Soft Hackle Sow Archives - Wolf Creek Angler

The Window is Open

For those looking to thwart that cabin fever, this is a good time to fish the MO but the window is about to close as winter regroups and returns this weekend.

We’ll see highs near 40 tomorrow through Saturday before the bottom drops out Saturday night and we plunge back into single digits and snow next week.

Expect breezy conditions each day with winds SSW at 10 – 20 mph…could be worse!

Nymphing has been solid with sow bugs leading the charge and pink definitely in play. Pill Poppers, Tailwater Sows, Amex, Rainbow Czech, Soft Hackle Sows, Pink Lightning Bugs, Cotton Candy, Pink Rays, Pederson’s Sow, Bubble Yum Scud….all fine choices. You might also try a black zebra as there has been no shortage of midges around.

Slow winter depths are your target water but don’t be afraid to shorten up and give the faster shallows and flats a try, especially on the sunny days when the sun hits the water and the temps tick up. It doesn’t take much of a bump to draw the fish into the warmer shallows.

Calm, cloudy days, though few and far between, have provided plenty of dry fly action, especially late afternoon when the sun drops below the horizon. Midge clusters and Griffiths Gnats have been money when conditions are right.

Swingers are finding some willing players in the go-to spots depending on the day with Kreelex and Polar Leeches and Thin Mints all producing. Haven’t heard much from the strippers lately but there’s no reason a Sparkle Minnow or Skittish Smolt stripped deep and SLOW won’t produce. On the MO, stripping is best done from a boat no matter the time of year. Leave the standing in cold water to the swingers!

I’m almost always using a heavy sinking line, working rapidly through the shallows so as not to hang up on the bottom and then free falling off the drops and ledges with a twitch or two before a SLOW ascent.

It’s definitely not a numbers game so patience is everything. Fish a bug you believe in and switch up the retrieve until you find what works, incorporating plenty of pauses and keeping in mind that the pauses are for the fish, not for you. Be ready for the grab on the pause. It happens all the time and missing those grabs is a more common occurrence than it should be.

My mantra for streamer fishing is generally to go big with your float and cover as many miles as you can but that’s not the best plan during the winter months as it tends to get cold no matter how many layers you’re wearing. No matter if you’re hunting heads, nymphing or streamer fishing it’s best to keep your floats short during the winter if you’re fishing from the boat.

Best nymphing runs – Holter Dam to Wolf or Wolf to Craig. Best Dry Fly fishing – Holter Dam to Wolf. Best Streamers Craig to Stick. That being said, you’ll find every stretch has its great spots for whatever you are doing and the fish are EVERYWHERE so don’t think you’re limited to any particular stretch for whichever discipline you happen to be employing for the day.

Shuttles at WCA are hit and miss while we await a steady stream of traffic. Please call ahead if you’re counting on us being able to move you. We will be here tomorrow (Wednesday) and likely able to help you. We’re fishing Thursday but will be back in on Friday and Saturday. I wouldn’t expect we’ll be around much next week. Weather will be the determining factor but it looks like the window is about to close.

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!