Montana Archives - Page 29 of 33

A Great Week on the MO

Our clients have been enjoying some spectacular fishing this week on both nymphs and dries. What’s your preference? Book a guide trip with us today and we’ll tailor your trip to fit your needs. Hunting heads, chucking streamers, nymphing – we are happy to do any and all of the above.

All of our guides specialize in making your day on the Missouri everything you want it to be. We can’t guarantee how the fishing will be but we are committed to doing everything we can to make your day of Missouri River fly fishing an experience you won’t soon forget.

Give us a call today and book your Missouri River trip of a lifetime.

Jan and Lynn doubled up with WCA guide Eric Mondragon

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:53-06:00May 10th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: brown trout, fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

WCA Events Update

May is going to be a busy month on the Missouri. An early spring has kick started the 2015 season. Lots of folks around already and a bunch of stuff going on in addition to great fishing on the MO. Here’s what’s happening the next few weeks in and around Wolf Creek Montana.

Friday May 15th. Ales For Trails – Pioneer Park in Helena from 5 – 9 PM. Helena Ales for Trails is about contributing to the common good in Helena by raising funds for the Helena trail system. This year’s event will benefit Centennial Trail which is a paved non-vehicle path that will connect Spring Meadow Lake to East Helena.

This year will feature 40+ beer varieties from up to 15 different craft breweries. Participants will also have the opportunity to taste cider and wine. Live music by David Casey and Kate Plummer.

Saturday, May 16th. 9th Annual Craig Caddis Festival. 4 pm – ?? Barbeque Contest, Parade, Kids Activities, Silent Auction, Raffle, Live Music and all-around shenanigans in Craig Montana with proceeds going to support the Craig Volunteer Fire Department. We’ve decided to pass on the barbeque contest portion of the event this year but we are donating items for the auction and we will be around enjoying the festivities.

Saturday, May 16th. Montana 2015 General Fishing Season Opener. Get out and fish the creeks. We can’t wait!

Not the Dub C A Soiree – but cool anyways.

Saturday, May 23rd. The Inaugural Dub C A Soiree – Wolf Creek Angler, Wolf Creek Montana.

Come join us as we usher in another great season on the Missouri River with the Inaugural WCA Soiree. Great deals in the shop all day, food and fun and live music from Helena’s Sleeping Giants starting at 5 pm. You don’t want to miss this one. Limited lodging still available. Book yours today.

In addition to these big weekend events May will be a busy time at Wolf Creek Angler with crowds descending upon the region to fish our world-famous river. It should be prime time for streamer fishing and dry fly fishing will definitely be drawing a crowd. May is definitely a favorite month amongst the fly shop contingent as we enjoy spectacular fishing coupled with relative peace and solitude – the calm before the storm of the summer season.

We hope you join us for all of these events and great fishing on the Missouri River.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:54-06:00April 30th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: Craig Caddis Festival, dry fly fishing, Dub C A Soiree, fly fishing, Helena Ales for Trails, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Streamer Fishing, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Mid Week Fishing Report

Warm and sunny spring days have limited the dry fly fishing opportunities for the past couple of days but it looks like we could be in for a great baetis weekend with cloud cover and a chance of rain and/or snow each day.

Nymphing has been good river-wide though the best reports we’re hearing are from Craig down. Green Machines and S & M’s have been the most popular nymphs by far leaving our bins this week but why limit yourself to two patterns? We’ve got bins and bins stuffed full of bugs that will get it done. Take some time and peruse our selection, LGM’s and S & M’s are great but there’s a bunch of other stuff that you should be trying and who knows, you may just stumble upon the next big thing.

When you find that bug you think is cool and you fish it and it happens to work it definitely builds your confidence. One of my go-to nymphs is Mason’s Peep Show. I was introduced to the Peep Show by a fishing buddy several years ago and I’ve always done well with it so I use it a lot. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had clients come into the shop to load up on them after a guide trip. Sometimes they find success with it, sometimes they dont. I think it’s a great bug – I’ve got friends who are excellent guides who hate it – it’s all personal preference.

Bottom line – we’ve got well over 100,000 flies not including a bunch of cool streamers. There are a lot of patterns besides S & M’s and Little Green Machines that will crush fish on the Missouri. Last season there was a few weeks where Two Bit Hookers were reportedly the hottest bug around. We didn’t have them. We do now. Guys would come in and ask for them and turn around and leave when we told them we didn’t have them – apparently when it’s a Two Bit Hooker you desire nothing else will do!

