The calm before the storm. Almost.
Lots of folks on the river this fabulous weekend with the weather presenting a reason to slather on a cupful of Sunscreen!
Bustling as we move into the dry fly season. June is the tipping point for those who like to toss the dry fly…all day long.
Can you do it right now? Yep. Not all day long pod filled mornings and afternoons we all think of when dreaming about Missouri River dry fly fishing, but not bad none the less.But it is pretty close.
The dry fly set is pretty happy with the PMD hatch. The nymphers using the net often. Strippers enjoying the overcast Friday all day long!
A few hints to keep in mind this month.
Missouri River June Saturday
- Be courteous. Boat ramps, on the river, giving wade anglers a wide berth, wade anglers understanding that boats need a little space too…smiling.
- First cast is the best cast. The 17th cast or presentation is not the one you want to rely on. The 1st cast is always the best. Remember that the element of surprise never falls out of favor.
- Fish early, fish late. Go out early and get off early. Go out late and get off late. Headhunters is your all day long Missouri River fishing resource. We get here early to accommodate your fishing problem. Flies cost a couple bucks each. Counseling is expensive! Shuttles all day long too.
- PMD’s are yellow in color.
- Caddis fly like a wounded moth.
- The Buzzball is King. Mark believes that wholly. He also writes this blog and is biased. He also believes that soda pop in a glass bottle tastes better. He also believes in 1st casts. He loves fine Tequila Anejo.
- Splashy rise forms indicate tough to catch fish. random rises do not equal a hatch that you can predict. In this case, good drift catch fish. A tough nut to crack. Skittering caddis can work. Soft hackles can work. The Translucent Pupa or Translucent Emerger is a fantastic fly for this erratic trout behavior.
- Headhunters is the Funnest Fly Shop in the World.
- Nymphs are on fire, most of the time. You can bump into a soft afternoon. It happens. Remember that when we fish during the golden hour before lunch and the fish will eat any type of drift good or bad…and then we head out after lunch and the fishing becomes more difficult…good drifts are more important when the fish become tight lipped!
- Good drift catch fish. Both on the dry and on the nymph. Present properly and you will be rewarded more often.
- When dry fly fishing it is important to cast at the fish. You can cast 12′-19′ above the fish, but you will not be rewarded. Cast at the fish. Short perfect drifts catch more fish.
- We will have enough water to get us through the summer this year. Hooray! June was wet, and May, and thankfully April. Hooray for Mother Nature.
- Bring all your flies this time of year. All 3 disciplines are working. Bring all the rods too. Come by and test out the new Orvis Helios or Sage R8 Core. NRX in your future?
- PMD’s for two months? Caddis for the next three? Trico’s in July. Terrestrials late this summer.
- Not too early to book your fall trip to the Mo. Lodging and guides becoming booked. We are about half booked for the September-October time frame. An early warning. Well, a mid flight warning. By September the October dates are not as good.
- Shop open at 6am. Earlier soon.
- Summer is here and we love it. Happy Saturday to all of you!
