John Arnold, Author at Headhunters Fly Shop

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Fishing Technique, Headhunters Life

Do you use Sharpie, Pantone or Prismacolor markers to add some personalized color to your hopper patters? Lots of Missouri River guides do. So do some of the more particular local anglers. Their belief is that an “out of the…

PMD’s Up Close

July 14, 2024

macro, mayfly, PMD

Here’s a couple of detailed shots of our favorite Missouri River Mayfly for those who have never looked close, or those who can’t because the eyesight ain’t so good no more. To learn more than you need to know about…

Sunday Photo

February 25, 2024

Photography

photo, sunday

Morning on the Missouri River looking downstream towards the Wolf Creek Bridge. This image was captured before the whitecaps started to build. click to enlarge

Weekend Tip: Keep Those Hands Down

February 10, 2024

Troutspey

mccune, spey, Trout

Look at this picture and let it burn into your memory banks. For you spey junkies planning on hitting then river this weekend, here’s a tip. In fact it’s THE tip. This is without a doubt the #1 mistake that…

Guide to Fly Fishing in the Wind.

December 8, 2023

Fly Fishing Technique

wind

A great article written by John 10 years ago. Republishing today for your entertainment. And a reminder to practice casting in the wind. Lots. Often. Great wind free and warm week behind us with tons of anglers and spey casters…

Mike McCune – Perry Poke Video

November 21, 2023

Fly Fishing Technique, Fly Fishing Video, Troutspey

Casting, mccune, Mike, perry, poke, spey, troutspey

REPOST: Love this video shot by John and Mike several years ago. Worth the watch again nd again. Enjoy if you are viewing after the turkey this Thursday! If you haven’t had a chance to attend one of our clinics…

Searching with Attractors Fishing Montana’s Missouri River

August 11, 2023

Fishing Report, Fly Fishing Technique, Headhunters Life

attractor, Education, Hopper, Long Leader, Technique

Scumliner penned this article a few years ago. Information like this is pertinent today as ever! August, typically some of the most productive attractor fishing of the year on the Missouri. And because afternoon hatches can be slim, it’s often the…

Slow Motion 4th of July – Video

July 4, 2023

A throwback from 2013 with Scumliner Media and Travis in the danger position. Here’s a short I did a year ago today. I was playing around with the 240fps WVGA setting on the GoPro Hero 3. Pretty cool super slo-mo.…

Trouthunter Blog – Henry’s Fork Report

February 15, 2023

Conservation, Fishing Report

2022, henry's fork, trouthunter

Our favorite underwater photographer and eco-warrior Pat Clayton aka “Fisheye Guy” sent us this excellent – but depressing – article by Trouthunter guide John McDaniel regarding the “Ranch” section of the Henry’s Fork. It’s a lengthy article with a depressing…

Happy V-Day: I Said Delicate! Repost of a great Scumliner Blog

February 14, 2023

Fly Fishing Technique

cast, Casting, tip

Happy V-Day: I Said Delicate! Repost of a great Scumliner Blog Ed Note: Happy V-Day to all you lovers out there from us here in central Montana. A repost today of a great blog John wrote 7 years ago, mid-summer,…

Swing Tips: Fish Broadside

January 28, 2023

Fly Fishing Technique

broadside, spey

Ed Note: A great article from John and Mike McCune. Swing Season is in full effect, with a slight hiccup in the fishing with the below zero temperatures and snow! We’re often asked about how we present the fly when fishing…

Tenkarpa!

