Great Falls Fishing Report 10.26.2017
Sometimes it feels like the wind is a living, breathing, sentient being that hates fly fishers. This past month, the wind has been merciless. When there is a break from the wind and anglers can control their drifts and casts, then fishing is really good.
BWO’s are out and if you can find a sheltered piece of water in the afternoon, you’ll likely find plenty of rising fish. Some days, the BWO is the chosen pattern, and other days it’s the caddis. Be prepared for both, though caddis flies won’t be around much longer. If neither are working (or if you just want to be contrary to the hatch), fish an ant. Just saying.
On my last outing, I fished a streamer for several hours and reception was decent. My friend Kevin was happy to row. He was waiting for the hatch, so we could post up on a flat and fish dries. As fate would have it, the bugs were coming off early and that idea looked plausible, but as we hit our flat, the hatch died… and the wind that hates dry fly fishermen opened its maw.
Prospects for the next several days look promising. According to the weather forecast, the wind is taking a more relaxed stance toward fly fishers, but you never know. If you’ve got a time window between raking leaves or chasing birds and big game, you might want to get out on your favorite water. Not only has the Missouri River been fishing great this fall, so has the Smith River and our other local streams. While the Mo will continue to fish well for weeks to come, the streams will be winterized soon.
Now is also a good time to get in that final stillwater trip. A few big rainbows are cruising in close on Holter right now. Willow Creek can also be a good bet for a late season net stretcher. The lake fish still have their feed bags on, but it won’t be long before chilling waters slow things down.
If you need flies for the Mo, the Smith, the lakes, to float, to drift or to swing, we've got you covered. Fall fishing is awesome, but it slips away fast.