pill popper Archives - Wolf Creek Angler

President’s Day Weekend Forecast

February Delivers Winter to the MO – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

February continues to deliver some much needed winter weather.

The snow is piling up in the high country but we’ve still got a long ways to go. Snowpack is improving slowly but surely and while I’m tempted to curse the weather while I’m digging out my driveway in the pre-dawn hours, so far I’ve resisted that urge and powered through it, thankful we are getting exactly what we need.

This latest round of precipitation is being accompanied by a blast of cold arctic air which has us in the teens today with single digits on tap overnight. Friday will see an end to the snow but continued cold with a high of 20 and overnight low near 5 degrees. Things start to warm up on Saturday with a high near 37 and Sunday we’re back up near 40’s and bumping up against 50 again on Monday.

Friday fishing will be on the chilly side but the holiday weekend and into next week could be exceptional with those daytime temps in the low 40’s and an abundance of sunshine making for some ideal February conditions on the MO.

Expect plenty of top water action with winter midge madness underway. Pair a #18 Bucky’s Midge Cluster with a #18 or #20 Black Midge and feed those steady risers.

The nymphing action should be good as well with no real changes on the bug front. Pill Poppers, Bubble Yums, Rainbow Czechs, Amex, Weight Flies paired with Tailwater Sows, Soft hackle sows, Zebra midges, Pederson’s Sow, Radiation Baetis, Pink Lighting bugs or really any other of your go to winter offerings.

Target the slow, deep winter water and run as close to the bottom as practical but don’t get stuck on that. Especially on the sunny days when the sun is warming the water up a tick or two, don’t be afraid to target the moderately faster runs. Shorten up your rig accordingly and see what happens. You might be surprised.

Streamer action should be good as well, primarily working the slower tail outs and deep, slow buckets with a combination swing and super slow and long strip. But again, don’t get stuck on that. Bomb the banks, switch up your bugs, switch up your retrieve. You might find an aggressive retrieve off the bank to be effective, it all depends on the day.

The established winter techniques are a great starting point but the fish don’t always follow the script. Break those winter rules and see what happens.

The shop will be closed for the weekend as we make the trek up to Calgary for a long overdue return to a Wings/Flames game on Saturday but we do have lodging available for the holiday weekend and beyond.

We’ll be back in the shop on Monday for the big President’s Day rush which could well end up with getting out on the water ourselves for an afternoon outing.

Let’s hope the snow continues to pile up throughout the second half of February. Spring is just 33 days away and will be here before we know it.

By Jason Orzechowski|2024-02-15T12:43:25-07:00February 15th, 2024|Categories: Fishing Report, Shop Life|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, midge, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, nymphs, pill popper, running line, Streamer Fishing, Tailwater Sow, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|0 Comments

Muddy Water Blues

It’s been a busy couple of days at the dam with 80 degree temps triggering runoff both locally and regionally which has pretty much concentrated all of Montana angling into a couple mile stretch of the MO below Holter Dam for the time being.

We’re used to seeing this every spring as runoff kicks off the migration of anglers to the Missouri from every other river in the state but sometimes that happens to coincide with substantial runoff in both the Little Prickly Pear and the Dearborn which muddies up our MO and forces everyone up high where the water flows clean.

Some traffic jams on the water and in the lots but all in all, so far so good with most everyone playing nice at the moment.

Not to say it doesn’t get heated out there but the vast majority of guides know the routine and accept the ground rules of our Missouri River row arounds and it all works seamlessly more often than not. Let’s keep it up. It’s a LONG season ahead.

Traffic has already started to spread out with those in the know going to the places that produce even in the mud if you know the where and the what and the how.

Sow bugs remain the meal of choice but with water temps now in the 42 plus range baetis are in play for the nymphers and the dfo’s alike.

Must use nymphs….Tailwater Sow, Pill Popper, Rainbow Czech, Fish Finder Worm, Zebra Midge, Little Green Machine, Psycho May, S & M, BWO Magic Fly, BWO Redemption, Split Case BWO, Military May, Pheasant Tails etc. Pink still on the menu but fading fast. Sows always in the mix, mayfly nymphs rapidly becoming a sought after meal.

