Recycled Anchors
A few years ago Jason Fowler walked in our shop and asked if we wanted to buy some “used” drift boat and raft anchors. When I asked him where he got used anchors, he told me he dove for them.…
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Dog Daze Fishing Report – Missouri River
So inconsistent I can’t even keep up with it. Fishing reports are all over the place right now, and fortunately you can fish all over the place right now. Pretty rare to be heading to the lower river during August…
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UPDATED HOOT-OWL CLOSURES
Recent warm weather has increased water temperatures and decreased flows on a number of Montana rivers triggering Hoot-owl restrictions. It seems the days of complete closures are over. Here is the most recent update for those wondering which rivers are under restrictions.…
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Saturday Cinema – Thunderbolt and Lightfoot Locations
We’re huge fans of the 1974 film Thunderbolt & Lightfoot, and not just because it’s filmed in this area. It’s a must-see modern Western starring two great actors. We’ve written about it before, and some feedback clued us into the…
Read MoreCommando Style – Explore Rentals
As we head into a drought year with at least some fishing restrictions, we thought we’d throw a long overdue shout-out to our friends at Phasmid Rentals (now Explore Rentals) in Bozeman. Owner Will Cassella has been a customer for…
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The town that forgot how to 4th of July
photo essay by John Arnold Every once in a while, a town forgets how to 4th of July. Yesterday was that day for the village of Craig. A handful of folks drifted through town to celebrate our Nations independence on…
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Montana Hoot-Owl Restrictions
Here we go. July 1 and we’re already seeing some “Hoot-Owl” closures around the state. That means that June was a little warmer than we like it. Or than the trout do. It seems early, and it also seems like…
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Brown Drakes
I have been chasing Brown Drake emergences for almost 30 years. For years on Silver Creek, a bit on the Henry’s Fork, and since I saw one on the Missouri, which was 15 years ago. They’ve been seen lately. I don’t…
Read MoreWilderness Cutthroat – Video
I’ve spent a little time walking around in the woods with Pat Clayton this spring and early summer. Fishing the mountains and looking for interesting things to take pictures of. For those who don’t know, Pat Clayton is the worlds…
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PMD’s On Deck
This weeks warm weather should get the Pale Morning Dun’s cranked up. Our very favorite Missouri River hatch. PMD’s epitomize downstream dry fly presentations on flat water. And the trout love them. That first week or 10 days is always…
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Galvan Wins Yellowstone Angler 5 Weight Shootout
The Yellowstone Angler just released the results of their 2016 5 Weight Reel Shootout. We were a little shocked to find out the winner was the Galvan Torque. Not because it’s not a great reel. It is, and it’s one of…
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Upper Missouri Waterkeeper sues EPA over Water Quality
Our friends at Upper Missouri Waterkeepers filed suit this week against the EPA over it’s approval of a so called “variance standards” for nitrogen and phosorphus pollution in Montana’s waterways. Excessive levels of Nitrogen and Phosorphus are leading contributors to the…
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Dry Fly Leaders: Please Add Tippet
Some high-tech dry fly fishing is just around the corner here on the Missouri River, and a little discussion about leader design and tippet length is in order. The leader can be the most important element to any dry fly rig. For…
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Missouri River Fishing Report: Holding Steady
It seems like it’s been a while since I’ve seen a couple of chutes open at Holter Dam. Drove up today to watch the water pour over the top. I like it. Makes it feel like there actually is some…
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Trending: Stream Access & Gubernatorial Race
You can’t really call attacks on our Stream Access Law here in Montana “Trending” because the attack is constant. If you live in Montana and follow the news or social media, you may be aware that Republican Gubernatorial hopeful Greg Gianoforte…
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Sunday Motivator
Ben McNinch shows us a dandy Brown he landed the other day. Right when the water bumped, but hey, that’s his day off. Do you think Ninch is going to take the day off because they raise the water a little?…
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Things To Do: Tower Rock State Park
We’re often asked what other activities there are to do around Craig if you’re not fly fishing, and hiking is at the top of the list for many. Unfortunately the Missouri River is surrounded by private land and hiking on…
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Friday Foto – Storm Season
Our weekly image shows this wicked Thunderstorm that whacked the river last night around 8pm. This shot is taken near Cascade with the Adel Mountains in the background. Plenty of lightning associated with this cell. Finally. I love storms and…
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Rising Water Fishing Report
Here we go. Runoff has arrived and with it a bump in flows. Not big enough to push the river out of its banks, but big enough to make you change tactics. The river is currently at 6790CFS (though it…
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Take Your Kids Fly Fishing
School has or is winding up for most people in the region, and it’s time to think about getting those kids out on the water. It’s pretty easy to let them lay around the house for a week or 3.…
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By the way… the Creeks are Open
Montana’s “small stream opener” falls on the 3rd Saturday in May each year. That was last Saturday, and we always hold the Craig Caddis Festival on the opener. Rain pretty much swamped most folks creek plans last weekend, but now…
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Inconsistencies
The above image shows Missouri River guide Eric Mondragon and clients shoving off into the wind at Wolf Creek on Sunday morning. We’ve had plenty of wind lately. Often from the north, which impacts everything from boat control and casting…
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Fishy Art Show in Bozeman
Two of our favorite artists are holding their annual showing at the 406 Brewery in Bozeman on June 2 from 5 to 8pm. Pat Clayton – a.k.a. Fish Eye Guy – and Mimi Matsuda will be on hand showing their latest…
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Sunday Hangover
Under dark skies and on and off downpours, the 10th Annual Craig Caddis Festival was held yesterday in Craiglandia. Our annual fundraiser for the Craig Volunteer Fire Department was attended by hundreds, and despite the cool and wet weather, the…
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McCune/Gould Spey Sessions Recap
Another long weekend of Spey Casting instruction with Mike McCune and Whitney Gould is in the books. We held 3 classes this year in what turned out to be absolutely perfect weather. No wind. 3 days in a row. In…
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Spring Sale!
BIG Spring Sale this Friday and Saturday at Headhunters. We’re trying to make a little room by clearing out some merchandise from last fall, celebrating Spring, and declaring an “end” to both Swing Season on the Missouri, and out “Spring…
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Living Rivers – Cast
From Epic Montana comes a very nice video about our friend, fellow guide and Upper Missouri Waterkeepers PD Wade Fellin. One of the better fly fishing videos I’ve seen in a while, and one with a message that matters. Check it out…
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Headhunters Hats for 2016
Q: When are the new 2016 Headhunters hats coming? A: They’re here. At least some of them. We get this question all the time in the spring. We’ve just received a number of new Simms logo hats, and they feature…
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Freezout Lake Snow Goose Migration
The Freezout Lake Snow Goose migration occurs each spring, and is a very popular event for nature lovers in the Great Falls area. Julie and I have logged many days at Freezout – but in the fall and with guns.…
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March Mobile Fishing Report
Braden Lewis is bringing us the Mobile Fishing Report for mid-March. Fishing continues to change with the seasons as we move from winter to spring. Nymphs, streamers and now… dries. We should be talking about mayflies on next months video…
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Casting For Recovery & Spey-O-Rama & Whitney & Mia
Our good friend Whitney Gould is teaming up with fellow Steelhead guide and Spey Caster Mia Shepard to raise funds for Casting for Recovery. They both will be competing in the Spey-O-Rama World Championship casting competition on April 22,23,24 at the…
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Last Headhunters 2016 Free Spey Clinic
In some incredibly balmy weather on Saturday – high 60’s – we held our final free spey clinic off the 2015-16 winter season. The full house enjoyed the usual classroom presentation, light winds, a wide variety of lines and rods,…
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New Abel Reels in Stock
We’ve just received a new batch of new graphics from Abel, and also a NEW REEL! Yes, the long awaited for Abel SD (Sealed Drag) reel is here, and we have two in stock, We actually received a couple late…
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Mobile (or not) Video Fishing Report
If you check out the home page of the Headhunters Website today, you see a tall skinny video in the blog section, featuring our new Mobile Video Fishing Report. We’ve threatened to do this for years. Looks like we’re actually…
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In Defense of Switch Lines…. Just Kidding.
Lately I’ve seen a resurgence in the dreaded “switch” line. Particularly on newer spey rigs purchased regionally. At our last clinic there were no less than 3 new outfits present rigged with switch lines. All were recommended as part of a rod/reel/line…
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A Chilly Spey Clinic
Our rescheduled January Spey clinic took place in some Chilly conditions on Saturday. As you can see in the image above, plenty of ice in those snake guides. Plenty. Despite the fridgid temperatures, we had a full house and no…
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Mike McCune & Whitney Gould Spey Clinic
The dates are set for our 2016 spey sessions with Mike McCune & Whitney Gould. For those looking for some hands-on Spey instruction in a small 3:1 classroom setting, you’ll find no better opportunity. Mike & Whitney are among the worlds best Spey-casters…
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Spey Resource – Deneki Outdoors
Spey junkies are constantly hounding us for opinions, info, gear reviews, line recommendations and technical advice. I don’t think everyone who stops by or emails a question needs an answer. They just want to get a discussion going. It’s winter after…
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Spey Clinic Bumped
Unfortunately, the weather is forcing us to move this weekends spey clinic to the following weekend, Jan. 16th, 2015. The forecast is for a high temperature around 12 and a low that morning of around 7 degrees. We have also…
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You’ll Also Need a Reel…
Spey rods garner all the attention when it comes to gear, but we get just as many questions about the right reel, and what budget reels are available for a new spey set-up. We posted some information on our current…
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2015-16 Spey Rod Lineup
Here is the 2015-16 Spey rod lineup at Headhunters for those interested in casting and fishing with two-hands. With the introduction of micro-spey rods in the last couple of years, we definitely are seeing a switch in both what we carry…
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iMOW Tips In Stock
During swing-season, MOW tips are one of our biggest selling items. You always find you want (need?) another size for a specific spot or conditions. Unfortunately, RIO has been out of these for some time. It’s always good to run…
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The End of the Hunt
If you live outside of Montana, you think Montana’s are all about trout fishing. They are, but it’s hunting that really motivates many (most?) Montanan’s. Big game season is over, sans a few shoulder season and damage control hunts. Upland birds…
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Tying Knots – Friday Photo Essay
Going through the last 12+months photos recently and realized something. I have a lot of pictures of my friends tying knots. Lots. You’re probably asking yourself, “why in the hell would you take a picture of someone tying a knot?…
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Some Flicks.
Here’s a couple of fly fishing videos I recently viewed. That I like. Hide under your desk for a few minutes and watch. Or pretend that you just received some incredibly important email. Thats what I do.
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Utah Stream Access Win!
Occasionally greed loses. Even in Utah, the state leading the way to privatizing federal/public lands. This week, Utah Judge Derek Pullan struck down the states 5 year old “stream access”law (quotations denote sarcasm). Never-ending hard work from the Utah Stream Access Coalition,…
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Craig Trout Camp Open All Winter
The entire Craig Trout Camp at Headhunters will be open for the entire winter for those who spend just as much time fishing the Missouri during swing season. The Rainbow & Brown, Craig House and Sutton Place will all be…
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OP Steelhead Rules Comment This Week!
Headhunters guide JP Basile contacted me the other day asking us to let readers know that this is the final week from commenting on proposed regulations changes in Washington, some of which apply to Wild Winter Steelhead on the Olympic Peninsula (there…
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Women’s Spey Clinic
Headhunters manager Sara Roholt and guide Beth Hood held our first women’s spey clinic this weekend. As expected from these two, the clinic was a success and all who attended learned a thing or two about spey casting, rigging and…
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Two-Handed Report
above: Mark Raisler and Beth Hood readying the 2hand arsenal for a day on the Mo. FINALLY We’re finally getting the right conditions for both swing and boat streamer fishing to produce some fish. It’s been OK for the last month,…
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Spooky Saturday!
Popular on Headhunters social media yesterday, our friend the Wicked Witch of the Grande Ronde is using her powers to try and skate up a Steelhead. The way the wind is blowing on the Mo’ this weekend, it seems as…
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Local Boy Wins!
We rarely highlight any of our guides, we think they’re all awesome. A professional crew that does a huge number of trips every year, with smiles that last until mid-September (mine used to last until early June). If NFGuide Max…
Read More“Mend” Kickstarter
Simon Perkins/Sharptail Media and Nick and Kami Swingle/Two-Fisted Heart Media are seeking some support for this film project. Check out the trailer below By some accounts, Joey Maxim died on November 21st, 2011. The car crash was horrific, so bad…
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Guided Spey Trips
Requests for guided two-handed Spey fishing trips on the Missouri River have been on the increase. We’ve actually done some the past few seasons, but have not formally made it an official part of our guided trip packages. Until now. Beginning…
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