Hidden Canyon Lodge Archives - Wolf Creek Angler

2023 Year In Review

2023 was a year of major improvements at Wolf Creek Angler, a product of our constant commitment to growing our business and to providing all of our customers with spectacular service and an amazing experience whether in the shop, on the water with our guides, lodging with us or all of the above.

The highlight of the year was undoubtedly our major renovation of our bungalow units which we started in January and finished in late March with a week to spare heading into the traditional April opening of our lodging season.

The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, and we feel these three units are amongst the nicest in the area at this price level.

Sure, there have been some folks disappointed to see the 1980’s ranges go away but with the installation of induction cook tops, the addition of dishwashers to each unit and a major upgrade in décor, we feel our kitchen units are on par with most contemporary units out there, offering a clean and modern look and all the amenities the vast majority of our guests require. Most are happy to trade the range for the upgrade but as a reminder, we do still offer small ranges in our kitchens in Cabins 1,2 and 4 if that is something you’re looking for.

Another major improvement to the WCA brand came at the end of 2022 when we were informed we would FINALLY be opened as a SAGE rod dealer in 2023. It has been an exceptionally long time coming and something I’d been lobbying for since we opened our doors in 2014.

We are thrilled to be on board as a dealer and to be able to offer you what we feel are the best rods in the industry. Sage rounds out an excellent selection of rod brands including Redington, Echo, Lamson and Loop. We have rods for every experience level and every budget and while we never expected to be doing major business in high end rod market, we were pleasantly surprised by selling more Sage R8’s than any other rod in 2023.

Couple this with being the exclusive Simms Fishing Products Dealer in Wolf Creek and you start to see our mission coming to fruition.

That mission being to be your one stop fly fishing destination on the MO with the friendliest service and all the best brands in the industry offered in our shop, the most humble and professional guides on the river and clean and affordable lodging all closer to Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge than any other shop.

Those in the know keep coming and many more discover every season what Wolf Creek has to offer as an alterative destination when coming to fish the magical Missouri.

2023 also saw an expansion of our staff with Keith Tucker joining our team as Shop Manager, Phil Peacy returning for a second year as shop staff while also ramping up his guiding experience and Rhonda Gatch leading our shuttle crew as we broke away from previous arrangements and embarked on our very own shuttle service, independent from any other shop. Wolf Creek Angler is the home of The Cheapest DAM Shuttles on the MO!

This tenth season will go down as our most successful to date and we’re just getting started.

Most of our crew will be returning in the spring and you will likely see some new faces around as well.

Another highlight of the season for us came in the fall when Hidden Canyon Lodge was named a Finalist as Best Fly-Fishing Resort in Montana for the second consecutive year by Distinctly Montana Magazine. What does this have to do with Wolf Creek Angler you ask?

As some of you may know, our outfitting /guide business at Wolf Creek Angler is run under a separate company called Iron Fly Outfitting. I started Iron Fly six or seven years ago because it made sense from a business standpoint for Wolf Creek Angler but also because I began working with Hidden Canyon Lodge as their In-House Outfitter. Everyone at Hidden Canyon is amazing to work with and they run a first-class operation so it’s no surprise to me that they would be named a finalist two years running but hopefully the fishing component has at least something to do with this honor which is a big deal for all involved. Congratulations to everyone at Hidden Canyon Lodge.

We closed the year out with a strong fall/early winter with mild weather providing for a great extended season. We did see a winter storm in late October which brought a fair amount of snow and sub zero temps and did lead to some issues with heating/plumbing in some of our units which are usually closed for winter well in advance of sub zero temps but alas, this is Montana and Montana weather does what it does regardless of whether we’re ready or not.

As quickly as it came the wintry weather retreated and has not really returned since. It has been a fine December for fishing the MO but it’s time to start building some snowpack to fuel our 2024 water year!

As we close this year out, we would like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you once again, to all of those who fished with us, shopped with us or stayed with us at Wolf Creek Angler. We are so blessed to have so many amazing clients and, as always, we are honored and humbled to be able to provide our services to you.

Happy New Year from all of us at Wolf Creek Angler!

