What to do when your September fishing day goes soft? How about a few tips to get the blood flowing and the mind searching for the next best thing.
5 Hot September Tips for the Missouri River Fly Fisher
Look for heads in the morning. Hold out Trico’s are still around and we not only witness good spinner falls daily we hear about them too from most reaches of water here on the Missouri River. The upper river has good Trico rising fish til about noon. The windless days are prime for all day searching as the eddy and scum lines will hold the bugs late in the day. The fish are not silly stupid by any means. But a good presentation early int he casting session will reward you. Sunken Trico spinners, Quig’s Cluster, Adams, and of course a great presentation will pay you dividends in rainbow colors.
Toss attractor flies in that sexy water all day long. Hoppers, ants, and October Caddis and that skittering caddis can bring those hungry aggressive fish to the surface. Look for slashing crashing caddis takes int eh afternoon. Look for those hoppers to make above on warmer fall days. The October Caddis downriver can prove to be effective. And ants can be a good idea any day of the week! We love that moving 18″-36″ of water for blind fishing here on the Mo. Try bankside if you wish too. Sexy water holds sexy trout.
Go short with your nymphs. The short leash can be a solid method for all day success. If you are one to go deep in the am and shallow in the pm that is cool too. 3′ is a good length and maybe even shorter as we see the water drop this week to 3500cfs. You gotta get ’em off the boat a bit farther in that skinny water as the fish are spookier than when you are a dredging them. Pinch Ons and Tungsten. Go without tungsten in the super skinny for really sick eats!
Streamer fish the soft water and inside bends. Love to get chased and grabbed? Like to watch it go down. Like to stretch out your arm once in a while not to mention your fly line? Then toss the streamer especially on overcast or windy choppy days. The tug is the drug man. Don’t be afraid to go small, or leech, or a Marabou Closer. Narrow bodied easy to toss flies make it way more funner. At least for me. Some fellers are turned off by those wet sock type flies. I agree. I like easy. A good new streamer line can be a game changer as well. Remember to push the easy button here.
Start late and stay late. No need to be the first boat on the water in September. Why not put on at 9, or 10 and fish til 6, or 7? Dark may be a decent proposition for those who like to push the envelope. Trico’s are not hitting the water til 9 or 10. The tiny BWO comes off in the later afternoons. I mean the big push. Caddis are an afternoon gig. Streamer fishing is good when the light comes off the water. Start late and stay late. Do it. It is good for your constitution.
We love September. Fewer folks around. Shorter days. Longer nights. More color on the river. More color off the river. All good, all the time…as we move into the middle of this first of the fall months.
Come out and enjoy the Missouri River in all of its colors here this September. And remember to keep it fresh and resist the static approach. Ding the same thing over and over does not lead you down the path of improvement. Change it up and feel free to use any of the 5 Hot September Tips for the Missouri River Fly Fisher.
