Braden Lewis, Author at Headhunters Fly Shop

Bugs, Fly Fishing Technique

The daily air temps have been tolerable as of late. Some anglers out there fishing with the sunshine we have had for a couple days. The wind is coming, but the air temps have been enough to make us smile!…

Black FlyDay Sale!

November 23, 2017

Abel, Black Fly-Day Sale!, Demo Rods, Finatic, Freestone Wading Boot, G3 Waders, Hatch Reels, SIMMS, Super Series

Black FlyDay Sale! No Gink, 5 year old tippet or dusty T-shirts here. Just top quality gear at 50% off! All of these items are closeouts, and you can find them on sale elsewhere. But can you find them at…

Chartreuse Little Green Machine

October 3, 2017

Baetis, blue winged olive, Fall Fly Fishing, fly tying, Little Green Machine, nymph

Blue Winged Olives With snow the last couple days, river temps are continuing to drop. This morning the water temp was 54.5 degrees. As this trend continues, we will continue to see lots of pseudos. Before too long we will…

Six Essential Flies For The Missouri River

September 1, 2017

Fly Fishing Technique, Fly Tying, Headhunters Life

essential flies, flies, fly sale, fly tying, missouri river

A couple days ago, I was digging through one of my fly tying drawers and I found an old shuttle sheet. The shuttle sheet was dated December 29, 2015. On the back of it were scribbled several lists of six…

Epic Fastglass Fly Rod Demos

August 21, 2017

Epic, fastglass, fiberglass, flyrod, swift fly fishing

Epic Fastglass Fly Rods These rods are awesome. I have been fishing one of the 6 weights myself lately, and I love it. I have liked fiberglass rods for a long time, but they always seemed like niche rods that…

Trout Flies By Gary Lafontaine

August 15, 2017

books, Buzzball, flies, fly tying, Gary LaFontaine

I have always loved the writing of Gary Lafontaine. The first post I ever wrote for this blog was about his theory of color attraction. I have read a lot of books about fly fishing and fly tying, but Trout…

Intruder Boot Review

August 14, 2017

Intruder Boot, SIMMS, small streams, Summer, Wet Wading

Initial Impression “What an ugly boot.” That was my first thought when I saw the new Intruder Boot from Simms. Then I got over myself and gave the boot a try. I loved it. And I wouldn’t say that unless…

Summer Fun Photo Contest

August 7, 2017

Headhunters Life, Photography

missouri river, photo contest, summer fun

Headhunters Fly Shop is hosing a “Mo River Summer Fun” Photo Contest on our Facebook page. The contest will run until this Friday, August 11. The winner will receive the New Phase gift package pictured below. How to participate: Go…

Take A Kid Fishing Photo Contest Submissions

July 27, 2017

Future Fly Fishers, Photography

echo gecko, Future Fly Fishers, photo contest, Rajeff SPorts, take a kid fishing

Take A Kid Fishing! Headhunters Fly Shop held a photo contest with the theme “Take A Kid Fishing” this week on our Facebook page. The response was awesome! We received 130+ images of kids fishing. We love taking kids fishing…

Take a Kid Fishing Photo Contest

July 17, 2017

Fly Fishing Gear, Future Fly Fishers, Photography

echo gecko, Future Fly Fishers, photo contest, photography, Rajeff SPorts

Take a Kid Fishing Photo Contest Headhunters Fly Shop is hosting a “Take a Kid Fishing” photo contest on our Facebook page. The contest will run for a week from today until next Monday, July 24. The winner will receive…

2016 UMOWA Water Quality Report

June 16, 2017

conservation, missouri river, UMOWA, water quality

2016 UMOWA Water Quality Report Yesterday we summarized the 2016 UMOWA Macroinvertebrate Report written by David Stagliano of the Montana Biological Survey. Today we are going to discuss the 2016 UMOWA Water Quality Report. Study Design In 2016, UMOWA began…

2016 UMOWA Macroinvertebrate Report

June 15, 2017

Bugs, Conservation

Bugs, conservation, fly fishing technique, missouri river, Nymphs, UMOWA

2016 UMOWA Macroinvertebrate Report On March 17, the Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) published the results of the 2016 bug study performed by David Stagliano of Montana Biological Survey. We are late in sharing the results, but with the UMOWA Annual…

Crawfish Flies For the Missouri River

June 12, 2017

Crawfish, Crayfish, flies, Nymphing, Spring Fishing

At some point every spring, trout in the Missouri River start eating a lot of crawfish. It is difficult to know exactly when this will happen, but below are some facts that should aid in your angling success. The Spring Spawn…

Two Mussel Encrusted Boats Intercepted

June 8, 2017

AIS, boat inspections, conservation, Montana FWP, mussel

Over Memorial Day weekend, two mussel encrusted boats were intercepted in Montana. Invasive species pose a constant threat to the quality of our waterbodies in Montana. As anglers, it is our responsibility to be educated about invasive species and our…