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-12-31T16:40:48-07:00December 31st, 2023|Categories: Shop Life, Uncategorized|Tags: 2023, 2024, fly fishing, Happy New Year, Hidden Canyon Lodge, iron fly outfitting, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Easing Into Spring

As we approach mid-April things are slowly, but surely starting to look (and feel and smell) like spring.

Sunshine and 70’s on Monday FINALLY took care of the snow that had been lingering here around the shop since NOVEMBER.

But don’t swap out the fleece and flannel for flip flops just yet. We’re currently under a WINTER STORM WARNING in effect from 6 PM tonight through 12 AM on Friday. Today looks perfect with a slight chance of rain, mostly cloudy skies, high in the low 50s and light and variable wind.

Rain changes to snow tonight with a low of 34 and tomorrow looks fairly miserable with a high of 42, snow early on changing to rain in the afternoon and north winds 10-13 mph with gusts to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent with 1 – 2 inches of accumulation possible. If this was October it might be the makings of an epic BWO day but with our water temps still well shy of 40 degrees we’re a ways out from that.

Current water flows are higher than we’ve seen in a while at around 5400 cfs. Expect those flows to bump as the spring progresses. We’ll likely see increases up to 8K in May, peaking at around 10K before settling back to the current 5 – 6K in June. These flow predictions are great for the health of the river and obviously indicate a good looking big picture for all of the regional waters for the 2023 season. Snow pack currently ranges from 90 to 120 percent of average for the vast majority of the region.

The warm weather brought out a fair amount of traffic over the Easter weekend and Monday was the busiest day we’ve seen in a while. High wind warnings kept folks away yesterday on a day which turned out to be pretty damn nice. It’s a quiet hump day but the river will be busy this weekend if our bookings are any indication.

We’re close to a full house this weekend but we do have a couple of vacancies if you’re looking to spend your weekend on the MO.

We’ve also got our first big group trip of the season with the Annual Iron Fly Outfitting/Hidden Canyon Lodge Women’s Intermediate Fly Fishing Clinic happening Saturday and Sunday.
Winter Storm Warning aside – it looks to be a perfect spring weekend with plenty of sunshine and ideal temps in the 50’s on Saturday and edging back towards 70 on Sunday.

We’re expecting a busy weekend so get here early and beat the rush. The shop is literally bursting at the seams with new product so please come and take some of this stuff off of our hands. Waders and outerwear from Simms and Redington, boots from Simms and Korkers, rods and reels from SAGE, LAMSON, ECHO and REDINGTON and piles of fly lines from SA, Rio and Airflo. From general purpose weight forward floating lines to a full range of specialty sink lines and EVERYTHING in between we’ve got you covered.

With all of the new product coming in we’ve had to make some room so we’re clearing out a bunch of winter inventory at incredible prices. 30 – 40 percent off on winter wear and fly lines. Get em’ before they’re gone!

Need flies? You won’t find a better selection of Missouri River flies ANYWHERE! Those trendy bugs you’re reading about in all of the fishing reports- we’ve got em’. We’ve got em’ all! Pill Poppers, Bubble Yums, Tailwater Sows, Radiation Baetis, Amex, Cotton Candy, Yum Yums, Rainbow Czechs, Zebra Midges, Ray Charles, Little Green Machines and on and on. Looking for dries? We’ve got midge patterns galore and more BWO patterns than you’ll know what to do with. Looking for classics? Look no further. Parachute Adams, Purple Haze, Pheasant Tails, Hares Ears…we’re fully stocked on all of the classics in all of the sizes. And these aren’t shop ties or knock offs – these are the real deal from trusted brands like Montana Fly Company, Umpqua, Solitude Flies and Yellowstone Fly Goods.

Skwalas? Of course. We’ve got bins full of them.

Streamers? Ha! Don’t get me started. We are the undisputed Streamer Authority on the MO!

Need a couple more reasons to make Wolf Creek Angler your Missouri River Fly Fishing Destination?

Our guides are amongst the very best in the region with well over a century of combined experience. And not only are they fishy, you won’t find a more patient and humble crew anywhere. If you like a guide with a huge ego who spends half the day yelling at you and the other half telling you what a great guide they are then you’ll want to book elsewhere. You won’t find them here.