Dry Fly Season is definitely underway with BWO’s now in the mix in addition to the billions of midges you’ve been seeing and inhaling. Even a few March Browns out there as well. Must have dries – Sprout Baetis, Olive Haze, BWO Flash Cripple, BWO Film Critic, Nyman’s DOA Cripple Baetis, BWO Guide Winna Spinna, Parachute BWO, Parachute Adams, North Wind Cripple, Purple Haze.

Streamer Season is still going strong. We’ve been fishing the mud with large flashy patterns and getting them to move on it but it hasn’t been outstanding. Expect an improvement as the mud thins out and the clouds roll in starting tomorrow. Wedge Heads, Dungeons, Sparkle Minnows, Swim Coach, Skiddish Smolt, Silk Kitty, Double Dirty Hippy all good choices. We’ve had good luck on yellow and brown, black, natural and olive.

This early taste of summer is about to come to an end. 80’s today will give way to 60’s and rain through the weekend and into next week. 80 has sure felt good but not exactly great for river conditions. 80’s triggers huge runoff and we lose our water right away. Snowpack is still looking pretty decent across the region but too much more of this weather could be a problem so we’re happy to see a return to more seasonable conditions.

May hours are 7 AM – 5 PM Monday – Saturday and 7:30 – 3:30 on Sundays. We hope to see you bright and early and we’re here to take care of anything and everything you need for your day on the water. Economical lodging, the best guides on the river, rain gear, boots, waders, the CHEAPEST DAM SHUTTLES on the MO and the largest selection of Missouri River flies ever assembled under one roof in Wolf Creek Montana.

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-05-04T11:23:16-06:00May 4th, 2023|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, Holter Dam, midge, Missouri River, pill popper, 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

Predlude to Spring

It’s been a roller coaster weather wise this week on the MO with spring showing up on Monday and Tuesday before another winter smack down in the form of a Winter Storm bringing 6 plus inches of new snow on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

The sun is shining this St Patrick’s Day morning and the forecast looks good with an abundance of sunshine and a high near 42 and south southwest wind just 7 – 11 mph. Definitely a favorable forecast for spring fishing on the MO but you might want to give it a minute as we’re currently sitting at 14 degrees.

And speaking of spring fishing – Monday is the day, the official first day of spring. The current forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies with a high near 50 and calm winds. If that forecast holds you can’t do much better than that for the first day of spring on the Missouri River.

Between now and then the weekend looks similarly appealing with highs right around 50 each day, manageable winds on Saturday and calm winds on Sunday. No sign of snow in the forecast until Monday night and that chance will linger throughout next week but maybe, just maybe we are past the significant winter weather. A welcome change to be sure!

In spite of the weather ups and downs what has been consistent is the fishing which has been consistently good all week long. Early spring is amongst the very best times to fish the MO if numbers are important to you. It’s already heating up as our fish emerge from their winter slumber. A couple of more ticks up in the water temps and it’s going to go off! We’re still hanging around 34 degrees which is on the cold side but it won’t be long and those spring sun BTU’s will get things moving towards optimal trout temps (44 – 67 degrees).

Best bets for nymphing – Pill Popper, Bubble Yum, Cotton Candy, Pederson’s Sow, Tailwater Sow, Rainbow Czech, Pink Amex, Pink Lucent Bead Ray Charles, UV Yum Yum, Caviar Scud, Radiation Baetis, Zebra Midge, Firebead Ray, Firebead Czech, UV Sow, Soft Hackle Sow…you get the picture. All of these and many more in stock NOW at WCA.

Midge Madness on any given day for those looking to catch that first fish of the season on a dry fly. Try a Griffiths Gnat, Grizzly Midge, Bucky’s Midge Cluster, Black Sipper, Black Midge or even the tried and true Parachute Adams.

