dry fly Archives - Headhunters Fly Shop

BWO, DFO, dry fly, Missouri River Technique, Practice, Technique

DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE Watching the NLCS this past weekend I had some thoughts stirred up by the unique approach the LA Dodgers took for game 1 and the final game of the NLDS. What was so exciting was…

5 Must Do Tips for Missouri River June

June 29, 2021

5 Must Do Tips for Missouri River June, Brown Trout, dry fly, First Cast, June, PMD's

A quick overview of the things that you must do in June on the MO. They include not only technique but also timing for your best shot here on the dry fly stream of choice in central Montana. No run-off…

Friday June 25th Missouri River Fishing Report

June 25, 2021

DFO, dry fly, fishing report, June

Friday June 25th Missouri River Fishing Report Good number of rising trout on the dry fly. Tough out there. PMD’s and Caddis. Don’t drag the fly over the heads of the rising trout on your first cast. Do yourself a…

Friday Weekend Missouri River Fishing Forecast

May 7, 2021

dry fly, May, Nymphers, Rain, Streamer

Friday Weekend Missouri River Fishing Forecast Water flows: 3440cfs. Low. Not gonna get much higher this year. Water Temps: 47F-48F. Normal. But it is moving up and down a bit. Loer flows equal greater opportunity to change like this. Bugs…

Spring Training Video

March 20, 2021

dry fly, Sara Spring Training, Spring Training Video, video

Spring Training Video It is here. Spring is here in Craig. We felt it last week. Super busy this weekend again. Lots and lots of boats, wade anglers, and guide trips out there as our Spring Special makes it through…

Dry Fly Super Bowl still a few months away

February 7, 2021

Casting, DFO, dry fly, Practice, summwer

Dry Fly Super Bowl still a few months away Image: Long time Headhunter Jim Arkin sizing up a PMD flat. Patience along with accurate confident first drifts put Jim in the right mood for success. A big game today. All…

Tuesday Fly Casting Tactics w/ Simon Gawesworth

January 5, 2021

Fly Fishing Technique, Fly Fishing Video

Casting, DFO, dry fly, Hopper, Simon Gawesworth, Streamer, Technical casting, Technique

Tuesday Fly Casting Tactics w/ Simon Gawesworth A great tip from Simon Gawesworth fo RIO Line Company today. Tuesday here in Craig and all is well. The fly shop staff is out on the casting lane often fine tuning personal…

Friday Foto Summer Dreams

December 4, 2020

Bugs, Headhunters Life

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.

Smoke Jumper BWO Tying Video

September 24, 2020

Fly Fishing Video, Fly Tying

BWO, dry fly, fly tying, Smoke Jumper, video

Smoke Jumper BWO Tying Video Our good friend Hans Stephenson over at Dakota Angler with the Smoke Jumper BWO today on the Headhunters Blog. We like this fly. We like cripples here on the Mo. We like small flies. We…

Missouri River September Fishing Forecast 2020

August 31, 2020

Autumn, Bugs, dry fly, Fall, Headhunters Fly Shop, Missouri River September Fishing Forecast 2019, nymph, Terrestrial, Water Flows, Water LEvels, Water Temps

Rolling into September 2020 and Covid Free in Craig Montana. All good here as we welcome Autumn with cooler daytime highs, today only forecast to reach the 60F mark. The nighttime lows are not dipping below the 40F point yet,…

Missouri River Montana Monday Fishing Report 8.24.20

August 24, 2020

August, dry fly, fishing report, Hopper, Late Summer, missouri river, Monday, Nymphing

Missouri River Montana Monday Fishing Report 8.24.20 August. Our slowest two weeks of the summer season. Thanks last two of August. And we like it. The river is in tough shape as it moves through the mechanisms of warm weather,…

Missouri River Fishing Report 7.20.20

July 20, 2020

DFO, dry fly, July, Nymphers, Summer

Missouri River Fishing Report 7.20.20 Trico’s increasing. Looks like PMD’s decreasing. Spinners will get the finicky ones to bite. Caddis Strong! For those who like to fish the evening shift the second to last hour is the Golden Hour. Downwinged…

Dead Flies Don’t Swim Video & 5 Things to Never Do Dry Fly Fishing

July 6, 2020

Fishing Report, Fly Fishing Technique, Fly Fishing Video

Dead Flies Don't Swim Video & 5 Things to Never Do Dry Fly Fishing, DFO, dry fly, July, Technique, tips

Dead Flies Don’t Swim Video & 5 Things to Never Do Dry Fly Fishing Water levels falling this week we think. They fell yesterday by a couple thousand and will fall again today below 9K. Hooray. The dry fly bite…

Late Winter Fishing Report by Richard

March 5, 2020

dry fly, Dry Fly Fishing Report, flies, Late Winter Fishing Report by Richard, Richard Magill, Swing

