Fly fishing on the Missouri River in Montana has gotten a little better since our last report. We would say that it was due to the water finally stabilizing, after rising every day for a week straight. But honestly, they have been dropping the water the past couple days now. Of course, we believe that the fish don’t mind the drop that much. As in, it doesn’t weird them out or turn them off at all. Different than when they are releasing more water from the dam.
As we write this report, the river is hovering just below 9,000 cfs. Still a little bit on the high side, but not bad at all. And we sure feel like the fish are liking it better as it is now, versus it being at 11,000 just a couple days ago. We may still see another drop or two this week. But it’s tough to say. We also have some warm weather coming. This could start melting snow and pushing more water our way. There is still a ton of snow in the mountains, yet to melt and run through our rivers. So who really knows.
But once the river hit its peak, then stabilized a little bit, the fish sure seemed to be happier. It had still been a deep nymphing game primarily. But they were eating it very well. Most of the fish are still bunched up. But you can pick one up on the go here and there. But in the right zones… when you found one, you found them all.
With the water dropping the last couple of days, the fish continue to remain very happy. Nymphing continue to be very good. But today was all about the dry fly. We were throwing two smaller dries blind most of the day, with better than expected success. As the afternoon went on, we had numerous fish rising as well. Most were a little sporadic. So it wasn’t really a day to post up on fish. But if you got your fly in front of one of these risers, it got eaten. What a welcome site that was! It had been far too long since we had seen a fish eat a dry fly.
The caddis are back to bouncing around in the afternoons. Especially in zones downstream of Craig. As the flows have dropped, we have been seeing more and more. So that was our best dry today. But they ate a few other offerings as well. Many of the fish were where you would expect them to be. Tight to banks and in very soft water was best. But we moved a few in some slightly quicker stuff. There is still quite a bit of water though, so the softer spots are your best bet. Or maybe check out some of the eddy lines in the afternoons as well.
But the Missouri River fishing report is certainly looking up… along with a few fish. Let’s hope this trend continues over the coming week. We have warmer days in the near future. Maybe even 90 degrees. So this should continue to warm the water and really get those caddis going. Hopefully the fish will do their part as well?!?
We are on the water all week. Check back as we continue to watch water levels, hatches and the weather. We will report back if and when things change again.
Contact Us with any questions, for an up to the minute report or to book your Missouri River fishing trip.
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Montana Fishing Reports by River:
Missouri River Land of Giants Dearborn River Blackfoot River Montana Pike Fishing
Texas Redfish Fishing Reports:
Fly Fish Rockport Report