We’re a couple of weeks out from Prime Time for streamer fishing but there’s no time like the present to start down that road. Good reports as of late on white, grey and black but that will change with the day depending on water conditions and light levels. Polar Leech, Kreelex, Sparkle Minnow, Skiddish Smolt, Thin Mints, Mod Maidens, Mojo Minnows, MK Ultralite all good on the slow strip. Best bet on the swing would be leeches, buggers, Fruit Rollups and the like.

The shop is stocked up with TONS of Bugs, Simms Waders and boots, a bunch of new sweet sticks from Sage, Lamson, Echo and Redington and all the gear and accessories you’ll need for your day on the water.

We’re open from 8:30 – 4 PM Monday – Saturday and will expand those hours as things get busier.

Stop in for shuttles, fishing licenses, intel, the best coffee in the canyon and so much more.

By Jason Orzechowski|2023-03-17T11:15:59-06:00March 17th, 2023|Categories: Fishing Report, Uncategorized|Tags: Black Midge, Black Sipper, bubble yum, Bucky's Midge Cluster, Caviar Scud, cotton candy, dry fly fishing, Firebead Czech, Firebead Ray, Griffiths gnat, Kreelex, Lamson, midge, Missouri River, MK UYltralite, Mod Maiden, Mojo Minnow, Pederson's Sow, pill popper, Pink Amex, Pink Lucent Bead Ray Charles, Polar Leech, Radiation Baetis, Rainbow Czech, running line, simms, sparkle minnow, Streamer Fishing, Tailwater Sow, Thin Mint, UV Yum Yum, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges|0 Comments

Mid December on the MO

All is quiet on the MO right now.

With the river having been firmly held in winter’s grasp since early November, angling traffic has been sparse to say the least.

Oh sure, there have been a few folks out there on any given day but for all intents and purposes the 2022 late season has been defined more by the absence of traffic than anything else.

Our snow pack has been quietly building and we haven’t seen bare ground since early November thanks to the sustained well below average temperatures and above average snowfall.

It’s been cold. It’s about to get REALLY COLD. The forecast for next week, starting Sunday is for highs in the single digits and lows well below zero. Next Wednesday looks to be particularly brutal with a high of -9 and a low of -20.

River traffic has been sparse. It’s about to come to a stand-still though the hard water set should be mobilizing very soon. We’ll see highs in the mid 20’s for the next few days so if you must scratch that itch I’d plan on doing it sometime before Sunday.

Current river flow is 3300 CFS with water temp holding just shy of 34 degrees. I’d expect we’ll see a bump in flows next week to keep things moving but expect shelf ice to start to become an issue as those temps plummet.

Winter has undoubtedly become Swing Season on the Missouri but with the current and upcoming conditions deep nymphing will be your best bet for success. That being said, I know of at least one dry fly obsessed individual who has been finding rising fish and getting them to eat so don’t rule anything out.

Fish how you like to fish, just know that deep nymphing will give you your best odds at success from here on out. Of course it all depends on how you define success. If that definition is not tied to numbers then by all means, swing to your heart’s content, hunt those heads or strip those depths.

Best bets for those deep nymph rigs would be a pink Amex, Bubble Yum Scud, Rainbow Czech or Pill Popper trailed with a Soft Hackle Sow, Tailwater Sow, Pink Lightning Bug, Pink Ray or Pederson’s Sow. Run deep, 5-6 feet indicator to split shot and target the slow winter water. With water temps barely above freezing, fish are not expending a lot of energy. You’ll need to put your flies right in front of them as they aren’t going to move for them.

Obviously hooking and landing fish is a big part of why you’re out there but handling fish when air temps are in the mid 20’s can make you very uncomfortable extremely quickly. Good gloves are a must but there’s really nothing worse than fishing in gloves. I recommend putting hand warmers in the chest pocket of your waders or in your coat pockets as well as in a good pair of gloves.

Fish gloveless if you can, taking plenty of breaks to warm your hands and if you do happen to be “lucky” enough to have to handle a fish make it quick and get your dry hands in those pre-heated gloves immediately.

