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.

Acres of Midges hatching daily on the Missouri according to Headhunters Fly Shop

Yes, literally acres, large vast expanses of midges hatching today. This photo above taken on the edge of the Craig Bar today @ 345pm. The air is calm, no wind. A real surprise for us here in lonely Craig Montana. It has been blowin’ too hard for the last week plus. A nice respite does not go un-noticed by the humans…and certainly not our trout. They truly rise to the occasion!

Wow...check out the sheer number of Midge Shucks. Crazy Wild!

This picture displays an incredible amount of Midge Shcucks. Check that shit out. The bank is lined for miles like this. River wide, bank to bank, for 35 miles. Very nice. Nobody here today, the fish are experiencing little pressure. Cuda, The Giant, and dogs are fishing bridge to bridge, alone. Skidmore, a HH guide,  and a couple other yahoo’s from west of the Rockies are fishing somewhere below Craig…and have called in an up-to-the-minute fishing report…Skawla’s, BWO’s, and Midges choking the skies…not a soul around and sipping fish by the miles. Did he say BWO’s? Yes, he did. I will confirm this evening and get back to you folks tomorrw. They are angling below Mtn. Palace towards Pelican and the water is a little warmer downstream.

Andrew is out on a Headhunters dry fly afternoon. He could not stand it any longer, and begged for a hall pass. I walked to the Craig Bridge, saw the flat lit up like a Xmas tree, and sent him out the door with midges in hand. Cannot keep a good employee in the shop with such kick-ass fishing. Cannot lose sight of why we are involved the fly fishing biz.

A slippery slope awaits those who forget about the magic of fishing. Don’t let this happen to you…that’s an ugly thought!

Scumliner, J the B, and Adair are on a short family fly fishing excursion away from Craig for the week, or a part of it. They too recognize the positive effects of fishing, with the family no less…I would guess there will be some video. If not, Adair was too busy hangin’ ‘em for John to have the net as his primary tool, not the camera. Julie will most likely be stalking the banks for that wily Brown Trout with her new 5wt TCX. Adair is lined up with the best kids rod on the market, the ECHO Gecko. John just re-lined it for the ultimate performance Adair demands!

A few suggestions for Top Water Midging

We love to catch fish on top. It is the Headhunters Mantra. Always the first choice is to attack the trout on top. The photo above represents 4 flies that should compliment your fly box this spring.

• Great flies for a midge afternoon include the Griff. Gnat. The top fly is a pattern that takes it up a notch. The  #14 Cluster Midge by Solitude flies is rock solid. 2 parachutes wrapped with Gizzley Hackle for ease of sight, clear swiss straw wings flank the specimen, and the peacock herl does what it has for generations. A couple Micro-Fibbetts complete the package. This fly flat out works!
• Next is the #18 Snowshoe Midge Cluster tied by Umpqua. We brought this little killer in last year and it has gained momentum ever since. Originally a guide choice, the rest of us found it to be very visible in both bright sunny conditions, as well as show up equally great in the glare! The trout adore this gem. We cannot keep these in the bin too long. They leave in 3′, 6’s, and dozens. I see why. Good generic pattern for many small fly situations.
• Eisenhower’s favorite fly, the #18 H & L Variant, is one of our favorite’s too. Works well for Midge, small mayfly like the Trico, or just a solid pattern to be used as a second fly in a double dry rig. Not as flashy as some of the new flies available today, but a perennial favorite for those who keep tradition close to their heart.
• Finally the #18 Hi-Vis Parachute Adams rounds out this mini-selection. How can you beat this pattern. Easy to see, fish love it, and covers many bases. Need I say more? No.

Midge Nymphs that work...cool too.

I love to trail a tiny midge nymph off the back of a dry fly. Whether it be fishing for a specific fish or just blind casting my way down the river, it seems to make a lots of sense. Some big fella just might need a snack.