August 7, 2022

Fly Fishing Video

Beaver Island, carp, Tenkarpa, video

A fantastic video from the underground editing rooms in Craiglandia. This is what happens when a few of us go Carp fishing in Michigan with grandiose video ideas, yet no script, props or budget. On the fly, fueled by alcohol.…

Mike McCune – Troutspey Retrieve Methods

November 15, 2021

Fly Fishing Technique, Fly Fishing Video, Troutspey

mccune, Technique, troutspey

Mike McCune does an excellent job of covering the primary methods we use to add action to the fly when swinging for trout with our two-handers. You also get to watch some excellent, relaxed, compact, troutspey casting. Watch enough and…

2021 Trout Spey Gear Roundup

November 8, 2021

Troutspey

2HTROUT, spey, Trout, Trout Spey, troutspey

Our annual Trout Spey Gear Roundup is typically here to let you know about all the great new gear available! Because there’s not much to report on the “new Trout Spey gear” front, we debated publishing this. The Pandemic has…

No Code, No Discount

September 4, 2021

It’s not really that difficult. You add the flies you want to your cart then at checkout there’s a field that says “coupon code”, next to a button that says “apply coupon code”. On the right you will see your…

Hoot Owl Restrictions lifted on the Missouri River

August 17, 2021

Conservation, Fishing Report

Today, Montana FWP lifted the “Hoot Owl” restrictions on the Missouri River between Holter Dam and the Cascade boat ramp. Yes, you can again ply the waters of the Mo’ with rod in hand through the afternoon and evening. No…

Spring Fishing Report.

March 22, 2021

Fishing Report

The Parks family – Missouri River regulars – enjoyed some great fishing over the weekend with us. Andrea shows off a nice Rainbow above, and Skylee does a great – possibly the best we’ve ever seen – Whitfish imitation at…

Last Minute Gift – Echo Gecko

December 19, 2020

We just received a bunch of Echo Gecko Kits for that young angler looking to get into the quiet sport. We’ve been out of stock for a couple of months, and these will likely go quick. The Echo Gecko is…

Black Friday Sale!

November 27, 2020

Fly Fishing Gear, Uncategorized

Black Friday, sale

From today through Sunday we will have a few select items at special prices for “Black Friday”. You can find everything on our sale page in our webstore. A lot of these items, like our “Dry Fly Master Kit”, make…

Two-handed Trout Report 11.24.20

November 24, 2020

report, spey

We are at the peak of trout spey season here on the Missouri River. A month ago, the water was too warm, weedy and buggy. A month from now, the water will likely be getting real cold. Right now it’s…

Trout Spey Gear Roundup

November 12, 2020

Fly Fishing Gear, Troutspey

2 Handed Rods, Fly Rod Review, gear, Leaders, lines, OPST, reels, Review, RIO, Running, SA, Scientific Anglers, spey, Spey Lines, Swing, tips, Trout Spey, Trout Spey Lines, Trout Spey Reels, TROUT2H

Ed Note: A re-post of this comprehensive Trout Spey Gear Roundup scribed by John this past month. We thought it important to post again as we now headlong into the TROUT2H Season. Swing Season has arrived! SWING SEASON 20-21 October…

Two-handed Trout Season

October 19, 2020

Headhunters Life, Troutspey

guided, spey, Two Handed

We’ve started Two-handed Trout season a little earlier than normal this year. Actually, some of are swinging every month of the year, but Late October to late December are what we consider “prime time”. The fishing is pretty good right…

Labor Day Sale? Half Price Flies? Starts Saturday

September 4, 2020

sale

Our annual Labor Day Sale & Half Price Fly Extravaganza will go off as usual this coming weekend, September 5th & 6th (Saturday & Sunday only). Flies and Headhunters Logo gear will be available in-store and on-line, and you’ll also see…

Late August 2020 Fishing Report

August 30, 2020

Fishing Report

As we head into a couple of weeks that are promising consistent weather, I expect the Trico Spinner fall to improve and become a bit more reliable. The weatherman says daytime high’s for the next two weeks will be in…

Weekend Update: Rain Coming, Maybe more Dearborn Floating, and Mask up Please!

