Mid May Missouri River Report

John and daughter Ellie were all smiles for a couple of wet days on the MO'.

John and daughter Ellie were all smiles for a couple of wet days on the MO’.

So far May has not disappointed.

The fishing has been good for most and Mother Nature continues to please with plenty of precipitation and cool temps keeping us optimistic about what we’ll see for water on the MO’ this season.

On the flip side we have heard a few complaints about the weather (and maybe even complained about it ourselves from time to time) with a lot of  folks ready for some warm, dry days on the water. We’re selling plenty of Kast Steelhead Gloves and we’ve yet to put away the Hand Warmers and it’s been a good spring for wader and rain gear sales so we’ll take it but it’s sure nice to see the sun shine every now and again! Don’t get me wrong – we’re thrilled to be getting the precipitation and the fishing in the rain is just fine but a bit of sunshine is good for the soul.

We fished through a rainy weekend and transitioned from rain and cold yesterday morning to a gorgeous afternoon/evening and a couple of  warm sunny days today and tomorrow before rain returns for the weekend. Expect plenty of traffic this weekend, rain or shine, with the 10th Annual Craig Caddis Festival and BBQ Cook Off  happening on Saturday. Come out and enjoy some great food along with awesome silent auction items including fishing trips, original art and gear from your favorite local fly shops. The festivities get underway at 4:00 PM.

Good nymphing out there the past couple of days with the stronger reports coming from the middle and lower stretches. The canyon has been fishing particularly well but there are plenty of fish and plenty of opportunities river-wide. Wire worms and sow bugs have been a good go-to combo but we’re starting to get some solid action on various caddis pupa as well. Weight flies in purple or gold are a great choice for a point fly right now, trailed with your favorite sow bug, mayfly or midge imitation. LGM’s, S & M’s in brown, Yum Yums, Tailwater Sows, Granato’s Snack Nasty Sows, Psycho Mays, Dark Peep Shows, black zebra midges, split case bwo’s, Hot Belly PT’s, Pearl Lightning Bugs and on and on.

Fish the bugs you have confidence in and think depth before you think bug changes. There are certainly some bugs that are consistently working out there but it’s funny how we all get caught up in fishing the “Hot Flies”. We are happy to sell you the HOT FLIES but it’s not uncommon to have people return to the shop after fishing these HOT FLIES having not had any luck with them. Fish what you like. If you thinks it’s going to catch fish you tend to fish it well and often times this is the difference between success and failure.

Dry-fly fishing has been hit and miss at best with BWO’s on the wane and caddis few and far between in the stretches below Craig. It’s been a great BWO spring as far as bugs go but more often than not we’re hearing reports of very few fish up on them. Not to worry though, there is plenty of dry-fly fishing ahead. Keep that dry fly rig at the ready.

Streamers have continued to produce for us to the point where I will say it’s been a pretty damn good couple of weeks. Not exactly HOT but definitely worth committing to  for a day, or at least for a couple of hours. Zach and I share a passion for streamer fishing and it shows in our bug selection. Stop by and see what’s new. We’ve got a bunch of new bugs including some WCA/Chewy Exclusives you won’t find in any other shop. We’re happy to set you up with everything you need for streamer fishing on the MO’ and beyond. We’ve got a wide selection of specialty lines from RIO , SA and Airflo and we’ve got some great streamer sticks from LOOP, Echo and St Croix. We’ve been referred to by some as having the best streamer selection in the canyon. Whether or not this is the case we definitely take great pride in our selection and we hope you make WCA your Missouri River Streamer Fishing Headquarters.

We do have a few vacancies in the motel this week and we’ve always got top notch guides at the ready. Give us a call today and book a Missouri River Fly Fishing getaway you won’t soon forget. We’ve also got Adipose and RO drift boat rentals, shuttle service and a shop full of everything you need for fly fishing the Missouri River and beyond. We are your full service Missouri River Fly Fishing destination.

