Bugs Archives - Headhunters Fly Shop

Grashoppers, Hopper

Hopper Box Is this the best hopper fishery in the west? Nope, not by a long shot. Do we fish grasshoppers on the Mighty Mo? Oh yeah. Would I come to the Mo for the hopper fishing alone? Oh, no…

Friday Mo River Foto

August 4, 2023

Bugs, Uncategorized

Friday Mo River Foto Trico’s in the dam reach. August on the Mo. Image courtesy of Tim Plaska.

Just Add Vise Clouser Crayfish Tying Video @ Headhunters Fly Shop

July 25, 2023

Bugs, Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Fishing Video

Clouser Crayfish, fly tying video, JAV, Just Add Vise

Popular fly this time of year. Guides and guests alike are tossing this big fly up front and getting it deep…or shallow. Try one with a tiny mayfly dangling off of his Crayfishy tail. Come in and get the Crayfish…

PMD Friday

June 29, 2023

Mega-Hatch, PMD, Summer

PMD Friday If you have dry fly fished here before you know the drill. Cripples, emergers, spinners. Although I have seen some eating the dun this year. A reminder as we head into the holiday weekend to practice humility, positive…

Top 10 PMD Dry Flies

June 28, 2023

Bugs, Fishing Report, Headhunters Life

Top 10 PMD Dry Flies

Top 10 PMD Dry Flies Hi-Vis Spinner PMD # 16 Rusty Spinner #16 Q’s Sparkle Flag PMD #16 Sparkle Dun PMD #16 Limestone Cripple #16 Spider Variant #18 Film Critic #16 Ninch’s Hangman PMD #16 Half Dun Hatching PMD #18…

PMD Monday

June 26, 2023

PMD Monday We love June. July too. Happy Monday out there in Headhunters Land. Flows falling today agin to 8K-ish. We’ll be fishing. You?

Missouri River April May Fly Fishing Forecast

Missouri River Late April May Fly Fishing Forecast

April 23, 2023

Birds, Bugs, Fishing Report, Fly Fishing Technique, Nature

April, birds, Bugs, Forecast, May, Populations, Trout, Water LEvels, Weather

Missouri River Late April May Fly Fishing Forecast Snow on the ground. Green grasses below the white cover. Next week better air temps. And maybe less snow on the ground here locally. This water update article along with fishing predictions…

Missouri River March Fishing Forecast

March 8, 2023

Birds, Bugs, Fishing Report

Bugs, Flows, Hatches, MArch, Missouri River March Fishing Forecast, Weather

Missouri River March Fishing Forecast Things to think about in March Day 8 3rd month here on the Missouri River. The Missouri River March Fishing Forecast looks strong. Below average water levels and warming water temps are what we will…

Cold and Snow…PMD Edition

November 30, 2022

PMD

Cold and Snow…PMD Edition 6 months. Feels like a long time. This author is already dreaming of June ’23. But first, more winter. Lots more. Head on back a couple blogs to purchase your Euro Nymph rod for your local…

Missouri River October Fishing Forecast 2022

October 1, 2022

Bugs, Fishing Report, Headhunters Life

Dry Fly Fall Fishing, Dry Fly Fishing, November, Nymphing, October, Streamer fishing, Streamer Fishing the Mo

Missouri River October Fishing Forecast 2022 Bring on the cloudy, wet, and fall weather that we just love in October. Let’s not wait until November. We do want it in November as well but the October time frame will suit…

Fruit Roll Up JAV Video

August 10, 2022

Bugs, Fly Fishing Video, Fly Tying

Fruit Roll Up, Fruit Roll Up JAV Video, Headhunters Own, JAV, Just Add Vise, Tying Kits, Tying Video, video

Fruit Roll Up JAV Video Love this pattern. Has been responsible for many trout during the Swing Season. You like stripping? Yeah, we do too. It works! Tie this feller up this spring for the remainder of the Swing Season…

Squeeky’s Trico Box

July 25, 2022

Bugs, flies, patterns, Squeeky's Trico Box, trico

Squeeky’s Trico Box Top row left moving right… Sinky type Trico’s. Glass beads, silver beads, o beads. Sunken Trico Spinners. More sinky flies and an Adams. A couple King’s River Caddis and a spinner or two. Harrop’s Hi-Viz Spinners and…

