Great Falls, Montana Fishing Report 07.19.18
Missouri River
The river has dropped. You can go wading again. Summer is officially here. The best fishing is typically early and late when the weather is hot.
Nymphs
The Zirdle continues to produce, probably because so many have discovered it and are fishing with confidence. Caddis pupa are solid as are the fifty or so different patterns of mayfly nymphs we stock. Now is the time to play and have fun. There are so many options.
Dry Flies
Trico time is here. If you need more info, check out my Trico post from last week. Sometimes, the hatch is stronger on different reaches of the river on any given day, but they are out there and the fish are taking notice.
Make sure you’ve got your best caddis patterns ready to roll. We like low riding CDC patterns like the double duck, party-on-top, hot mess or the TFP hi-vis spent. You might also want a few buzz balls in either the classic orange or the new purple variety.
Terrestrial fishing is on the horizon. Ants are always a good choice. Hoppers and beetles will take center stage soon. To get you ready, we’ve got the Morrish hopper on sale this week for $1.49. Not kidding.
Streamers
It’s dry fly season, but you can always buck the curve. Let your buddy fish dries from the front of the boat, while you jerk strip a polar minnow or mini Montana intruder from the back. He might not like it when you pick off a bunch of fish, but if it makes you feel bad you can always stop fishing.
Local Streams
Streams all throughout central and western Montana have shaped up. As temperatures get hot, moving up in elevation is never a bad idea. Lots of attractor dry flies and flashy nymphs will get you into the game. I’ve been seeing some beautiful golden stones on many streams lately.
The Lower Missouri River
Carp fishing in Great Falls is excellent right now and we have some great carp patterns. Fishing below Morony, at Widow Coulee and at Carter Ferry can get you into a variety of species. I recently caught a pile of walleye on the fly in the Marias River. So many options out there!
Click here to see past Great Falls reports, or here to view all northwest regional reports.