Dry Fly Fishing Montana with Dixon Adventures

Spring Missouri River Fly Fishing Report

May 17, 2012

          The Missouri is fishing great right now and the water levels are at an incredible condition.  The Missouri River Streamflow is at 4500 and the temperature coming out of the dam is an optimal 51 degrees!  I can remember some of these fishing conditions during the drought years and since we have had 2 years of enormous flows, it is nice to have great dry fly conditions.  There are some baetis and large Rithrogena March Browns still around but the big hatch is the mother’s day caddis.  The caddis have been hatching in full force with some of our record heat days.  Now that the temps will drop back down , the caddis will still continue to hatch.  The dominant time for dry fly fishing seems to be between 1 and 4 and the evening hatch has not been as good as expected.  I have been throwing double dries during the prime window.  I have had success on x-caddis and other caddis patterns I tie along with a smaller parachute or cripple.  There have been a lot of trout taking the parachute during the caddis hatch.  The success is dominated by presentation.  Perfecting the reach cast and a good drift will increase your strikes.  The trout are really hot right now.  A 17″ trout can spool line of your reel and you may have to learn some lessons the hard way before you can land them.  As I always tell my clients “honor their power, if they are running you have to let them run!”  Streamers work best in the faster waters where the trout are predacious and opportunistic, but the streamer game is not consistent throughout the river, site specific I call it.  If you are going to try and get into some trout on nymphs, just use about a 5 foot rig with 1 B or smaller weight on 4x or 5x.  I have had success on caddis pupa, purple lightning bugs, rainbow warrior, and many other little flashy bugs in the 16-18 size.  Some guys will run a “short leash” even shallower than that since the river levels are clear and low and the trout are starting to hold on the shallow gravel bars.  I have some open days if you want to try a “Dixon Adventure.”  Good luck out there, the conditions are great!

May 6, 2012

          I had a great week on the Missouri last week.  We caught some monster browns on dries and then there was a magic day when there was overcast and low wind and a regatta of March Browns.  The March Browns are big beautiful mayflies. They seem larger than the western freestone March Browns and the trout were loving their first monster hatch.  I was fishing some of the canyon sections and the lower river and there was a shift that was noticeable to me.  The lower river has had some cool dry fly hunting for some nice browns, but it seemed to me like New Zealand.  There were just a few fish every other mile, but some of them were fun to hunt when they were holding on a lane and eating Baetis and March Browns in rhythm.  So in the middle and lower sections there were very little signs of rainbows eager to eat a dry.  Of course a lot of rainbows are interested in the social behavior they have during spawning and less interested in feeding.  There are still some trout spawning, but there are a lot of them that are done and the river is filling back up with rainbows.  The magic day had lots of fish rising on all sections of the Mo and it was nice to start seeing pods that were not just focused on midges like they have been on the upper sections.  The nymphing has been great and the trout are on the prowl for food as the temperatures start approaching 50 degrees.  I have had success with a variety of nymphs so I will not bore you with a mile long list.  Just set it up at about 6 or 7 feet with a single split.  Dont be afraid to experiment with some different set ups, like going shallower with no weight and fishing some of the shallower sections.  There are definitely some nice trout starting to hold on some of the shallow bars.  I am primarily a dry fly fisherman, so I am looking for rises and also running some 24-30 inch droppers under the dries and that is working for me in the right spots.    The one thing I can tell you is that the fishing is about to get even better.  I have seen some caddis coming out during the heat and the buffet of caddis is about to cause a spring feeding frenzy.  I am curious to know what will happen this year to the dam releases.  I checked out the Canyon Ferry reservoir level and it is currently 86.5% full.  Here is a cool link for the current level.  Canyon Ferry Level  If  the pool fills up, then Holter Dam will experience some releases.  I don’t think there will be much, especially compared to the last couple years.