Late Winter Fishing Report by Richard The weather has been unseasonably warm, which typically means the wind is turned up to 11. Controlling a drift boat in gusty conditions can be difficult to say the least, but the rewards can…

#TBT Headhunters Fly Shop OG Dry Fly Video

February 20, 2020

#TBT, #TBT Headhunters Fly Shop OG Dry Fly Video, dry fly, February, HH All Stars, video

#TBT Headhunters Fly Shop OG Dry Fly Video This is our original promo video from 2009. HH opened the doors April 4th 2008. Scumliner’s first video for HH of Craig. Of course he then went on to shoot some killer…

Missouri River Christmas Fishing Tips

December 23, 2019

Christmas, dry fly, Fishing Tips, Nymphing, Swing, Trout Spey, winter

Missouri River Christmas Fishing Tips A couple Missouri River Christmas Fishing Tips for all of the Holiday Anglers out there today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog. Headhunters Fly Shop Holiday Hours: Open today Monday 8-5. Christmas Ever Tuesday 8-Noon.…

Late October Weekend Missouri River Fishing Report

October 25, 2019

BWO, dry fly, Fall, fishing report, flies, Guides, lodging, Streamer, Trout Spey

Late October Weekend Missouri River Fishing Report Fishing is heating up. It has not been a record fall as we write this fishing report mid day Friday October 25th. Fair fishing. Not fo the fickle. Those who fish here more…

Thursday October 10th Headhunters Fly Shop Fishing Report

October 11, 2019

2019, DFO, dry fly, Fall, fishing reort, nymph, October, Short Leash, Streamer, Thursday October 10th Headhunters Fly Shop Fishing Report

Thursday October 10th Headhunters Fly Shop Fishing Report Lots happening locally as we kick off our Trout Spey Camp 2019 this morning with a cast of thousands here in downtown Craig Montana. Spey casters from around the country and beyond…

Monday Morning Missouri River Briefing

September 16, 2019

dry fly, LT, Monday Morning Missouri River Briefing, Sandy A, September

Monday Morning Missouri River Briefing Good, decent, great, not so great, slow. All heard in the shop post fishing this last week. Guide Brett Matula said to me this week “If you capitalize on half of the eats today you…

Friday Fishing Report from Headhunters of Craig Montana

August 9, 2019

dry fly, Haiku Issues, Oscar Wilde, Summer, Two Bit Hookers

Friday Fishing Report from Headhunters of Craig Montana Flows at 4770cfs. Above average for this time of year. We like more water. Some don’t. But some do. Water temperatures 61F-65F daily. Good there too. Not too hot. So far not…

Monday Morning Missouri River Fishing Report 7.22.19

July 22, 2019

Caddis, Drake, dry fly, July, Monday Morning Missouri River Fishing Report 7.22.19, PMD, Summer, trico, Yellow Sally

Monday Morning Missouri River Fishing Report 7.22.19 Trico’s. Daily hatches grace us for the remainder of the month and the entirety of August, and some of September. PMD’s still a factor. Get some today! Spinners rule the day, during the…

Friday Future Fly Fishers Matthew Edition

July 12, 2019

dry fly, Future Fly Fishers, future Fly Fishers Matthew Edition, take a kid fishing

Future Fly Fishers

Friday Future Fly Fishers Matthew Edition Good on you Mathew. Great fish on the Missouri River. And he got it done with the dry fly. Men, those of you who think that you are not ready for the dry fly,…

May Missouri River Fishing Forecast

April 29, 2019

Fishing Report, Fly Fishing Technique

BWO, Caddis, DFO, dry fly, Hatch Chart, March Brown, May, May Missouri River Fishing Forecast, missouri river, Mother's Day, Nymphing, River Flows, Streamer, Timing

May Missouri River Fishing Forecast Today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog you get the May Missouri River Fishing Forecast. What to expect, wish for, and believe for the month ahead. Here we go out of April running full speed…

Headhunters Advanced Dry Fly School July 25-29 2019

February 19, 2019

dry fly, Headhunters Eduction, July 25-29 2019, Missouri River Skills, School

Headhunters Advanced Dry Fly School July 25-29 2019 What you’ve been waiting for this winter! We announce the Headhunters Advanced Dry Fly School July 25-29 2019! Yes, a few of your favorite guides we be teaching this Missouri River Dry…

Friday Foto Great Fishing on the Mo!

