Missouri River August Fly Fishing Forecast

Missouri River August Weather

Hot. Super hot. Abnormally hot this past week. Will it continue? The forecasters state that the temps will bounce around in the 80’s-90’s- and one day in the 100’s this coming week. The daily historic average air temps hover around 95F. Lows come in the hi 60’s  Average rainfall for the month is 1.57 inches. Third behind May and June. June being the wettest. So afternoon thunderstorms will keep you guessing with rain totals enough to remind you to keep the raingear nearby in August.

Be ready for anything. Cooler mornings have you donning your puffball shedding it mid morning for a HH logo’d sun shirt. Headhunters is your local sun gear store. More selection, styles, and better pricing than the rest! Stop in for a full selection of gloves, Buff’s,  sun shirts, SUNBUM sunscreen and more!

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Missouri River Flows and Water Temps

Flows are hovering around 4100cfs. And hopefully will stay at this level for the remainder of the summer. That is the projected summer Missouri River Flows. Water temps today at 65F. Flows may fall gently throughout the month. Not too much lower at the completion of August, but we should not see them rise above where they currently are. Water temps as mentioned above are at 65 currently. A high of nearly 68F earlier but that is behind us now. No closures due to high water, low water, or high water temperatures expected. With the lower daily hi’s, in conjunction with current water temps we should be just fine. Let’s hope.

Weeds? Yes. Always have weeds here on the Mo in the late summer and early fall. This year is no different. They are developing rapidly now and will continue to grow toward the surface. It is pretty gooey out there. At the dam, not as much. The canyon full of goo. The lower river is generally better, but the water temps too high for trout comfort. Call us for the updates you need. Currently on a scale of 1-10 today we are at about a 6+. Way more weed volume as you head downriver, to the north. The fewest weeds? Behind Holter Dam.

As you head downstream they gather in big floating islands. Mother Nature is typically very difficult to predict.

Missouri River August Hatches

Trico’s continue through the month well into September. Strong hatches in late July as the bugs seemed to gain speed and intensity. Great Trico Missouri River spinner falls daily earlier than normal. BE ready at 7am-ish. Can be good for a couple hours. Get the dry fly game done early int he day. Don’t wait. If you are gonna dry fly fish, get after it. Don’t wait to get a couple on a nymph, then think about the dry fly game. Nope. Focus. Get on the nymph hard, and stay there. Or get on the dry early, stay focussed. PMD’s still a factor. Could go for anther couple weeks. If we are lucky.

Caddis flies can get you into the noon hour. Toss one blind and see what happens. Get on the caddis train. Downwinged patterns as well as spent caddis need to be in your possession. How about one of our favorites the Translucent Pupa and the Translucent Emerger. Come find your caddis fly love on the Mo in August. They will be around through the end of the year. Do not go out there with out the caddis fly in your front pocket.

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Terrestrials. August is the month for ants and hoppers. Fish the am Trico, the Buzzball!  Then switch to the ant for a blind fishing afternoon all the way home. Or your favorite hopper pattern. Try one you can see!

Spruce Moths are in play as well. May not see a lot, but a good idea when blind fishing.

August Nymphing Forecast

Pretty good. The big fly will spend some time on the upper end of your nymph rig. Weight flies, brown mayfly nymphs, Crayfish and worms and ZIrdles and junk like that. Big flies up top and small flies on the bottom.

You can go deep in the morning or short too. Or you can rig it up without split and 2′ from bobber to fly right out of the gate. Choose the depth you want to fish and get after it. The short leash style is a hot topic.

Be creative. You can also rig a dry-dropper outfit. A big fluffy floater, a hopper, or an Adams or a Spruce, or a hi see’um  caddis fly up top, or an ant and attach one of the killer tungsten beaded patterns like the Two-Bit Hooker or modern Euro nymph and have a ball fishing the Missouri River this August.

Fishing pretty good out there in the mornings. Much past noon, at least this last two weeks, a crap shoot. Will the fishing in the afternoons improve? No, not generally. But that last couple hours on the water as the air temps cool, the wind abates.

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Headhunters Fly Shop Guide Trips

Guides available for the 3 months ahead including August.

You want to hunt heads in the morning? Cool. How about a half day. You want to continue on after the dry fly bite has waned? Toss hoppers and ants? Then book the full day. You want to toss the Crayfish and see what lurks in the depths of the Mighty MO! We do too! Many are taking the half day route. 

Call the for fall today on the Guide Hotline @ 406-235-3447 extension 2 for any questions about guide trips, rental boats, or general fishing questions. We love to talk about trout!

Fly Shop Hours, Izaak’s, River Hub, Joe’s Bar

• Open daily early 6am. Open later than the other fly shops locally and beyond.  We may curtail the late shop hours as we move through this month and evening fishing interest dwindles.
• Izaak’s open Wednesday thru Sunday 3-9pm. Get in early for bite and fish til dark.
• The River Hub Cafe is closed.
• The Stonefly Cafe open daily noonish Saturday and Sunday. 2ish the rest of the week to 8ish daily except Wednesday.
• The Craig Tap House open daily 2-ish til 9ish. Closed Wednesday. Weekends noonish to 8ish.
• Lazy I Brewery nightly in WC.
• Coffee Cart in WC open mornings with smoothies, coffee, breakfast burritos, etc.
• Aloha Food Truck in WC is good.
• Missouri River Inn open daily noon at Prewitt Creek.
• Joe’s Bar open daily. Don’t know the daily hours. But about 10ish. Not open early and not open late. The place where fishing guides and locals fight. And then dance. And then trade shots. And then forget.

CraigTroutCamp.com and CraigLodging.com are your lodging connections!

Want to stay here in Craig or the nearby vicinity? Check out www.CraigTroutCamp.com for the best in Craig cabins.Why not stay in downtown Craig Montana. Close to Izaak’s, Joe’s Bar, and fly shop row.

www.CraigLodging.com is where you will find the balance of the rental properties on the Missouri River. Rooms starting at $150/nt up to larger houses for $1000/nt

Fishing August on Montana’s Missouri River

Dry Fly Fishing has been good. Getting more difficult.  Caddis, PMD and Trico’s will fill your boxes. Get out there early. Fish til noon if you are lucky. The fishing quality is fading, and not as good as we would hope. It is hot. There is smoke in the air for m local and not so local wild fires. For those who like to match the hatch you can also throw the Trico pattern. Do long time Mo River anglers toss the tiny fly at those eaters? Not generally. Just because the Trico makes up the majority of what is offered on the water does not mean the trout are eating that meal. It does not. Come by the shop on your way into town and we will line you out on the correct presentation styles as well as the fly patters of the moment!

Questions? More? We have more answers. 406-235-3447 for any additional questions about local lodging, guides, rental boats, shuttles, fly patterns, the right rain gear to buy in Craig, or you just want to plan your fall 2024 fly fishing trip, give us a shout.

In Craig early and want to get a couple hot flies, schedule your river shuttle  before the remainder of the shops open? Yes, we hear you. Open a full hour or better before the rest…