This time of year it feels like Hump Day for a month. Well, not quite a month, but this summer doldrums bullshit slides by at a turtle’s pace.

September is the best nymphing month of the year, but even that month seems too far away, well beyond an arms reach. Or a long cast for that matter.

SOL’s Casting Brain Teaser of the Day: A lever, primarily a 9″ graphite lever, does it’s best work if you choose to move it slowly, in a linear direction followed by a positive stop.

Like your hand hitting a brick wall. A positive stop.

That’s solid advice, unchanging…Why do we, as men, continually try to fool physics on a daily basis? Physics is a pure science. Physical properties never change. I believe that is so, but you would never get me confused with a smart person, so…

Levers do not work well if they are moved rapidly over very short distances…like inches, sometimes centimeters. This is absolute.

Are you sensing a Squeeky Oar Lock absolute truths classic rant? Boy, I am.

The fly rod, a lever, is the only tool we have when flyfishing. Agree? I believe we all can agree on this simple fact. Imagine what you can do with that crowbar, which is a lever,  in your garage. Think how effective that tool is as compared to the claw on your hammer when pulling a particularly difficult nail out. The longer lever always prevails. One, meaning you, does not have to move that crowbar very quickly to achieve success. Correct? Steady as she goes. Now, let’s imagine, if only for a minute, that your wrist is the hammer and your fly rod is the crow bar. Following closely? OK. So, when fly fishing, which is all of our passions…and using a fly rod….the most effective, efficient, successful, well trained & practiced anglers move the fly rod slowly and in  a linear directions.

Small rod tip movements produce small results. Large rod tip movements produce large results.

Remember: The fly line has to follow the path the rod tip follows, because the fly line is attached to the fly rod. We never push limp fly line (although we try daily, over, and over, and over)…but, we can do quite well when we pull fly line through the air…with our 9′ over priced lever. It is very difficult, almost impossible to change the laws of physics…that’s my personal belief. I’m just sayin…

Short, erratic, convex or concave rod tip movements are not now, nor will ever be an effective, efficient manner to wave the magic wand…

Check out this article in the NY Times. It real, the Aquatic Nuisance Species stuff. Honest.

Trico's hatch on the Mo

Ephemeroptera Tricorythodes allectus 0r minutus | White winged black or commonly known as the Trico

Lots of these damn little bugs around the Missouri this month, and for that matter next month too. The fish really used to enjoy themselves indulging on this tasty morsel in the surface film, pods of them, the fish that is. But, alas, no more.

The last line makes me sound like a romance writer…Alas…cheesy shit for a Monday. Standard.

I used to tell clients when asked if they bite…

“Well yes, and don’t let them swarm about your head and face, my last client was inundated by them and we had to whisk her off to the hospital for a poison control,blood transfusions, and the like…”

I also used to attempt to put the fear of god in them by explaining it was either my first day guiding, or that I had a pretty good idea of where the put in was, but wasn’t really clear on how to find the take out. Can you imagine how long a new guide has to lie about his length of employment? It is truly terrifying those first few days on the water, with folks you do not know, who you a trying to do right by…scary shit. You may say, and why would that fishy lad tell a fib? Well, it’s pretty hard to instill confidence in your guests if you are heading into uncharted waters…literally.

A good scene at the Craig Bridge in August

Trico’s are an insect that do not appeal to all fishermen. It is so small, the fish are finicky whilst sipping them, and most of them will eat a caddis anyway. But for the Hatch Matchers, there is no finer quarry than the Trico fishing and all that it entails. As I mentioned above, and for those of you who were so very fortunate blessed mofo’s to enjoy the deceadent fishing of the 80’s, 90’s. and til 2001ish…then the fish boycotted pod feeding behaviors on the oil slicks of Trico spinners. You could set your watch by…

Trico’s are multibrooded meaning several generations will hatch during the year. They last about 2 months. The black male hatches at dusk and well into the darkness while the olive female comes off in the morning. They meet in mating swarms that appear to us the angler along the shorleline in columns reaching 50 feet in height. Big giant mating orgy. Then the females oviposite over the water and the both of them spin towards the water and the fish eat them. Or used to.