Nymph & Dry Fly SALE! Only $1

July 12, 2022

Nymph & Dry Fly SALE! Only $1 Check out the Nymph & Dry Fly Prices at only $1 Online here. Been selling a ton of nymphs and now you can get in on these fly-tastic dry fly prices here at Headhunters…

Silly Sunday Scenery Tricos Image

July 10, 2022

Bugs, Silly Sunday Scenery Tricos Image, Trico's

Silly Sunday Scenery Tricos Image. It’s gonna be hot this week. Temps reaching the Hi 90’s. Nearly the century mark. Trico’s today from the only daily blog here on Montana’s Missouri River. The Headhunters Fly Shop Blog. Enjoy the week…

PMD Forecast June 2022 Missouri River Montana

June 3, 2022

Cripples, Duns, Emergers, June 2020, patterns, PMD, PMD Forecast, Spinners

PMD Forecast June 2022 Missouri River Montana Lots of folks in with questions about the Pale Morning Dun. Our answer? Yes, that can be a tough one out there. And then sometimes, easy. But mostly in the middle of those…

5 Tips for BWO Success

April 24, 2022

5 Tips for BWO Success, Fall, October

5 Tips for BWO Success The Baetis have arrived and we are super stoked here in Craig. Looks like BWO weather for the next week! The fish will be loving it. They are attaching their feed bags and readying themselves…

January Flies – Winter Nymphs and Streamers

January 27, 2022

Bugs, Fly Fishing Technique

flies, January, January flies, Missouri River Winter Flies, Nymphs, Streamers, winter

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!…

Birds, Bugs and Wildlife

November 22, 2021

& Wildlife, Birds, Birds Bugs and Wildlife, Bugs

birds, Bugs and Wildlife

Headhunters Fly Shop open all week long. Thanksgiving Day we will be open 8-12, our traditional hours on this holiday. Cool light, cool bugs, cool bucks, and cool birds on the Missouri this week. Mink, Muskrat, and River Otters abound…

Silly Sunday Scenery

October 17, 2021

BWO

Silly Sunday Scenery Water temps diving. BWO’s emerging. Trout rising.

Missouri River Streamer Love

October 5, 2021

Fly Patterns, Streamers

Fall means streamer fishing Montana’s Missouri River. We dig it. I think the streamer strike is the best 1 1/2 seconds in fly fishing. Dry lines, intermediate tips will suffice. Flies. You gotta have flies. Flies are cool. Streamer flies…

Friday October Caddis Box

September 24, 2021

Friday October Caddis Box Have seen a few flying around. This is the time if you want to get one on the October Caddis Dry Fly. Trichoptera Dicosmoecus SO toss it out there and hope. Drift well. And cast again.

Missouri River September Fly Fishing Forecast

August 30, 2021

Missouri River September Fly Fishing Forecast

Missouri River September Fly Fishing Forecast Headhunters Fly Shop delivers for you today the Missouri River September Fly Fishing Forecast. We have shed the heat of August as we stare into the fold of fall. And we like what we see.…

Friday Foto Summer Dreams

December 4, 2020

dry fly, Foto, friday, Hatches, PMD, Spider web, Summer

Friday Foto Summer Dreams PMD trapped by the single thread spun from a spider. Tough luck. And if you don’t book your June trip soon, you may be left out. Don’t leave yourself hangin’. Happy Friday.

Joe Walsh Rocky Mountain Way

May 18, 2020

Bugs, Caddis, fishing report, Joe Walsh Rocky Mountain Way, May, Monday

Joe Walsh Rocky Mountain Way Another installment of great Rocky Mountain music today on the Headhunters Blog. Today rocker Joe Walsh and Barnstorm with Rocky Mountain Way. John mentioned this tune yesterday as a lock for the blog this week.…

Mo River October Caddis Love

September 30, 2019

Caddis, DFO, Fall, Headhunters Fall, Images, Mo River October Caddis Love, Swing it up man

Mo River October Caddis Love September is over and we look forward to October as it is one of our favorite months here on the banks of Montana’s Mighty Missouri River. Therefore, we proclaim our Mo River October Caddis Love.…

