Great Falls, Montana Fishing Report 08.15.19
Current Conditions
Missouri River below Holter Dam - We’ve had some water fluctuations from thunderstorm activity and as of this report, we are above 5K again. Water temperatures remain favorable and the fish are healthy and really strong. The increased flows have temporarily disrupted some of the dry fly activity, but nymphing has been excellent.
We expect solid dry fly opportunities to unfold over the next month with tricos, pseudos, ants, beetles, hoppers and general fun attractor flies all bringing fish to the top. Weeds are not a big problem as they often are in August. Traffic on the river is light and the fishing conditions are great.
Creeks and Smaller Rivers - Sporadic rains and cool nights have kept the majority of the smaller streams flowing and fishing well this summer. We expect that trend to continue. We don’t see any excessive heat in the next ten days. Take advantage of this excellent window!
Ponds and Reservoirs - If you have a favorite stillwater that you know holds large trout, now is the time to twitch them up on hoppers. Lots of hopers are skipping about in the grasses. Some end up on the water. The fish are starting to look for them.
Warm Water - August is my favorite month for warm water variety. Carp, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, and drum are my target species. Anything that looks like a crayfish will take all of them. The orange solitude jawbreaker is a good place to start.
Match the Hatch
The trico and hopper bins have been seeing the most traffic lately. Fish tricos in the morning and hoppers through the middle of the day.
Need to fill the box before you go? Order flies online here.
Tips & Techniques
In August, fishing early in the morning is often the best part of the day. Fish are going to be up on tricos or willing to eat other floating snacks. Just make sure you are using the low morning light to your advantage. Don’t choose a run where the light is in your face and the glare makes it impossible to see your flies.
Did you know...
Have you heard about The Fly Project? If you shop in our fly shops, you may have noted some fly patterns with the TFP tag in the bin. They have become our top selling flies. Beyond offering some great fly patterns for years now, the project has been quietly working on fly reels and fly rods. We had a small run of reels that sold out quickly, but otherwise, you probably have not heard much. The Project is about to get noisy. Check out The Fly Project website and stay tuned. You can also follow The Fly Project on Instagram @flyprojectusa and see Project in the Wild videos on YouTube.
See past reports from the Great Falls region here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.