Montana Archives - Page 28 of 34

Mid Week Missouri River Fishing Report – Dog Days?

Tricos, lots of them, depending on the day. The fish are on them but not yet like you might expect them to be. We’ll call this a transition stage.

PMD’s – very few, though the fish do still seem more interested in pmd’s than tricos.

Caddis-a-plenty. Throw them blind and see what happens.

Hoppers? Throw em’. Word is that the hopper bite has been good in the canyon and the Craig to Stickney run has been decent as well.

Nymphing has been good at the dam, aside from that…on the slow side. Weight flies in purple and gold, split case PMD’s both with and without the tungsten bead, peep shows and small mayfly nymphs (think Little Green Machine) have been the go-to’s.

Traffic has been heavy out there this week but things should start to thin out soon.

Make Wolf Creek Angler your one-stop on the way to the river for shuttles, bugs, boats and anything you may need for your day on the water. We are open at 5:30 AM daily, earlier than all the rest so no need to wait, we’ll have you out the door and on the water by 6:00 am.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:48-06:00July 22nd, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: caddis, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, nymphs, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Great Days on the Missouri

Al Kaplan thoroughly enjoying every minute of his time here in Wolf Creek.

Getting frustrated with the fishing?

There are definitely worse things you could be doing than spending your summer vacation fishing the Missouri. Sure it can be tough out there but is it really that bad?

We’ve heard a fair amount about how tough it is out there over the past week and while we all hope for awesome fishing all of the time it simply doesn’t work that way. The flows are better than what we had expected earlier in the season, the water temps have been good, there are plenty of fish and plenty of opportunities available to those willing to work hard at it. From where we sit the glass is more than half full! It’s not all bad. Fishing can be tough but it’s day to day and it will always get better….eventually.

We’ve got an awesome guest staying with us named Al Kaplan. Al is a bus driver from New York and this is his third trip to Wolf Creek and the Missouri. Al adds a few days to his trip each year, in fact he’s here for three weeks this time around.

Each afternoon when Al returns from his morning of fishing I ask him how his day was. His response is always the same. He responds that he had a great day. If you ask him whether he caught fish or not he will tell you but that answer never has any bearing on his daily response of having had a great day. Sometimes he catches fish – sometimes he doesn’t. Catching fish is not what makes or breaks a day for Al Kaplan and we can all learn something from him.

It is not lost on us that people spend a bunch of money and time to come here and fish the Missouri and when the fishing is tough it can be frustrating but we ought not let ourselves get bogged down in that frustration.

Al gets it! He gets the big picture and he loves Montana and the Missouri and the entire experience regardless of how many fish he does or doesn’t catch, of how many caddis there are, of how windy it is, of how many people are on the river etc, etc, etc.

So while we appreciate and sympathize with the frustration that goes along with tough fishing we should all strive to take it in stride and appreciate the experience for all that it affords us. And who knows, tomorrow is another day and fishing might just be spectacular but whether it is or isn’t , a day spent under the Big Sky on the waters of the Mighty MO is a Great day in our opinion regardless of the fish counts.

Stay Strong!

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:48-06:00July 18th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|1 Comment

Mid Week Blues

Frustration.

Many of our guests are feeling it right now. Most roll with it knowing it’s part of the game no matter where you fish.

Bugs have been a little unpredictable which of course has limited the dry-fly opportunities but as we’ve been saying those who are putting their time in are finding plenty of opportunities and are enjoying plenty of success especially as measured by finding oneself in the state of wading in the Missouri River, fly rod in hand, casting tiny bugs to rising fish miles away from reality. How much better could it be? Catching a bunch of fish certainly might add something to the experience but those who have figured it out return to the porch at WCA each night satisfied and happy regardless of the number of bugs on the water or the number of fish up.

Of course some leave disappointed. Some are wired to measure the enjoyment and success of their experience by the amount of fish they catch, the size of the fish they catch, the amount of bugs on the water…etc. That’s ok too, we get it but we encourage all to take the time to take in your surroundings. Enjoy the sights and sounds and the company of your friends as you experience this magical place.

It’s interesting talking with our guests each morning and hearing about how they did. We hear a lot about a lack of bugs or things being tough out there but we also hear a lot about what an amazing place this is and how lucky we are to call this home. We don’t disagree.

How’s it fishing? It’s fishing ok and the better you are the more success you will have. If you’re having a tough go of it we encourage you to book a trip with us and let one of our expert guides get your game dialed in.

Tricos are still getting going and offering good opportunities depending on the day. PMD’s and PED’s are still around but definitely fading fast. Caddis are here and could very well be your best bet for the time being. Too early for hoppers? Definitely not. Try throwing a hopper or a Chubby, you might be surprised!

Nymphing? We haven’t heard a lot of nymphing reports as it’s definitely prime time for the DFO’s but those who are doing it continue to do well with Split Case PMD’s, Purple Weight Flies, Tung Darts, PT’s, Psycho Mays, Zebra Midges etc.

Stop by Wolf Creek Angler, your 5:30 AM one stop on the way to the MO.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:48-06:00July 15th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Full Tilt Tuesday

Alessandro’s first trip to the MO – all the way from Italy. See you next summer Alessandro!

Busy days here at WCA as we continue in Full Tilt mode.

We’ve got our entire RO Drift Boat rental fleet out all week with launches at dawn and take-outs after dark. Hard core anglers taking advantage of every minute of their stay on the MO and being rewarded with some awesome action while persevering through some quiet spells as well.