I’m not stating that our fish do not eat them anymore, because they do indeed eat Trico’s daily. Larval, pupal, emergent, dun, and finally the spinner. Then why are they so hard to catch when they are keying in on this impossible insect? Hell, I don’t know. I’ve never been able to communicate with those damn hard of hearing trout. Even shouted expletives do not seem to awaken them?

Bins of Trico flies at Headhunters

If you still wish to fish this hatch, as I do, as most of us…the hardheaded trout fisher dudes do…come out to the Missouri in the coming month. They will be here, in droves. The best day to catch these fellas when the fish become fond of the topwater bite…is…an overcast warm, calm, no pressure day. It is game on. Maybe this above average water will bring back the surface rise? Who knows, Mother Nature will certainly dictate the future. She nearly always does. If the last bigger water years are any sort of indication, and I think it may be, our fish will once again gorge themselves on this tiny tasty bug.I had a fellow once ask, “Why would such a large trout eat such a minute insect?”

I answered back, “How many sunflower seeds, M & M’s, pieces of popcorn… can you eat during a sitting? Countless…

Steve (we’re protecting his identity because he called from work) from Boise, Id, was the first to call and identify the Cedar Waxwing in Mark’s photo.  Right on his butt were several other callers guessing either a Cedar or Bohemian Waxwing.  Congratulations Steve.  We’re sending out a free double sided waterproof fly box with the Headhunters logo.  I might have even thrown in a few flies.  Congratulations Steve!  Keep watching the blog.  One caller even said, “cool, I learned something”.  Mark loves to take pictures of crappy little birds…

A Golden Eagle checking out the great fishing on the Mo

Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos Found this fellow hanging out near Holter Dam. Waiting, looking, hungry? I love it when they attack Osprey and make them drop their quarry. They generally pick the fish out of the air before it hits the ground. Such a sight. Golden’s are easy to identify in flight, as they fly with wings at an upward angle. Bald’s fly with flat wings.

Great dry fly fishers do the same. Not attacking the Osprey…but engage themselves in observation. Those who wait and understand their quarry can do quite well.

Common Red Winged Blackbird on the Infamous Trout Stream | Missouri River

Red-Winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus The male is colored, the female is not. Bummer. Can’t win ‘em all. We hear this bird yelling at us daily. There are a ton of these guys, and gals around the Missouri. Probably in your neighborhood too. Most commonly found in marshes, ditches, and fields. No wonder we see them often.

The ubiquitous Pelican

American White Pelican | Pelecanus erythrrohynchos These guys are everywhere. Do they eat trout? I guess not as many as one would think. Their primary diet is whitefish, carp, and other smaller fish. It’s true, I asked the Missouri River Biologist. relly.

Many folks would like to shoot these white winged Spruce Goose’s, not me. Something like that, they are pretty.

Do not see these often | American Avocet

American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana Super cool to see these birds on the Missouri. We very rarely do. And never this many. The photo is cropped, as there were about 20 of them on this shoreline below Craig.

Lots of these guys nesting and having babies

Canada Goose | Branta canadensis Geese are every where on this resource. Lots of them nesting on the tail-outs of islands. They shit every where too. Much rather have them here than on the golf courses. I’m sure you would too.

Bert executes flawless reach casts...he practices

This was written by Andrew a couple years ago and lost in my computer until last night and un-earthed. Here it is in all its glory. A well written spot about the reach cast and it’s importance here on the Mo. If you do not know the cast, or want to improve, come see Andrew, or any one of us,  at the store and we will be happy to help. Impromptu casting happens daily at Headhunters. The information and fly fishing fun center of Craig Montana.

Dry fly fishing is considered by many to be the toughest and most enjoyable way to catch trout. The Missouri River is considered a technical dry fly fishery.  Because of the overwhelming availability of food, the Missouri’s trout simply aren’t going to be consistently fooled by sloppy casts and faulty presentations like the trout on so many other rivers.  While being a world class caster and master of entomology won’t hurt, understanding a few basic principles of the cast and drift required to fool our fish will help the average, intermediate fisherman gain confidence in his or her ability to take fish on top.