September 28, 2018

Headhunters Life

dry fly, Fall, Friday Foto Great Fishing on the Mo!, Nymphing, Rainbow, Streamer fishing

Friday Foto Great Fishing on the Mo! BWO’s off daily. The little ones. Saw the bigger ones this week too. Not the 16’s. The 18’s. More on the way. Ending September and moving gleefully into the 10th month. October rules.…

Friday Foto Fishing Report

September 14, 2018

dry fly, Fall Weather, fishing report, Friday Foto Rainbow Release, Nymphing, Short Leash Nymphing

Friday Foto Rainbow Release Coming into a cooler weekend wether wise. Bring your warm clothing. Or come by the shop and stock up on all of the cool fall SIMMS gear that arrived yesterday. Downstream Jacket Puffy, the staff favorite…

September Blackfoot River Report

September 8, 2018

Blackfoot River, Bob, Chubby Love, dry fly, Fall, Westside

September Blackfoot River Report Pretty good. Fish on dry flies. Not too many folks around. An awesome time to be on the Westside as well as the Eastside. A good time of year all the way around. Cool out this…

Dead Flies Don’t Swim Video Scumliner Media

July 18, 2018

Dead Flies Don't Swim Video Scumliner Media, DFO, dry fly, Scumliner Media, Trico's

Dead Flies Don’t Swim Video Scumliner Media A favorite of our here at Headhunters Fly Shop. Today we present you this fanciful re-run Dead Flies Don’t Swim Video Scumliner Media. Trico’s are here. The flows are falling to 5,000 cfs on…

5 Tips for Missouri River July Dry Fly Success

July 9, 2018

10 Tips, 5 Tips for Missouri River July Dry Fly Success, DFO, dry fly, July, Presentation Techniques, tips

5 Tips for Missouri River July Dry Fly Success The water is dropping rapidly. Finally. It is July and we are all about the dry fly this Month! It is our namesake for goodness sake! Headhunting we will go as…

Missouri River Friday Fishing Report Headhunters Fly Shop

June 29, 2018

Uncategorized

dry fly, fishing report, Late June, Nymphers

Missouri River Friday Fishing Report Headhunters Fly Shop All good and getting better. Well, meaning, the water is scheduled to drop this coming week. Yup. It’s gonna happen. Flows at Toston Dam of the Missouri River are dropping rapidly. 13K…

Dry Fly Days Ahead

June 27, 2018

2018, DFO, dry fly, Headhunting, high water, Sight Fishing

Dry Fly Days Ahead Yes. Gotta be true. Not too good the past three days for rising trout. No bugs. No bugs, no trout. But that will all change today, right? Always thinking positively. PMD’s, Caddis, Sally’s. Water Report The…

Spring Training in Montana

March 14, 2018

dry fly, Spring Training in Montana, video

Spring Training in Montana Tomorrow starts the Spring Special here at Headhunters of Craig. Cheap guide trips and cheap lodging. Yes it is coming, Spring we mean. Warm out all week and snow tomorrow. April is the big push for…

February Top 5

February 1, 2018

dry fly, February, Midges, Top 5, Trout Spey

February Top 5 Not my favorite month. Not too much going on. Slow. My February Top 5 below this Thursday February 1st. Midges may happen mid month. That is a breath of fresh air. Lends itself to spring thoughts. Already…

One Month ’til Midges?

January 18, 2018

Bugs, dry fly, February, Forecast, Midges, One Month 'til Midges?

One Month ’til Midges? Spending the week in Western Washington as the hard rain has got me thinking…One Month ’til Midges? I did not start out with this exact thought. It started with the hard rain, and being thankful that it…

Good Dry Fly even in the SUN!

October 15, 2017

BWO, dry fly, Nymphers Unite, sun, wind

Good Dry Fly even in the SUN! Windy and sunny. Cold too. October is here. Fall is here. The trout are rising. Good Dry Fly even in the SUN! Nymph them up in the morning or chuck that bugger. The…

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…

3 Hot Missouri River Rigs for the Weekend

September 8, 2017

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Fishing Technique

Autumn, dry fly, Dry-Dropper, Fall, Hot Rigs, Nymphing, Technique

3 Hot Missouri River Rigs for the Weekend We have not turned the corner but the daily river reports from anglers up and down are becoming more consistent as we move beyond the first week of September. We love September…

New Breed Chjicks Rule Blackfoot River Edition

New Breed Chicks Rule Blackfoot River Edition

August 31, 2017

New Breed Chicks

Blackfoot River, cutthroat, dry fly, Shalom

New Breed Chicks Rule Blackfoot River Edition Shalom with her first trout that wasn’t a dink on a dry fly! This cool Cutty fell for a Trina’s Carnage Purple Hopper Monday below River Junction. Marty and Shalom were out this…

