winter

2019, 2019 Missouri River Summer Water Forecast Update, ice, Jam, MArch, March 5th Missouri River Seasonal Status Update, Snow, winter

March 5th Missouri River Seasonal Status Update The water is high. The ice is too. Super High! Drove down the river today and it is higher than these photos tell. Flooding on some riverfront properties in the lower canyon. That…

January Spey Report from Richard

January 13, 2019

Kreelex, Richard, RIO, Trout Spey, winter

January Spey Report from Richard Trout Spey Report 1.13.19 Fishing in January, what more can I say. While many across the country are drilling holes through hard water, the crew at Headhunters are chasing trout with a spey rod. In…

Mid-Winter Forecast. Will you Fish?

December 11, 2018

Fishing Report, Nature

fishing, Forecast, Montana, winter

Will you do some fly fishing this winter? In Montana? Most of the best winter fishing venues in Montana are solid each and every year. The upper Madison, Bighorn and Missouri are likely the most popular, but there are plenty…

Late March Missouri River Fly Fishing Report

March 27, 2018

Dries, MArch, Nymphs, Streamers, Trout Spey, Water LEvel, winter

Late March Missouri River Fly Fishing Report Water flows are above 6K coming out of the dam at 6230 currently. Then add a couple hundred at the Prickly Pear, the Dearborn, the Sheep Creep, Wagner, Prewitt, Stickney and you have…

Fishksi Video today in snowy, cold Montana

February 15, 2018

Fly Fishing Video

February, fishski, Scumliner Media, video, winter

Fishksi Video Fishksi Video today in snowy, cold Montana from Scumliner Media. Seemed appropriate as we move through this week of more and more snow. The weekend will pound us as well. Stack it up! So the Missouri River slopes…

Missouri River February Fishing Forecast 2018

February 6, 2018

clinics, Dates, February, Flows, Forecast, Hatches, missouri river, Montana, Vacation Planning, Weather, winter

Missouri River February Fishing Forecast 2018 Welcome to February. Football is over, baseball is coming. We are getting nearer to spring ’18 everyday and we for one are damn excited about 2018. We bring you the Missouri River February Fishing…

Saturday Snow. Haiku too.

February 3, 2018

haiku, Saturday Bullshit, winter

Saturday Snow. Haiku too. The cold enveloped me as I walked out of the shop while the snow battered my face taking this image Saturday about noonish. This haiku was blown, and stalled cracklin’, on my rear leg. Another 9…

Late January Missouri River Fishing Report

January 22, 2018

fishing report, Float, Flows, Late January, missouri river, Sink, Swing, Weather, winter

Late January Missouri River Fishing Report Mid Winter check on Montana’s Missouri River as we today give you the Late January Missouri River Fishing Report from your information source Headhunters Fly Shop of Craig Montana. Facts fill the fishing report…

Friday Foto Mountain Palace Winter

January 12, 2018

friday foto, Mountain Palace, winter

Friday Foto Mountain Palace Winter Real cold today. Lots of snow falling. Quite a bit overnight. Looks OK for the weekend. Much warmer temps. Maybe fishable. If you deem it fishable, stop in the shop. We have hot coffee. Unless…

Tuesday January 9th Missouri River Fishing Report

January 9, 2018

Uncategorized

fishing report, Jan 9th, Nymphing, Trout Spey, winter

Tuesday January 9th Missouri River Fishing Report No dry fly action. Warm and windy here for the last several days with winter coming to greet us yet again this evening. More snow in the forecast. We love it. Bring more.…

Silly Sunday Melting Snow Scenery

January 7, 2018

Snow, Sunday Scenery, winter

Silly Sunday Melting Snow Scenery You have 3 more days, including today to get out tree and enjoy the river before we slip back into a winter pattern. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Then January brings winter in with snow an scooper…

Winter Down Low

December 13, 2017

Cascade, pelican, winter

The above image is not normal. It was taken yesterday morning looking upstream from Pelican Point. There should be ice jams and snow on the ground. When it’s real cold the river might be frozen over. Even on a warm…

Late November Missouri River Fishing Report

November 29, 2017

fishing report, Late November Missouri River Fishing Report, Novmebr, winter

Late November Missouri River Fishing Report All is well here on the Missouri River. The first holiday weekend is behind us with the even bigger on ahead. Between now and then we should see continued decent fishing before we dive…