Don’t give trout too much credit. Now don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for Mother Nature and all her children, but trout aren’t that smart. While there are rare days where the fish are extra spooky and seem to be more difficult to catch; it’s not a matter of intelligence.  More likely than not, its fishing pressure, the angle of light related to the fisherman’s position on the water, or some other variable not taken into consideration by the fisher.  Try thinking about a trout’s behavior in three different ways; confident (in their safety and ability to actively feed), weary (catchable but cautious), and threatened (not catchable).Trout act instinctively to survive, and almost all of the things that threaten an adult trout come from above the water.  It’s the goal of the successful dry fly fisher to keep trout confidently feeding and eliminate anything that may cause a trout to become weary or feel threatened.

Learning to keep a low profile when casting is imperative. Knowing when to stay seated in a boat or to crouch down on shore can make all the difference.  Monitoring one’s shadows is also very important.  The shadow from the boat, fisherman, rod, and line all have to be considered.  Many of the rising fish on the Missouri are in skinny water.  Sometimes, all it takes is one spooked fish to alert the whole pod of risers of impending danger.  Practicing proper approach and learning to keep shadows away from fish will increase the amount of eats an angler gets on top. Once an angler understands what he or she can do to keep the fish confident and feeding, they are on their way to successful dry fly fishing.

John Dietsch, host of Adventure Guides, learning the Reach Cast

As a fly shop employee, I’m constantly asked about what flies are working.  Many people are taken aback when shown a whole pile of flies that will get the job done. Well ok, here’s the secret. That perfect fly, the magic one that always gets it done, the fly that, on the Missouri,  day in and day out, fools the most selective of fish: it’s the fly that is on the action end of a well placed, properly executed reach cast,  and is visible to the angler.  So much time and money is wasted by anglers who feel that either they have the wrong fly or they need to downsize their tippet because the fish won’t eat.  Presentation is the absolute be all and end all of successful dry fly fish on the Missouri.  Becoming accurate with a reach cast makes fly selection much less imperative, and 5x tippet is all one ever needs.

The goal of the reach casts is simple. Properly executed, it lays the angler’s line out up-current from the fly and fish.  The cast ensures that when a presentation drifts over a fish, it drifts fly first. When an angler’s cast lays out perpendicular to the bank, up current from a fish, invariably, the line gets taken by the current ahead of the fly. First, this causes drag, creating an unrealistic drift. Second, it gives the fish the opportunity to see the line or tippet before it decides to eat the fly.  Most anglers unfamiliar with a reach cast would throw in a mend to get the line up-current. This hacks up the water, takes the fly out of position, sinks the fly in many cases, causes the angler to cast too far upriver and too far off target to be consistent, and is just an inefficient way of dry fly fishing. Throwing a reach cast causes the line to land pre- mended, up current from the fly.  This means the angler can make an accurate cast and go right in to a clean, fly first drift. Throwing a reach cast is pretty simple with practice. Let’s assume the angler is right handed, in the front of a drift boat with the anchor down, casting at rising fish on the left bank.  Let’s also assume the angler has assessed the situation and is now prepared to make their first cast. As the line is traveling forward, after the angler has stopped the rod in front of him or her and before the line lays out, simply drop the rod tip left and down, finishing with the rod pointing upriver and almost parallel with the boat.  When fishing the right bank, simply drop the rod tip right and down.  This will finish the cast with the line landing upriver from the fly and set the angler up for the best opportunity to make a clean drift. With a little practice, this cast is deadly on rising fish.

Dan loves a reach cast...

Once the cast hits the water, the angler needs to be ready to feed out line to maintain a drag free drift.  If the fly line becomes tight and the fly swings or skidders even a little bit, it’s most likely over.  The angler needs to have untangled line, already peeled off the reel, ready to be sent onto the water.  At first, this can be a lot trickier than it sounds.  Making sure the fly doesn’t move as line is sent out is crucial.  With practice, it’s easy enough to get the hang of.

Dry fly fishing does not need to be overly complicated or intimidating.  When an angler can approach fish properly, make an accurate reach cast, and is prepared to feed line and maintain a proper drift, they are well equipped to catch wild, rising trout on the Missouri River.  There are countless flies out there that catch fish. Understanding the fundamentals is much more important than finding the perfect fly.

Dallas, a Canadian, executes reach cast and sending line...

Thanks Andrew, we all need to work on this cast. More lessons, more practice, or just more fishing. It all works.