I’m all on board with #FORGETTHEFORECAST and I think you can do so with the right gear but even if your covered from head to toe and keeping that core temp where it needs to be, cold hands can ruin your day quickly and whether you’ve got a hike back to your vehicle or miles to row, cold hands will make it seem like an eternity.

That’s the advice for this week. Once we hit those single digits on Sunday my advice would be to STAY HOME!

Get that Christmas shopping done, sweep up those fallen pine needles, organize your gear or just sit around and daydream about coming warmer days on the water.

Winter is still technically a week out but we’ve already had a bunch of it and it’s about to put us in an arctic stranglehold, just in time for Christmas!

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-12-13T10:13:55-07:00December 13th, 2022|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: Amex, bubble yum, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, Pederson's Sow, pill popper, Rainbow Czech, running line, Soft Hackle Sow, Tailwater Sow, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

What a difference a month has made

So far so good. Three days in and the cool weather trend we’ve seen so far this spring continues. The month of April worked wonders for the snow pack which has bumped in much of the region up from a somewhat bleak outlook in the 70s and 80’s percent of average to a much more optimistic outlook in the 90s and 100 Plus percent range.

We are in for a short warm spell over the next few days with temps climbing into the low 70’s tomorrow and near 80 on Thursday before we cool down again for the weekend and into next week with highs back in the 40’s and 50’s and overnight lows in the high 20’s and low 30’s. Just the weather we need to preserve that late spring snowpack.

The fishing continues to be consistently good with weather conditions generally conducive to good BWO activity. We’ve been seeing better action below Craig on that front with plenty of midge activity still occurring river-wide.

Nymphing remains strong with baetis nymphs really starting to come on. Stock up on Little Green Machines, Psycho Mays, BWO Magic Fly, BWO Redemption, Spanish Bullets, Split Case BWO’s, Olive Lightning Bugs and various PT’s all in the mix. That being said, don’t abandon the sow bugs and scuds just yet. Pill Poppers, Tailwater Sows, UV sows, Bubble Yums, Pederson’s Sow, Caviar Scud, Rainbow Czech, Amex all still very much in play.

Fish the medium depth (2’ – 4’), fast ish water with or without a split shot starting with a mid-range rig with your indicator 4’-5’ from your point fly. Some are going longer, some are short leashing, both with varying degrees of success but the medium rig is always a good place to start.

We’re loaded up with all the aforementioned bugs as well as AirLock strike indicators in all sizes and colors. Like most everyone else we’re SOLD OUT of Oros indicators but hope to see some product back in stock later this month.

What we do have plenty of are Fishpond and Rising nets in all sizes and colors, SA, Rio and Airflo fly lines for every application, Yakoda caps and fly boxes, rods and reels from Lamson, Redington, Loop and Echo, Redington waders and wading pants, boots from Simms and Korkers and FINALLY the new Simms G3 waders are starting to trickle in.

Lodging is busy from here on out. There are some openings here and there throughout the month of May but overall we seem to have arrived at PRIME TIME for lodging on the MO. Similar case with guide trips. We’ve got a pile of them out this week, next week tapers off a bit for us but overall guide season has fired up on the MO.

It doesn’t hurt to check availability for either as we have been known to have some success with last-minute trips. Sometimes we’re sneaky good that way. A better option would be to up your odds of success by booking those fall dates very soon. Spots are filling quickly and it’s a safe bet it’s going to be a busy fall on the Missouri.

Spring shop hours are Monday – Saturday 7:30 AM – 5:00 pm and 7:30 AM – 2 PM on Sundays.

By Jason Orzechowski|2022-05-03T13:02:46-06:00May 3rd, 2022|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: bubble yum, BWO Magic Fly, BWO Redemption, Caviar Scud, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, green machine, Lamson, Missouri River, Pederson's Sow, pill popper, Psycho Mays, Rainbow Czech, running line, simms, Split Case BWO, Streamer Fishing, Tailwater Sow, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, Yakoda|0 Comments

November Days on the MO’

It’s hard to believe but we’re already more than half way through November with the holidays rapidly approaching. Next week at this time the turkeys will already be in the oven and as if I haven’t been through enough torture this season, I’ll of course be watching the kickoff of the Detroit Lions annual Thanksgiving Day game.