Squeeky’s Techy Dry Fly Set-Up

August 9, 2017

Fly Fishing Gear

dry fly, gear, Late Summer, RIO, SAGE, SIMMS, SOL, Squeeky Speaks

Squeeky’s Techy Dry Fly Set-Up Rod: Sage X 9′ 5 weight. This is a sharpshooter rod. Quick, fast, hyper-accurate. Light in the hand and love casting it. Fly Line: RIO InTouch GOLD. Went back to the GOLD when the InTouch…

Saturday Water Flows

June 10, 2017

Fishing Report, Headhunters Life

Caddis, dry fly, June, PMD, Summer

Saturday Water Flows 8410cfs. That is good. For fishing that is. Dry fly fishing. Should be much better at these lower flows. Will it get to 6K this month? Later maybe. July for sure. But the flushing flows that many…

Monday Morning Fishing Report June 5th

June 5, 2017

dry fly, fishing report, June, Nymphs, PMD's, Summer

Monday Morning Fishing Report June 5th Well into June and we are pretty revved up. The dry fly game is taking shape. The bugs are coming on strong. It’s June man. We have arrived. Bust coming up in the coming…

Stalcup’s Cluster Midge

April 20, 2017

Braden Lewis

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…

Missouri River Midge Mania in April

April 15, 2017

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

Bugs, Headhunters Life

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…

Headhunters Fly Shop Advanced Fly Fishing School

March 1, 2017

dry fly, Headhunters Fly Shop Advanced Fly Fishing School, Missouri River Technique, Nymphing, School, Streamer, Technique

Headhunters Fly Shop Advanced Fly Fishing School Want to get better at fishing the Missouri River? Want to improve your dry fly cast? Presentation? Fish finding skills? Well we do too! And this fall we once again offer Headhunters Fly…

Attn DFO’s One Month Left

October 25, 2016

Bugs, Fishing Report

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…

Monday Morning Missouri River Fishing Report

September 19, 2016

Fly Fishing Gear

dry fly, Fall, fishing report, Monday, Nymphs, Streamer

Monday Morning Missouri River Fishing Report Marcie caught this bad brown on a tiny small olive mayfly. A sz 20! She is kicking off our Monday Morning Missouri River Fishing Report! Nymphing is on fire this week, and last, and…

Missouri River Late Summer Fishing Report 8.22.16

August 22, 2016

Ants, Autumn, dry fly, Hopper Bite, Nymphing, Summer, Swingers, trico, Trout Spey

Missouri River Late Summer Fishing Report 8.22.16 The latest from your friends at Headhunters Fly Shop in Craig in regards to the Missouri River Late Summer Fishing Report 8.22.16. All over the board is the best way to describe the…

July Trico’s Missouri River Fishing Report

July 13, 2016

dry fly, July, missouri river, Trioc's

July Trico’s Missouri River Fishing Report Some good times and some not as good times for anglers here fishing Montana’s July Trico’s Missouri River Fishing Report. Depends on where you are at what time with what fly and a good…

Wednesday Missouri River Montana Fishing Report

June 22, 2016

Fishing Report, Fly Fishing Video

Caddis, dry fly, June, PMD, reach cast, video, Wednesday

Wednesday Missouri River Montana Fishing Report Damn good dry fly fishing. Most of the anglers I saw on Tuesday were toying with the dry fly. Good on them. Wednesday should be the same, with less wind. The wind came up…

Mid June Mid Week Missouri River Fishing Report

June 15, 2016

Caddis, dry fly, June, PMD's

Mid June Mid Week Missouri River Fishing Report Damn good. That is the short report. The longer report is below. PMD’s daily. They can hatch at any time during the day. Spinner fall anytime during the day as well. Hot…

How to (not) catch Missouri River dry fly fish

June 13, 2016

DFO, dry fly, June, Summer, Techniques, tips, What not to do

How to (not) catch Missouri River dry fly fish A few of the ways that we as Missouri River dry fly anglers keep ourselves out of fish are listed and explained in this short and factual Monday morning fly fishing…

Your Missouri River Monday Morning Fishing Report

June 6, 2016

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Fishing Technique

Caddis, dry fly, fishing report, June, Nymphs, PMD

Missouri River Monday Morning Fishing Report We are headlong into the one of the best months of the year. June brings lots of great fishing for those who like to nymph and dry fly fish. We love it because of…

Dry Fly Leaders: Please Add Tippet

June 1, 2016

John Arnold

dry fly, leader, tippet

Some high-tech dry fly fishing is just around the corner here on the Missouri River, and a little discussion about leader design and tippet length is in order. The leader can be the most important element to any dry fly rig. For…

Dry Fly Education

May 19, 2016

Future Fly Fishers

dry fly, Education, reach cast

Dry Fly Education Our friend Roger with this dry fly education today on the Headhunters Blog. Saw Roger out for a few days. Then he was back on a plane to Seattle. But, he’ll be back. He has had a…

May Missouri River Fishing Forecast

May 9, 2016