Just the back of a beauty… submerging after inhaling another Trico spinner. You can see a pile of dead bugs near this fish. Have you booked your trip for the 2010 year? This is an official reminder.

Procrastinators almost never prevail. Having said this, do not know how I made it this far in life…cause I am the worst. The only positive aspect of waiting is trout fishing. Waiting, watching, and planning is not a bad way to catch fish. Make the perfect cast and hope that he eats the fly. Just don’t wait too long…he may get full.

Headhunters guests with yet another summer dry fly fish. Lance Gleason gets the job done. He says "I got time"

Whether you enjoy fly rodding from a boat, stalking sipping browns on foot, or just kicking back and watching the day go by…we can accommodate. The river is in such great shape coming into this 2010 season. The phone has been literally ringing off the hook…and we are booking trips daily. Headhunters employs many great guides and they too are eager to fish with you. They have the fire and are all terrific teachers. As I age, I believe I am more of a counselor…or maybe need to be counseled? I have never lost the desire to spend countless days on the water.

The Missouri is our counselor, our mother, our wonderful playground. It gives so much to us and we can only remain thankful for its tremendous wealth, its bounty, its fat bows and browns.

Hooking up in the canyon. Missouri River Madness yet again.

This is the Trout Wrangler in early June 2009. He represents the growing contingent of under 30 anglers. Fit, fun, and fishy. These guys are eager to learn…and learn they do. Thsi type of client will sacrifice numbers for pearls of wisdom.

The new breed is full of energy…and poise. They truly enjoy the entire experience. They want to improve their reach cast, their rigging techniques, leader building and design…anything that they can apply to their fishing at home. But they spend an increasing amount of time on the Magical Missouri. The Trout Wrangler above is a relatively new angler…and he improved daily.

Coming for a week is the norm for these guys. They may not be guided for the entire week, but 3 to 4 days is standard. Rent a boat for a day or two…bank angle for an afternoon…head up to Augusta for a beer or 3 and check out the incredible beauty of the Eastern Front. This demographic is impressive. The real deal…and we encourage their development. It is a refreshing breath for fly fishing.

Give us a shout if you need some information or help on designing an entire vacation complete with varied fishing opportunities, relaxation, education, and the like!

Mystery Boat Ramp....are you familiar?

Have you put in here. Do you recognize this area. Can you identify those Pelicans in the distance? In the recent years Scumliner and SOL have been fishing in this stretch lots. Many of the out of area guides and outfitters have discovered the lower river and are living down stream. I’m not saying that Headhunters guides  don’t fish lower, as we commonly do, but local knowledge is king. There are a few great non-local guides that do quite well here…arriving a few days before the trip and pre-fishing. I respect and appreciate this behavior. These are also fellas who have been fishing and guiding here for well over a decade. They do well and do right by their clients. I can say in all honesty that not all adhere to this theory.

The Mo is a catch all. When the freestone rivers of Montana blow out…every spring…we see an incredible amount of guides from other rivers. We are so damn fortunate to live here on the Missouri and not have to travel. When we do get time off, we love to visit the Yellowstone, Madison, Bitterroot, Clark’s Fork, and the like for a change of pace. But often times we just drift down this wonderful river and enjoy the freely rising trout in our own back yard. Boy, we are spoiled…sshhh, don’t tell anyone.

There is a buzz about town, the Craig town, in regards to this season. Foreshadowing the coming year…I can hardly wait and am already losing sleep in wild anticipation.

This guy and his pop are coming for year number 11...I wonder why? They are DFO's and proud of it!

A nice Brown near Craig Montana…caught on a Buzzball, or a Milarzo’s Caddis…one of the two, or not.  Maybe on Raisler’s Spent Caddis, or an X-Caddis…possibly a Rusty Spinner? Who knows, and who cares…