Falling in Love – with a River
Ed Note: Today on the Headhunters Blog we have a guest writer. A good friend of ours Mark wrote this 5 years ago. A re-post today as I find this a good read. Thanks Mark! That day is today. Mark is…
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Thursday on the Mo
Thursday on the Mo A nice time of the year to be here! Today specifically. Overcast, moist, light winds, cool. Perfect. A few swing trips out there along with the streamer strippers and an occasional dry fly angler. It is…
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November Missouri River Fly Fishing Forecast
November Missouri River Fly Fishing Forecast We are looking forward to the month ahead. November is great fishing. One of the best parts of the month include the lack of anglers around. Another highlight is the fish that like to…
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Headhunters THANKS! Mo River Eats Missouri River Lunches
Headhunters THANKS! Mo River Eats Missouri River Lunches Kelli has been doing a great job for us here at Headhunters for several years! And sadly now the peak summer season is coming to an end. And Kelli’s lunches are going…
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Silly Sunday Scenery
Cold and snowy here @ Montana’s Missouri River. Although we have seen several anglers out there. Bearing it. Grinning? Pretty good out there. Kinda got the place to yourself. Put in late. Stay out til you are cold. Smile.
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Thanks Izaak’s! Izaak’s Closing Tonight October 28th for the Season!
Thanks Izaak’s! Izaak’s Closing Tonight October 28th for the Season! A sad day in our Craig Life today as Izaak’s last night for 2023 is tonight October 28th. We thank Chef John and his staff for the great year. The…
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Late October November Missouri River Fishing Planner
Late October November Missouri River Fishing Planner Good times here on the Mo. Calm this week and last. Calm most of the month. Cold all week long, this week past, including snow and vacant waters. That is the type of…
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Friday Foto
Fall colors in full effect. But, leaving as the snow fell the past couple days. Heavy, decomposing leaves, falling to the ground. Streamer fishing? Getting closer to full throttle. Dry fly fishing? Pretty sweet the past week. True BWO’s showing.…
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In The Life of a Headhunter
The daily routine of a Headhunter might just go like this… Wake. Look outside to verify cloud cover. If sunny, sleep for as long as you want. If not, rollover and sleep until 10am. 10am. Get out of bed. Make…
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Missouri River Montana Snow Ahead
Throwback image today on theHeadhunters Fly Shop Blog. May have been the 3rd year open. 2010 image? Highs in the 20’s later this week. Lows in the single digits. Lots of snow forecast as well. 10″-20″? BWO weather? Swing weather?…
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Finish Up, Start Down.
Finish Up, Start Down. A repeat of this article from about 1 year ago. I was out all week guiding and watching anglers cast as they passed. 9 of 10 casters fail at this vital portion of the cast. The…
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Ahhh, Fall Weather.
Ahhh, Fall Weather. We like this forecast. How about you? Should keep the fair-weather anglers off the water. Shop open daily. Guides available. Lodging too. Mo River Booking Hotline 406-235-3447 ext. 1 Mo River 4 minute Voice Fishing Report 406-235-3447…
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Silly Sunday Scenery Canyon Image
Silly Sunday Scenery Canyon Image Awful pretty this time of year. Enjoy your Sunday. We will be fishing, and watching football. How about you?
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Water Levels Return to Seasonal Norms
Water Levels Return to Seasonal Norms 4100 cfs. Normal for this period. We like it. Snow on the way. Enjoy your weekend. Wrap up the outdoor stuff here locally. Get out your wool socks and long johns. See you stalking…
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Trout Spey on the Missouri River
Trout Spey on the Missouri River Swinging daily here fishing Montana’s Missouri River. Good success swinging soft hackles for the BWO feeding fish. Good success with the leech and smaller buggers this week. Next week? Success with floaters and intermediate…
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Good Dry Fly even in the SUN!
Good Dry Fly even in the SUN! We hope for more overcast days here this October and November. But some days it is just, sunny. While those days are memorable of the low angler sun, stunning fall vistas, and warm…
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Just Add Vise Mozuri Minnow
This fly kicks ass. John created this pattern for the Mighty Mozurri. Check it out on this lovely Hump Day morning. We have Just Add Vise Tying Kits here, including the Mozuri Minnow. Mozuri Minnow from Headhunters Fly Shop on…
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World Series Missouri River Style
I am personally pulling for the National League team, the Phillies. I hate the Astros, cheaters, and dislike the Rangers. Both in the same division as the Mariners. Arizona is kinda boring, so the Phillies with the characters on that…
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How to catch those damn Pseudo eating fish!
