Friday Fishing Report from Your Information Source in Craig Montana

Update from your full time information leader in Craig Montana. Open daily for guide trips, shuttles, nightly cabin rentals, the Best Flies Under the Big Sky, rental boats, and so much more.

Open daily 6am for full services.

Flows 4260cfs. A average for this time of year.

Water temps 62F. Cooler today and yesterday and tomorrow. Good deal man.

Most are nymphing out there not eh Mighty Mo. Big flies like Craw’s and Zirdles and worms. Sows and scuds too. Small black may’s and small black midges, Frechies, a variety of may fly nymph knock-offs, Callibeatis nymphs, and all those Perdigons and Euro Stylie’s. Fresh Flies Needed? Headhunters has all the new cool modern patterns for your nymphing fascination.

Those dry fly fishing are smiling. Some days difficult, others not as hard. Had a couple of both this week so far. The cloud cover Thursday did wonder for eh confidence of those top water feeders. Spent Caddis. Translucent Emergers and Pupas, CDC and Elk, X Caddis, Iris, X2, Outrigger Caddis, Flambe, Henry’s Fork Caddis, Bob Keith’s All Stages Caddis tied locally is a killer, Wings River Casddis, Tent Wing Casddis, CDC Hi Viz PMD Spinners, CDC PMD Rusty and Chartreuse Spinner, See’Um Spinner, Quigley’s Cluster, Renewal Purple, Buzzballs, Stalcup Cluster Midge for the Trico’s, Trico Spinner, Double Wing Trico Spinner, Harrops Hi Viz Trico Spinner, CDC Trico Spinner, Sunken Trico Spinner, Yellow Hoppers, Cinnamon Ants, Bloom’s Ant, Stenersons Ant, Ant Acid, small Black Beetles…

Toss some sort of slack line presentation. Make it during the front end of your session. Those who like to employ the Hail Mary cast, straight away, are not using the net often. Why guess when you can see the trout rising, the location, the drift, the fly. But, alas, those who guess just gotta keep guessing. No front end prep. Just like those who rush into the woods with guns blazing hoping to get one of them wild deer. Planning, prep, scouting, patience… similarities between the two hunting games. If most hunted wild game like they fish, they would starve. Just a comment for those out there who are unhappy with their production. Get a guide trip from HH and learn this year! And get out of your dry, dry fly rut.

The fishing is not that good in the late afternoons. Better in the am than the pm.

Many are upriver. Many are downriver. Many are in the canyon too.

Heavy non angling traffic on the weekends beginning at 11am. Craig is busy on the weekend days.

Think about your fall trip to the Mighty Mo. October is fantastic. November this year? Like light angling traffic? Swinging flies. Trout Spey Days? Stripping and ripping streamers? Local lodging. Late mornings and wonderful fish filled afternoons? Yeah, we do too. Call Julie today at 406-235-3447 ext 1 to book your guide and lodging needs for fall 2023!