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Your Sunday Missouri River Fishing Report

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

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

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

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

Missouri River Fishing Report, January 20th – guest blog from Wolf Creek Angler Guide Extraordinaire Jim Murray

Evening falls on a perfect January day on the Missouri – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Well the moon, the sun, the stars, and our schedules finally aligned and Jason and I were able to get out on the river and do some fishing. We couldn’t have asked for better conditions, as we were greeted with temps in the thirties, a little bit of sun, and very little W. A perfect January day.

A polar leech stripped SLOW is producing – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

With prime conditions, we headed into our day with high expectations, and the river did not disappoint. Nymphing was the name of the game yesterday, although Jason caught this sweet brown slow stripping a Polar Leech streamer. Did I mention a slow retrieve? S-L-O-W. Do it and be rewarded!

Hot flies included: Rainbow Warrior, Rainbow Czech, Pink Lightning Bug, Pink Scud, (notice a trend), Wire Worm, and a black Zebra Midge. We ran deep leash rigs and found them in the slow, deep runs, although we did manage to pull a couple out of some faster “summertime” runs as well.

All in all, the Missouri is fishing great, and figures to only get better as winter turns to Spring. Pick a day with some decent weather and get out here!

WCA is open Wed-Sat during the winter for all your Missouri River needs. Lodging available seven days a week. Stop in for a cup of the best coffee in Wolf Creek and say Hi!

Pink anything deep and slow – they are where they’re supposed to be – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:02-06:00January 21st, 2015|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: brown trout, Missouri River Winter Fishing, nymphs, running line, streamers, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|1 Comment

Thursday Report

Dog days of Fall. With Fred back in Michigan for the winter Jake has been spending a lot of time in the shop and on the water with me. He’s a great fishing partner though his rowing skills are lacking… photo by Wolf Creek Angler

The weather couldn’t be better for November fishing on the Missouri. We’re looking at cloudy skies and 40’s for the next couple of days before we drop back to colder temps early next week. It doesn’t appear as though we’re headed back into single digits for a while but this week definitely seems like the favorable weather window. Could be on the breezy side but we’ll definitely take it.

I was out Tuesday looking for fish up and doing some nymphing. No fish up – a few to hand on nymphs – not a great day but certainly nice to be on the water after spending all of last week battling frozen plumbing.

Matt was out on Monday and did pretty well on pink stuff so I ran with that and ended up having most of my hook-ups on a pink lightning bug though the tailwater sow was getting some attention as well.

Streamers would be a good call today. They’re a good call any day. Polar Leeches in olive and copper, Kreelex in brown and gold, Sculpin Sparkle Minnows, Circus Peanuts in tan, Dirty Hippies in brown…the options are limitless. Stop by the shop on your way to the water and we’ll get you set up with everything you need.

I had the Wolf Creek to Craig stretch all to myself on Tuesday but expect some traffic out there for the next few days. We’ve got a full house here for the weekend so I know of at least a few folks who will definitely be out there.

We’re open at 8:00 am for all of your Missouri River fly fishing needs. Bugs, shuttles, drift boat rentals, lodging and much more and we’re right on your way! We’ll be here all day today and tomorrow and will be here to get you going on Saturday morning before we head off to Missoula for the Brawl of the Wild. The shop is closed on Sundays for the winter but we’re always open for lodging and guide trips. We will be closed on Thanksgiving but will see you bright and early on Black Friday with great deals on most everything. Wolf Creek Angler gift cards make the perfect gift and can be used for merchandise, lodging, shuttles and guide trips. Who wouldn’t want a $100 worth of shuttles? We’re happy to send gift cards anywhere in the world so while we’d love to see you in the shop you can save yourself the trip and get all your Christmas shopping done from wherever your are with a call to us at (406)235-4350.

See you in the shop and on the water.

~Jason O.

Wolf Creek Bridge. Cloudy November days are perfect for streamer fishing the Missouri River – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:03-06:00November 20th, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: Christmas, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, nymphs, running line, Streamer Fishing, streamers, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

SECRET SEASON – Wolf Creek may be Montana’s best kept winter fishing secret…

The Missouri River is a year-round fishery – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

We’re just a couple days into a bit of a cold snap which has brought with it some much needed winter precipitation but it looks like a warm up underway for the remainder of the week. It doesn’t take long to grow tired of the cold and while we appreciate the fact that many love Montana for the winter activities it offers, we love to fish. We love to fish any and every month of the year and it just so happens that we have a year-round fishery here on the Missouri River.