• The top fly is a #20 Midge Modger. A black glass bead, peacock, a white tuft for the external lungs, and small. Just right. One of our top selling midge flies year after year. It must work, people come in and ask for it by name.
• Below the Modger is a new pattern this year for Headhunters. A #20 Quigley’s Tung Bead Drowned Midge. That’s a mouthful…for the fish too. The tungsten bead gets that fly into the trout face pronto! Flashy stuff aids in the appeal along with the wide hook gap too.
• Moving clockwise, the next fly that rules is a #20 Chessemen Emerger. 3rd year for this fly in the bin. It too is a proven pattern. Made for the Colorado streams and rivers, the Missouri maintains  strong midge production throughout the year which allows this fly to catch fish daily. Great fly for midging at the Dam, dropped off of a Baetis Bug, or a big fluffy Caddis.
• The clear glass bead that the #20 Mercury Black Beauty Flashback is integral to the success of this fly. We love flash, beads, and small profiles when fishing the Missouri. There is nothing wrong with a black thread fly, but why not step it up while fishing. Work is boring, fly fishing should not parallel the rest of our lives.
• Finally a #20 Black Zebra Midge. The most consistent midge fly ever? Well, maybe. It sure gets fished a lot. And for good reason. It produces on the Missouri from the Dam to Cascade, and virtually every stream in the world. If you don’t have a decent selection of these…well, I don’t know what to say.

The Midge fishing can be off the charts when the weather is right. You all know what that weather is. We dream of it nightly and look forward to the days when it occurs. Give us a ring at Headhunters Fly Shop for informative and accurate fishing reports. Or just to BS. Thanks, and we’ll be seeing you here on the Mo.

SOL's Scud Box

Is it time to work on building your Scud Box? When fishing the Missouri River nearly any time of the year, any season, any time…do not mis-place your scud box. 

A good scud box takes time to create. You cannot just go on-line and order yourself up one. I’m sure you could, but without real world trials and tribulations…what is it really worth. Does it carry weight…I mean is it heavy? Bad double entendre. A genuine kick-ass box takes time to develop. When building, err on the obscene side when talking about quantity. Yes, more is better. They do not last forever…and the fish do love them. That combination leads us down the path of ever dwindling supplies. Keep it stocked. That is a  rule. 

If you want to play with the big boys, you may want to arm yourself with two of these stuffed boxes. One of the reasons to carry so many patterns, flies, colors, hook types…is the overwhelming number of too cool fly boxes on the market today. I have been locked into the C & F Designs boxes of all types for the last several years. The sheer number of knock-offs available today will surprise even the most current of gear junkies. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry outfit offers the now blasé Micro-Slit style boxes in amy configurations as there are stars in the sky. I secretly love it. I like fly boxes! 

Organized fly boxes get me real excited. Organized and filled…double the pleasure. 

Pretty in Pink

 How you fill your Scud Box is your perogative. Completely subjective to your angling style, local waters, and anal personality traits. Mine must be itemized according to color, size, popularity, oft and not oft used…Fly boxes are as individual as the user. That is one of the many reasons looking through other boxes is so entertaining; and telling!? 

My cuurent version, let’s call it 3.0, certainly contains a much narrower selection than the previous 2. This time it is mostly Scuds. All colors, weights, and sizes. It has not always been this way. 

The first box was a generic attractor fly box. Scuds were mixed amongst Prince’s, Zug Bugs, PT’s, some gaudy overdressed caddis pupa’s I ties, worms, and any fly I either did not know the name of, any fly found in a lakeside tree, and a rusty sz 10 McGinty. 

Box 2 was with me for nearly a decade. A small black foam inserted $3 jobby bought at a small sports store in Yakima Wa. This included such flies as Ray Charles, Bighorn Scuds, Princes, worms, and lots of bastardized pink and red flies stolen from local guides who had held my hand through the first year of guiding. The Big Pink, Red Death, and some abomination that Capt. Yetter tied. Possibly the ugliest fly I have ever seen…until I fished it. Then of course, version 2.0 was crammed full of the ugly pink fly. That box is now retired as a new box was unveiled in the spring of ‘09. 