Hatches:  Midges, Baetis, March Browns, and Caddis are starting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 1, 2012

            Wow what a week.  The heat brought the tributaries (Prickly Pear and Dearborn) on a big rise and was dumping mud into the river.  The lower river looked off color, but still “bugger green” and fishable.  I went from feeling like I was in the tropics mid week to feeling like I was in the tundra by the end of the week.  I saw something I don’t think I have ever seen before.  I actually saw a couple caddis in the heat and I had not seen a March Brown yet.  Really?  I saw a caddis before a March Brown.  The caddis arent out yet, but it was just a reminder of things to come.  The weather at the end of the week was nasty and I saw a lot of Baetis and March Browns.  I was fishing the lower river which is tough at this time of year, but I was able to catch some nice browns on top, but not many.  I chose to head hunt rather than join the gumball circus upriver.  There is some good dry fly fishing up river and in the canyon, but the “numbers game” is definitely still throwing nymphs.  Take your choice on nymphs, there are always plenty of varieties that work.  Some of mine would be Czechs, P tails, sow bugs, and anything that is good for the mayfly aquatics that you can whip up on the vise.  I have not found too many trout starting to venture into the bars in the middle of the river and the best fishing is on seams on the banks.  This will be changing in the next couple weeks as the rainbows finish there task of making more trout and start to migrate all over the river.  The river is fishing well and there are many different styles to choose from. The streamer bite was ok, but not great.  That means we were turning some nice trout every now and then, but you had to work for them.  I am heading over today so check out my facebook for updated photos and info.  Good luck

 

 

April 18, 2012

            Well I can tell you what everybody else is saying.  Fly Fishing the Missouri River this spring has been some of the best spring fishing I have seen since the drought years.  There are some exciting reports from fisherman, but of course, some anglers are not doing as well as others.  What does that mean?  Well, that depends on what you call well and what type of fisherman you are.  

          Flyfishing the Missouri River has all kinds of options  and consequently, attracts all types of fisherman.  As a guide we have what are called numbers clients.  Of course, most “numbers” anglers are not concerned with how they catch fish, they just want to catch trout.  So, usually that means nymphing and that style is producing.  With all the trout that are in the upper river, when you get the right system, the catching can be incredible.  There are rainbows visibly on reds and then there are the “planters” that everyone is talking about.

           We have not stocked our rivers since 1976 and stocking occurs in ponds and lakes, including Holter Lake.  So last year with the apocalyptic flows, some of the stocked rainbows spilled over the dam.  This is sad to me because it will disturb the gene pool  that has been diverse for years.  Everything will be fine and I have heard the argument that the river trout were planted at one point too.  True, but we have had years of genetic diversity that has created immunity of some strains to Whirling and many other diseases.  We will see but now we have a new gene pool that has limited diversity and some of these strains may be more vulnerable to disease.  Nothing to be alarmed about, but I thought I would just include a little genetics in my report.  If you want a good nymph rig, play around with the usual tailwater bugs (czech. scuds, sow bugs, baetis, P-tails, and especially hand tied varieties of ingenuity.  Use about a 6 foot rig, but don’t be afraid to shorten or lengthen the system depending on the run you are fishing.

          So then there is the streamer game.  This is a game of perseverance.  Occasional you can experiment with streamers and find a ridiculous amount of chases and action, but these are the miracle days.  You want to play the weather to try and find these magic days.  The nastier the weather, the better chance of a great streamer bite.  You don’t always have to use large patterns, in fact using some of the smaller patterns will give you more chances at both large and average size trout.  So what is the most popular game to me?

         The Dry Fly!  I was fortunate to catch some of these nice browns on both a blue winged olive and a stonefly pattern.  Yes there are stoneflies in the Missouri and there are resident stoneflies, they don’t all come from the Dearborn and tributaries.  It was interesting to me, between me and my guide we landed numerous trout (I am not a counter) on the upper river on the nymphs and there was only 1 brown trout.  When we fished lower in the canyon, we caught a bunch of nice brown trout and rainbows.  Look for rock walls and don’t expect to have no dry fly fishing with no rises, you can prospect and catch some nice ones.  The March Browns will be coming out soon since the baetis have started.  The blue wings come marching out around 2 PM or so, but this time can vary depending on weather.  

