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!