November 16th Missouri River Fishing Report

November 16, 2017

November, winter

November 16th Missouri River Fishing Report Water temps are steady at 43F with water flows about 4000cfs. All good for late fall fly fishing along with the November 16th Missouri River Fishing Report. Been fishing this week while John has been…

Missouri River Fishing Report 11.9.17

November 9, 2017

fishing report, Missouri River Winter, November, winter

Missouri River Fishing Report 11.9.17 Nymphing Not too bad. I’d give it an 8 for the time of year. Could it get hotter? Oh yeah. But consistent enough to keep you interested. The water temps are falling rapidly and the…

Winter Rewards Fishing the Missouri River

November 5, 2017

Headhunters Life, Troutspey

Friends, Snow, spey, Swinging Flies, Trout Spey, Weather, winter

Winter Rewards Fishing the Missouri River Trout Spey casters up all the way from Big Sky. Bill, Jason, Rob, and Todd ventured up the state to the Mighty Mo to swing a few flies. And they were rewarded with nice…

Montana Trout Spey Video

October 11, 2017

Fly Fishing Video

Fall, Mike McCune, Montana Trout Spey Video, October, Scumliner Media, Trout Spey, Trout Spey HQ, winter

Montana Trout Spey Video This short today from Scumliner Media featuring Mike McCune. Casting, speaking, swinging, catching. It is Trout Spey Season here on the Mo. It lasts until next April or May. So we should get after it. You…

Winter Weather this weekend!

September 21, 2017

September, Weather, winter

Winter Weather this weekend! Looking forward to it. Really liked the wet week we just had 7 days ago. 2″-4″ Friday. Bring it. The dry fly fishing pretty good. Pseudo rising trout are on the bite. The nymphing is sick.…

Be Deliberate – Nymphing Tips

March 30, 2017

Fly Fishing Technique

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…

Silly Saturday Scenery Mountain Palace Edition

March 4, 2017

Canyon, Drift, Mountain Palace, winter

Silly Saturday Scenery Mountain Palace Edition Nice. Yet windy Friday. Should be some anglers on the water today. The first weekend of spring. Sorta. Lots and lots of trout spey activity in the store this last week. Lots. We have…

Thursday Snow on the Mighty Mo!

February 23, 2017

Uncategorized

craig, Drifter, Montana, Snow, winter

Thursday Snow on the Mighty Mo! Snowing in Craig Wednesday. More today? The weather guesser said it would. Cooler this weekend than last. Highs in the lower 30’s. Overcast. This previous weekend gave us a taste of spring. But, thankfully…

Missouri River Winter Nymph Fishing Success: Shane’s Top 3 Tips

February 21, 2017

admin

Fly Fishing Technique

bobber, Nymphing, Shane's Tips, Slack Water, Technique, winter

Missouri River Winter Nymph Fishing Success Shane again with today’s Headhunter’s blog post. We’re starting to see some more consistent warmish weather roll in, and it’s definitely bringing people to the river. I was able to get out last week…

Think Pink. Again.

February 20, 2017

Nymphs, patterns, Think Pink, winter

Think Pink. Again. Winter is still here. Warmer this past week but the snow and winter like conditions are on our doorstep. Again. So what do we do? Think Pink. Again. Above are common pink patterns that produce well during…

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…

Thursday Fishing Report. A warming trend

January 19, 2017

fishing report, flies, Pink, winter

Thursday Fishing Report. A warming trend The air temps have risen above the freezing mark. Nice. The water temps? Not really. Well, they are above the 32F locked up solid mark. But not much. Current water temps are below. A…

January Flies – Winter Nymphs and Streamers

January 9, 2017

Bugs, Fly Fishing Technique

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

The air temps have been well below freezing for the last few weeks, but there have been a handful of anglers out fishing. If you’re able to tolerate the cold temps, and have the right January flies, winter fishing can be very good.…

Winter truly starts now…

December 26, 2016

Fishing Report, Fly Fishing Gear

Asquith, Covert, ECHO TR2, Helios 2, Loomis Rods, Orvis, post Christmas, RIO, SA, SAGE ONE, winter

Winter truly starts now… Christmas hangover. It will last a few days and then many will snap out of it. The River Facts And get back to reality. Winter here in Craig is the reality. Water temps are frigid 3…