We’ve reached that point of the season when days in the shop tend to be pretty quiet, despite what you may have heard elsewhere.

It’s time to count flies and confirm bookings and to essentially wrap up the season. We’ll do another round of winterizing next week which will leave us with the bungalows being the only remaining lodging option from here on out. Winter rate is $99/night plus tax. While we haven’t been setting any lodging records for November we have had the usual steady flow of hunters and late season anglers keeping us busy by late season standards.

We’ll likely make the shift to limited winter hours soon but for the time being here’s what you can expect for the next week. Open tomorrow at 8 AM. Closed this weekend for Griz/Cat Brawl of the Wild. Open Monday – Wednesday at 8 AM. Closed Thanksgiving through 11/28.

The river is quiet, even on the nicest days so if you like having the water to yourself and you don’t mind the creep towards colder winter weather this is your time to be here.

Of course the amenities are few and far between with all dining out options done or very soon to be done and while you can still find yourself a cold beer at The Oasis in Wolf Creek or Joe’s in Craig, it’s definitely the time of the year when you want to be as self-contained as possible.

Now, more than ever, it’s all about the fishing (or hunting) and not much else. So if spending the daylight hours in the woods or on the water and returning to your cozy confines at WCA to prepare your meals as you relax with your traveling partners sounds appealing then this is your time to be here.

If you require some semblance of social engagement to complement your stay, you might want to wait until spring.

Fishing has been good enough but seems to be transitioning to more winter-like conditions. There were plenty of bugs around last week but it feels like the shift has occurred so concentrate your efforts sub-surface on winter nymphing and streamer fishing.

Sows and scuds will be your go to nymphs from now until spring. You’ll want to stock up on Tailwater Sows, Tungsten Tailwater Sows, Rainbow Czechs, Bubble Yums, Pill Poppers, Amex, Soft Hackle Sows and various Pink Bead and Fire bead offerings. Keep those rigs relatively short (3’ – 4’ bobber to first bug) concentrating on the medium fast water in the 2’ – 4’ depth range. Water temps continue to drop and are currently hanging around 46 degrees. Keep working that faster water until things really start to cool down which will hopefully be soon. Slow winter water has yet to produce. I’m sure there are fish moving into that water but it has not yet proven to be productive.

A slower retrieve has been key when stripping streamers with plenty of pauses in between strips and perhaps the occasional swing, especially on the tailouts. Strip through the seam and then let it swing or do like the cool kids and stick to the swing exclusively. You can get em’ either way but it’s hard to beat a tactical retrieve off of structured banks if you’re hunting those fabled fall lunker browns.

Best streamer bets as of late have been JJ Sparkle Minnow, Sculpin Sparkle Minnow, Craven’s Swim Coach in brown or olive, Craven’s Dirty Hippy or Double Dirty Hippy in brown or black and ZK’s MK Ultra in grey/pink and Gladio in tan.

Swingers are finding success on buggers, Thin Mints, Kreelex, Polar Leeches, Balanced leeches etc.

It’s quiet time on the MO. The absence of anglers, the abundance of solitude, the bite of the crisp fall air…it’s not for everyone but it’s definitely for us and we LOVE it.

By Jason Orzechowski|2021-11-18T12:25:37-07:00November 18th, 2021|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: Amex, brown trout, bubble yum, Craven's Dirty Hippy, Craven's Swim Coach, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, JJ Sparkle Minnow, Missouri River, pill popper, Rainbow Czech, running line, Sculpin Sparkle Minnow, Streamer Fishing, Tailwater Sow, Thanksgiving, winter, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, ZK's MK Ultra|0 Comments

Rainy Days…Summer in Sight

The Missouri River is a very busy place this week despite the less than ideal fishing conditions. We started the week with more snow on Sunday. Most of that disappeared by Monday as temperatures warmed but with those warmer temps came gusty winds and the makings of a pretty substantial soaker starting last night and continuing through today.

