Great Falls Report 11.16.17
Missouri River, Montana
The cold-to mild winter yo-yo pattern has begun and we are currently holding at the top of the string. The daily temps are above freezing and while it’s not like summer, hardcore anglers with the proper gear are still getting after it. The yo-yo will drop soon, so don’t wait if you want another shot at late-fall conditions.
In central Montana, the Missouri River is the place to be right now. The swing game is on with great reports coming in from those working the Balanced Leech. Black is king, but brown and olive are also worth trying. Light MOW tips are perfect for dropping those leeches into the bite zone.
The water temp is still hovering above 40 degrees. I recently got a good shot at a bunch of happy heads munching mayflies. They were up and steadily eating from 1:30 to 3 p.m. I had a #14 purple ant tied on my 4-weight from my last October guide trip and, being in a hurry, I simply added a couple feet of 5X tippet to the ant and tied on a #20 BWO. On the first drift, a big rainbow blew up the ant. After that, it was primarily the BWO getting eats, but the ant still got some attention.
Streamer fishing from a boat has been pretty good. Hungry post-spawn browns blast the big articulated stuff, but streamers in the three-inch range get the most attention. Polar Minnows, Flash N’ Grabs, Flash Minnows and Complex Twist Buggers are all in the game. Black, gold/copper and white patterns are favorites, depending on lighting. Both rainbows and browns eat on a moderate jiggy retrieve.
Fish are beginning to stack up on shelves and drop-offs. Drifters fishing the entire river may find less action than wade anglers targeting the concentration zones. The best boat action comes by focusing on the deeper holding areas and ignoring shallow runs.
We’ve got lots of great flies for swinging and lots of trout-spey heads and tips. We’ve got the killer winter nymphs and the Simms hats, gloves and layers stocked and ready for cold-weather fishing. The fish are always eating, so you might as well layer up and keep after them.
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