Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 7.7.14

Good to great depending on who you talk to. The guides out have been reporting good dry fly action in the mornings and slower afternoons. Good evening bite is pretty normal and it has been good enough to be out the last 3 hours of daylight.

The visiting anglers have been having a blast too. Good dry fly opportunities coupled with red hot nymphing has kept you busy from dawn til dusk. Rental boats, your own boats, wade fishers have all benefitted from cooler water temps and these great simmer flows. We do not like the short flows of below 3000 cfs.

Gord Dawson straight outta Clagary with this nice trout caught with HH Guide Jared Edens this last week on a dry fly. Nice work!

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

PMD’s coming in the morning hours and the spinner fall happening sometime during the day. The upper has about as many PMD’s as the rest of the river but the lower reach has been on fire. Try it if you dare.

Caddis are in the canyon and beyond. Not too many on the upper river but that will change as the month progresses. Spents are not all the rage yet but they will be important as the July moves through and the days shorten. The translucent pupa is the key for dangling something off of your dry. Weighted pupa’s are key too. Find one you like and send it down to the depths. We also like Silvey’s Pupa. Flashy son of a gun.

Trico’s have made their initial appearance and the spinner fall while not epic has been producing some good times. Fish looking up.Try an emergent CDC pattern to give you entertainment before the day really gets rolling.

Sally’s are cool too. The Sally bite on the surface has been really good. Not all that common for our river system but they have been working well. We love the low riding Outrigger patterns for the Sally. Try the caddis version too! Just sayin’.

Want to see some really cool images from John taken Macro Style? Look at this morning’s Monday Blog for a stunning peek below the river surface.

The traffic on the this last weekend was evident on the upper and middle sections of river. Less pressure lower down. You could say the same thing for the weeks ahead. If you want less pressure…do some figuring. And stay with the plan. Or just go up top and battle.

The flows are and will come down as the river inflows at Toston continue to diminish daily. Read this blog post yesterday to see the specifics of what will happen. We just got the July forecast from the USBR and will post later. The initial look indicates lower flows than we are seeing right now. Per usual. We should see flows int he 5K range shortly. Keep it here for the most and up to date info on the Missouri River corridor.

Water temps continue to increase as the days become warmer. Summer is here, we think. Overcast and dead calm this morning with afternoon winds and warmer temps as I write this Mid Day Monday Missouri River Fishing Report.

There are plenty of bugs and plenty of fish to be found. Lots of good wade fishing too. Had to write the blog yesterday in regards to the fears of many anglers that think the Missouri should be better? I just told them to go to the Henry’s Fork and wait for the fish to rise. And wait some more…

For those of you who are coming and those of you who appreciate this great resource I applaud you. We love it and respect it and appreciate it. For those of you who complain about only catching X number of trout, that there are no bugs and no trout…move on please. I hear the Madison calling your name.

It is truly busy here not eh Missouri River in this the busiest months of June and July. Honor, respect, watch, learn, appreciate, smile, encourage, mentor, teach, enjoy this great river and we will see you on the porch for a cold beer @ Headhunters.

The fly shop open daily @ 630 am open late til 9pm for all your river needs. Flies, shuttles, info, coffee, sun wear, hats, sun hats, sungloves, sunscreen, GINK, Shimi-Shake, Frogs Fanny, Hatch Reels, SAGE Fly Rods, RIO Fly Lines, and mush more for your shopping pleasures.

No Fish. No Bugs
The Toston historical inflows. Look to this chart for what may happen in the coming week(s)
Missouri River Montana Fishing Report
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1 Comment.

  • Right on Mark. For those that want “x” number of fish, they need to head back over to the N. Platte where fish counters around the neck are common. I just got done guiding the Mo for 4 days and it was awesome to see pods of a hundred rising fish. Not gonna see that anywhere else. Wish I could guide that river more often. As always, everyone in your shop, including the FNGs, were helpful and professional. Look forward to seeing you again later this summer. Until then, the Stone and Maddy will have to do.

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