We’ve got a full house most nights with all of our seasonal regulars cycling through. This is the time of year Wolf Creek Angler takes on a real sense of community as we are reunited with old friends and introduced to new friends from all around the country and all around the world. This sense of community is one of the things we love most about our job.

Busy mornings around the shop with bunches of guide trips going out and the DIY crew crowding around the bins, stocking up on bugs and floatant and leaders and tippet and other essentials for the day. The full house is nothing new, the increase in traffic in the shop and in the number of guide trips is what we’re here to do and we are absolutely thrilled with where things are at and where they are going. A huge thanks to all who have supported us from the start and continue to support us as we continue to work towards making Wolf Creek Angler everything you expect your Missouri River fly shop to be.

If you haven’t been by the shop in a while come check us out, we are confident you will be pleasantly surprised by what you find. We’ve got a Missouri River bug selection that rivals that of any in the canyon with new flies arriving all of the time. We continue to work towards building our inventory and expanding our offerings with great gear from first rate fly fishing companies like Kast Extreme Fishing Gear, Fishpond, Umpqua, Redington, Rio, Yeti, ST Croix, Echo, Ross, Nautilus and Smith just to name a few.

Open daily at 5:45 AM for all of your Missouri River fly fishing needs. Great bugs, great coffee, great gear and a commitment customer service are what you will find every day at Wolf Creek Angler.

See you in the shop and on the water bright and early…

Andrew’s first trip to the MO was one he won’t soon forget. See you in Wolf Creek in 2016!

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:48-06:00July 7th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Farewell to June/ Summertime on the MO

In Training this summer at Wolf Creek Angler

Hard to believe but we’re closing the books on June already. What is statistically our wettest month turned out to be a dry one with record high temps over the past week.
We did get a nice soaking thunderstorm last night so our almost-14 year old part time groundskeeper/boat washer/driveway sweeper and whatever else needs to be done go to guy is enjoying a day off from moving sprinklers. He may not realize it just yet but I think this whole Wolf Creek Montana, Missouri River fly fishing thing is going to start to take hold soon. Spend enough time around this culture and you can’t help but get sucked in. In the meantime if you happen to see my kid around the shop perhaps you could let him know how bad you feel for him that he has to spend his summer working around a fly shop, floating the MO with his super un-cool old man and hanging around fishing guides and fishy people in general.
It’s definitely feeling like summertime at WCA. The regulars are here for extended stays and it’s great to see all of these folks again. Early mornings, late nights, hot coffee and cold beers and the sense of eternal Saturday we enjoy from around mid June through the end of the season where we likely have no idea what day of the week it actually is but they all feel like Saturday.
People come from all around the world to fish the Missouri and we’re thrilled to be a part of their Montana experience.
Plenty of traffic out there but plenty of room to find a piece of water to call your own and spend as much time as you want perfecting that perfect delivery and perfect presentation. Sometimes it all comes together… sometimes it doesn’t. It’s all part of the appeal of dry fly fishing on the MO.
See you in the shop bright and early for everything you need for your day on the water.
Open daily at 5:45 AM – earlier than anyone. So make Wolf Creek Angler your first stop on your way to the river. We’ve got you covered with shuttles, RO Drift Boat Rentals, all kinds of sun protection, Kast Gear (including Tailspin Guide Shorts), all the lines, leaders and tippet you need from Rio and Trout Hunter and of course, the largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana. Come check us out – we’re confident you will find our bug selection rivals that of any other in the canyon.

See you in Wolf Creek.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:51-06:00June 30th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, RO Drift Boats, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

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

Mid June Missouri River Fishing Report

Hard to believe, but according to the calendar it’s June 15th. The season is flying by as it does and we’re about to settle into prime dry fly time on the Missouri River. PMD’s and Caddis are in abundance depending on the day and you should be able to piece together a full day of dry fly action if that’s your thing. Best bet is still going to be below Craig but you should be able to find bugs and fish eating them wherever you go. If you happen upon a PMD event try your various PMD spinner patterns or just a standard parachute Adams coupled with a cripple or an emerger. On the caddis side we’re still liking the CDC Grey/Tan Caddis Emerger or a Cornfed Caddis paired with an Outrigger or an X Caddis. And speaking of Outriggers, it’s the time of year to keep a handfull of Outrigger Sallys in your box and at the ready.

Nymphing has been good most days and while things can always get weird out there we’ve been having some downright stellar days from the dam to Craig. Tailwater sows in #16 and #18 and Firebead softhackle sows have been far and away the most effective bugs but we’ve been getting them on zebra midges and various PMD nymphs as well including the PMD Magic Fly, Hogan’s PMD Military May, Light Peep Shows, Split-Case PMD’s and Wondernymphs. Further down stream it’s weight flies, Tung Darts and Czechs in tandem with LGM’s, Micromays, S & M’s and the aforementioned PMD stuff. How about streamers you ask? Not much to report on that front. The hardcore streamer guys are throwing them and catching some fish but if you’re on the fence about how best to work the depths our recommendation would be to concentrate on the nymphing game and save your streamers for the fall.

Flows are back down to 4600 keeping the wade anglers happy and the weather looks great for the week ahead with partly sunny skies and highs near 80 daily. Our lodging is booked solid from here on out into late July though there are the occasional vacancies so give us a call if you are making last minute plans to visit the Missouri this summer. We’ve got expert guides at the ready, anxious to show you what an amazing fishery we have here on the MO. Stop by the shop for everything you need for your day on the water. Shuttles, Drift Boats, Sun Protection, fishing licenses, Guide Wear from Kast Extreme Fishing Gear, walls full of tools and accessories, the best coffee in Wolf Creek (according to many),the largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek MT and much, much more.

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