Report from Ice Station Zebra

December 14, 2016

Headhunters Life, Uncategorized

COLD, fishing, ice, Weather, winter

Above: Sara Roholt attempts to free the ice from her guides while swinging the Missouri River at -10. Extreme cold has settled in to the Northern Rockies for longer than it usually does. Really cold, and with it lots of…

SIMMS DOWNStream Jacket @ Headhunters

October 18, 2016

Fly Fishing Gear

Clothing, DWR, Fall, Layering, Outerwear, Puffball, SIMMS, winter

SIMMS DOWNStream Jacket @ Headhunters Love this new outerwear piece from SIMMS of Bozeman Montana. SIMMS DOWNStream Jacket @ Headhunters. This past week we got to put it to the test for the first time this fall. And it performed…

Keeping Warm on the River

October 6, 2016

Headhunters Life, Uncategorized

COLD, Rain, tips, Warm, winter

The first really cold week is behind us, and some of our visitors got to enjoy some downright cold and wet weather. If you didn’t have all of the right cold weather gear on Monday, you froze. And we definitely…

Missouri River Winter Midge Hatch

March 9, 2016

Bugs, Fishing Report

February, Midge, missouri river, winter

Missouri River Winter Midge Hatch Early March has arrived and midge fishing is on our minds. On any given day you can certainly find a window of activity with fish falling for the skittering midge fly. And skitter they do. The…

Top 10 Tailwater Midge Flies

February 22, 2016

Bugs, Fly Fishing Gear, Headhunters Life

Dry Flies, February, flies, Midge, patterns, tailwater, winter

Top 10 Tailwater Midge Flies These Top 10 February Top 10 Tailwater Midge Flies are sure to please your Missouri River fancy. The midge hatch has begun in ernest and manny anglers are asking about the correct midge patterns to…

Missouri River Top 10 February Nymphs

February 18, 2016

Uncategorized

February, flies, Missouri River Winter, Nymphs, patterns, Top 10, winter

Spring like weather has brought out the shut in February anglers here on Montana’s Missouri River. While many are swing the 2 handed Trout Spey rod the rest are tossing the good ‘ol nymph fly. Here is a photo hit…

Missouri River February Fly Fishing Forecast 2016

February 9, 2016

Birds Bugs and Wildlife, Fishing Report

Bugs, February Fly Fishing Forecast 2016, Hatches, Nymphs, Streamers, Weather, winter

February Fly Fishing Forecast 2016 We can start be saying the winter weather has left us for the next 10 days. Monday the daytime high achieved 58F. Look ahead. More to come. Today we bring you the February Fly Fishing…

Silly Sunday Scenery

January 31, 2016

Headhunters Life, Photography

drift boat, inflatable drift boat, January, Silly Sunday Scenery, Upper River, winter

Headhunters Guide Max Mattioli rocking the upper river with a guest Saturday. Sun and some wind and some trout. The week ahead looks like unseasonably warm weather again. Light winds too. Come out and fish. If you wish! February is…

Sunday Morning Fishing Report Headhunters Style

January 24, 2016

Fishing Report, Uncategorized

fishing report, Midge, Warm, winter

Ever use a hook sharpener? A good idea if you want to increase your hook-up rate. A cheap investment for a giant return. Write it off as an investment in your fly fishing year. While cooler yesterday than the high…

Saturday Trout Spey Rainbow

January 23, 2016

Kreelex Love, Saturday Trout Spey Rainbow, Trout Spey, winter

John Kirk sent us some images from he and friend Nathan last week on the Mo. Swung up a few he said. And per usual the Kreelex was the star he said. He’ll be back again this winter he said.…

Missouri River Weekend Fishing Outlook

January 14, 2016

craig trout camp, fishing report, January, Missouri River Weekend Fishing Outlook, winter

Missouri River Weekend Fishing Outlook The weather has turned for the better. Way better. Or warmer. Some wind attached to the warmer temperatures as well. Pretty normal. We get a few spells like this every winter and the local anglers…

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 1.12.16

January 12, 2016

fishing report, January, winter

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 1.12.16 A break in the cold weather yesterday led some anglers to creep into the cool winter waters. Central Montana’a Missouri River never closes. It does become un-fishable a few times a year, but these…

Missouri River Montana Winter Fishing Report 1.7.16

January 7, 2016

fishing report, January, missouri river, Nymphers Unite, Slush, winter

Still winter out here, out there, on the river. Cold as she goes. As John stated yesterday we have cancelled our Saturday Trout Spey Clinic as it will be too damn cold for any good kind of learning. One of…