June 27, 2020

Dearborn, masks

A Saturday Afternoon update for those on the Missouri River, or planning to be here in the next couple of days. Many people on the water this Saturday afternoon. Most angling pressure the last 2 days has been concentrated from…

Dearborn River: Last Call

June 18, 2020

We were just about call an end to the Dearborn River Float season, but thanks to Mother Nature, the Dearborn just got a shot in the arm. Heavy rains in Central Montana have pushed the river up to the 400cfs…

Shop Closed Thursday Afternoon – Extended Hours This Weekend

May 13, 2020

Headhunters Fly Shop will close around 2 or 3 on Thursday afternoon. We’ll be undertaking a little exterior construction project, and the front door won’t be accessible. We will be available on the phone, and we’ll be in the office…

Guide Report – Max Mattioli

May 12, 2020

Fishing Report

The Following fishing report is from longtime Headhunters Guide Max Mattioli. It’s a rare occasion that one of our guides offers to “give it up” on the blog, and we appreciate such a detailed report from one of the rivers…

OPST Commando Smooth Sale!

April 3, 2020

Commando, OPST, spey, troutspey

The new-ish OPST Commando Smooth is on sale at 25% off starting today. Most spey anglers are familiar with the OPST Commando Head. It’s the head that started all of this “micro-skagit” stuff, and is the most popular single-handed spey…

Can’t make all this s**t up!

April 1, 2020

Coronavirus, COVID-19

A gnarly spring storm ripped into Craiglandia yesterday afternoon, covering the region with 1-6” of snow. Super windy as well. I hurried home from the shop on the front end of the storm, and decided to take a short nap.…

Trout Spey Outlook

March 31, 2020

Troutspey, Uncategorized

We’re still in Trout Spey season on the Missouri, and the swing bite remains good. As the weather and river slowly warm, the fish continue to get more active. The Rainbow trout are spawning right now in good numbers. It’s…

Fishing is Open. But not much else.

March 30, 2020

Coronavirus, COVID-19

We are getting a boatload of questions regarding fishing, guiding and fly shop operations under the Statewide “Stay at Home” order that went into effect early Saturday morning. Bottom line: you can go fishing, but you will be “unsupported”. No…

Last Call!

March 26, 2020

Coronavirus, cover-19

This afternoon Gov. Steve Bullock announced a Statewide “Stay at Home” order, similar to orders currently issued in many other states that order all non-essential business’ closed. We’ve been running a spartan operation all week, and this order shuts us…

Just Add Vice Sale

March 25, 2020

Fly Tying

We’re here to help keep you occupied and thinking ‘bout Trout. Maybe you’re living under a “stay at home” order, or maybe it’s self imposed. Or maybe it’s just that you broke your last Thin Mint (above) off on a…

Cabins & Shuttles & Rental Boats… No Go.

March 24, 2020

Headhunters Life, Uncategorized

Unfortunately, we have decided to close down our lodging at the Craig Trout Camp here at Headhunters. This closure will run from now until April 1, at which point we will re-assess. We made this decision after discussing it over…

Flies… To Go!

March 24, 2020

Takeaway

And of today, the front door at Headhunters will be locked and we are asking customers to use the “takeaway” window on the Side of the building, AKA the “beer drinking porch”. Trying our best to help everyone keep their…

Weekend Recap

March 23, 2020

Whoa, what a weekend. Saturday saw the masses descend on Craig and the Missouri River. While there were plenty of fisherman, there was plenty more folks just getting out of the house and enjoying some flawless March weather. Sunny with…

Fishing & Weekend Operations

March 20, 2020

Headhunters is still open, and we’re getting a number of calls asking if we will be open this weekend. Answer: Yes, we will and are. We’re really here as a service provider at this point. Shuttles, lodging, guide trips and…

Craiglandia Phone Troubles. Standard.

March 18, 2020

We became aware today that some customers have had trouble getting through to us on the phone the last couple of days. Phone troubles are standard in Craig. Tin cans and string are more reliable. At any rate, we have…

COVID-19/Coronavirus Operations Update

March 15, 2020

Coronavirus, COVID-19

Edited May 20, 2020, High Noon 14 Day Quarantine Ends June 1st Out of state visitors and anglers can begin to travel to Montana without a mandatory 14 Day Quarantine Monday June 1st. No longer do you have to lock…

Closed This Weekend… Saturday for Sure, Sunday Probably

March 12, 2020

A nasty Winter Storm is forecasted to descend on Craiglandia this weekend, so we are just going to close The shop down Saturday and Sunday. No point in asking our staff to work in what looks to be un-fishable conditions.…

Headhunters Advanced Dry Fly School July 25-29 2019

E-Newsletter to Return!

