a reminder please avoid wading across the riffles, and be sure to look where you are a wading!

Below the Wolf Creek bridge, it continued to nymph well, but I also saw a lot of heads up eating midges, including a few legitimate pods. Some were rising here and there, but there were plenty that were consistently feeding. It was really exciting to see them come up and eat! You could see the cotton white on the inside of their mouth, which means you got a pretty good shot of catching that fish. Well, if you can set the hook at least. I blew about 8 or 10 hook sets. Call it first day dry fly fishing jitters. Or you could say that I didn’t check my hook after missing a fish. I got a couple more eats, but no hook set. Upon closer inspection, my Quigley’s Midge Cluster had a bent hook. Either I was ambitious or just care less, but my next fly choice was an impossible to see Griffith’s Gnat, which may or may not have induced an eat. All I know is that I set on eats that I thought was my fly. No fish to hand, just pulling up the anchor and looking for the next fish because those guys I spooked ain’t coming back up.

I managed to find another midge cluster, missed more eats, and put down more trout before realizing it was getting late and we had to go. I motored from spot to spot, Danya caught a couple more fish on the Little Green Machine and the Tung Tailwater Sow Bug. It was the fishiest day of the year so far. I expect there to be more days like this in the future as water temps are on the rise. Spring fishing is here, get out there and enjoy it my friends!—Matt

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:57-06:00March 29th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: dry fly fishing, green machine, Missouri River, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|1 Comment

Mid Week Missouri River Fishing Report 3/25/15

Let the spring games begin….what to use?

A bit of semi-seasonable weather back yesterday and today with scattered precipitation and temps hanging in the 40’s but back to spring tomorrow with temperatures climbing into the 60’s and 70’s by Friday.
As has been the case for the last several weeks it’s been a mixed bag of reports out there but it sounds like Sunday was a pretty good day all the way around with periods of good dry fly action and some good streamer reports from the canyon stretch. Black buggers, Polar leeches, olive smolts and sparkle minnows have all been producing fish. Most of the reports we heard from Monday and Tuesday sounded like things were on the slow side but we’re hoping for the rebound today.
Nymphing will continue to be your best bet though it seems the transition from winter fare to spring bugs has certainly gotten underway. Not that the pink stuff won’t work but we’ve heard of a lot of people having more success with tailwater sows and zebra midges and the like. It’s the time of year to start experimenting with your flies which makes for a bit more of a challenge than running a #12 Pinkalicious trailed with a firebead soft hackle sow for days on end but it’s all part of the fun. Green Machines, Micromays, Juju’s, Wondernymphs,Rainbow Warriors ,Peep Shows, AmX, the aforementioned Tailwater Sows and Zebra Midges…..and on and on. What will they be eating today? Start with a black zebra and something that feels right and go with it and change until you find what’s working.
The one part of the game that has remained fairly constant is the water the fish are holding in. Slow, deep winter runs will continue to be your target for the time being but as we creep towards 40 and beyond that will change as well. It’s a great time of year to fish the Missouri. Change is underway and soon the crowds will return. Take advantage of the relative solitude while you can. It’s the perfect time to treat yourself to a $300 Spring Special Guide Trip with one of our expert guides.
Stop by the shop on your way to the river for shuttles, bugs, bobbers, boats and all kinds of cool new gear arriving daily. We are your one-stop full service Missouri River fly shop and THE place to stay in Wolf Creek. We are Outfitter owned and operated and anxious to share our knowledge of and passion for Montana fly fishing with you soon.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:58-06:00March 25th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: $300 Missouri River Guide Trips, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, juju baetis, Missouri River, Missouri River Spring Special Guide Rates, Montana, running line, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|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

Weekend Report – Fish NOW – Winter is on the Way

Frozen Boots on the MO – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Today is the day to fish the Missouri with abundant sunshine and temps in the 50’s. Looks like rain and steady temps tomorrow but with winds at 20-30 mph and gusting to 44 it sounds like a good day to stay home and watch football. Tomorrow night the temperature plummets and the snow arrives, possibly 2-4 inches with a couple more on Monday and single digits through the week. We’re not exactly sure what our schedule is going to be for winter but it will probably be dictated in large part by the weather. The shop will be closed on Sundays through the winter but we will have lodging available.

Fishing was hit or miss yesterday but if you’re willing to work for them you’ll do ok. Not much in the way of fish up but some have been doing fair throwing streamers and nymphing continues to yield the best return. Rainbow Czechs and Tailwater Sows were getting it done for us yesterday and it sounds like Green Machines and San Juan Worms are continuing to produce fish.