We love the summer crowds and the hustle and bustle on and off the river but we also love the solitude afforded us by the colder months. Traffic on the river is minimal but the fishing can be downright spectacular depending on the day. The first time I fished the Missouri was a February day with temps in the high 30’s and lots of sunshine and we had one of the best days of winter fishing I’ve ever had anywhere.

Winter nymphing is nearly always productive on the MO and the late fall and early winter can offer some of the best streamer fishing you will have on this river. Add to this the the ever-present midge hatches offering dry fly fishing opportunities and you have everything you could want no matter what your game.

Well into the winter fishing season, we’ve entered the time of year when nymph selection is a no-brainer. Firebeads, pink anything, sowbugs, lightning bugs…you know the drill. I should spend more time trying different patterns out in the winter but since cold hands are kind of part of the deal and since one double nymph rig often works for weeks at a time, I usually leave things alone for as long as I can.

Some of our favorite winter nymph patterns. Top – purple lightning bug. 2nd row Rainbow Weight Fly with firebead. 3rd row left to right pink san juan worm, Rainbow Czech, Firebead Soft Hackle Sow Bug, Keller’s Payczech Rainbow, Hot Bead Wire Worm. 4th Row Firebead Rainbow Czech, Pink Scud, Tungsten Tailwater Sowbug. 5th row Casne’s Pinkalicious, Rainbow Warrior, Firebead Pink Ray. 6th row PInk Lightning Bug, Black Tungsten Zebra Midge, Purple Tungsten Zebra Midge. All available at Wolf Creek Angler. Photo – Wolf Creek Angler

Wolf Creek is your year-round Missouri River fishing destination – photo Wolf Creek Angler

So where to stay?

There is a common misconception that EVERYTHING shuts down in Craig and Wolf Creek once winter sets in. This is simply not the case. While things are quiet you can still find everything you need from flies to shuttles to boat rentals to lodging to dining…it’s all right here in Wolf Creek. With Shotgun Annie’s open for food and drinks, The Oasis serving up plenty of strong winter libations, the only gas station and only grocery store between Helena and Cascade (The Canyon Store) and Wolf Creek Angler, your 12-month full service fly shop, guide service and lodging operation you need go no further than Wolf Creek. And since most of the winter fishing on the Missouri River takes place between Holter Dam and Craig, by staying in Wolf Creek you are just minutes from both the dam and Wolf Creek Bridge launch sights.

Winter really is the secret season on the Missouri and while there are some hardcore anglers who will fish in single digits we prefer 30 and above. Fortunately we see a fair amount of these 30 plus degree days over the course of the winter so watch the weather and find time to come fish the Mighty Mo this winter. We typically fill our weekend lodging up by mid-week when the forecast is for nice weather so keep an eye on the 10-day and don’t wait. We understand that the weather can change quickly and we wouldn’t expect you to fish through a polar vortex so don’t worry about cancellation fees for lodging or guide trips due to cold weather. Book your trips and worry not – we get it! Take advantage of our off-season lodging rates ($99/night) and guide trips for $400 while the snow flies. Better yet, book your winter guide trip and lodging special for just $500. That’s a full day Missouri River guide trip for one or two anglers AND two night’s premium lodging for just $500. It’s the best deal on the Missouri River Hands Down. Nobody…and I mean NOBODY can touch this one.

We look forward to seeing you in Wolf Creek this winter.

The Canyon Store is the only gas station/convenience store between Helena and Cascade and has an awesome Montana Microbrew selection.

Winter Solitude on the MO’

By Jason Orzechowski|2019-01-22T19:51:05-07:00November 18th, 2014|Categories: Montana Fly Fishing, Shop Life|Tags: Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, Montana, nymphs, RO Drift Boats, running line, Streamer Fishing, streamers, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|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

Photo 101 “Home”

Wolf Creek Bridge on the Mighty Missouri River near Wolf Creek Montana. – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

As we think about what we’ve learned over the course of this first season one thing that we know is that we need to do a better job of keeping our blog active and up-to-date. Consequently I’ve been spending some time checking out blogging U on WordPress looking for inspiration and instruction in an effort to better serve you our readers.

