Missouri River Fishing Report 6.30.17
PMD’s, Caddis, Brown Drakes and Yellow Sally’s are on the menu for dry fly enthusiasts fishing the Missouri River right now. Ants, Beatles and small hoppers can draw some attention too. Trico’s are just around the corner. There is lots of opportunity to fish on top.
Flows have dropped precipitously. Today, we are looking at 6,390 CFS below Holter. That’s back to a more comfortable wading level. I love to wade and fish dry flies. With water temps running into the 60’s now, wet wading is a pleasant experience. If you need some neoprene guard socks for wet wading, we’ve got them from both Simms and Patagonia.
Brown Drakes have been putting on a show on the lower river lately and the fish are eating them. It’s really fun to fish a #10 dry fly that you can actually see on the water after sundown and watch it get sooked down by a feisty trout. The fish are hot right now. It’s that time of year when you often get your backing wet.
From Wolf Creek Bridge down, the caddis have been showing strong. While they generally flit around the edges during the day, you occasionally get a few early egg layers that will activate the trout. It’s hard to beat a spent caddis most of the time. Skating or twitching a traveling caddis can also provoke spectacular surface eats. Caddis patterns anyone?
PMD’s are still in the mix with fish eating the spent spinners throughout the day, whenever they find them. When hatches occur, you’ll want to work your emergers and cripples.
Nymphing reports have been variable, with some anglers reporting great success, while others have struggled. The thing about mid-summer, is that the fish have lots and lots of choices. Depending on the weather, the daily peak times for caddis and PMD’s can change. Early morning and late evening always have prime feeding windows, but during the day, it can sometimes be challenging to crack the code.
Don’t get stuck in a rut. The flies that worked for you on your last trip may not work as well or at all on the current venture. It’s important to provide the fish with options and let them tell you what they like. PMD nymphs rock it some days, while other days, caddis seem to be more in favor. Sometimes sizing up or down with a particular pattern will make all the difference. If it were easy, it would be called trolling.
PMD patterns + all the tippet and leaders you need to get set for the dry season.
We’ve been blessed with a very comfortable summer so far. It looks like hot weather is coming. Getting an early start when the heat is on will be the best approach in the coming weeks. We are open 7 to 7, so you can grab your flies either early or late in the day and get after some great summer fishing.