Mid Week Fishing Report

Streamer Time! Photo by Dax Hoovestal

Streamer Time! Photo by Dax Hoovestal

It’s been an interesting weather week on the Missouri going from sunshine and 80 degrees on Sunday to rain and snow and cold on Monday and Tuesday. We started cold today with temps just shy of 30 degrees but it’s warmed up nicely and the sun is shining again which may have a negative effect on the fishing but it sure feels good!

Those who braved the elements on Monday and Tuesday were rewarded with some great fishing including good dry-fly opportunities as well as a good streamer bite which has really been heating up the past week or so. Nymphing is of course very good right now and will continue to be your best bet for numbers.

We’re in the midst of our busiest week of guide trips so far this season so the shop has really been abuzz with activity in the mornings and with most of our lodging full every night it’s starting to feel a lot like prime-time. One of my favorite things about WCA is the community that happens around here during the busy season.

It’s been cold and rainy so there hasn’t been a lot of hanging out going on but on the warmer evenings when everyone returns from their day of fishing the porches and the bar at WCA are the place to be. You will usually find folks having a cocktail or two while trading stories from the day with friends both old and new. It’s what has kept many of you coming back to stay with us year after year and it’s one of the things I absolutely love about this business.

Back to the fishing report. As I said, we’ve had a couple of pretty darn good days out there. We’ll see what happens with the return of the sun and a substantial bump in the flows today. I haven’t heard any reports as of yet but I would bet things might be a little different out there today.

Best sellers from the nymph bins this week have been Tan UV Czechs, Purple Weight Flies, Gray LGM’s, Brown 2 Bits, Psycho Mays, Angel Case Emergers, Bubble Back Emergers, Dark Peeps, Juju’s, PT’s, S& M’s and Lightning bugs in Pearl and Purple.

On the dry side we’re still liking the Olive Adams, BWO Drown Spinners, Nyman’s DOA Cripple Baetis, Purple Haze, Rocky Mountain Mints, Bucky’s Midge Cluster, Buzzballs, Grey CDC Caddis Emergers, Outrigger Caddis, BWO Flash Cripples and other assorted BWO, midge, caddis and March Brown patterns. When in doubt go with the Parachute Adams which likely catches more fish on the MO’ than any other dry fly.

Chewy and I have both been thinking Streamers lately and it shows. Our new streamer bin is full of all kinds of new bugs neither you nor the fish will be able to resist. Hot ones as of late have been Home Invaders in Grizzly/Olive, Lil’ Kim in Copper, Sculpin Sparkle Minnow, Skiddish Smolt in Olive or White and Circus Peanuts in tan or olive. Some cool new additions we haven’t even had a chance to fish yet are Craven’s Dirty Hippy in Black, Rainbow Snot Rocket and Sundell’s Moss Fire. Come check out the ever-expanding bug selection at Wolf Creek Angler – we’re confident you might just be blown away! FullSizeRender (10)

 

We’ve got a full house for the rest of the week but we hope you still make us your one-stop on the way to the river for shuttles, bugs, RO and Adipose Drift Boat Rentals, Redington wading gear, Fishpond packs and accessories and a bunch of cool logo products including Stanley beer growlers and pocket flasks and piles of Simms logo gear.

On The Road Report: Well, Sort of Edition.

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I know I promised everybody another installment of OTR but I failed. I failed and I’m sorry. It’s just between getting the shop ship shape for Spring, a phone that doesn’t seem to stop ringing, moving myself into the summer cabin, crappy weather and two couch surfing trout bums over the past few days I just couldn’t manage. It’s really just the combination of the latter two, I blame the hippies and wind. Either way, I was able to make it out with two good buddies of mine Will from Bozeman who just needed an excuse to get off the Gallatin and Bill, guide at large getting in some spring fishing before the season really kicks off . So it’s sort of an On The Road Report, for those two guys at least. Between the three of us we did two pretty similar floats, Mid-Cannon to Pelican and Mid to Mtn. Palace, with two very similar results. Not sure they were the ones any of us expected, but whatever, that’s fishing.