UMOWA: The Case For Flushing Flows

June 4, 2017

conservation, flushing flows, missouri river, UMOWA

The Case For Flushing Flows The Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) recently released their spring newsletter. Within the letter, UMOWA discusses the history of Missouri River flows and the beneficial contribution that flushing flows have upon the health of the Missouri River.…

2017 Craig Caddis Festival Photo Gallery

May 28, 2017

Caddis Festival, craig trout camp, Craiglandia, Silly Sunday Scenery, team Headhunters

2017 Craig Caddis Festival Wrap Up Last Saturday, Craig hosted the 11th Annual Craig Caddis Festival and BBQ Cook-Off. This year, the weather cooperated (it only poured rain for a little bit) and the turnout was great! The official count…

Juvie Jigger Streamer Strikes!

May 27, 2017

flies, fly tying, missouri river, Spring Fishing, Streamers

Juvie Jigger Streamer At the end of April, Headhunters hosted a Spring Streamer Fly Tying Contest on our Facebook page. We received a ton of awesome entries. Choosing a winner was tough. Each shop staffer and several guides selected their…

Meet Derek and Jared!

May 25, 2017

shop staff, team Headhunters

Meet Derek and Jared! Derek and Jared are two new members of the Headhunters Team for the 2017 season. We previously introduced Patrick and Nick. You will meet all four of these guys in the shop this season. They are all good dudes.…

Live Fishing With Mark Raisler and Visit Montana

May 21, 2017

Fly Fishing Video

missouri river, SIMMS, Spring Fishing, video

Live Fishing With Mark Raisler and Visit Montana A few days ago, Mark Raisler filmed this video with Visit Montana on the Missouri River. If you weren’t able to get out there this week, this is the next best thing.

Craig Caddis Festival Today!

May 20, 2017

Area Attractions, Headhunters Life

Caddis Festival, Craiglandia, team Headhunters

Join us today for the 11th Annual Craig Caddis Festival and BBQ Cook Off! This event benefits the Craig Volunteer Fire Department and is always a great time. The event is fun for the whole family! Food, drink, kids events,…

Darrell, Carla, and Barley

May 19, 2017

Headhunters Life, New Breed Chicks

Brown Trout, Craiglandia, New Breed Chicks, Spring Fishing

Darrell, Carla, and Barley Darrell, Carla, and Barley stayed in our Brown Trout Cabin this past week over their anniversary while they fished the Missouri River. We love getting the chance to share our knowledge of the river with awesome folks…

New Breed Chicks Rule Faith Edition

May 18, 2017

New Breed Chicks, New Breed Chicks Rule, Spring Fishing

New Breed Chicks

New Breed Chicks Rule Faith Edition Faith recently caught this nice rainbow on the Missouri River. Faith is rocking the local Carroll College colors. Her outfit matches her rainbow trout! We see a lot of students from Carroll enjoying their…

Missouri River Bugs – May 2017

May 16, 2017

Bugs

Bugs, flies, fly fishing technique, Nymphs

This week, we collected bugs on the lower river between Pelican Point and Cascade. Today we are going to talk about what Missouri River bugs we found and how to best imitate them during periods of higher flow. The Usual…

Meet Patrick and Nick!

May 15, 2017

team Headhunters

Meet Patrick and Nick! Patrick and Nick are two new members of the Headhunters Team for the 2017 season. Derek and Jared have also joined the team. We will feature Derek and Jared on the blog soon. You will meet…

New Breed Chicks Rule Peggy and Trish Edition

May 11, 2017

New Breed Chicks, New Breed Chicks Rule, Spring Fishing

New Breed Chicks

New Breed Chicks Rule Peggy and Trish Edition Peg, Trish, Lynnett, and Skip on today’s New Breed Chicks blog. These women are all volunteers with the Casting For Recovery program. They fished with Whitney and Kurt a week and a half ago. During…

Spring Streamer Fly Tying Contest Photos

April 29, 2017

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Tying, Photography

fly tying, Spring Fishing, Streamers

Spring Streamer Fly Tying Contest Headhunters hosted a streamer fly tying contest on our Facebook page this past week. The objective was to submit a home-brewed streamer pattern that would work well on the Mo this spring. Tyers sent in a…

Ninch’s Fish Finder Worm

April 27, 2017

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Fishing Technique, Fly Tying

fly fishing technique, fly tying, Nymphs, Spring Fishing, worm

Ninch’s Fish Finder Worm needs to be in your box. Fish like worms. Rising water flushes worms from the banks and bottom of the river into the current. Last week the flows increased from around 5,000 cfs to the current…