Now I am rollin’ with the box above. It consists of many tailwater favorites with the accompanying local standards. The following patterns adorn Sol’s Scud box… 

• Rainbow Czech
• Amex
• Tan Czech
• UV Czech
• Orange Czech
• Berry Nymph
• SH Ray Charles, 4 colors
• Hot Bead Ray Charles, 3 colors
• Pink Lightening Bugs
• Arnold’s Sili-Scud
• generic Scuds, all colors
• Raisler Depth Charge
• a whole pile of random flies purchased 2 dozen at a time @ any fly shop I frequent…one can never have too many 

Fly Boxes fall under the “must have” category in fly fishing. New fly lines, bomb proof rain jacket, new 4 weight with matching reel…these too fall into the same realm…It is all fantasy land and we do our best to stay in it all often as possible. 

When fishing the Missouri  do not forget your scud box. One of them adorns my line nearly every day for the entire season. Do not discount the effectiveness in winter either. Friend and guide Dave Payne fishes it exclusively in the snowy months and into a sz 8! A good mid week project is to begin the colossal task of building your very own scud box.

A diverse Midge Dry Selection is good!

Are you a guy that likes to catch fish every month of the year? Are you familiar with the Missouri’s most common insect? Do you dismiss midging as something those “technical fly guys” do?  Has it become a 4 letter word for you. Do you find yourself saying “I will be damned to hell before I ever tie on a sz. 22 Midge Dry Fly?” Would you rather toss a sz. 2 Bugger than finesse a fly you cannot see, ever?!   

All common fears. It is time for a change in your fishing style. The importance of the Midge in Tailwater situations is immeasurable. It is our only 12 month bug. Catching fish on midge nymphs and dries is the most consistent method through out anybodies  fly fishing career on the Missouri. They need to become a regular companion of yours…from now through eternity. Just like every fly cast begins with an incredibly slow rod tip movement, every time, every cast…Midges will never again be your nemesis. NEVER!   

The only way to become familiar with midge fishing is to do it. If you have fished the Dam nearly anytime of the year you have witnessed that midge fishermen  tend to do quite well. In the upper reaches of the river the midge is primarily fished subsurface…until the late fall, and definately when there is a blanket of snow on the ground. Then it becomes one of the better stretches to find rising midge feeders.  Any slow, soft seam line can hold several participants. 

Look for rising "Midge Fish" in this type of water

Carry lots of Midges...Lots!

It is wise to carry a few emerging midges in your midge box as well. Thread bodied CDC short winged varieties will do the trick. Poly or synthetic winged  flies are cool too. As mentioned before, be creative and you will learn. There are some really good midge fishing books on the market. Be aware that midge fishing in river systems and its cousin, Chironomid fishing, on stillwaters are two completely different creatures.    

Midge nymphs are as diverse in color as they are in style. If you look at some of the great big full midge boxes of your Missouri River guide, you may shake your head in amazement. Keep in mind that these are always works in progress and have evolved over several previous seasons of trial and error. The only way we all learn. A little reading, some questioning of friends, and a lot of river time.   

Above in the pic is just a few rows of SOL’s midge box. It is a portion of the red page…brassies, v-ribs, tinsel, flash-a-bou, floss, dubbed, ostrich…with other pages of black, green, and brown. I have been building this particular box for well over a decade. It is changing, based on the moods of our often  fickle fish.   

Midge water is through out the river system. They live in many habitats including silt, aquatic vegetation, slow, high oxygen environs, and the list goes on. Many guides fish the midge with confidence from the Dam all the way to Cascade…never losing faith in ts effectiveness.   

Midging on the Missouri River is a four season sport. I am never afraid to tie on a midge when things get tough. A midge will certainly adorn my rig at soem point of every day. A proven producer all year long.