First float was with Will from Mid to Pelican. Looking back on the weather report from that morning and the overall length of the float, it was willbrownambitious. Roughly 11 miles with wind and rain moving in later that afternoon. In hindsight we should have taken out at Prewett Creek. Wind was haneous, to the point that I considered dawning my p.f.d. after one particular gust of wind. Despite the hostile weather later in the day we managed to pull in a few on nymphs and got some great chases and hook ups on streamers. B.W.Os were out for a while before the rain rolled in, but we had a pretty short window to fish to risers podded up in the soft water.

billybrown2Second trip was with Bill from Mid to Mtn. Palace. Lessons learned from the day before we stuck to the shorter float. Lots of wind throughout the canyon but the skies were clear this time. Didn’t see as many baetis as the previous day, likely because of the bluebird conditions. Still saw a few coming to to surface on clusters of midges. I was able to pull a few decent bows’ to the boat on nymphs but Bill stole the show with a pair of back to back Browns on the streamer. Kid hasn’t been in town 24 hours and hangs 40″+ of buttery Missouri River goodness. Probably had a lot to do with the fly though, hand tied by your truly, articulated with just the right amount of flash.

Like I said before, two similar floats with two similar outcomes, and not what we were expecting. Over the course of the two days between the three of us, we got more chases, hits and hookups from big streamers off hard banks and in deep trenches. Coincidence? Maybe, but my thought is that the bigger fish lower in the system are HUNGRY! I’m talking HANGRY, charging out of the depths with a vengeance and just crushing the fly. What I’m getting at is that in might be worth your while to dedicate a day to throwing some big junk and trophy hunting. Ditch the bobber for float or ten and you may surprise yourself. If you do decide to play the streamer game, here’s five for your box I think will drum up some beefcakes. Okay and some dries and nymphs too…

Streamers: Circus Peanut, Sex Dungeon, Cat Toy, Articulated Sparkle Minnow & ZK’s Mercenary.

Nymphs: Tung. Split Case BWO, LGM, Psycho May, BWO Wondernymph & Rainbow Czechs.

Dries:  Q’s Cluster Midge, WCA Trude, Prachute Adams, Buzzballs & Sprout Baetis.

~Cheers, Chewy.

Spring Water Update

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March was very good to us as far as precipitation goes. We saw a substantial increase in snowpack pretty much state-wide and we’re looking really good by first week of April standards. These next few months are normally the wettest of the season for us so depending on how much precipitation we actually get it could turn out to be a great water year.

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Those in the know have bumped up their flow forecast for the year with a most probable peak of around 6,000 and a steady 4,000 through the summer months which would be fine. The max probable peaks at around 10,500 and holds steady around 5K for the season….we would love to see the max probable but as always we will take what we get and make the best of it.

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We’re expecting a busy remainder of the week with some summer-like days in the forecast. We will likely see 70’s tomorrow and we could hit 80 on Friday. This being the case we decided to open up the remainder of our lodging units today so we do have a few motel rooms available for the weekend. By far the most rustic of our accommodations, the motel units are hugely popular amongst those looking for clean, basic lodging at an extremely affordable price. At $65 for a single room and $75 for a double you won’t find a more affordable lodging option in the area.

We’ve got more and more guide trips going out but still have plenty of availability. Take advantage of our spring rates while you can. $400 gets you a full day trip for two with one of our expert professional guides, each of whom are amongst the best on the water.

It’s an awesome time to fish the Missouri with plenty of opportunities no matter what your preference. BWO’s are already making a showing along with plenty of midge activity for the dry-fly guys, nymphing is heating up and streamer fishing should definitely be on your to- do list.

We hope to see you soon at WCA!

Mid Week on the Missouri

Tons of Bugs at Wolf Creek Angler

Tons of Bugs at Wolf Creek Angler

A nice mix of winter and spring this week on the MO’. Cold and snowy yesterday, sunny and highs near 50 today!

Traffic has been very light this week and should continue to be with rain, wind and snow showers forecast through Friday. The weekend however looks likes it could be awesome with plenty of sunshine and highs in the 50’s.

We’ve got lodging available for the weekend but we anticipate that we will fill up by tomorrow so don’t miss out. Book yourself a room for $99 and while you’re at it why not book yourself a full day Missouri River Guide trip for just $400 through the end of April.

