The Case For Fall Fishing on Montana’s Missouri River

I’m looking forward to wearing waders again.

Don’t get me wrong; I love warm summer days and wading in with my flip flops or Rip Rap wading shoes just as much as the next guy. And, back in June I was way into it. But now the sandy, scratchy, muddy, pokey, prickly feelings that often accompany the wet wading process are getting old. My Gore-Tex is calling.

I don’t know about you, but fall has always been my favorite time for fly fishing. As summer closes and winter looms, every day becomes sacred. Here in Montana, the air will be clean and fresh after the summer smoke and haze is scrubbed away by fall rains. The light will change as the angle of the sun lowers and casts long shadows in the canyons. The water will pick up a golden cast from colored leaves.

In the heat of summer, you need to be out very early or very late to hit prime fishing. In the fall, you can generally find good fishing throughout the day. That’s because an interesting thing happens; as the water temps begin to drop, there is a window where the fish hit their metabolic peak. In fact, when the water measures between 58 degrees on down to the upper 40s, trout are in their happy zone. They have plenty of oxygen and they are strong and healthy and they want to eat. After a couple lazy months, they sense that the long, easy days are drawing to a close.

Check out what flies we have online right here.

Not only do the fish want to eat, but the days are getting shorter and the food supply is changing. The prolific summer hatches are gone. A modest hatch of BWO’s (blue-winged olives) garners major attention. A few October caddis mixed in can really light the fish up. Even after a couple frosts terrestrials, such as ants, hoppers and beetles, continue to draw interest. Streamer fishing can be explosive. Many Montanans will be chasing mammals and birds this fall and I think that’s awesome. But that also means that the Missouri River will be wide open most days. I will be out hunting for trout whenever I can.

If you’re feeling, like me, a bit tired of wet wading, now is the time to fix any pinholes or other issues with your waders. In another few weeks, it will be wader season—whether you’re looking forward to it or not—and you don’t want to wade in and feel the cold-water bleed. If you decide your waders are in disrepair and it’s time for a new pair, come in and check out our lineup—we are fully stocked with Simms and Patagonia waders that will keep you dry and warm this fall and through the winter season.

I’m also looking forward to the damp, drizzly days. I don’t mind wearing raingear and the Baetis mayflies prefer the drizzly, overcast weather. When its cold, those bugs stay on the water longer and the fish rise like crazy for them. You don’t want to race for the takeout just because the weather is wet and nasty. You want to stay on the water and take advantage of the last great hatches of the year. So, if you’re coming in for waders you should also check out our top end raingear from Loop, Simms and Patagonia. Geared up with the right waders and rain jacket, you’re basically impervious to the weather.

To stay completely warm during fall you have to dress appropriately, too. And that means you’ll need base layers. We have some great deals right now on some Simms’ merino wool options. We’ve also got some soft-shell and insulated pants from Simms and Patagonia that will keep you smiling and in comfort as the mercury and the water temps drop all the way down.

While this upcoming Baetis hatch is the ticket for dry fly action, you’ll definitely want to throw streamers, too. The big browns, especially, get pretty aggressive in their pre-spawn behavior.

How’s your streamer box looking? Galloup’s Dungeons, Cheech Leeches, Smoke N’ Mirrors, Bald Eagles, and many other favorites, are in our bins and waiting for deployment. Come get yours while they last.