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 we move into the middle of the first dry fly month of the season.
Flows headed to 7,000CFS on Tuesday. Hooray. Not too much traffic here yet as many rec/DIY floaters have just started fishing. The levels are just fine now. Under 10K is a treat. The first time in a long time. It really is nice.
Put the bobber away. Get out the GINK. And the Frog’s Fanny of course. That is the first step. The first tip. To be successful at dry fly angling you have to commit. Those who chase the indicator down the river and stop when the see the fish looking towards the surface will miss the good ones. And that is OK, if you like to roll that way. But for those who are successful dry fly anglers, you gotta get into it man.
- Pick your favorite spot and go there. And fish. That is the first day back program. Go there and enjoy. Fish all of your favorite goto patterns. Hook a couple. Reminisce. Day two go find new water. New water is fun. There could be some new fun spots out there man.
- Explore. Change ti up. IF you fish the left side, change sides. If you fish above Wolf Creek Bridge, try below.
- Fish the PM bite. Way fewer anglers out there for the evening sesh. Headhunters does shuttles late. Fish the night bite after the rest go to dinner. Caddis. Yes nights are for caddis flies.
- Make the first cast count. Don’t be the guy who practices near the trout. It is not good for you, or the next 27 anglers. It just isn’t.
- Find a Dry Fly Mentor. An educator you like and trust. The best sway to get better is to fish with anglers who are damn good. Watch and learn. Your path to improvement will accelerate. Have your guide, or your buddy, or your dad, or your kid execute the dry fly program. Watching those who are good is a real treat. I take every chance I can to view perfection. Or even near perfection. Back in the day I fished with LT, Tom, and Mark a bunch. Chris from the TS was a good hand too. We were all there at the same time. Good times. All 4 of those guys taught me a ton. I am appreciative of those lessons. Still draw from them today.
It is happening. The dry fly season has arrived. Any question about the remainder of July, which will be white hot, or the fantastic August we will have coming up give us a call at Headhunters of Craig. Guides, rental boats, maps, info, lodging, and the best in flies in the Tri-County Region!
5 Comments.
I think if you’re a wade guy it’s important to move your feet–I see so many guys just standing there casting at fish for hours to which they have a less than high % chance of drifting properly–change your position –moving your feet, sometimes only slightly can create higher % angle and better drifts which equal –well you know–yes, those were good times indeed
LT
Awesome post as always, Mark. My advice: don’t struggle and spend hours on the river trying to figure out the tricks of the game. ONE DAY with Mark and his staff will change your fly fishing life when it comes to the Mo, at less cost than a new rod. (No charge for the endorsement, lol).
To LT: great tip. Everyone floats these days, and wading skills aren’t discussed very much. But, just as the guy at they oars of a drift boat puts you in position to make a good presentation, the guy in the waders needs to do the same thing. Have a good week in the falling flows boys
Is the traffic created by the DIY fishers? Not too much….
The DIY fellers just showed up this last week. Still pretty quiet on the river. Pretty nice! Flows falling Larry. Come on out and enjoy the Mo in July.
Great tips make for success! Learning all the time,