Mixed bag on the fishing reports lately but there have definitely been some decent days as well as some tougher ones. Nymphing is definitely heating up as the water nears that 40 degree mark and the fish are starting to put up a pretty good fight depending on the day. We’re still sticking to the pink and firebead staples but it’s definitely time to start thinking about expanding your offerings to include some mayfly nymphs.

We got a bunch of flies in yesterday for which we’ve been patiently waiting….better late than never. Pink Weight Flies, Ninch’s Bubble Gum Scuds and Thunderbugs and some cool new midge clusters now in stock. We’re also loaded up on all kinds of foam and streamers available only at Wolf Creek Angler.

Bugs you might consider adding to the mix right now include BWO magic flies, LGM’s, Dark Peep Shows, Micromays, BWO Bubble Back and Angel Case Emergers, Military Mays and good old PT’s.

If you’re thinking dry flies try a Grizzly Midge Cluster, Griffiths Gnat, Black Sipper or Peacock Cluster paired with a Parachute Adams – a hard combo to beat. Another spring favorite of ours is Wiese’s Purple Phase Loop Wing. I haven’t thrown it yet this season but there were some days last spring that it was downright deadly!

Streamer wise we’re still liking Polar Leeches, Sparkle Minnows, Skiddish Smolts, ZK’s Club Drug and Iced Out Grills, various Clouser-type patterns and all kinds of bugger variations.

Come by and check out the ever-expanding fly selection at Wolf Creek Angler, you’re guaranteed to be AMAZED!

While you are here check out all the cool new WCA logo gear from Simms as well as tons of new gear arriving DAILY!

 

 

Mid Week Missouri River Fishing Report

 

IMG_5997It’s been pretty quiet this week despite continued spring – like weather and decent fishing.

Monday through Wednesday is definitely the time to be here if you want to increase the odds of having the river to yourself, though these odds will greatly decrease as we move ever closer to actual spring, now just a little less than two weeks away.

I spent some time last weekend plying small waters with big ugly streamers and moved some giants. It’s outings like this that turned me into a streamer junkie many years ago and though I’ve had some awesome streamer days on the MO’, it simply doesn’t provide the consistent action found on some other rivers. I’ve said it many times that the Missouri is not my favorite streamer river but don’t think for a minute that I don’t enjoy a day of chucking streamers on the MO’.

WCA Guide Jim Murray and I did a short float yesterday just to see what was happening out there as neither of us had been out for a few days. We pretty much had the river to ourselves with just one other boat and a couple of wade anglers enjoying the day. Nymphing was on though we definitely noted a solid transition to faster, shallower runs. Same old winter/early spring story on the bugs, pink Amex, Casne’s Pinkalicious (aka Whitey Master), Caviar Scuds and firebead softhackle sows in pink. Most of the trout we caught were on the firebeads. We’ve been selling a bunch of tailwater sows lately and we did run them for a while but apparently the fish have seen enough of the tailwater sow for the time being – at least the ones we were fishing to.

Once again, the water in which we found fish, and more importantly the water in which we didn’t find them,  was kind of the highlight of the nymphing report. We fished a fair amount of slow winter water without a drop of the bobber before moving into the faster transitional water where we found them to be concentrated.  Not FAST SHALLOW water mind you but medium fast, medium depth, fishing just shy of the bottom.

Having figured out the nymphing program for the day we switched to streamers which turned out to be a bust. Several miles of river and half a dozen bug changes later we went back to nymphing and closed out the day with a couple more hookups.  This is early spring streamer fishing on the Missouri, often disappointing but always enough potential that it’s  definitely worth your time.

Very few midges on the water yesterday and no fish up but as with the streamer bite there is always plenty of potential. I like to have a nymph rig, a streamer rig and a dry-fly rig all at the ready. Better to bring them along and not use them then to be without. If you’re looking to add a rod or two to your quiver this season stop by WCA and check out some awesome new rods from LOOP, St. Croix, Echo and Redington. We’ve got something for every budget and every method.

We’ve got a full house tomorrow but we do have one room left for the weekend which will likely be gone by the end of the day. Why not make it yours and while you’re at it why not book yourself a $400 full day guide trip. We’re all ready to go to work!