It looks like the sunshine will return tomorrow with things becoming more and more summer-like through the holiday weekend and into the first part of next week when we’ll see sunshine and temps near 80.

Expect a BUSY MO this weekend as warm sunny weather for the unofficial start of summer brings with it a parade of recreational traffic added to the steady flow of anglers who have converged here in search of fishable water as flows bump most everywhere else in the region.

And speaking of flows, the Dearborn bumped this week and jumped up over 1000 CFS last night and continues to rise (currently 1400 cfs). Similarly, Little Prickly Pear doubled in size overnight and is currently running at 425 cfs. Suffice it to say, things are getting a little muddy on the MO so expect HEAVY traffic at the dam for the time being and if you’ve been wondering when the best time would be to break out those San Juan and Squirmy Worms….that time would be NOW.

I’d expect some traffic on the Dearborn this weekend so please call ahead if you’d like to set up a shuttle as demand will likely be high.

With the rain subsiding this afternoon and temps remaining moderately cool for the next few days I’d expect things to come back into shape fairly quickly on the MO though the hot weather early next week will likely continue to feed the runoff elsewhere ensuring a busy start to June on the Missouri.

We do have a couple of rooms left for the weekend if you’re looking and I expect those will book by tomorrow. Guides may be tough to come by but we do have a few remaining openings if you want to give it a try.

We’re feeling blessed by the precipitation but I for one am ready for some hot sunny days and I think the anticipated traffic this weekend will likely reflect this sentiment amongst a good portion of the local population.

Best flies through the weekend….Tailwater Sow, Pill Popper, UV Yum Yum, Rainbow Czech, Fish Finder and Depth Charge Worms, Little Green Machines, Split Case BWO’s (And soon PMD’s) Psycho Mays, Magic Flies, Tung Darts, Weight Flies, Two Bit Hookers, Jig Duracell, Jig Crack Backs, Rainbow Warriors, Peep Shows, Olive or Purple Lightning Bugs and many more.

The high and muddy will also bring out the streamer set. Sparkle Minnows, Baby Gongas, Swim Coach, ZK’s Gladio, Mini Dungeons, Mojo Minnows, Peanut Envy, Wedge Head, Silk Kitten and more. If you like to throw the big stuff NOW is the time. Streamer season is coming to a close but these next couple of days could be the peak of the action.

We hope to see you in Wolf Creek this weekend as we welcome the sun and the unofficial start of Summer Fishing on the MO. The shop is fully stocked with summer gear including a bunch of SolarFlex hoodies just received from Simms, Eddy River and Lowcountry hats from Fishpond, piles of packs and bags, waders and boots and wading sandals, reels from Ross, Redington, Echo and Lamson, Loop and Echo rods and much, much more. We’re anxiously awaiting our shipment of Lamson rods, just released for 2021. Judging by the calls we’ve been getting on them they aren’t going to last long.

Stop in and see us for shuttles, bugs, sun protection, fishing licenses, logo wear, ice, Fishpond and Rising nets, lines and leaders from Rio and Airflo or the latest intel on the where and when and how.

We are your Missouri River Summer fly fishing destination, your one stop shop for everything you need from guides to rental boats to gear to a place to lay your head…it’s all here at WCA.

By Jason Orzechowski|2021-05-26T12:27:51-06:00May 26th, 2021|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: Baby Gonga, Dearborn River, Depth Charge Worm, Duracell, Echo, Fish Finder Worm, Fishpond, fly fishing, Gladio, Lamson, Little Green Machine, Little Prickly Pear, Magic Fly, Missouri River, Mojo Minnow, Peep Show, pill popper, Psycho May, Rainbow Czech, Redington, RIO, running line, simms, streamers, Swim Coach, Tailwater Sow, Tung Dart, UV Yum Yum, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler|0 Comments

Spring has FINALLY Arrived

We’re seeing an abundance of blue sky and sunshine with temperatures warming into the 70’s and near 80 by Friday. Flip Flop weather is nearly upon us.

Sure the fishing may have slowed down just a bit and BWO’s prefer grey skies and rain to blue bird days but that being said, it sure feels good out there right now.

