Missouri River Report 10.7.16
Bugs are hatching and fish are up, so the dry fly guys are happy. Nymphing is strong, so anglers who want numbers of fish can get them. Streamer fishing is good, so if you get a charge out of the tug, you can get charged up.
Water temps are currently in the peak zone of trout happiness. Lowering temps will eventually slow things down a bit, but we should see great fishing opportunities for several weeks.
Want to know how the river is doing? Check out the current river flows here
On the dry fly side, there have been some epic hatch days in the lousy weather of late. The lower river is showing more of the larger BWO’s while the upper is seeing more of the tiny little pseudos. Some caddis are also about including a few of the big Octobers.
Lots of nymphs are working, but it’s hard to beat the venerable zebra midge. Unless you fish the version we call the Tuffted Zebra. It’s got CDC tufts for the wing and the tail. The tufts seem to add a bit of attraction that fish respond well to. Zebras generally work best in the morning, but sometimes continue to produce all day. Tailwater Sows, Caddis Pupa and Bloom’s Purple Weight flies make good top fly choices.
Of course all the little mayflies are working well. Five different people will come in and tell me a different fly is the ticket. Find a couple you like and get after it.
Want to try out some new flies? Check out our fly selection here
The streamer game is wide open. Smaller flies will get more eats, but sometimes the bigger ones will move the fish you really want to move. Variety if often the key. Change flies, change retrieves, change your target zones and find the players.
We’ve sold a number of spey rods, Skagit Lines, Scandi Lines, Commando Heads, MO Tips and Poly Leaders this week. Some are going off to B.C. for steelhead, but many are headed right out to the Missouri River. We’ve got some pretty awesome trout spey opportunities in our back yard. We’ve also got a selection of 3, 4 and 5 weight trout spey sticks to get your Montana swing game in gear.
Need some extra fly equipment? Gear up for your next trip here
The highlight of my week was sticking a carp in the middle of a trout spey session. I was swinging for trout when I spotted a carp working a shallow flat. I tied a crayfish pattern to my 12’ leader and overhead cast the 11’ rod. A bit awkward, but it worked. That carp may not have looked like a steelhead, but the speed of the runs and the amount of backing I saw made it feel like one. I like to take advantage of opportunities.
The opportunities for great fishing right now are boundless. The Mo is excellent. All the prime rivers in western Montana are excellent. The area streams are excellent. The lakes and ponds are excellent. You should probably go hunting.