Make sure to stop by the shop on your next trip out to fish the Missouri for shuttles, bugs, RO and Adipose drift boat rentals, LOOP rods and reels, KAST Extreme Fishing Gear  and much more.

 

Welcome March

Winter is rapidly losing its grip.

Winter is rapidly losing its grip.

Our early spring continues here on the Missouri as we enter March with temps flirting with 60 degrees for the rest of this week.

What’s it mean for the coming season? It’s still too early to tell but the Snow Water Equivalent is still looking decent at 91% of average. We’re hoping winter persists in the high country, at least for a while but we’ve started to come to terms with the fact that we may very well have seen the last of winter weather here on the river.

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Those in the know are not predicting any kind of high water event, in fact what’s being predicted is a water year very similar to 2015 with average spring flows holding around 4,000. We shall see. Spring rainfall is the big factor in the water equation so all we can do is wait and see what happens. In the meantime we are enjoying the mild weather, especially on the days the wind doesn’t blow (which are few and far between).

Traffic seems to come in spurts. We were busy in the shop and were full most of last week and even did a few guide trips but things have been pretty quiet this week with just a few guests around. If you’re planning to come out and fish this weekend we’ve got one cabin left for Friday night and two on Saturday. Looking at the forecast it’s likely we will be full so don’t miss out.

Come by the shop and see what’s new. We’ve been receiving a bunch of our spring orders and have some cool new gear from Loop, Redington, Echo, Rio and more. We’ve also got some great deals on winter gear as we make room for the new arrivals including 40% Kast Hell Razor jackets. These are awesome jackets at an unbelievable savings.

Fishing reports have been mixed this week. Some good days, some ok days and some downright slow days depending on who you ask. We’re continuing to target winterish water with winterish bugs for the most part but transition is definitely underway as the water continues to warm up.

Swingers are out in force having varying degrees of success with the two-handed rods while the single hand streamer crowd is also finding some willing players. Keep that retrieve slow for them time being but don’t limit yourself to slow water as the fish have been found in all different depths and speeds of water over the last week or two.

Dry fly fishing is a go, depending on the day. There are midges around and fish on them. Sun and wind conditions will define your day. Stay late as some of the best action has reportedly been just before dark.

We hope to see you soon, in the shop and on the water. We’re open REGULARLY at 8:00 AM Wednesday – Sunday and we’re usually around on Mondays and Tuesdays as well depending on the weather. Look for the seven-day a week shop schedule to start soon and remember we are always OPEN every day for lodging and guide trips. We will likely open more lodging up next week as we’ve had to turn people away on a fairly regular basis. We won’t open the motel units until April but we should have a couple more cabins ready to go very soon.

Stay tuned for updates!

 

Missouri River Mid Week Fishing Report

Hungry Browns are on the Move. photo by Wolf Creek Angler

Hungry Browns are on the move. photo by Wolf Creek Angler

It’s not just the weather that’s been heating up this week. With temps in the 60’s and the water temp on the move upwards of 36 degrees the fishing, specifically streamer fishing, has really started to come on.

Nymphing has been good with fish starting to move into the more transitional water which is just a little bit faster and perhaps a little bit shallower than what we’ve been concentrating on for the past couple of months. Pink continues to rule, typically paired with some kind of firebead but tailwater sows and soft hackle sows are definitely coming into their own with zebra midges also getting some love.

Don’t switch things up too much – it’s still basically winter water you want to target using winter nymphs but it’s also time to start throwing some different bugs into the mix. Mayfly nymphs and the aforementioned sow bugs and zebra midges should definitely be part of your arsenal as the water warms up a touch and the fish start to move.

The streamer fishing has definitely been getting better and while we haven’t had any days where it was absolutely lights out, we’re definitely getting enough action to continue to devote some time to the swing/strip. I spent a couple of hours on Monday throwing the Olive/Copper Polar Leech and boated a nice brown just a few casts in followed by a few tugs and a few chases over the next couple of miles. Again, certainly not lights out – but definitely enough action to keep me interested.