I happened upon this photo 101 course/challenge which runs through the month of November and which assigns a subject per day for a photo on our blog. This is the first day of the challenge and the subject today is HOME and we can think of no better representation of home for Wolf Creek Angler than the Wolf Creek Bridge. I have taken countless pictures featuring the bridge and will continue to do so. The bridge is also featured on our shop logo. In fact the logo was created around the bridge so it is certainly near and dear to us.

Enjoy the pictures and let us know what you think.

Quick Fishing Report – In spite of cold weather and some snow and rain yesterday we have yet to see the BWO’s however nymphing and streamer fishing continue to get it done river-wide. If you simply have to throw dries find those feeding fish and throw a parachute adams or purple haze trailed by an RS2 or cdc caddis emerger, they can’t resist!

You can find these bugs at Wolf Creek Angler along with all the late season nymph patterns and the streamers that are catching fish daily on the Missouri.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:06-06:00November 3rd, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report, Uncategorized|Tags: Missouri River, nymphs, photo 101, running line, streamers, 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

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

Early August on the Missouri

Father and daughter Sam and Samantha had a great day on the Missouri. The right hat will always bring success on the Missouri!

Things have gotten a little quiet on and around the Missouri this week. Angling traffic is way down and we’ve certainly had busier days around the shop but the big news is that trico fishing continues to consistently produce in a BIG way, the hopper bite is starting to come on and will only improve from here on out and best of all, you can have vast stretches of water to yourself right now as the Peak Seasoners have in large part disappeared.

With few exceptions the dry fly action has been like clockwork. According to WCA lead guide Neale Streeks the trico fishing is the best it’s been in a decade and while the caddis game hasn’t really materialized we are having some of the best dry fly fishing of the season. Plenty of bugs and plenty of willing fish up have made for some spectacular mornings and while things tend to slow in the middle of the day there have been enough fish willing to eat a hopper to make a terrestrial afternoon a real option. There are even some of us making a day of the hopper game. A trailing ant or a nymph will keep things interesting. We’ve been having a lot of luck the last few times out with a #16 purple or gold weight fly below a purple or pink More or Less.

Hopper-Eater

Fred with an outstanding Missouri River Dry-Fly eating brown.

Nymphing in general has been a little slow as the weeds take hold and the fish continue to do their part to keep you guessing. Even the dam has had some tougher days as of late but again, the good news is you can ditch the bobber for a hopper and cut your weed cleaning time in half. If you decide to stick to chasing bobbers weight flies, flashback pt’s, black zebras, micro mays and peep shows have all been producing depending on the day.

Trico wise we’ve been doing very well with a #18 double wing trico and also with a #18 or #20 indicator spinner. Keep an assortment of caddis and pmd’s on hand as well as sometimes they aren’t overly interested in the tricos. We’ve got everything you need for dry fly success so stop by and let us get you dialed in.

Despite the solid fishing things are a little quiet around the lodge. It’s a good time to take a break and catch our breath after a crazy July but even so, we are more interested in taking care of customers than catching our breath so we are offering special rates of $99 on our cabins just for the month of August. It’s a great time to be here. Come fish the mornings and join the rec floaters with a leisurely float down the Missouri on the sunny and hot Montana afternoons.

Stop by the shop and see us for up to date fishing reports, shuttles, the best selection of bugs in Wolf Creek and all kinds of Wolf Creek Angler swag you can’t live without. We are fully stocked up on hats and shirts including a couple of great new t’s from Strip n’ Flywear and we’ve got Simms summer logo gear to move to make room for fall gear arriving soon.

The Competition…

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See you in the shop and on the water….

~ Jason O.

By Jason Orzechowski|2016-10-25T16:16:07-06:00August 6th, 2014|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: brown trout, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, indicator, Missouri River, nymphs, running line, tricos, Wolf Creek Angler|2 Comments

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