Sunday Summer Bugs by Longoria

July 28, 2019

Sunday Summer Bugs by Longoria

Sunday Summer Bugs by Longoria All you need moving forward this summer is the list put together by Peter Longoria at the shop. A few standouts that Peter listed include the Trico RS2, Stenerson’s CFO Ant, Tungsten Translucent Pupa, Grape…

It happened one day in June

June 21, 2019

It happened one day in June

It happened one day in June It is on. Day one of the PMD hatch has happened. Mark it in the calendar for June 20, 2019. Historically about, or around the 12th. But, what does history mean. So, we are…

Pale Morning Dun Nymphs

June 15, 2019

Pale Morning Dun Nymphs

Pale Morning Dun Nymphs Here are a few for you consideration. These and more at Headhunters in downtown Craig Montana. 7wt has selected an un-matched selection of PMD patterns for 2019. Nymphs, duns, emergers, cripples, spinners, half-duns, trapped duns… All…

Sunday Scenery BWO Image

May 5, 2019

BWO, Sunday Scenery

Sunday Scenery BWO Image Dreaming of BWO’s. We have some coming off in the upper lower end. And probably the lower end too. And a few fellers are tossing dry flies at them. Ladies too! Water at 10K. Not too…

Art of Giving a Fly Away

January 17, 2019

Art of Giving, Rene Harrop, Scott Jolly, Trico Spnner

The Art of Giving a Fly Away by Scott Jolly Ed Note: A great bit written by Scott Jolly and sent to us this holiday season. I found it, among other things, under the tree…when I took it down. This wonderful…

Hi-Vis Trico Spinner 2FER TUESDAY BOGO

July 23, 2018

2FER TUESDAY, BOGO, Hi VIs Trico Spinner, Hi-Vis Trico Spinner 2FER TUESDAY BOGO, Online Only, Online Sales

Hi-Vis Trico Spinner 2FER TUESDAY BOGO This weeks Hot Fly from Headhunters of Craig is the ever popular Harrop’s Hi-Vis Trico Spinner. An awesome fly that we are using daily. Big Trico spinner falls daily at 845am on the Mighty…

Spider Eats Drake Head!

June 30, 2018

Bugs, Drake, Nature, Spider, Spider Eats Drake Head!

Spider Eats Drake Head! Found this on a window today. Scary. Trout generally eat Drakes. If the water drops we will see them soon. Happy Saturday. Book your July trip today. How about late July? August? Why not book it…

2FER TUESDAY BOGO D & D Cripples All Flavors!

June 26, 2018

2FER TUESDAY BOGO, 2FER TUESDAY BOGO D & D Cripples All Flavors!, Online Fly Sale

2FER TUESDAY BOGO D & D Cripples All Flavors! PMD, Baetis, March Brown and Callibaetis D & D Cripples Buy One Get One BOGO online fly sale Tuesday June 26th! One of the most popular fish crushers on the Missouri…

2FER TUESDAY BOGO CFO ANT

June 18, 2018

BOGO, CFO Mini Ant, Terrestrials

2FER TUESDAY BOGO CFO ANT Tuesday is here. And once again Headhunters offers up to you our favorite anglers 2FER TUESDAY BOGO CFO ANT. Buy one, get one. Live at Midnight tonight thru the midnight Tuesday. All day long. Tuesday. Awesome…

Top 15 Missouri River May Nymph Patterns

April 30, 2018

7 wt. says..., ninch, Top 10 Missouri River Montana Spring Nymph Patterns

Top 15 Missouri River Montana Spring High Water Nymph Patterns Some days it sure feels like there are not 10 patterns that are effective. And other days it fishes well and most every reasonable spring Montana pattern is getting some…

Summer Foreshadowing

April 9, 2018

Summer Foreshadowing Looking at the end of winter today? Maybe. Before we get to thinking about summer we have to get ourselves into spring. And that may happen this month? We sure hope so. A couple days of 60’s but…

Top 10 Missouri River Spring Time Dry Flies

April 3, 2018

DFO, Dry Flies, HH Fly Shop, Spirng, Top 10

Top 10 Missouri River Spring Time Dry Flies Here they are. The flies we like for spring time dry fly action Missouri River style The dry fly fishing has been sporadic as of late. You can bump into comments of…

Since my brain is fried, I may as well organize flies.

