Great Falls, Montana Fishing Report 05.03.18

Great Falls Fishing Report

Missouri River

Spring is fully here and runoff is underway all across the state. Our local tributaries are pumping mud, though they should settle out a bit soon. The river is really crowded too, because it is one of the only floatable rivers right now. The reports have not been awesome, but fish are being caught and of course it is better than fishing in a snowstorm right?

Dry Flies

BWO’s are popping and a smatter of March browns have been seen on the lower river. High water conditions don’t always make for prime dry-fly opportunity, but there will always be a few fish working the bank edges and soft-water pockets.

Streamers

If in doubt, fish a streamer. High water pushes fish tight to banks and cover. These areas are hard to reach with nymphs. A well placed streamer can get the job done and it is fun to cast them as close as you can get. A great pattern for bank pounding is our current fly of the week, the JJ Special.

Nymphing

Scuds, sow bugs and worms remain the staple flies. BWO nymphs are active and March Brown Nymphs are players too. Caddis pupa? Very soon. While it might be hard to fish a Zebra Midge in high water, they still work. If you fish high in the river, fish smaller flies. If you get down in the dirty water, you can go bigger. The crayfish bite will be coming on soon as the water warms toward 50. Try drifting a bugger or a Zirdle or even an old school Zonker.

Stillwaters

Spring is a great time to fish the lakes, such as Canyon Ferry, Hauser, Upper Holter, Holter, Nilan, Willow Creek, Ackley, and many, many more.

Balanced Leeches have been number one, with a variety of nymphs, chironomids, simi leeches and buggers. When the wind is blowing, they work great bobbing below an indicator. Lately, we’ve had some unusually dead-calm windows on the stillwaters. When this happens, go long with leader and retrieve your flies. If you know right where the fish are swimming, hang a jigged nymph under a Palsa indicator. The fish can get nervous, but they won’t be bothered by the soft landing of the foam Palsa and they can’t resist the smaller nymphs if they see them.

Upcoming Events

May 4th and 5th - Trout Spey Clave on the Missouri River (Mid Canon FAS), Exit 240 (Dearborn)

 Click here to see past Great Falls reports, or here to view all northwest regional reports.