Spring Streamers / Streamer Fly Tying Contest

April 24, 2017

Spring Streamer Fishing Spring is a great time to fish streamers on the Missouri River. At the time of this writing, the river is flowing at 6,880 cfs and temps are around 45 degrees F. These higher flows and increased temps…

Stalcup’s Cluster Midge

April 20, 2017

Dry Flies, dry fly, flies, fly fishing technique, Midge, Midge Cluster, stalcup

Stalcup’s Cluster Midge Needs To Be In Your Box Stalcup’s Cluster Midge is one of my favorite midge patterns. I always have some in my box during the spring and then again in July when the tricos start to hatch. This…

RIO, Scientific Angler, and TroutHunter Tippet Comparison

April 17, 2017

fly fishing gear, Review, RIO, Scientific Anglers, tippet, trouthunter

Tippet Brands Headhunters stocks tippet from RIO, Scientific Anglers, and TroutHunter. All three companies make great tippet. I’ve used all three and they have all performed well. So what kind should you buy? Cost Cost is a primary consideration. It…

Rowing 101

April 13, 2017

fly fishing technique, Rowing, Rowing Skills

Hire a guide then take out a rental boat. This is the natural progression, as Mark as has described it, for learning the Missouri River. Hiring a guide and asking him/her a bunch of questions allows you to learn the…

Why Get Guided?

April 8, 2017

$350 Guide Trips, Spring, Spring Fishing, Spring Special

Why Get Guided? We hear this question a lot in the shop. Mark has written about the subject here and here. If you’ve wondered the same question, I’d recommend that you read these links. The following is a short and timely…

Please Leave Redds Alone!

April 6, 2017

Conservation, Fly Fishing Technique, Nature

conservation, fly fishing technique, missouri river, redds, Spawning

Please leave trout redds in the river alone! Rainbow trout are actively spawning in the river now and will continue to do so for the next couple months. The Missouri River is one of the best wild trout fisheries in…

Missouri River Bugs – April

April 3, 2017

Birds Bugs and Wildlife, Bugs, Fly Fishing Technique, Fly Tying, Nature

April, Bugs, flies, fly fishing technique, Nymphs

Last week we collected our first sample of bugs from the Missouri River below the Untouchable’s Bridge. The bugs that we collected were about what you would expect for April. Sows and scuds composed the majority of the biomass, but midges and…

Be Deliberate – Nymphing Tips

March 30, 2017

fly fishing technique, Nymphing, Nymphs, winter

Be deliberate in your actions when you are fishing. Lately we have been doing a lot of nymphing and having a lot of success, especially below Craig. However, the success has not been distributed equally. The anglers who have a…

Paper or Plastic?

March 24, 2017

Conservation, Fly Fishing Gear

conservation, fly cups, fly fishing gear, fly storage

Paper or Plastic? Soon, you might be hearing this question at your local fly shop as well as the grocery store. AFFTA has announced that they are making recycled paper fly boxes available to fly shops as an alternative to the…

Mussel Update

March 15, 2017

conservation, fish wildlife and parks, invasive species, mussel

Proposed Rule Changes Last night, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks hosted a public hearing on new rules aimed at controlling the spread of invasive mussels. The new regulations include the following: All out of state watercraft would need to be inspected…

Freddy Fly Step By Step

February 16, 2017

flies, fly fishing technique, fly tying

Freddy Fly Step By Step Before the Chubby Chernobyl, John Foust’s Freddy Fly (or Fat Freddy) was a staple pattern throughout the West. Foust invented the fly for the waters around Missoula, but it has caught fish all over the world.…

Fishing Report – Get Out There!

February 12, 2017

Fishing Report, Fly Fishing Technique, Headhunters Life, Nature

fishing report, fly fishing technique, Missouri River Montana Fishing Report, Weather, winter

This Past Week It’s hard to believe that the Super Bowl was only one week ago. A lot has changed on the river in the past week. We received significant snow fall during the middle of last week that added to the…

Trout Spey Rigs: Braden

January 6, 2017

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Fishing Technique

braden, gear, MOW Tips, OPST, Rigging Techniques, RIO, SAGE, SIMMS, spey

Trout Spey Rigs: Braden Today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog we have Braden’s Trout Spey Rig. We thought it would be helpful if we outlined what we use here on the Missouri River during the Swing Season. Braden, and…

Fishpond Drifty Boat Caddie

August 29, 2016

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Fishing Technique

Boat BAg, drifty boat caddie, fishpond, gear

I’ve been using the Fishpond Drifty Boat Caddie this summer and I’ve been loving it. Here are the main reasons why this product has become essential for my fishing: Storage I love flies. The Fishpond Drifty Boat Caddie holds all…

Missouri River Bugs – July

July 11, 2016

Bugs, Fly Fishing Technique, Photography

fly fishing technique, fly tying, Nymphs, photography

Missouri River bugs The following are some pictures of Missouri River bugs that were collected just downstream of the Mid Cañon boat ramp on July 7th. It has been a month since our last bug post, so some of the bugs…

