Great fishing man. Dry fly opportunities for those who like that sort of thing.
The PMD image above shot by our good friend David from Calgary. He got this with a point and shoot, some luck, and a shit ton of talent. Thanks David for the kick ass PMD Image!
Still a bundle of nymphers around but the dry fly bite and what, how, why, and when seem to be the topic of conversation on most Craig porches.
June is upon us. The days are long, the solstice is near, the dry flies are popping,a dn we are headlong into the heart of the season. Still a touch soft this weekend, but Monday, today, it starts. We are in the peak of the peak. June, the last week, is damn busy. The next month will be nutso. Good fishing from dawn til dusk daily. The shop is open early for those early birds. Remember: Early bird does get the worm.
Still some availability in the last two weeks of July. Strange real. Seems that the slide towards June has happened. We see that trend until the 2nd high water year in a row. Then back to July they run. Then the transitions starts all over again.
June is damn good, that is why the slide to June. The fish are not as educated, the fish are fresh, the water temps are cooler, the pressure is less.
Missouri River Montana Fishing Report
The bugs, yes. PMD’s of both kinds are coming off. Not in the huge numbers we would like, but the afternoons at this point hold some hope. Lots of fish rising and not as many noticeable bugs. Remember: This is a film feeding type of river. You may not see the fish eating pretty little duns like they do in your trout fishing dry fly dreams.
So it appears as if the fish are eating nothing. They are eating something near the surface, but not on the surface a lot of the time. They can eat off the top, but as I state here and will for the next 2 months…not all the time. It amy appear as though they are feeding on the top, but they are not. Near the top, near the surface.
Cripples, emergers, spinners. Nuff said.
Flows are holding flat at 4440cfs and the water temps are @ 58F. All good for the dry fly fish. The volume and the depth that most trout are lying in 18″ to 36″ of water. But sometimes much shallower. Keep your eyes open.
The Dearborn is still floatable at 400ish cfs and somewhat stable. Water temps in the upper 50’s too. Just right! The Blackfoot is at 5K and on the slow down slope. We will be there shortly. Keep it here for updates on the Blackfoot River as we will be heading over the divide all summer long!
The weather for th week ahead is cooler than normal. Where will it lead us? It will slow the afternoon bite, until the afternoon. Slower temp increases of the water will keep the insect emergence at bay until later in the day. The sun has to get a little higher.
Remember: Friday Night June 20th we have the Montana Fly Fishing Film Festival here on the grounds of Headhunters with the 2nd Annual Drift Boat Drive-In. BBQ, get a cocktail at Izaak’s or Joe’s Bar, swag, prizes, contests, etc…Bring your Pick up and back it up with lawn chits and enjoy the show at DUSK here in Craig!
Planning a trip and concerned about the summer flows? Well don’t be. We are heading, and already engaged in, a great flow regime for the remainder of said summer. Should be in this range, the 4K plus range for the whole run. Through the end of October. Sound good? Well it should. It feels good. Our fish love this level and the wade fishing is awesome. The boat fishing? Awesome too!
Headhunters Fly Shop and Guide Service in Craig is your information source for all things Missouri River. We are the education leaders and we can help you rig your rod, point you in a dry fly direction, help with fly selection…You know the shops you go into and hardly get a “Hello” from the staff? That is not Headhunters in Craig. We greet you and look forward to meeting you. Let us know how we can help from lodging to guiding, to wade fishing to boat rentals to rod and line matching to just a conversation about emergence behaviors over a cup of coffee.
Headhunters Fly Shop open daily @ 630am for shuttles, flies, info, coffee, boat rentals, lodging, Wi-Fi, cell service with our cell booster, boat washing for invasive species, rental waders, demo reels with killer fly lines, and much, much more!
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