March 11, 2020

A few years ago I quit sending out our E-Newsletter via email. Many of our customers liked it, and I received your emails requesting that we continue it. But I personally get tired of constant email communication in my inbox,…

Two-hander Report

March 10, 2020

Troutspey, Uncategorized

Darn good swing fishing for early March on the Missouri, and more than a few spey anglers out searching. At least when the weather is nice. The water is still chilly, and you’ll find fish in the deep slow tanks…

The Dungeon Keeper

January 23, 2020

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Tying, Troutspey

Kelly Galloup’s Sex Dungeon is without a doubt one of the most popular large tandem streamer patterns in the West (World?). The articulated movement, swimmy materials, and large deer hare head that pushes water making noise is a great combination.…

Montana Spey Report

January 7, 2020

Still swinging here on the Missouri River, but those water temperatures have dropped and the fish have really tanked up in those winter lies. Sink tips and gentle presentations are key, and productive spots are far fewer than they were…

Strong Trout Spey – Finally

December 16, 2019

Troutspey, Uncategorized

So we’ve now had a week straight of solid swing fishing And the river seems to have stabilized. It’s still high for this time of year at 4600cfs, but it has stayed there for the last several days. Water temps…

Trout Spey Report

December 11, 2019

The swing-bite has been inconsistent this fall. I blame it on inconsistent weather and inconsistent flows from Holter Dam. Mother Nature dictates the weather, and continuing construction on the spillway at Holter Dam Is affecting the flows. The flows have…

Monday is the last Day for Deals!

December 2, 2019

Fly Fishing Gear, Headhunters Life

50% FLIES ENDS TODAY! Today is the last day for our Black Friday celebration, so if you want to save 50% on Flies (use code: FLY50) or 25% on Just Add Vise Fly Tying Kits (use code: JAV25), or swipe…

Black Friday Sale!

November 29, 2019

Fly Fishing Gear, Headhunters Life

Here Ya Go! Below you’ll find our specials available from today through Monday here on our online store, over the phone or in the house. Winter Storm: Due to the recent Winter Storm that left area roads sketchy, we may…

Black Friday… it’s this Friday!

November 25, 2019

Fly Fishing Gear, Headhunters Life

This weekend Headhunters will have a few very special deals for our annual Black Friday Sale. In typical fashion, our staff has picked a few special and limited items for the pre-holiday sale season (if there is a “pre-holiday” season…

November Spey Report

November 12, 2019

I get asked all the following question all the time: “When is the best time to swing flies with a two-hander on the Missouri River?” And I always give the same answer: “November and December”. And here we are in…

Sunday Scenery Sunset Spey

November 10, 2019

Landscape, Photography, Troutspey, Uncategorized

The longest lasting and most incredible sunset I’ve witnessed in a long time occurred the other night. Mike, James and I had a hard time concentrating on fishing. The swing bite had been fantastic all day, until this last run.…

OPST Micro Skagit Rods

November 6, 2019

Fly Fishing Gear, Troutspey, Uncategorized

We’ve just received a handful of the new OPST Micro Skagit rods designed by Skagit legend Ed Ward. We’ve been excited to see these long-awaited rods, and feel fortunate to have gotten in on the initial small run, which was…

Swing Report

November 5, 2019

Its been a tough last month if you have been chasing fish with a two-hander on the Missouri, but things seem to be turning on. The fish are a little grabbier and they’re eating with a bit more authority. At…

Screamin’ Deal! Echo TR Rod, Reel & Line Combo with Gift Card

October 29, 2019

Fly Fishing Gear

Sara and Ben put together this fantastic deal on our best selling Trout Spey outfit! The ECHO TR is paired with an ECHO Ion 6/7 disc drag reel and loaded with our favorite mono shooting line and the excellent Airflo…

Trout Spey Camp Roundup

October 21, 2019