Our lodging is still amongst the most affordable in the area and your comfort while staying with us is our number one priority. Following our major remodel this winter we now have rooms ranging from basic motel style rooms to fancy efficiencies, something to fit every budget. We are dog friendly in most of our rooms with the exception of the newly remodeled bungalows.

We offer the cheapest dam shuttles on the MO…spread the word!

we are your source for Fishing licenses, ice, hats and socks and gloves, sunscreen and buffs, piles of tools and accessories from MFC, SA and more.

Wolf Creek Angler is closer to the Holter Dam and Wolf Creek Bridge fishing access sites than any other shop. LPP and the Dearborn are currently dumping mud into the MO so chances are you’ll be starting at one or the other for the time being.

Wolf Creek is the home of Lazy I Beerworks with over 20 beers on tap and also home to the Canyon Store which is the ONLY place for gas and groceries between Helena and Cascade.

Wolf Creek is just 7 miles from Craig, home of Izaaks and the Craig Taphouse and I think there are a couple of other fly shops there as well.

As you can see, Wolf Creek is, by all measures, your Missouri River spring fly fishing destination.

See you in the shop and on the water soon.

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-04-12T11:29:18-06:00April 12th, 2023|Categories: Local Buzz, Shop Life|Tags: annual women's intermediate fly fishing clinic, cheapest dam shuttles on the mo, Craig Taphouse, dry fly fishing, Echo, fly fishing, green machine, Hidden Canyon Lodge, iron fly outfitting, Izaaks, Lazy I Beerworks, Missouri River, Missouri River Fly Fishing Destination, Montana Fly Company, pill popper, Redington, RIO, Sage, simms, solitude flies, Streamer Fishing, Umpqua, winter storm warning, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, yellowstone fly goods|1 Comment

Autumn Equinox

Autumn has officially arrived and with it the promise of good things to come on the Missouri and surrounding waters.

Terrestrial season is holding on with decent hopper and ant action, particularly in the lower stretches and we’ve begun to see the occasional October Caddis so now would be a good time to work that into your blind dry fly or dry/dropper rotation.

Aside from the terrestrials action we’re in a bit of a holding pattern right now where dry fly fishing is concerned as we await fall BWO’s. Caddis can fill the gap on any given day and pseudos will satisfy the needs of the true dry fly masochists but look for BWO’s to arrive with cooler weather and darker days, hopefully sometime in early October.

The streamer set has begun to arrive on the scene led by our Michigan friends from Schultz Outfitters returning to fish the MO with us this week. It’s a Michigan invasion all week long at Wolf Creek Angler and we’re thrilled to have a bunch of streamer junkies back in the boats with us. Leave the wooly buggers behind, load up the 7 and 8 weights and take cover…it’s time to do this thing Michigan Style! Weeds be damned, it’s big game hunting season on the MO’.

For the less bobber averse set, nymphing is good, especially in the upper stretch and should continue to pad the daily numbers. #18 Black Zebras will be back in stock tomorrow, still no ETA on Frenchies or Purple Weight Flies but fear not, we’ve got bins and bins filled with bugs that will meet or exceed performance expectations. Green Machines, Tung Darts, Gold Weight Flies, Purple or Olive Zebras, Tailwater Sows, Split Case BWO’s, BWO Magic Flies, Soft Hackle Sows, Olive Micromays, Olive or Brown S & M’s, Juju’s, BWO Redemptions, Radiation Baetis, Rainbow Czechs…and on and on.

It looks like we’ll see a nice cool down into the low 60’s this weekend but right back into the mid 70’s the first part of next week. Even so, chilly nights are keeping water temps on the drop. Temps are currently holding at around 61 degrees with flows at or near 4000 CFS. You really couldn’t ask for better conditions for fall fishing but these are definitely the days you’ll want to layer up in the morning knowing that you may be peeling off layers throughout the day but adding them back as that sun dips down.

We’ve got plenty of lodging availability this week though the guide calendar is pretty well filled through early next week. Take the time now while you’re thinking of it to book an October trip with us.
Whether you wish to be pampered with luxury accommodations and gourmet meals at Hidden Canyon Lodge or you prefer the cozy rustic charm offered at Wolf Creek Angler we’ve got you covered. Same great guides and same price for fishing at both, it’s just a matter of what you’re looking for outside of the fishing experience. Give us a call for details or to book your dates at either location.