Fenwick Fenglass Small Stream Fishing

June 20, 2016

Fenwick Fenglass, fly fishing gear, Pflueger Medalist, Rio LightLine, small stream

The past couple weeks I have spent several mornings fishing Little Prickly Pear Creek upstream of Wolf Creek before work. I have been trying out the new Fenwick Fenglass fly rods that we recently got into the shop. In my opinion, small stream fishing should…

Missouri River Bugs – June

June 7, 2016

Birds Bugs and Wildlife, Bugs, Fly Fishing Technique, Nature, Photography, Uncategorized

Bugs, flies, fly fishing technique, June, Nymphs, phtography

Missouri River Bugs The following are some pictures of bugs from the Missouri River that were collected in June a couple miles upstream of Craig. These images will hopefully aid in your fly design and/or fly selection while you are fishing this…

Stocking Wing Caddis Step By Step

March 16, 2016

Bugs, Fly Fishing Technique

Caddis, fly fishing technique, fly tying, step by step, stocking wing caddis

Stocking Wing Caddis Step By Step During the caddis fly hatch on the Missouri River, it’s a good idea to have several patterns with differing profiles in your box including there Stocking Wing Caddis. It makes sense to have some high floating…

Macroinvertebrates On the Back of an Envelope

February 2, 2016

fly fishing technique, missouri river

Birds Bugs and Wildlife, Bugs, Nature, Uncategorized

If you like aquatic macroinvertebrates (river bugs), here are some “back of the envelope” calculations that may amuse you. The UMOWA 2015 Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Report reported that the greatest density of macroinvertebrates occurred between the Dam and Craig. The density…

Economical Fly Tying

January 13, 2016

Braden's Brain, fly tying, Wednesday in Craig MT

The first Fly Tying Night in America is tonight (Wednesday 1/13) at Headhunters Fly Shop. It’s the season for fly tying and I wanted to share an idea that has been on my mind lately regarding economy in fly tying. First…

Fly Tying Night In America This Wednesday

January 11, 2016

Fly Fishing Technique, Headhunters Life

flies, fly tying

This Wednesday (1/13/16) at 6:00 PM Headhunters will be hosting the first Fly Tying Night in America session of the season. Hopefully we’ll be welcoming back some familiar faces from last winter as well as some new tiers. If you’ve…

Macroinvertebrate Report from UMOWA

January 5, 2016

fly fishing technique, missouri river

& Wildlife, Birds Bugs and Wildlife, Bugs, Conservation, Fly Fishing Technique, Nature

On December 22, the Upper Missouri River Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) released the Baseline Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Report 2015 for the Upper Missouri River, MT, prepared by David Stagliano. The purpose of this study was to provide baseline macroinvertebrate (bug) monitoring data in order to assess…

Fluorescent Flies

November 21, 2015

flies, fly tying, Nymphing, winter

As Mark recently pointed out, water temps are falling and we’re moving into winter. Scuds and sows are king and pink flies or flies with firebeads will continue to gain popularity as winter progresses. Popular winter flies include the Pink Lightning Bug, Amex, Rainbow Czech,…

Fall Bug Sampling

October 19, 2015

Bugs

Bugs, missouri river, Nymphing, UMOWA

Over the last couple weeks, I’ve had the privilege of aiding David Stagliano with the fall invertebrate sampling of the Missouri River. The Upper Missouri River Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) initiated this sampling in order to establish a baseline data set that…

Snow Is Gone! Sunday Good Times Video

May 24, 2015

Josh Ritter, Snow is Gone, video

It is definitely springtime. Blue-wings and March Browns are river wide. Caddis have begun to appear. The Caddis Fest is over. This image in front of there shop is not today…no not at all. It is quite nice as the…

Boat Fly Review Of The Year So Far

September 3, 2014

Fly Fishing Gear, Headhunters Life

Adipose Boatworks Flow, Boat Fly Review Of The Year So Far, flies, gear, Headhunters Fly Shop, rental boats, team Headhunters

Patterns from the island of discarded/forgotten flies. Since the spring, the employees here in the shop have been saving all the discarded/forgotten flies that have been left in our rental Adipose drift boats. The picture accompanying this post shows the flies…

Fly Tester by Flymen Fishing Co.

August 27, 2014

Cool Shit, Fly Tank, Fly Tester by Flymen Fishing Co., Headhunters Fly Shop, Headhunters Fly Shop Products, Streamers

The Fly Tester at work testing some streamers in the shop. The newest addition to the growing fly tying arsenal at Headhunters Flyshop is the Fly Tester by the Flymen Fishing Co. Have you ever tied up a dozen flies…

Gary LaFontaine Wisdom…

February 4, 2014