Stop in and check out our fly selection, we are confident you won’t be disappointed.

Lodging is full tonight and busy through the weekend. We did have one cancellation for Friday and Saturday so we do have one cabin available for the weekend. We’re busy with spring special guide trips this week but have plenty of guides around if you are interested in taking advantage of this great deal before it’s too late. It’s the last weekend for spring special rates and discounted lodging. Book your trips and rooms now!

The days are getting longer, the bugs are plentiful and the pulse is starting to return to Wolf Creek and Craig Montana.

See you in the shop and on the water.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:54-06:00April 22nd, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: $300 Missouri River Guide Trips, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

The Week Ahead

Are there any bugs you ask? Ummm….just a few! photo by Luke Koerten

By all accounts from the past several days it’s GAME ON on the Missouri right now. Unfortunately the only bugs I’ve seen recently are the ones in our fly bins but I hope to rectify this situtation soon. I’ve been hearing good reports from all of our guides and our guests are raving as well, one calling his Saturday afternoon outing “the best dry fly day he’s had in years”.

Plenty of dry fly action on baetis and midges river-wide and if it’s nymphing you prefer it’s happening right now! I’m still hearing the occasional complaints of tough days from those fishing the top section but it’s been lights out in the middle and lower sections so spread out and have at it. Best selling bugs over the past couple of days have been Hogan’s S & M, LGM’s , MicroMay in Olive, firebead soft hackle sow, hot belly PT in purple, Purple phase loop wing, BWO Flash Cripple, BWO Drown Spinner, DOA Cripple Baetis, 2 Bit Hooker in Red, Kyle’s Superflash PT in Olive, Circus Peanut, Polar Leech, Sparkle Minnow, Beadless Zebra Midge in Black and a bunch of other baetis stuff. We’ve got the bugs you want and the bugs you need and many many more. Come check out our selection, we’re confident you won’t be disappointed.

Bins full of BWO’s at Wolf Creek Angler

Weather wise we’re looking at sunny warm days through Thursday, possibly reaching near 80 on Wednesday. A 50 percent chance of rain on Friday may mean a better bwo day but the bottom line is that you really couldn’t pick a better week to come hit the MO. The weather is great, the bugs are plentiful, the fish are happy and hungry…what more could you ask for?

Remember our $300 spring special guide trips and our discounted lodging rates run through the end of April so time is running out. You’ve got 10 days left to make it happen so don’t put it off any longer. Give us a call at the shop today and book your Missouri River trip of a lifetime. It’s the best fishing we’ve seen this year and traffic remains relatively light, especially during the week.

Flows are holding around 3800 with water temps around 45. The lower water means more access for the wade anglers and less navigable water for boats and the increased potential for conflicts. Please be courteous to your fellow anglers whether wading or floating and try to give each other as much room as possible. There are miles and miles of water and there are fish everywhere. There is no reason to crowd each other.

Lodging is filling quickly for the coming weeks. We’ve got plenty of availability tonight and tomorrow but things start to become scarce starting on Wednesday. A couple of rooms remain for the weekend -they will likely be gone by the end of the day.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:54-06:00April 20th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: $300 Missouri River Guide Trips, dry fly fishing, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Weekend Missouri River Fishing Report

Guest Blog from WCA Guide Luke Koerten.

“What is your favorite time of year to fish the Missouri?” This is a question I often hear while rowing my boat down the river. “April” is what usually comes out of my mouth next without much thought. I have spent a handful of days over the past week floating in the canyon with both friends and clients, and though some days have resulted in more fish in the net, each day has reminded me why I love this time of year on the Missouri River.

Midges are out daily and each new day brings with it a few more mayflies in the air as spring has, well, sprung. Will it snow again? I hope so. We could use the precipitation, and those cold wet days are my favorite as pods of fish feast on the surface with reckless abandon. If you’re more into boat rides on warm sunny days, April has those too. Yesterday was such a day. Despite periods of slow fishing, it’s hard to complain about warm air, no wind, and multiple applications of sunscreen. Catching fish on streamers, nymphs, and dries all in the same day also makes me smile.