Missouri River New Years Fishing Report 1.1.16

January 1, 2016

2016, fishing report, Forecast, Missouri River New Years Fishing Report 1.1.16, New Year, Nymphing, Streamer fishing, winter

Missouri River New Years Fishing Report 1.1.16 New Years Day Missouri River Montana Fishing Report starts out with cold air temps. The Umteenth (21st) Annual Craig Polar Bear Plunge is at High Noon today a the Craig Boatramp. Were you…

Tying the Pink Lightning Bug

December 28, 2015

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Fishing Video

flies, fly tying, HEadhunters, Just Add Vise, Pink, products, winter

Tying the Pink Lightning Bug Today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog we tie the Pink Lightning Bug. In conjunction with our popular Just Add Vise brand this video is purely simple. No talking, no postulating about materials, and no…

Why we love the shortest day in Craig MT

December 22, 2015

December, Holiday Season, Solstice, winter

Why we love the shortest day in Craig MT We have crossed over the Winter Solstice here in Craig MT and beyond. The most important part of this yearly winter equation is just this…the days get longer from here on…

A break in the weather

December 20, 2015

A break in the weather, December, fishing report, winter

Fishing weather has returned, albeit temporarily, for the weekend and front end of the week. Although we have been loving the snow. A good feel of winter with snow falling most of the last week. And the week ahead looks…

Snow Day

December 14, 2015

fishing, SIMMS, winter

We should be waking up to an all-day snowstorm in Craiglandia this Monday morning. Sunday was a beautiful, almost windless day on the Missouri River. I spent it doing something I just don’t do that much anymore in the winter.…

Weekend Re-Cap here in Craig Montana

December 7, 2015

Fishing Report, Fly Fishing Gear, Headhunters Life

craig, December, Gift Card, missouri river, Montana, winter

Monday morning here in Craig Montana. A fun weekend here on the Mighty MO. Our first of several Free Spey Clinics went off without a hitch on Saturday. A few cancellations left us with a smaller group of about 15.…

Friday Foto December Snow Edition

December 4, 2015

Headhunters Life, Landscape, Photography

December, friday foto, Islands, Snow, winter

All is well here fishing Montana’s Missouri River. Friday Foto today here on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog. Trout Spey Casting Clinic led by John tomorrow. SOLD OUT. The next one coming in January. The snow pretty much melted yesterday with…

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 12.3.15

December 3, 2015

December, Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 12.3.15, winter

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 12.3.15 Water levels are remaining at 3030cfs along with water temps falling below the 40F mark @ 38.5F last evening. The water is on the low side of normal. Looks like it will ram in…

Welcome to the Missouri River December

December 1, 2015

Fishing Report, Headhunters Life, Troutspey

December, fishing, Hatches, spey, Trout Spey, Weather, winter

December 1st. All is well. Cold as it should be. A common winter question at the shop is “Do you really fish during the winter? When the weather is like this? Really? Oh yeah. And we are not the only…

Missouri River Montana Monday Fishing Report 11.30.15

November 30, 2015

fishing report, November, Nymphing, Streamer, Swinging, winter

Missouri River Montana Monday Fishing Report 11.30.15 Missouri River Montana Monday Fishing Report 11.30.15 is cold, but getting warmer. The holiday weekend is over and we are back to work at the shop prepping for the upcoming weekend Trout Spey…

Fluorescent Flies

November 21, 2015

Fly Fishing Technique

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,…

Craig Trout Camp Open All Winter

November 10, 2015

cabins, winter

The entire Craig Trout Camp at Headhunters will be open for the entire winter for those who spend just as much time fishing the Missouri during swing season. The Rainbow & Brown, Craig House and Sutton Place will all be…

El Nino Impacts Montana Winters

October 20, 2015

Conservation, Headhunters Life

el nino, snowpack, Weather, winter

excellent images and video from NOAAclimate.gov We’ been reading all summer that a potentially big El Nino event could impact North America this coming winter. It looks as though that forecast will prove correct. The Pacific is warming rapidly creating…

Headhunters Missouri River Fishing Report 4.2.15

April 2, 2015

$300 Guide Trips, craig trout camp, Headhunters Spring Special, Spring, winter

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report reporting some of what happened this last week on the Mo from the Dam to at least Pelican Point. Some anglers below towards Cascade as well. Lodging in Craig is booming and Izaak’s is open…

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 2.27.15

February 27, 2015