          I expect this river to fish very well this year.  So what kind of angler are you?  You have the triple threat of options!  I am not a counter, I like the Dry fly challenge.  When you see a trout rising and have to use skill to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the rewards are greater than just watching your gumball shoot up river.  Good luck out there, and I have open days if you want to put your skills to the test.  

 April 1, 2012 

           The temperatures are pushing over 40!  That means that the first hatches, besides midges, is around the corner.  I am looking forward to some great dry fly fishing this year on the Mo!  The fishing is the same.  Look for midge risers in specific areas, nymphing (same old tactics and flies), and streamer tactics might produce depending on the alignment of the moon and stars.  Good luck and feel free to stop in and say hi to Phil at Prewett Creek. 

 

March 27, 2012

          The Missouri is getting there.  Water temps coming out of the dam are getting closer to 39 degrees and the baetis hatch is around the corner.  I have not been fishing the Missouri this spring yet, but there are reports of some great midge hatches and rising trout, as long as the conditions are right.  To be successful at this time of year you need to be able to switch tactics.  Do some nymph fishing, look for a midge head to post up on, and then toss some streamers on some rock walls or other waters that look productive.  This big male brown was caught on a streamer on the lower river and the surface activity will be sparse until those lake temperatures keep rising.  Spring fishing on the Mo can be exciting and I am looking forward to head hunting and I do anticipate some great hatches and the snowpack is looking like we might not have a giant runoff which equals great river flows and dry fly fishing!

 

 

March 20, 2012

 

           The Missouri River has been fishing pretty well throughout the winter, as far as winter fishing goes. Last week the river was flowing under 5000 CFS, but now it has come up after these winter squalls hit during the spring equinox.  These storms are a reminder of the potentials of heavy precipitation this spring like we had last year.  I am not a true winter Missouri junkie, but I have put my telemark skis and ski pass away so it is time for me to come out of hibernation and give some real reports!  I will always keep my reports real because I have nothing to sell, so here it goes.

           When I fish the Missouri this early it is clear that the nymph game is the ticket.  However, the dry fly midge fishing can be fun in the ideal conditions.  I have seen some of the largest midge clusters I have ever seen on the Mo in early spring.  Just like pseudo fishing in the fall, this can be a great way to put yourself on a dog leg par 5 early in the season.  Translation, you have to use good technique and have arial mends and precision.  This game is my favorite, because it is a challenge and much more rewarding than the bobber.  I am not too picky about fly selection; grifith, buzzballs, or just any little fuzzy thing.  I actually like using a classic renegade as a point fly on 5x and then trail a small size 20 thing of your choice on a 14-16 inch dropper.  The main game is presentation.  Work on your aerial mend parachute or stack cast and try and feed the patterns in their lane and try and match the rythmn of their rise.

           Nymph fishing is pretty basic.  The same old Missouri tailwater bugs like ray charles, lightning bugs, small pheasant tails, copper johns, zebra midges, and more.  Run them tandem on 4x and 5x and at about 7 feet unless your are fishing the slower deeper runs.  The rainbows will begin to feel the migration bug as flows fluctuate in the spring as they feel their urge to create more trout for us to stalk in a couple years. 

          The key for me to get the urge to fish the MIssouri is when the water temperatures begin to climb over 40 or 41 degrees.  Right now the temperature is 37 or so.  When the temperature climbs, the fishing gets more exciting.  The blue-winged olives and march browns will get trout looking up more and then the potential of catching some big trout on skwalas gets better as temperatures climb over 44 degrees.  So keep an eye on the flows and the river temps and enjoy the river cause you might find yourself in a dream world like the photo below.  Have fun folks and good luck

 

 

 

Hatches: Midges, Skwalas, Baetis, and March Browns coming!