Missouri River Fishing Report 5.15.2017
Got water? Yep, we got water. Too much water? Nope.
Water is good and so is the fishing. We are fortunate that the Missouri River is tempered by the dams and remains a great fishery, even as the flows increase. While the flows were raised some more this past weekend, the fish are eating and the bugs are hatching. Reports of good fish being caught are still rolling in.
You can check out our gear for hopper dropper rigs, including dry flies, right here.
Last Friday, I decided to nymph like I really meant it. I put on a pink indicator and never looked back. My streamer rod and dry fly rod stayed in the truck all day. I’ll admit to taking the indicator off for 30 minutes to try and swing some fish on soft hackles. So many caddis were out, it was maddening, but the fish wanted nothing to do with a fly that was not drifting near the bottom. On the bottom, they ate really well. A Rainbow Czech with either a North 40 Caddis or Juju Baetis worked all day long.
Sometimes it’s really fun to nymph. Especially when I just give in and focus. Working the dead drift is as much an art as fishing dries, streamers or soft hackles. I would argue that it can actually be more complicated much of the time.
Try mending against a downstream wind. Try to stack mend and feed line into a stiff breeze. There are a lot of conflicted currents out there as well. There are plenty of challenging real world fishing situations facing the nympher. It’s not always as easy as just adding a bobber and waiting for it to go down.
I’ve overheard a number of folks complaining that they won’t be fishing the Missouri River this spring, because there is too much water, there are too many people and it’s all "nymphing anyway." Too bad for them I guess. I’m still enjoying it out there. It’s OK to embrace the indicator and the nymph. Or be like Lexi and slip that nymph under a dry fly if you're working near the banks. She is obviously having fun this spring.
So if you need indicators, bobbers, strike or drift detection devices or whatever you want to call them, we’ve got lots of choices. We’ve also got split shot and tungsten beaded flies that sink faster than rocks.
You can get the accessories you need from us online here.
The fish are in there. It’s no longer winter. Fishing season is now. It’s up to you to make the best of it and we are here to help you do that. If you have any questions, use the form below and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.