After a couple of weeks of cold, cloudy, snowy, rainy dreary days I for one am happy to see the sun again.

The grass is finally greening (and growing) and the buds are popping and the birds are singing. NOW it feels like springtime on the Missouri!

And it’s not as though the fishing is terrible. It’s been a little tougher than it was two weeks ago but we’re still nymphing them up pretty good most days and dry fly opportunities (both midges and BWO’s) are a very real possibility each and every day. Expect to find fish eating midges any day and if you’re looking for good BWO action keep an eye on the forecast for cloud cover.

Streamer fishing has been hit or miss but has generally been pretty good on the cloudier days. Olive and white have been consistently good but we’ve also had luck on greys and tans. Sparkle Minnow for the win as always but Clousers, Skiddish Smolt, MoJo Minows, ZK’s Gladio and MK Ultralight all getting some eats as well.

Strip off the banks and also in the buckets varying your retrieve speed with short strips and long strips and plenty of pauses in between. They seem to be grabbing on the pause more often than not. Most importantly…keep at it. Persistence pays off (sometimes). Once again, clouds are better but they’ll eat under the blazing sun as well. You just need to find the right fish and the only way you’re going to do that is to stick with it. If 45 minutes without a grab or a flash bums you out then maybe stick to the bobbers.

Tailwater Sows with or without the bead, Pederson’s Sow, Pill Poppers, Czechs, Bubble Yums and Soft Hackle Sows still leading the charge but there are plenty of baetis nymphs bouncing around in the system so LGM’s, Psycho Mays, Redemptions, BWO Magic Fly, Olive Lightning Bugs etc are all good calls and you can never go wrong with a black Zebra. Medium depth (3-4’) medium fast to fast water should be your nymphing target water and they’ve been eating the streamer in that water as well.

Traffic has been moderate with the majority generally in the Holter Dam to Craig zone but don’t be afraid to spread out. If you call ahead we’re happy to tell you where the traffic is concentrated so you can plan your day accordingly. Sometimes it happens that everyone figures the dam zone will be busy so they all end up going down river which seemed to be the case on Saturday with a ton of traffic in the canyon and barely anyone fishing the dam to Craig.

We are your eyes and ears on the river and not just where fly selection is concerned. We know where the traffic is and where the fish are. Don’t be afraid to ask us. It’s what we’re here for.

Spring inventory keeps trickling in. We’ve got plenty of bugs, leaders, lines, tippet and such but we’re all struggling to keep rods and reels and waders and boots and the like in adequate supply. Call ahead if there is something specific you’re looking for and we’d be happy to let you know if we have it or where else you might be able to find it if we don’t.

Lodging is moderately busy but we’ve got plenty of rooms available for the next couple of weeks. We’re getting a good number of last minute guide trips being scheduled and this is a good time of year to do it that way. A few weeks from now a last minute guide will be hard to come by but for the time being if you’re thinking about booking a trip we’d appreciate the call and we’d be thrilled to have your business.

Enjoy the warm weather and the sunshine this week and don’t let the wind forecast get you down. It’s not terrible with sustained south southwest winds in the 6-15 mph range the next couple of days, increasing to 15-20 mph on Friday afternoon with some bigger gusts but windy warm days are so much for tolerable than windy and cold days so get out there.
Sunday looks like it could be the next good baetis day with a chance for showers and thunderstorms and a high of 58.

Hope to see you in the shop and on the water soon.

By Jason Orzechowski|2021-04-28T11:10:08-06:00April 28th, 2021|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: bubble yum, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Holter Dam, midge, Missouri River, pill popper, Psycho May, Redemption, running line, Streamer Fishing, streamers, Tailwater Sow, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, ZK's Gladio|1 Comment

Quiet on the MO’ photo by Wolf Creek Angler

We’ve definitely reached that time of year when angling traffic all but ceases on the MO’. The cold and snow have ushered in The Quiet and while you may find the occasional trout-obsessed, hard core angler out there swinging the tail outs or driving up and down the Recreation Road praying for BWO’s as they comb the side channels in search of rising trout, there is no shortage of solitude to be found on the river these days.