See you in the shop and on the water.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:05-06:00November 8th, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: green machine, Missouri River, nymphs, running line, streamers, winter, 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

October on the MO

Perfect Autumn morning at Wolf Creek Bridge. Photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Fall colors are in full swing on the Missouri River. Photo by Neale Streeks

Fishing has been improving steadily over the past few weeks as we make the full transition to fall. We’ve had summer-like weather for the most part save for one day of snow showers early in the month and while it’s made for some beautiful days on the water we would prefer some cooler, cloudier weather to get the bugs going. Tomorrow could be the day with a chance of rain and snow showers and highs in the low 50’s. Sunny skies return on Monday and Tuesday but with temps dipping into the high 30’s at night hopefully we will see a drop in the water temp which should usher in the big bugs everybody is waiting for.

The fishing has been pretty solid depending on the day throughout the system with the possible exception of the Holter Dam to Wolf Creek Bridge stretch which, after giving it up consistently for many weeks, has gotten relatively quiet. The usual suspects (zebras, sow bugs, pt’s, green machines etc.) will still pick up a few fish on any given day up there but we haven’t seen the consistent action like we were seeing a few weeks ago. The cray fish has also gone quiet after a spectacular run, though I wouldn’t hesitate to try one if nothing else is working.

Below Wolf Creek Bridge it’s a different story with dries, nymphs and streamers all getting it done. The browns are on the prowl and will hammer a streamer right now. Good patterns for us have been Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow in Sculpin, polar leeches in black, copper and olive/copper, olive smolts and the gold/silver Kreelex. Change your bugs, change up your strip and be patient. The Streamer game is not a numbers thing and you may go a long time between chases and may go all day without a hook up but the anticipation and the occasional hog on the chase will keep things interesting, at least for those of us who are into that sort of thing. We are stocked up in the shop with a great selection of streamers that work and we are always happy to share our secrets with you.

Big Autumn Browns colored up and on the chase on the Missouri photo by Wolf Creek Angler LLC

The nymphing game below the bridge has been good with the Little Green Machine leading the charge most days. Other hot bugs have been WD 40’s, Rainbow Warriors, Chezch nymphs, sow bugs, PT’s, Dark Peep Shows and all kinds of baetis stuff including Angel Case Emergers, Bubbleback Emergers, Magic Flies and juju’s. Some days it’s a short rig – other days not so much. Air-Lock Strike Indicators continue to fly off the shelves due to the ease with which you can change depths in no time by simply loosening the nut and sliding the indicator to the desired depth. Long known for our skepticism of gimmicky products – the WCA guide crew has fully embraced this technology and we are proud to endorse Air Lock Strike Indicators as our official indicator of choice on the MO.

Air-Lock Strike Indicators always available at Wolf Creek Angler

Plenty of fish up on any given day as well and many willing to play. We’ve been liking a Parachute Adams or a Purple Haze with an RS2, CDC Caddis emerger, zebra midge or Juju trailer but a #14 Sloan’s Outrigger Caddis coupled with a #22 pseudo isn’t a bad call either. Plenty of options as we await the BWO’s. Stop by the shop for all of these bugs and more along with as much or as little instruction as you would like on the where’s, when’s and hows.

Lodging is busy right now but we’ve got a few vacancies here and there so give us a call. We are the only full service fly shop in Wolf Creek with lodging, guides, shuttles, RO drift boat rentals and a shop filled with everything you need for Missouri River fly fishing success including the greatest selection of bugs ever to be assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana. Stop in and see us and find out for yourself if all the things you’ve heard are true. You’ll be glad you did.

See you in the shop and on the water. ~ Jason O.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:06-06:00October 11th, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report, Montana Fly Fishing|Tags: Air-Lock Strike Indicators, brown trout, fly fishing, green machine, Holter Dam, Missouri River, RO Drift Boats, running line, Sloan's Outrigger Caddis, streamers, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|0 Comments

Welcome Autumn

Our favorite time of year. Cool fall mornings at Holter Dam on the Missouri River photo by Wolf Creek Angler LLC

Autumn is starting to take hold on the Little Prickly Pear – photo Wolf Creek Angler LLC

Fall day at Wolf Creek Bridge photo Wolf Creek Angler

Join us all this weekend as we bid farewell to our first summer with huge savings on everything in the shop where we are clearing space to make room for new fall merchandise arriving daily. Twenty percent off everything storewide. Flies, rods, reels, waders, hydroflasks, Simms logo wear, fly lines, leaders, tippet – everything is on sale!

It’s been a great inaugural summer for Wolf Creek Angler. We’ve met so many great people over the past 5 months in the shop and on the water and out and about at various community and industry events. We’ve learned a lot since April about what works and what doesn’t and we’re making changes as we go. Look for constant growth and constant improvement and a constant committment to customer service from Wolf Creek Angler.

The cool weather and the rain last weekend flipped the switch on the MO and the fishing has been crazy good – downright ridiculous at times. The crayfish craze has been in effect for a couple of weeks now and we’ve done extremely well dead drifting various crayfish patterns in tandem with zebra midges at the dam and a whole host of bugs below the Wolf Creek bridge. Peep Shows, Little Green Machines, Micro Mays, Soft Hackle Sows, Shop Vacs and flashback PT’s have all had some strong showings over the past few days. The fish are where you would expect to find them and also where you might not expect them to be. Hit the water you like and the water you don’t – it’s all good right now.