Polar Leech in Brown or Olive/Copper, Kreelex in various flavors, assorted Clouser style bugs and black leech patterns have all been getting noticed. Don’t be afraid to experiment, maybe even try two bugs at a time. A slow but steady strip was getting it done for me but many have been getting them on the swing as well.

We’ve been targeting that same transitional water with the streamers but also working the super slow stuff and moving some fish. I’ve also heard of a few  people picking them up in some faster water but you still want to work those bugs slowly. River flows are holding right around 3700 and the water temp will hit 36 today and may gain another degree or two this week with highs near 60 and lows in the 40’s for the next several days.

The word is definitely out and there has been an increase in traffic this week though there is still plenty of solitude to be had. We opened some additional lodging today to keep up with the demand so if you’re thinking of coming out we should be able to accommodate you. $99 gets you a comfy room with a full kitchen which is critical if you happen to be here on Tuesday or Wednesday when the kitchen at The Oasis is closed. They are serving breakfast, lunch and dinner Thursday – Monday but the other two days you’re on your own. Bring food and put that kitchen to good use and feel free to use our barbecue grills as well if you so desire.

How about a $400 Missouri River Guide Trip? There are a bunch of unemployed guides wandering around right now who would like nothing better than to spend the day showing you what an awesome winter fishery the Missouri River can be. Whether you want to fish dries or streamers or nymphs, there’s a little something for everyone right now.

Make Wolf Creek Angler your first stop on your way to the river for bugs, boats, shuttles and much more. We are your Missouri River Winter Fly Fishing Headquarters.

 

Weekend Outlook

Photo by Jim Murray

Photo by Jim Murray

We’ve definitely got a fishable weekend ahead with temps in the 40’s and mostly sunny skies. The wind will be an issue (as it seems to be more often than not) out of the SW at around 20 mph tomorrow and around 30 on Saturday with gusts approaching 40 mph.

This morning looks like the best day of the bunch with cloudy skies and relatively calm winds, it could turn out to be a perfect streamer day.

Next week looks like the time to be here with highs in the 50’s on Monday. We may see 60 on Tuesday. I have a feeling our lodging will be full so if you’re having any thoughts about coming out for a couple of days next week I suggest you book it now.

F3T

 

 

It’s going to be a busy weekend off the water for us with the Fly Fishing Film Tour at the Grandstreet in Helena tomorrow night and the Super Bowl on Sunday but we’ll be around the shop all weekend for all of your Missouri River Fly Fishing needs.

We’ve got half a dozen tickets left for the F3T – they will be gone by the end of the day. The show always sells out and is always a great way to spend a winter evening. It’s hard to go wrong with beer and fly fishing films and the chance to win F3T gear and swag from your favorite fly shops, including your 2016 Headline Sponsor – Wolf Creek Angler. We hope to see you there.

 

 

Most of the recent fishing traffic has been on Holter Lake

Most of the recent fishing traffic has been on Holter Lake

How’s the fishing you ask. We haven’t been out this week and really haven’t seen much traffic aside from the steady stream of traffic headed to Holter Lake. There are literally buckets of perch being caught and the ice is still in decent shape from what we’ve heard but that could definitely change over the next several days with the warming trend so please use caution if you’re heading out there. There is currently around 6″ of ice on the lake.

The few river reports we’ve heard have been less than stellar but it’s always worth your time. You never know when it’s going to turn on. Flows are currently holding right around 3800 and the water temp has bumped up to 35 degrees. Still on the cold side for sure but sometimes all it takes is a warm up of a degree or two to get those fish feeding. You won’t know if you don’t go.

 

 

We’ve got Streamers on the brain and we think it’s definitely worth your time to dedicate a couple of hours to throwing them but nypmhing is still going to be your best bet for catching fish. No real changes on that front. Pink stuff, Firebeads, soft hackle sows, Tailwater Sows, Zebra Midges….you know the routine. We would also suggest running some mayfly nymphs. Try a Little Green Machine, a Peep Show or an S & M and see what happens. Continue to focus on the slower, deeper water but don’t overlook the transitional water (a little faster, not quite as deep). The uptick in water temp will often times get the fish moving.

Expect an increase in dry-fly opportunities from here on out as the midges fire up. Check those side channels for rising fish and have your midge cluster of choice rigged and ready.

If you’re going to throw streamers we would suggest smaller/slender patterns. Kreelex, Clousers, Polar Leeches etc. but it never hurts to think outside the box and show them something they haven’t seen.

The shop is open at 8:00 am for all of your Missouri River winter Fly Fishing needs.

 

Thursday Missouri River Fishing Report

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Chewy with a fine Missouri River winter specimen

The river has been quiet this week despite spring-like temps in the high 40’s and low 50’s . There’s been a bit of wind to contend with but overall the weather has been very conducive to winter fishing.

Those who have been out have been reporting varying degrees of success on nymphs, streamers and even a bit of dry-fly action with the midges starting to get going. If winter dry-fly fishing is your game you can expect those opportunities to present themselves with more frequency and more consistency from here on out.

The flows are up to almost 3800 today which we’re definitely happy to see and with the water temperature having bumped to just shy of 35 degrees you might expect an uptick in the action as sometimes all it takes is a degree or two to flip the switch and get those fish eating.

If you follow the various Missouri River blogs year-round you know that there is a fair amount of space devoted to  fluctuations in flows and water temps as well as current weather and what’s in the forecast during the winter months. With the exception of midge activity there’s not much to say about bug life and while the nymph report may seem like a cut and paste job it really is a status quo fishery during the winter months so that list of effective flies simply doesn’t change a whole lot.

The streamer report can provide some variation but even the streamer guys tend to stick to a pattern for a long while once they find something that is working. I fished a brown polar leech for a month straight last winter and it worked most days. The winter fishing reports may be lacking in excitement but the winter fishing is not!

We love fishing this time of year, partly because of the solitude it affords, partly because it’s status quo nymphing but mostly because it can be really good on any given day. That being said, it can also be really slow but when it’s 45 degrees and sunny in January what else would you possibly want to be doing? You don’t have to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what it is they are eating, you just need to figure out where they’re at and hope they are hungry. Once you find fish willing to eat you can often times do very well working that same run over and over again. Mind you, I’m not talking about 40 fish days. I’m sure people have  them but we’re generally happy with a couple of hookups and if we boat a dozen or better it’s been an awesome day.

So…with that long-winded defense of regurgitative  winter blogging the winter nymphs you should STILL be using are Pink Amex, Rainbow Czechs, Casne’s Pinkalicious, Pink Lightning Bugs, any kind of firebeads  (particularly of the soft hackle sow variety) and if you’re feeling adventurous a tailwater sow, a rainbow warrior or the good old black zebra midge will all catch fish right now. With all that pink you can expect to catch your share of whitefish but there’s no shame in that. Full Disclosure – I do include whiteys in my fish counts, why wouldn’t you? I happened to put on a whitey clinic on Monday. It’s winter fishing on the Missouri!

The water you should STILL be fishing is the slow to semi-slow medium depth winter water. The last few times out the fish have been in a little bit faster water than what they had been but this changes from day to day. They are somewhere in those winter runs, work them until you find them.

Hot streamers have been the gold and silver Kreelex, Olive and Copper or Brown Polar leeches, and all kinds of Clouser variations. Fish the slender bugs SLOW and you should find some willing players. Don’t be afraid to try other streamers either. The ones we list are the ones we’ve been selling a bunch of and that we’ve heard have been effective but there are all kinds of streamers that will work. Fish the bugs you like, fish them with confidence and sooner or later you will be rewarded.

Buzzballs, Griffiths Gnats and Quigley’s Peacock Clusters are all good midge imitations. I like to rig any of them in tandem with a parachute Adams and have that rig at the ready just in case.

We’re going to close out the week with another 50+ degree day today, 40’s tomorrow and into the weekend and a return to somewhat more seasonable temps early next week in the low 30’s.

We’ve still got lodging available for the weekend but it will more than likely fill by tomorrow. Give us a call today and book your $99 room and $400 guide trip.

 

 

 

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