MYSTERY

Autumn Ascent – photo by Jason Orzechowski
Photo 101 for the day…mystery.
Autumn Ascent – photo by Jason Orzechowski
Photo 101 for the day…mystery.
Montana Morning – photo by Wolf Creek Angler
Today’s photo 101 topic is warmth which is a great one right now considering we haven’t seen double digit temps in several days. I think this photo does a great job of capturing the warmth of late spring Montana mornings which will be my “happy place” today as I deal with some polar weather related issues.
Surreal Sunset at Pelican Point – photo by Wolf Creek Angler
Deep Freeze on the MO this week – come out and have the river to yourself! – photo by Wolf Creek Angler
Winter has arrived in Montana this week with temps in the single digits and wind chill values as low as -30 tonight. When we decided we were going to remain open and also keep limited lodging available for the winter these were the types of conditions we were concerned about as most of our buildings are not exactly designed for winter use. So far so good! If we make it through the next couple of days without having frozen plumbing we will know that we are on the right track. That being said, it’s all a gamble as these are not ideal conditions for fishing the Missouri so we will definitely need mother nature’s cooperation to make a go of it this winter. We do have guests staying with us this week and they reportedly did pretty well yesterday during the early part of the day but we’re not sure how long they will stick around as it appears we’re going to be stuck in single digits at least trough tomorrow. Teens through the weekend and a warm up on Sunday. The way it looks now we should be back to comfortable fishing conditions by the first part of next week. Might we see some BWO’s next week? We hope so but there are plenty of other options including throwing streamers which has been good and getting better over the past week or two. Our WCA Polar Leeces, particularly in Olive/Copper, have been moving a ton of fish and we’ve also been doing well with the Gold/Brown Kreelex and Sculpin Sparkle Minnows – all available at Wolf Creek Angler. Nymphing has been hit or miss with the go-to’s still being Rainbow Czechs, Green Machines and Tailwater Sows. Heard of a few guys doing ok on the hot bead wire worm as well.
Flows are back up toi 4460 today after dropping below 4000 for the past few days. The water temperature is at around 49 and dropping.
Stop by the shop for bugs, shuttles, boat rentals, lodging and cold weather gear from Outdoor Research and more. It’s not too early to start your Christmas shopping and we’ve got all kinds of gear for the fly angler in your life. Wolf Creek Angler gift cards can be purchased in any amount and are good for everything from merchandise to shuttles to lodging and guide trips. We’re happy to send gift cards to anywhere in the world so give us a call at 800-800-4350 and purchase one today.
After careful consideration we have come up with the following winter schedule. The shop will be open from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Wednesday – Saturday with lodging and guide trips available any and every day at special winter rates. Should things get really fishy we will be here on Mondays and Tuesdays as well and should we see a bunch of single digit weather this winter we may NOT be here on some of the stated days. It would be a good idea to call before you come in but again, if it’s fishy weather we will likely be here. We will be closed on Sundays for the winter months.
We are anxious to see how things go this winter and we would love for you to make Wolf Creek Angler your year-round Missouri River fishing and lodging destination. We’ve got a busy winter ahead and have a lot of things we will be working on for next season and beyond.
Stay Warm!
The Capital Building in Helena Montana. – photo by Jason Orzechowski
Today’s photo 101 category is Landmark. This is an image of the capital building in Helena during an iconic Montana sunset.
Team Wolf Creek Angler toasting our inaugural season at our first Craig Caddis Festival. – photo by Wolf Creek Angler
The theme for today’s photo 101 challenge is CONNECT. This was a cool shot from the 2014 Craig Caddis Festival where Fred and Sheila and myself toasted Wolf Creek Angler which has certainly connected us as partners but which has also connected us to a community, a lifestyle, a state of mind and to a bunch of awesome people. It was a great first season and we learned a lot about what it takes to run a fly shop and lodging operation. We’ve got all kinds of ideas for the coming seasons and we will implement them as our budget allows. Stay tuned….
~Jason O.
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.
Sunset over the famed Blackfoot River near Ovando MT – photo by Wolf Creek Angler
Bliss is the theme of today’s photo 101 challenge but Bliss is also what we experience here in Montana almost daily. Surrounded by rivers and mountains and incredible skies we are spoiled with blissful sights everywhere we look. The photo above was taken in late summer at River Junction campground where the North Fork meets the main stem of the Blackfoot River. Montana sunrises and sunsets never cease to amaze.
So what’s happening at Wolf Creek Angler outside of the Photo 101 challenge? We continue to experience above average temperatures and abundant sunshine but it looks like it may all be coming to an end with snow moving in on Sunday night and a high of 30 Monday and lows possibly dipping into the single digits Monday night. 50’s on tap for the weekend may make this the weekend you should come and fish the Missouri. We’ve got a couple of cabins left so give us a call and book your spot today.
Fishing remains good though we have yet to hear any reports of substantial bwo activity so bring your nymphing rigs and streamer rods and enjoy fall’s last gasp before the cold sets in.
We will be open from 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM through the weekend and will most likely implement winter hours next week. We’ll keep you posted.
Dry Fly Eat on the Missouri – photo by Wolf Creek Angler
Hard to choose on this one as our world completely revolves around water here at Wolf Creek Angler, but this shot pretty much captures what we are about and how we make our living. This was a dry fly eat on the Missouri which, if I didn’t tell you , you would probably never guess but we never tire of watching fish crush dry flies and it’s a fun thing to try to capture on film.
Streetview Montana Style – photo by Wolf Creek Angler