We welcome fall and hope you join us on the Missouri and Blackfoot Rivers in the coming weeks for the most wonderful time of the year.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-09-22T21:29:52-06:00September 22nd, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: Autumn Equinox 2020, caddis, dry fly fishing, green machine, Hidden Canyon Lodge, juju baetis, Michigan, Missouri River, Montana, October Caddis, running line, Schultz Outfitters, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Autumn Creeping In

As we approach late August our thoughts have turned toward fall fishing. People often ask when is the best time to fish in Montana and while that answer can change based on our current time and place and mood I always say that based strictly on weather and seasonal transition its damn tough to beat autumn fishing in Montana.

We’re currently in the midst of some of the hottest temps we’ve seen this season but sweater weather isn’t far away. Shorter days, cooler temps and fall colors will usher in the magic of autumn and despite the heat of the afternoons the cool mornings are already hinting at the transition which is underway. Expect highs near 90 for the next 10 days but plenty cool at night with lows int he 50’s.

Mid week on the Missouri and Wolf Creek and Craig are ghost towns. Traffic is extremely light on the weekdays which is normal for August though we had hoped for an extended summer season in light of the late start we got due to Covid.

And speaking of Covid, we’re continuing to see a steady stream of fall cancellations so if it’s practical for you to make a trip to Montana over the next couple of months the good news for you is that we’ve got plenty of openings for lodging and guide trips both at Wolf Creek Angler and at our partner facility Hidden Canyon Lodge.

Whether you prefer to be pampered in a luxury lodge setting with gourmet meals each day or you’re looking for something a little more rustic and do-it-yourself we’ve got you covered and the fishing experience is the same whichever option you choose. Have questions? Give us a call at the shop or shoot us an email and we’d be happy to answer them.

Current Fishing Report

Fishing has been adequate as of late. Not red hot, not terrible…kind of what you’d expect in late summer.

Tricos have been a disappointment. Hoppers and ants are providing a decent alternative but nymphing (as per usual) is your best bet for numbers.

We have definitely passed the prime for dry fly fishing but there are opportunities if you work at it with sporadic Trico activity, a smattering of caddis and the aforementioned terrestrials which can make for a fun day of blind casting with the occasional chug which could potentially be a mammoth brown trout on the prowl.

Most of naturals I’ve observed have been of the yellow variety but we’ve had our best luck with peach or pink More or Less Hoppers. You can drop a nymph or trail a smaller dry (ant or caddis) but there’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple and running a single hopper. Obviously you won’t be as prone to tangling with single and that’s the eat you’re looking for anyway. Should you choose the tandem rig check it often to make sure your trailer/dropper isn’t wrapped.

Nymphing has been good most days and the Grass Flats below the dam will soon be the place to be. Black Zebras, Tailwater Sows, Purple Lightning Bugs, Pheasant Tails, Purple Weight Flies, Little Green Machines are all solid options and Zirdles, Snapping Crays and Claws R Crays are definitely worth a try.

Streamers will soon be back in play but keep in mind the challenges involved with fishing streamers on the MO in late summer and throughout the fall, namely WEEDS! The same can be said for nymphing though not quite to the same extent. There are big fish to be caught on streamers on the Missouri but prepare to be frustrated and count on spending on an inordinate amount of time removing weeds. If you can get in the right place with this and just accept it as part of the challenge it’s definitely worth your time.

Autumn Shop Hours are 7 AM – 5 PM daily.

Please remember the state mask mandate is still in effect and we are 100 percent committed to complying with it. We cannot allow anyone in the shop without a mask and we are continuing to limit the number of customers in the shop at one time to 4 in an effort to maintain social distance. We appreciate your compliance with these protocols and we can’t express just how much we are looking forward to the day when this is all behind us.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-08-19T14:58:52-06:00August 19th, 2020|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: brown trout, caddis, Craig MT, dry fly fishing, Fall fishing, Hidden Canyon Lodge, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments