Great Falls Fishing Report 12.15.17
Missouri River
If you have not been fishing this fall and early winter, you’ve missed out. It’s been really good out there. The extended forecast remains mild for the season, meaning you’ve still got some great opportunity waiting.
Trout Spey
Swing season is on. Trout spey fishing is about as enjoyable as it gets. We have lots of great swing patterns and few secret recipes for fly tiers. Stop in and we’ll be glad to show you these deadly favorites. We’ve got Simms Freestone Half Finger and Extreme Foldover Mitts on sale at 25 percent off and these will keep you in the game in cold temperatures and wind. Lots of great layers and socks in the house as well. Grab a Yeti Rambler Bottle to keep a hot drink or soup at hand when you venture forth on the MO. You’ll be glad you did.
Nymphs
Pink season has arrived. Once that water gets below 40 degrees, there is something about pink that Missouri River fish find appealing. I think it shocks them into waking up from their lethargy. Here are some top choices, to name a few: Pink Caviar Scud, Pink Ray’s, Pink Fire Bead Sow, Pink Poxyback Sow, Pink Soft Hackle Sow, Pink Crush, Mini Mo Czech, Rainbow Weight Fly, and Rainbow Czechs. Natural colored scuds, sows, midges and tiny, slender mayflies are also in play, as is the worm.
Streamers
Swing them and retrieve them slow and jiggy. Look for shelves, soft waters and gentle accelerations. Use the Montana Mini Intruder, Mini Dungeon, TFP Polar Minnow, BB Damsel Dragon Buggers, GB Buggers, OB Squirrel Leech, RL Thin Mints and the Balanced Leech any day.
Dries
I saw a few BWO’s out last week, but they are about to lay up for the winter. If you want to go dry, the midge is your hatch. Cluster midges in #14-#16 are a good bet. The venerable Griffiths is always a player. Size 20-24 Adult Midges and Para-Adams’ are good hatch-matchers. A pulsating emerger in the film should definitely be considered.
Fly Tying Season and Events
Our busy calendar of fly tying classes and events is underway. We’ve got a list of dates posted in the fly shop. If you follow our social channels, we will keep you tuned in. As always, the coffee and the conversation is perpetually on and we offer a nice safe space amid the holiday bustle.
Click here to see past Great Falls reports, or here to view all northwest regional reports.
Bonus Fishing Report: Olympic Peninsula (WA)
Forks area river levels are currently good to low, according to area resident and guide Matt McCullough. The primary hatchery steelhead returns in Forks are alive and well with the Bogachiel and Calawah rivers remaining the strongholds for these 3-to 9-pound fish. On the “Bogey” there is ample fly water (and ample anglers) starting from the “Hatchery Drift” down to the Leyendecker Boat Ramp and back up to the confluence with the Calawah.
In case you’re wondering, the famous Sol Duc broodstock hatchery program was shelved about four years back. So, for those interested in that historic Forks area river, you’ll have to target catch-and-release options on native steelhead season coming up in late winter and spring.
Right now, after a week or more of dry weather, the Bogey gauge reads 26.5 feet and is still dropping slowly. This translates to a flow reading of 515 cubic feet a second on the nearby Calawah. Conventional OP wisdom holds that a Bogey reading of 28 feet and down is optimal fishing for both gear and fly alike.
Currently, up to three hatchery steelhead may be retained on the Bogey and the Calawah. Fly colors that work on these hatchery fish are purples, blacks and pinks, or combinations thereof. Guide McCullough is a fan of tube flies, which allows blunted or broken hooks to be swapped out while fishing these bouldery, rugged streams. I personally have witnessed these fish scarfing #2 black Egg-Sucking Leeches, dead drifted under indicators, by fly bankies fishing from the high bank side.
For more info on fishing these streams, especially during the upcoming catch-and-release season, don’t hesitate to lookup McCullough at http://www.tyeecharters.net/olympic-peninsula-steelhead.html If you’d like advice on putting together a steelhead outfit for the OP, contact the staff at the Omak shop at 509-422-9840. We’d be glad to help.
Here’s wishing you some Christmas Chrome,
Steph Avena, North40 Fly Shop, Omak, Washington