February 21, 2018

Annual Hell, February, flies, Organization

Since my brain is fried, I may as well organize flies. Here I go. Winter is not over. It feels like it is just beginning. And flies do not sort themselves. As a fishing guide I have lots of flies.…

Missouri River Summer Foreshadowing

January 24, 2018

Ants, Beetles, Brown Drake, Bugs, Caddis, Guide Trip, Hatches, Hopper, lodging, PMD's, Streamer, Summer, Terrestrials, trico

Summer Foreshadowing Just the 24th of January today. We have more than our toe dipped into the proverbial year, more like our ankle has entered the water. We are just beginning. And having that ankle submerged made me think of…

Mayfly Madness Video

November 30, 2017

Bugs, Fly Fishing Video

Hatch, Insects, Mayflies, video

Mayfly Madness Video Check this out. From Nat Geo site here on YouTube. You may have already seen this. But if not, check it out. It is super cool! Thursday here in central Montana. Still fishing a ton. No folks…

Playoff Fishing here on the Missouri River

October 9, 2017

Bugs, Fishing Report, Headhunters Life

3rd Season, BWO, dry fly, fishing, October, Playoff, Streamer

Playoff Fishing here on the Missouri River It is go time here. Playoff fishing here on the Missouri River. Excitement daily as we are headlong into the fall fishing period. And it is good! I sighted many real life BWO…

AntMusic

July 30, 2017

80's, Adam Ant, Ants, Terrestrials, video

AntMusic Happy Sunday. 100F here today for us. It’s hot. Ants are in the mix, on the menu, and should be a part of your dry fly day. Blind fish it. Sight fish it. As long as you fish it.…

Spents and Spinners

July 13, 2017

Bugs, Fly Fishing Technique

Spents and Spinners Dead shit. That is what we throw. July is full of dead bugs. And live ones too. The dead ones are easier to eat. Honest. Fish them with confidence. As you can see I am becoming sun…

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…

Friday Foto June 2nd

June 2, 2017

Friday Foto June 2nd

Friday Foto June 2nd PMD Spinner on Amadou What does this mean? It means June has arrived. And we are in it. Lower that water level and we will be covered up in it. PMD’s I mean. But the water…

Missouri River Bugs – May 2017

May 16, 2017

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…

Missouri River Midge Mania in April

April 15, 2017

DFO, dry fly, Missouri River Midge Mania in April, Zebra Love

Missouri River Midge Mania in April Fish on top. Fish on the bottom. Fish in the middle. Missouri River Midge Mania in April has begun. BWO’s too. Saturday and the wind monster has arrived. Gusty and windy on the river with…

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…

The New Kid in Town. Meet Mr. BWO

March 13, 2017

BWO, Foreshadowing, Mayfly Nymphs, Spring, Think

The New Kid in Town. Meet the BWO While we still primarily see life through pink colored fly lenses and will be for at least another month, we began flirting with a different shade of blue this week. The Blue Winged…

We like the Missouri River May Show

March 8, 2017

Big Brown Trout, Dry Flies, May, Streamer Lovers Unite!

We like the Missouri River May Show We like May. It has become one of the favorite months for us here at Headhunters in Craig Montana. Why? Big fish. Some of the best fish of the year come to the…

Friday Foreshadowing Foto

January 20, 2017

Bugs, Summer, Trico's

Friday Foreshadowing Foto All I can think about this week is summer. And summer bugs. And short pants. And spinner falls. And when this damn snow will go away… And to think we are already a whole month total…

Attn DFO’s One Month Left

October 25, 2016

DFO's, dry fly, Swingers, troutspey

Attn DFO’s One Month Left Saw the new web site banner that John updated this morning and was reminded that we getting short. The time left to throw that dry fly at a specific target is waning. And if you…

Missouri River Ant Fest! Are you an Ant Addict?

August 15, 2016

Bugs, Fly Fishing Technique

Ants, Fly Pattern, Missouri River Ant Fest, Terrestrial

Missouri River Ant Fest I got an order for ants about 25 years ago. I was tying commercially and this feller wanted a couple hundred ants. What kind of ants I asked? He said quite simply…”Oh tie me up a…

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…

Blackfoot River Salmon Flies & Fishing Report

June 8, 2016