How to catch those damn Pseudo eating fish! Pseudocloeon will drive you nuts. So many bugs on the water and not many fish eating them. Sunny skies and emerging, bulging, fish ignoring your fly as it passes over them 25…
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Sunday Mo River Foreshadowing
Sunday Mo River Foreshadowing Sooner than later. Not yet. BWO’s have been reported here locally. Not what we have seen out there at all. Lots of the baby BWO’s, no longer in the Baetis family, but the smaller cousin. BWO’s,…
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Silly Saturday Scenery
Good colors this week.The length of this fall is forecast to be lengthly. Yep, the colors will stay around for a while. Uncommon. Generally we get a hard freeze when the colors begin to shine, and the leaves die, then…
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3 Guide Tips for Fall Missouri River Success
Do you ever fall into a rut? Fish the same water every trip. Fish it because you had success some time ago, some trip where you caught a bunch of beauties? Then, it just has no t been the same?…
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Trout. A glimpse…
All we get is a glimpse of the elusive trout. We only get glimpses. Mere Glimpses. If you break down the time we tie flies, we plan trips, we talk about trout angling around the water cooler, the leader tying,…
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Fly Line Cleaner. Important!
Fly Line Cleaner. Important! The most important thing you can do for your cast today, that will make immediate impact, is to clean your fly line. Lots of products out there that are terrific. The easiest, effective, and inexpensive offering…
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Monday Fishing Report straight outta HHFS
Monday Fishing Report straight outta HHFS Looking good for the middle of the week in the fishy weather category. The next few days could be jewels. A couple of the days in each of the last couple weeks have provided…
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Water Projections for Montana’s Missouri River near Craig
Water Projections for Montana’s Missouri River near Craig Pretty standard. Although yesterday there was a move lower. Will it stay for long? According to the dam operators the drop is to maintain some equipment, and should be back up for…
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Saturday October Caddis Image
Saturday October Caddis Image Love these big bugs. The largest caddis of the season! Got a few in the past week with one of these orange skaters hanging off the line! Enjoy. Fall is here. The fishing is strong. The…
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Friday Foto of Fall
Friday Foto of Fall Tail. Enjoy your Friday. Hope to see you this fall knee deep!
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Thursday Fishing Report Montana’s Missouri River
Thursday Fishing Report Montana’s Missouri River Flows headed to 3300cfs Saturday am. Currently 3990cfs. Water temps crashing and below 58F, currently. Nymphing very good. Variations of BWO nymphs, midge nymphs, bugger nymphs. Many already short, with the water dropping, most…
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Missouri River October Fishing Forecast 2023
Missouri River October Fishing Forecast 2023 Bring on the cloudy, wet, and fall weather that we just love in October. Let’s not wait until November. We do want it in November as well but the October time frame will suit…
Read More Headhunter Fly Line Review
Published a few years ago. Reposting today as we head into the fall session here on Montana’s Missouri River near Craig. The Headhunter Fly Line continues to sell extremely well. Better than we would have speculated when it debuted and…
Read More Cowgirl in the Sand Neil Young Farm Aid 2000
Cowgirl in the Sand Neil Young Farm Aid 2000 Love this jam. Love Neil Young. Saturday. Final Day of September. Enjoy the overcast skies and rain on the way. Looks like the water temperatures are falling accordingly for the season.…
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Friday Foto End of September Image
Friday Foto End of September Image Good looking month will pass us by when we blink this weekend. A better looking, certainly fishing, month as we happily skip into October. Definitely a slower pace as the seasons change which allows…
Read More Autumn Leaves, again
Autumn Leaves, again Posted several, maybe 4 or 5 versions of this killer jazz standard on this very blog. This year, Bill Evans, plays Autumn Leaves. If you like jazz, and standards at that, then it would behove you to…
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Sparrow Fly Tying Video Just Add Vise
Sparrow Fly Tying Video Just Add Vise This pattern, the Sparrow, is a big player in the fall and winter here on the Mo. A true classic as Jack Gartside was the first one to come up with this pattern.…
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September Morn-ing
September Morn-ing Finishing up the month. September. Headed into one of our favorite months, October. But before we leave this preliminary fall month let’s talk a bit about the nymph bite. Deep vs. Shallow Many beginning the day fishing deep.…
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Silly Sunday Scenery
Silly Sunday Scenery Sunday. Football. Fall. Stalking trout. Swinging up a few. Deep breathing. Silence. Hope.