As water temps creep towards the mid 40’s we’ve been shortening our nymph rigs to target the fish in the shallower riffles. Heavier flies like a tungsten sow, rainbow czech or rubberlegs 2-4 feet from the bobber with no split shot has been working well with your favorite mayfly or zebra midge off the back. If you’d rather fish the slower deeper runs, add a BB and move the bobber up to 5-6 feet. That’ll work too.

Dry flies are catching fish daily. On bright sunny days look for pods of fish in shady spots. Trees, bridges, high banks and the walls of the canyon are all good shade producers. When the clouds roll in rising fish should be even easier to find. Small singular midge and mayfly dries have been tricking fish. Blind fishing a small purple haze or adams along the bank has worked too. We spotted the elusive skwala adult yesterday on the water, making it easier to fish the bigger bugs with confidence too. Perfect for hanging a mayfly nymph off the back. Green machines, pheasant tails and lightning bugs would all be good choices.

Streamers continue to produce with varying degrees of success. Tie on something you believe in and just keep casting. Olive smolts and kreelex are flies I’ve been tossing around with confidence lately. I have also been speeding up my retrieve rate lately and it seems to be working.

April is a great time to be an angler on the Missouri. Angling pressure is still relatively light most days, and the fish are hungry and waiting to make you smile. Fishing is getting better as we move through the month, but don’t wait too long. You can’t catch fish if you’re not fishing. See you on the river.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:55-06:00April 11th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: brown trout, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|1 Comment

Home

Happy to be home!

Back in Montana this morning, still six hours from home. I’m anxious to get back to the shop on Tuesday and see what I’ve missed. We’ve received a lot of new product while I was gone last week and all I’ve been hearing from our guides is how great the fishing has been in my absence. Definitely anxious to get back on the oars this week!

I was thinking sometime during the 1600 miles of road time over the last couple of days that our one year anniversary came and went on Wednesday, April 1st without mention. It was one year ago on that day that we opened the doors at Wolf Creek Angler and we couldn’t be happier with our first year in business. From day one we’ve gone about doing our thing, our way with one mission in mind – to do everything we can to serve you, our customers, in any way we can and to earn your business and hopefully your loyalty. The response has been awesome and we’re excited to continue to grow and to improve and to find new ways to become your go-to Missouri River fly shop and guide service.

A huge THANK YOU to each and every one of you who has shopped with us, stayed with us, done guide trips with us, LIKED us on Facebook and on and on. Thanks to all of you also who read our blog and give us feedback on our content – it means so much to me every time I talk to someone on the phone or in person about something they read in the blog and while it’s sometimes a challenge to come up with meaningful content on a daily basis we are committed to being your source for all things Missouri River fly fishing and more. We’re certainly not the only source for information on the river but we like to think that our fresh perspective brings a refreshing voice to the Missouri River lexicon from the point of view of someone who is still amazed by this place every moment of every day and who has yet to be bogged down by the complacency that can creep in over time, a result of routine and familiarity. We invite you to join us as we continue to explore and to learn and to share with you our journey.

Here’s to another great year.

Good fishing ahead this week.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:56-06:00April 6th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|1 Comment

Weekend Update 4/4/15

WCA guide Matt Hargrave is ready to put you on some Missouri River bows. Photo by Luke Koerten

Got a chance to get out and fish with fellow WCA guide Luke Koerton on Thursday. It was spur of the moment, having received a text from Luke early that morning. My schedule was open for the day, which isn’t too unusual, as my hours of employment are few and far between during the shoulder season. And of course, I rarely pass up the chance to go fish. The weather looked fairly decent, mid 50’s, small chance of precip, and little to no wind. Typical weather for early Spring.

One thing I truly appreciate about being on the WCA guide team is that we are all buddies. When we fish together we are constantly comparing notes. We all have our different fishing and guiding styles, and we learn from each other whenever we fish together. Maybe there’s a little bucket that Jim, or Nick, or Luke knows about that I don’t. The same is true for them. Or maybe there’s a stretch of river where I’m not very successful on, and they are, and then we show each other how to find and catch fish in that particular spot. And then there’s the places where everyone agrees to avoid, which is reassuring to know that it’s not just you that doesn’t catch fish there. It’s a team effort for all of us, we don’t hold back information, we encourage the success of our fellow guides, all in preparation for the day that you step into our boat.