The same can unfortunately be said for the confines of the shop where we’ve been engaged in such year-end pleasantries as counting flies and FINALLY completing those pre-season orders. The season is now over for shop staff which means it’s just yours truly and usually the dog here as well to keep me company.

So while it is indeed The Quiet Time, it’s also that time of year when my job description is expanded to include ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that needs to be done. Housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, snow removal, security, phone calls, emails, dog walks, website work and more. And on the rare occasion a customer darkens the door, I may even get the chance to sell stuff.

Mid-November through the end of the year are by far the quietest weeks of the season. Hunters are afield and the holidays are approaching which means we simply don’t see much in the way of traffic. It’s a perfect opportunity to take stock of the season and think about how we can do things better next year and it’s also the perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the solitude of the season.

All that being said, I do expect there may be a slight uptick in traffic next week as we see things warm up early in the week with temps in the high 40’s though mid-week. The rest of this week doesn’t look terrible though temps remain in the 30’s and winds are forecast to increase with the least desirable day looking to be Saturday with sustained west winds 22-28 mph, gusting to 44 mph.

River flows are currently 3560 CFS with water temps hovering around 43.5 degrees. Water conditions are favorable for BWO emergence, weather conditions maybe not so much though Monday looks like it could shape up to be one of those quintessential fall BWO days with overcast skies and rain and snow in the mix. If the wind allows for it perhaps Monday will be the day you DFO’s have been waiting for.

If you’re swinging or stripping, weather and water conditions aren’t nearly as critical though overcast skies are certainly your friend as well. And those looking to chase the bobber will also welcome the cloud cover. Again, it won’t be busy even if we do see a few more folks around so if you haven’t had your fill of fall fishing next week looks like a good time to be here.

I’ve not heard of much happening on the dry fly front so I won’t waste your time with a report about how nothing is happening. If you’re a fall BWO angler you know the game, you’re not looking to us to tell you HOW to get it done, just maybe WHEN. We’ll keep you posted though if you find yourself reading about how great of a BWO day we had yesterday then it’s likely too late!

Nymphing reports have been on the sub-par side overall these past couple of weeks but any day could turn out to be the best day of your season. You won’t know if you don’t go! Your go-to bugs should be Rainbow Czechs, Tailwater Sowbugs, Zebra midges, Soft Hackle sows, Pill Poppers etc. and you might keep some baetis nymhs (Green Machine, split case BWO, BWO Magic Fly) in the mix though we are definitely entering winter nymphing conditions. Bring on the Pinks and Firebeads!

Streamer fishing has been decent depending on the day and should continue to produce. Swingers are getting them on Polar Leeches, Kreelex, Fruit Rollups and the like and while those work on the strip as well we’ve been getting plenty of action on Sparkle Minnows, Swim Coaches, Mini Dungeons, JJ’s and MK Ultralights.

Swing the tail outs and strip off the bank or through the flats and tail outs. Don’t overdo it with your stripping action. The water is getting cold so keep it on the slow side with plenty of pauses.

Just to remind you, our winter shop hours go into effect next week. Wednesday – Saturday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, CLOSED Sunday – Tuesday. The days we are open and our hours will fluctuate with the weather conditions. Please call ahead to make sure we’re here when you need us but expect that if the weather dictates it we will be here, at least in the mornings.
And once again, we have discontinued our shuttle service for the season and will resume shuttles in the spring. Please contact Headhunters Fly Shop for winter shuttles.

Steer Clear of the Covid, enjoy The Quiet and find the good in each and every day.

By Jason Orzechowski|2020-11-12T17:08:04-07:00November 12th, 2020|Categories: Fishing Report|Tags: Craven's Swim Coach, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, Kreelex, Missouri River, Missouri River Winter Fishing, pill popper, Rainbow Czech, running line, sparkle minnow, Streamer Fishing, Tailwater Sow bug, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek Angler, zebra midges, zk's mk ultralight|0 Comments

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