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Autumnal Equinox, Fishing Report, and the love of Rain!
Autumnal Equinox, Fishing Report, and the love of Rain! Fall has arrived. Yesterday we received about a half inch and today more, even more rain. Thursday a high of 48F and rain.Today more of the same. Highs and lows are…
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The 10 Most Important Missouri River Flies for Fall
The 10 Most Important Missouri River Flies for Fall Checking out the fly boxes for the fall season in Craig. Removing the PMD boxes, alas, the caddis boxes although we still have that autumn tan caddis size 14-16 and the…
Read More A few words today about life, moving forward, and fishing?
A few words today about life, moving forward, and fishing? Enjoyed this piece. Sent to me by a reader of this blog. I thought it was great. We all need encouragement, success, and the ability to get up every day…
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Hello Monday Tips for Missouri River Love this week
Hello Monday: Tips for Missouri River Love this week Start a bit later if you like the dry fly action. No need to be first boat out. Fewer dry fly anglers means a lazy appropriate start time. Fish the large…
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Missouri River Sunday Fishing Report 9.17.23
Missouri River Sunday Fishing Report 9.17.23 Water flows currently 4960 cfs. Water temps currently 63F. All good here on the Mo. Weeds not terrible. average is about where the feel this level is. Some insides nice and clean. Cleaner nearer…
Read More RIO Compostable Spool
RIO Compostable Spool Hey now. Compostable Spool. RIO Products Idaho Falls, Idaho. Happy Friday. Cooler weather. Autumn, in full swing. Love it! Swingers getting out there finding some jewels. Stop in for the best in Swing Gear. We got it!…
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Friday Foto Fall Foreshadowing
Friday Foto Fall Foreshadowing This image from the Blackfoot River. Bobby Clark after catching couple Cutthroat on a Chubby Chernobyl. The Blackfoot is about over as we move into cooler weather on the westside. But it is just heating up…
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Weekly Hatch Schedule for Mid-September
Things, meaning the bite, are looking up thisMid-September and partly due to the number of bugs around. Funny huh? Still some damn good Trico fishing in some areas. A good spinner fall can bring the fish up top. Many have…
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Missouri River Montana Flows for the month, year
Missouri River Montana Flows for the month, year Average. We like average. Trout like average.
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Morning Sunrise in Craig
Morning Sunrise in Craig Have a great Saturday. Many are out wing shooting, spotting elk, and sneaking around in the highlands. Other are here, fishing. Flows are normal. Temps are normal. The bite, is normal. It’s peaceful ’round here starting…
Read More Summer in Craiglandia
Keenan Morrison Headhunters Fly Shop 26, August 2023 Summer In Craiglandia In the beginning, starting work @ Headhunters Fly Shop I was pretty nervous. I knew I was going to be surrounded by people who have a much greater knowledge…
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Dam Nice Rainbow Image!
Dam Nice Rainbow Image! Rainbow arch above. Dam in the middle. Rainbow trout below. Image provided by Kevin Cumley. Thanks Kevin. Stunning shot.
Read More Just Add Vise Kit Frenchie w/ Video
Just Add Vise Kit Frenchie w/ Video Still selling boatloads of Frenchie fly patterns this Autumn. Zebra’s, Frenchie, and Little Green Machines. May be all you need for a great nymphing day all season long! Love this fly. We love…
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Remembering Labor Day 2000
Remembering Labor Day 2000 Snowing 23 years ago this weekend. Today. I was producing flies, streamers, at my tying desk Wolf Creek Montana. Drinking Bailey’s and Coffee, just like this morning, and watching the oversized flakes fall heavily to the…
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Missouri River September Fly Fishing Facts
Early September and all is good here on Montana’s Missouri River. Water temps are good, the bite is good and getting better through one of our favorite months on the Mo. The days are shorter and the nights are cooler.…
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Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 9.3.23
Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 9.3.23 Fishing well the first week of September on Montana’s Missouri River. A grade? How about a B. A bit above average as we come out of the two hottest months, air temps, of the…
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Famous Mo River Shot
Famous Mo River Shot We like this one. Shot several years ago on magical September morning. No filter. As is baby. Happy Holiday Weekend.
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Silly Saturday Scenery Eagle Shot
Silly Saturday Scenery Eagle Shot This fella in the sun flaring. Have a safe weekend! Fishing is quite good. Floaters abound as well. Crowds end Monday with cooler weather. Streamer fishing Monday?
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