Since we were getting a late start, Luke and I did Wolf Creek to Craig. Nymphing was gonna rule the day, but just in case, dry fly and streamer rods were brought. Luke picked up a fish right away on a PT Little Green Machine. The next two fish also fell to the same bug. The top fly was being ignored, so we changed it to a wire worm. The fish starting eating that. When they turned off on the wire worm, we switched up to a Pink Lightning Bug and that worked for a while too, with a grey Little Green Machine becoming a player as well. Where we could, we would do a row around just to make sure it wasn’t some fluke that we picked up a fish. For the most part, the fish were where we thought they were, and eating bugs we thought they should. They’re starting to spread out a bit, still holding in soft, deep, inside shoulders, but also hanging out in waist deep, walking pace straight aways.

The dry fly bite wasn’t really happening, the wind picked up and we could see snow heading our direction, so we figured it was best to keep moving and focus on nymphing. All in all another successful day on the river. I think between the majority of us here at WCA we’ve already got a seasons worth of fishing under our belts. Ready and raring to go for when the “official” season starts—Matt

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:56-06:00April 4th, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: fly fishing, green machine, Missouri River, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

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

Welcome Spring!

Springtime on the Missouri – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Happy Vernal Equinox – the first day of spring and the first day of WCA’s $300 Spring Special Missouri River Guide Trips. Now through April 30th $300 gets you a full day of guided fishing on the world-famous Missouri River for up to two anglers with one of our expert guides. Trip includes lunch, snacks, refreshments, transportation to and from the river and all of the flies and any equipment you may need. Don’t miss this opportunity to fish the Missouri at a fraction of the cost of regular season rates.
As if this weren’t reason enough to get you here…our winter lodging rates run through the end of April so along with your $300 full day guide trip you can book a cabin or bungalow for $99/night + tax. All of our bungalows and Cabins #1 and #2 sleep three very comfortably and are equipped with full kitchens and full baths. Cabin #3 has a double and a single bed, private bath, mini fridge, coffee pot and microwave and can be yours for the winter rate of $69/night + tax.
April dates are filling quickly but there’s plenty of good fishing to be had right now and the weather has been great so don’t hesitate to join us ASAP.
Don’t forget tonight is Hank Patterson’s Reel Montana Adventure at 7 PM at the Grandstreet Theatre in Helena hosted by Hank himself.
Join Wolf Creek Angler, CrossCurrents Fly Shop and Pat Barnes Missouri River Trout Unlimited for a Pre-screening Party featuring Hank Patterson (in Person!). Food and drink will be available for sale with all proceeds to benefit Pat Barnes TU.

Raffle tickets to Win Breakfast for 2 with Hank Patterson at Steve’s Cafe on 3/21 and an Orvis Encounter Rod package will be available for sale. The 2015 Pat Barnes TU Raft Package will be on display.
See you there!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Db6moaCuk8

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:15:58-06:00March 20th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: $300 Missouri River Guide Trips, Hank Patterson, Helena, Missouri River Spring Special Guide Rates, Montana, running line, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Wolf Creek Angler in The Drake

Home Page of The Drake Online with Wolf Creek topping the list of features.

Our shop showed up in The Drake on-line Fly Shop Friday feature yesterday and while I downplayed it a little when I shared the link on our Facebook page I just want to share what a huge deal this actually is for us.
Like I told The Drake during our interview, it’s not quite the cover of the Rolling Stone – but in my mind it’s damn close. It is the on-line Drake so we aren’t actually in print but that doesn’t make any difference to me. It’s all part of the realization of a dream for me. I remember buying my first copy of The Drake in Traverse City MI somewhere in the early 2000’s. It was very early on in my fly fishing development. Before guiding, before ever having been to Montana, and certainly before ever having thought anything about owning a fly shop. I thought it was the coolest rag EVER and I haven’t missed an issue since so when I got an email from The Drake asking if we would be interested in the feature it was an extremely humbling and emotional experience for me.

To see our shop featured here and to think about how much things have changed in our lives since picking up that copy of The Drake is an amazing thing. We are truly stoked to be here. Here in The Drake and here in Wolf Creek doing what we love.

See you at Wolf Creek Angler! Cheers!

Read the feature here http://www.drakemag.com/featured-content/flyshop-friday/1378-wolf-creek-angler-fly-shop-on-the-missouri-river.html

By Jason Orzechowski|2018-08-01T21:09:07-06:00March 14th, 2015|Categories: Local Buzz, Press|Tags: Montana, The Drake, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments