Don’t forget about Zeptember
Nobody’s Fault but Mine… Robert Plant claims to have sold his soul to the devil for Led Zeppelin success. I did the same here on the Missouri River. Although some days it does not seem to be working… …
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Fly Fishing Fellowship
Fly Fishing Fellowship There are several reasons that we start fly fishing. Fly Fishing Fellowship is why most of us stay in the game as long as we do. We see lots of good friends, fishing partners, and spouses that…
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Do you Row?
Today we talk about the individual charged with helping the angler in the bow of the boat. The angler, albeit important, does not hold the singular responsibility in the vessel. The guy holding those 9′ overpriced sticks is the guy…
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Monday, Summer Fading, Atlantic Salmon Fly International PSA
Monday, Summer Fading, Atlantic Salmon Fly International PSA Quiet time on the Mo. Last week ands this week, quiet. September will wake us up and we will get back into the game. You will too. This morning I felt like…
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Craig Caddis Festival Saturday Aug 17th!
Craig Caddis Festival this Saturday Aug 17th! Come and bring the entire family, grandma too! Gone be some vendors of crafts and such before the event. Stop and peruse the Silent Auction Table for cool fly fishing and additional goods!…
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Sharpie your Hopper
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…
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Closing at 1pm Today for Baseball
Closing at 1pm Today for Baseball Generally open late, but today we are closing at 1pm for staff mayhem. See you tomorrow. Enjoy. Cloudy and smokey today. Calm. Bet they are rising out there…
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August, mornings, afternoons, and a ball game Thursday
August is a strange month. Or can be. Hot temps generally keep the fishing confined to the morning hours. But not always. This year, sort of. The fishing is pretty good in the mornings so far this year. The cool…
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Silly Sunday Scenery Canyon Image
Silly Sunday Scenery Canyon Image Awful pretty this time of year. Enjoy your Sunday. We will be fishing, and watching baseball. How about you? Felt the first edge of fall this morning. Not too soon, but around the corner? We…
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Hump Day Foto: That’s Cliff Edition
Cliff looking for rising trout about ten years ago. It was really tough shitty that particular last week of July. Not too good either. But Cliff did not fall off the turnip truck yesterday. Seek and he shall find. He…
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CraigFlyShop.com is LIVE!
CraigFlyShop.com is LIVE! It has arrived. In-house design and implantation by my biz partner John has brought us the newest of our web stores with this beauty at www.Craigflyshop.com If you got a few minutes to day to peruse the…
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Where do all the little ones live?
We constantly get questions about our big fish. Not just how and why we have so many fish over 18″ but also where all the little ones are. And where do they live? And, why don’t we catch any little…
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Wade fishing the Missouri River
A great year to wade fish the Missouri River. Low flows have allowed the wade angler to access a ton of fishy water. Dry fly guys are happy that they can wander and find noses, sometimes a lot of noses.…
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PMD’s Up Close
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…
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Missouri River Trico’s
Great Trico hatches on the Mo daily. The Trico’s came on time this year. Caddis on the. PMD’s on time. Are you, are you on time? Top to bottom you can find your favorite white winged black friends coming off…
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Happy 4th of July
Happy 4th of July Slow day on the river. Family days. good times. PMD’s and Caddis dominate the dry fly day. Frenchies, SplitCase’s, and sows generate interest subsurface. Soon Trico’s will be added to the diet. Ants, hoppers, more and…
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Missouri River June Saturday
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…
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Missouri River Montana PMD Box
Pale Morning Duns are part of your day here fly fishing Montana’s Missouri River in June. We love June as the bugs participate more willingly everyday. While the weather this last week has been really shitty, the fishing has stood…
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Thursday on the Mo!
We like Mayflies. The Missouri River has Mayflies. Lots of them. Happy Thursday. Today, the fishing goes on. All things flow down river. All of them.
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Tying LaFontaine’s Buzzball
A must for any hard core Missouri River angler. Tied originally for this fine river emulating dead midge shucks. In conversations with Gary LaFontaine on the Trout Shop Cafe porch way back in the day Gary stated that even though…
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High Bank: Mighty Mo Images
High Bank Trout confusion continues this week. Bugs in a change period. Fish in a change period. Means, you should be in a change period. Change, to what? Ohh, you are an angler. Most, start guessing. That is the important…
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Of Caddis and Summer
Of Caddis and Summer 60F outside today. Did some yard work, turned the compost pile, fooled around in the garage with fly gear. And saw my favorite fly box. Bought it for a dollar at Bob Ward’s Bozeman 25 plus…
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Words of Dry Fly Wisdom
Words of Dry Fly Wisdom Thinking about the dry fly bite this am before heading to the water today. Some things never change. Fish are wild animals. They are not trained. They do not understand that you did not practice…
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Happy Mothers Day
Happy Mothers Day Happy Sunday. Happy Mothers Day. Super sunny ands warm this weekend. Perfect for Mom’s. Happy Sunday. We rejoice in the names of your mothers today. Hope you are spending it with yours. Squeeky holding a fish that…
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Monday. Missouri River. May.
Monday. Missouri River. May. Great words from John G in the comments yesterday. Long time Mo River angler fishing along with friends and family this past week on the river. Was not able to hook up with the fellas, but…
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The Voice of a Wade Angler
I used to be a wade fisher. A wade angler. A bankie. Fishing a nice riffle on Montana’s Missouri River Fly Fishingare. I get out and wade fish often. The liberty of the boat is the difference. I can get…
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Friday Foto Near Spring Edition
Friday Foto Near Spring Edition Nearing spring but ‘ol man winter still has a seat at the table. Lots of anglers over here for the week and weekend ahead nymphing, swinging, stripping, and looking for some rising midge and BWO…
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Drift Boat 101 Clinic Saturday April 27th in Craig
Saturday April 27th Adipose Boatworks presents Drift Boat 101 Clinic in Craig. Meeting time: 10am @ Izaak’s in Craig What’s Provided: Lunch, cool swag, education, Come for the day and enjoy learning the in’s and outs of drift boating. Breaking down…
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Silly Sunday Lower Canyon Scenery
Silly Sunday Lower Canyon Scenery Long time Mo River angler Shawn Thompson hooked up. Stunning scenery. Fantastic guy. Happy Sunday. Warmer this week ahead. River is in fine shape.
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Solo. April 7th 2024
Solo. April 7th 2024 Solo. Fishing Solo? There are times to go it alone with a long stick in your hand. I love to fish alone. Just as much as I like to fish with others. Letting thoughts bounce around…
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An April Reminder to not Tread on Redd
An April Reminder to not Tread on Redd A reminder today regarding the Rainbow Trout Redds currently in the Missouri River. Don’t step on them. They, the eggs and trout doing the fragile incubation and spawning dance of tomorrows trout…
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The Thing about Fly Fishing is…is that it is for everyone.
The Thing about Fly Fishing is…is that it is for everyone. If you ask 100 fly fisherman why they fish, you may get 100 different answers. But I would speculate that many of the answers would include fellowship, friendship,…
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Headhunters 16th Birthday is today April 4th
Headhunters 16th Birthday is today April 4th photo: Jess McGlothlin Media It all started in a Tiki Bar in the lower Florida Keys. This idea. The fly shop idea. Every friend of ours said exactly the same thing upon hearing…
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Friday Foto Brown Trout Edition
Friday. Weekend full of overcast weather here. Mid 40’s, light winds. We’re out tossing a few flies at Montana trout. Wish you were here. Headhunters open daily including Sunday Easter. The most open fly shop in the world? Shuttles daily.…
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The Montana Song Dick Noel, plus fishing report
The Montana Song Dick Noel Snowing. Saturday. The Montana Song by Dick Noel. Status Quo here in downtown Craig Montana. Anglers around. BWO’s on the mind, Midge around. Clusters, singles, cripples, emergers. Nymphers getting ’em. Deep, slow, and medium slow…
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Friday Foto
Trout on the Mo. Tons of Rainbows and some Brown Trout too. Spring seems to have arrived along with variable weather patterns. Sunny and nearly 70F last week. Snow and rain and wind and such, this week. Springtime in Montana…
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Izaaks Opening Today, Weekend in the Rockies
Izaak’s Opening Today, Weekend in the Rockies Local News: Izaaks Opening today March 21st! So very hungry and damn excited we are this time of year when Izaak’s opens its doors today! Welcome back Chef John and the well known…
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Waters of March | Classic Jobim
I don’t know if you are a Bossa Nova fan, but I am. Spring is here, we think, and the Waters of Defrost are occurring. If you are a Jobim fan you already know this tune. Even if you are…
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Craig Taphouse and Stonefly Grill Open Tonight
If you are in the neighborhood this evening from 4-8pm. Downtown Craig MT on Leonard Street you will find the grub and brewhouse location serving locally brewed beers by Ten Mile Brewery and Alan’s Burgers grilled up at the Stonefly…
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Saturday in February
Saturday in February A bit better than half way there for the water year. Year to date. So, behind in the water category. By 50-ish percent. Will we catch up? Sure. We gotta. Historically speaking? You know…sometimes yes, sometimes no.…
Read MoreR.E.M Can’t Get There from Here
Remember when rock videos were weird. I think just to be weird was the primary reason. I heard this snappy tune two mornings in a row after dumping the boat in the drink. Thought I should pass it on to…
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Valentines Snow on the Mighty Mo!
Valentines Snow on the Mighty Mo! Snowing in Craig Tuesday, today, and tomorrow? Happy Valentines Day from all of us in downtown Craig Montana. Will you be mine? Love the continued snow. Bring it. Need more to fund our water…
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Superbowl Spey Scenery
Enjoy the game today. About half and half at the shop. Some puling for the Chiefs, Mahomes, and Swifty. Some lean toward the young QB in SF. Whichever team you are pulling for we hope it is a good match.…
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Monday Winter Foto
Monday Winter Foto Winter visited us Saturday and Sunday here in downtown Craig MT. Should see anglers today and tomorrow as the air temps are holding at about 40F for daily highs. Good to see a touch of winter. Have…
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Get your Summer Lodging lined up TODAY!
Get your Summer Lodging lined up TODAY! Parked in front of Brown Drake Lodge swinging on Thursday. Got a couple here. You want to fish to a few trout sipping here in the mid Summer? Or in the fall for…
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Squeeky’s Thoughts on Hump-Day
Squeeky’s Thoughts on Hump-Day Believing only in fly pattern is like only believing in your personal dress. Just ’cause you look cool, you like the threads you’re donning, are following the newest trend, does not directly correlate to success in…
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5 Easy Winter Tasks
Missouri River Winter Fishing today on the Headhunters Blog with 5 Easy Winter Tasks. While at home dreaming about fishing there are some tasks you can accomplish setting yourself up for the coming season. In many parts of the country…
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Silly Sunday Scenery | June PMD
Not as cold outside today. But the cold weather is abating. We will see temps in the 40’s for the next ten days. Hooray! Still tons of slush in the water. Still lots of dangerous shelf ice. And the aforementioned…
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Still cold outside
Still cold outside Currently snowing outside. -18F. A couple inches on the ground. Total. Made up a bit of ground for the total spring number. We desperately need a bundle more. Lots more. Playoff football, AO Tennis, and 5 minutes…
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Snow. Finally.
A skiff approaching an inch today as we move through January with only our second snow sighting. The initial being in October for a weeks worth of winter. So we rejoice this Sunday. Many are rooting for the Montana Grizzlies…
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Gonna be looking for 2024 Staff soon.
Gonna be looking for 2024 Staff soon. Nearing is the day when we begin looking for 2024 shop staff. Start thinking about your next move. We’ll talk to you soon.
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Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Thanks to the Mighty Missouri River. We give thanks and wish for a great year for the trout, the staff, and you the angler. May your casts be free and easy. May your travels include the outdoors…
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Because of you. Our friends, guests, and clients…
Had a customer say to us today ” You know what separates this fly shop from the rest? It’s the first rate customer service, friendliness, and professionalism of the the staff, that you are open all but a few days…
Read MoreOne of the coolest Christmas Songs
One of the coolest Christmas Songs Actually “Linus and Lucy” is the title of this tune. Composed by Vince Guaraldi the Italian Jazz Composer who composed most of the Peanuts animated television music. I also dig “Christmas Time is Here”.…
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