Falling Water and Rising Fish
Falling Water and Rising Fish
If you have not been paying attention to flows on the Missouri River, the river peaked briefly at 20K and then began falling quickly on June 3rd.
Boat Show
Right now, it is still a boat show for most with incredible Nymphing possibilities, good streamer prospects and some rising fish for the dry fly fanatics. The heavy traffic of May has subsided as anglers are now spreading about the state. If you live in Great Falls and were afraid to get out there in the thick of it, your time has come again.
Bank Side
Recently, some of the best fishing has been by standing on rocks and fishing right along the edges of the river. That will continue to be an option and now that the water is falling, there will be more and more places to move about. Keep an eye on the flows and don’t miss your chance to be on the scene when the water reaches your comfort level in your favorite wading spots. You should be able to slip into the river soon.
Dry Flies
PMD’s are hatching along with some callibaetis and caddis. Enough bugs are flowing to get some fish up and feeding. The only question is how strong the hatches will unfold. If the water continues falling too fast, we’ll lose some bugs. Hopefully, the drop will be more gradual from this point on.
Right now, the fish will be as easy to catch as they ever are. As they see more flies on top, they will get pickier. Some anglers love a challenge, so that’s not really a bad thing. If you want them to eat easy, don’t wait much longer.
Weeds
Not a problem. While it remains to be seen what the summer will bring, the river is as clean as it ever gets. Lots of nice gravel exposed out there. You can drop your flies to the bottom and they will drift along cleanly, and that is a wonderful thing.
Prospects
The outlook is really good. Fish like water and we got a bunch this year. Bug life and spawning productivity should flourish over the next few years. For the remainder of this summer, we expect great fishing conditions.