There are still plenty of tricos around and there have been a few heads up here and there for the DFO’s to target. We’ve also had moderate success on hoppers, especially below Craig. We like to trail with an ant or drop a weight fly to bump the odds.

Fall lodging and guide trips are booking up quickly – especially for October so don’t wait too long. We are a little sad to see summer go but we’re ready for fall in Wolf Creek. Awesome days of fishing the MO followed by dinner and libations at the Oasis and/or the Frenchman followed by a good night’s rest at Wolf Creek Angler – does it get any better?

Rooms, boats, bugs, shuttles and all the terminal tackle you need along with rain gear, wading gear, layering gear and more all at Wolf Creek Angler – minutes from Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge. Nobody is closer!

Axel with one of the prettiest Missouri River rainbows I’ve seen

Brad Turner aka The PM Angler from Baldwin Michigan got a good taste of what the Missouri River has to offer

Father and Son Dan and Paul had a great day on the Missouri River with Wolf Creek Angler guide Jim Murray

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:06-06:00August 30th, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report, Montana Fly Fishing, Uncategorized|Tags: fly fishing, green machine, Holter Dam, Missouri River, nymphs, rainbow trout, running line, tricos, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|0 Comments

Tuesday Fishing Report

stormy
A good soaker last night and this morning with more on the way for today and tomorrow. Winter weather advisory in effect above 6000 feet with 6-8 inches of slushy snow expected above 7000 feet. The current temperature here in Wolf Creek is right around 50 and it won’t get much warmer until Thursday when we move back into the 70’s. 80’s by the weekend. Currently looking at blue sky but there is more weather moving in as I write. It could be an epic streamer day – a perfect day to give the newly arrived Dirty Hippy a try. We just put them in the bin this morning and can’t wait to give em’ a go.

Craven’s Dirty Hippy

Dry fly fishing could be tough with the weather but it’s hard to say. We continue to hear some good reports of PMD’s down low and there have been plenty of fish up eating. A size 14 Outrigger Caddis or Parachute Adams with a size 16 cdc caddis emerger trailer is a hard combination to beat this time of year and BIG stuff fished blind has reportedly been effective for some.

Nymphing has been consistently solid though there have been some perplexing days over the past week. The Red Headed Step Child and the Grey Little Green Machine have been good as have Gold Lightning bugs, purple wild things and Hot Belly PT’s in both purple and orange. Wireworms and sowbugs are still producing as well. There have been lots of different bugs getting fish, the trick has been finding where those fish are. Short leashing has had it’s moments and has also been a bust depending on the day and time of day. The moderately fast 4 – 6 foot water with a longer leash and varying amounts of weight has been more consistent. Adjust weight and length until you find them and then hone in on the bug selection. Certainly easier said than done but the fish are there somewhere.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:07-06:00June 17th, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: Dirty Hippy, green machine, running line, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|1 Comment

Summertime

Summer is back in Wolf Creek

What a difference a week makes. Last week at this time we had people cancelling weekend reservations because of high flows. By the end of the week we were under 6,000 and from what we are hearing we will be under 4,000 by the end of the day. The doom and gloom predictions of a repeat of the high water of 2011 were wrong. Hopefully the predictions of average flows in the 5,000 range for the remainder of the year will prove to be true.

The fishing has been good with nymphing still leading the charge but dry fly fishing is definitely ON with a fair amount of caddis around and some downright prolific baetis hatches over the past few days. The lower flows have the fish looking up consistently and you can definitely make a day out of dry fly fishing between targeting rising fish and blind casting a large dry with a trailing emerger.

Nymphing has been good to great with a couple of tougher days during the big volume drop. Wire worms continue to produce followed closely by sow bugs. Soft hackle and tailwater sows have been getting it done as have Little Green Machines, Purple Wild Things, Weight flies in gold and purple and Juju baetis is purple. Lots of different bugs getting eats but we’ve heard more consistency with the sows than anything else but that could change at any time.

We’ve been busy with trips and lodging and people are starting to take notice of Wolf Creek’s best fly shop. We’ve got plenty of great bugs in the bins, including Green Machines, and there are new additions arriving almost daily. Plenty of WCA Logo gear in stock and everything you would expect to find in a first rate Missouri River Fly Shop, including friendly faces and a committment to great customer service. Follow our new signs off the Interstate and find out what the buzz is about!

Eloise Peter rachele colman

New signs bring you right to our door

Wolf Creek MT’s fly fishing destination

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:08-06:00June 12th, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report, Montana Fly Fishing|Tags: fly fishing, green machine, juju baetis, Missouri River, Montana, nymphs, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Weekend Report

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

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

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

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

Missouri River Rainbow
photo courtesy of Ryan Casne

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:08-06:00May 30th, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report, Montana Fly Fishing|Tags: Craig MT, fly fishing, green machine, Montana, nymphs, RO Drift Boats, running line, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments