SEASONS OF THE MISSOURI

January, February, March

Winter really can be winter in Montana.... The Missouri settles into a relatively dormant cycle for these three months with water temperatures leveling out near freezing. It is not uncommon to see mini icebergs floating next to you fly or indicator. If you must fish, bundle up in winter gear and carry a propane heater with you for the much needed warmth. The normal rig includes flies fished on or near the bottom, seeking tailouts of slow runs. There are plenty of wade-fish spots to allow for roadside attacks; seeking a hot cup of coffee at the truck when your guides start freezing.

April & May

April & May.....begins to show us topwater activity. The Blue-Winged Olives (BWO's) arrive when the water temperatures begin to rise and provide action in the middle of the day. Start by fishing Pheasant Tail nymphs under and indicator until you begin to see the BWO emergence. Your favorite emerger or transitional dun pattern, RS2 is my favorite, should work through the majority of the hatch until you begin to see the riseforms change. A cripple is damn hard to beat at this point, maybe tied off of a strong profiled dry fly you can see. Look for continued midge activity throughout the day if the temperature cooperates. Great nymphing can be had most days as the fish begin to put on some spring weight. All the normal spring nymphs can work including PT's, Scuds, Worms, all kinds of midge pupae patterns, and don't forget the bright and shiny stuff too.

Caddis.....begin to contribute a large portion of the trout's diet in May and June. Gary LaFontaine did extensive research on the Missouri River and has found that 53% of the stomach contents in May are of the caddis variety. Fishing any larval or pupal patterns produce consistant catches. This feeding behavior continues into June , so carry a full selection of subsurface caddis flies and that will ensure success. Flies on the bottom can be your ticket to ride, if that indicator pauses for even a nanosecond, hit it hard!

June

June..... has become a very popular month on the Missouri. Many clients have chosen this as their favorite time to fish. The one important variable, amongst many, is historical high water. Although Mother Nature has not shown us June run-off in 10 years, it can certainly happen and can make the river nearly unfishable. But, having said that, the fish are hungry and aggressive in June and the fishing can be outstanding. The BWO's have all but disappeared replaced by lots of Caddis and PMD's. Caddis surface activity appears the first part of the month and continues in varying degrees of numbers throughout the summer. The Missouri was once known for its unbelievable Caddis hatches, but with low water for the last 6-7 years the Caddis habitat has been reduced due to silt obscuring historical runs and riffles. Recent glimpses of normal water flows the past 2 years have allowed an increase of Caddis and in 2006 we witnessed the best Caddis hatches since 2000-2001.

Caddis Activity.....Fishing attractor flies over fishy water can produce lots of fun and action. Stimulators, Wulff's, and bushy generic Caddis patterns in sizes 12-16 can bring many fish off the bottom to feed. A dry-dropper rig is very good too, with your favorite searching nymph towed behind an attractor you can see. I like fishing a double-dry rig with Mike Kuhnert's sz 16 Stimulator and Lafontaine's Buzz Ball as the second fly for all day success. See how to tie the Buzz Ball on the Caddis Pattern Page. Caddis flies sized 12-18 colored tan, ginger, brown, or olive will cover most of the local species. Any stage will suffice from Larval through spent; do not discount the effectiveness of emerger and spent patterns, they continuously prove themselves as consistant fish catchers.

PMD's..... begin to show in June; we generally see the first emergence around June 8, 9, 10. Wait 4-5 days and the hatch will be in full swing. The Missouri River has the Ephemerella Infrequens and Ephemerella Inermis, both in good numbers. Of all the hatches on the Mo, the PMD can provide us with both periods of amazing success and periods of unfathomable failure. Pheasant Tail nymphs tied with a pale yellow throax may be the most consistant fly, but it is hard not to target common surface action with a dry.

July

July.....is one of the great Dry Fly months. Trico's begin to show themselves around the 5th of July and become a major part of the daily diet. Caddis, PMD's, and Terrestrials are in full swing as well proving July to be the Ultimate Dream for Dry Fly Purists. Nymphing at specific times during the day is productive as well, but if you like to throw at heads all day, your guide will gladly focus on locating noses. July is the busiest month on the Missouri by a wide margin, so we like to start early and get a jump on the masses. If you are a fisherman who cringes at the thought of tossing indicators, this is the month for you.

Trico's.....at one time an August/September hatch, but the last 6-8 years it has become a Missouri River staple in July/August. Lower water levels of the last 10 years may have contributed to the advancement of the hatch cycle. The male Trico hatches in the evening and waits until the female emergence the following morning to meet with them in amazing mating swarms lining the river banks. Within 1-2 hours we witness the Trico Spinner Fall. This is the best time for us to capitalize on the trout's feeding behavior. Our fish love to sip the dead insects from the surface and catching these fish is rewarding. Going from times of incredible fishing ease, when the trout seem really stupid...to periods of complete frustration, believing that you have completely forgotten how to fish are the polar opposites one can experience during the Trico hatch. It is a fun time to be on the water with early start times for our trips to allow us to be in the right spot for our greatest success. July is truly a month where the flyfisherman can fish Dry Flies all day long.

PMD's, Caddis, & Terrestrials.....Strong PMD activity pervades in the first part of the month with opportunites to catch fish during all stages of the hatch. The Browns can go nuts over properly drifted spinner patterns. Caddis continue to be present and many fish are hooked at all times of the day using various localized Caddis patterns. Again we have Caddis working in all stages; Pupal through Spent. Grasshoppers, Beetles, and Ants are all part of our insect population. Trout love all of the above and feed on them daily. It is really fun to see a big brown suck down a large Terrestrial. Everyday July brings us many different situations to fish various stages of various hatches and continues to impress us. Attractor patterns do well in July blind fished over "fishy water", while keeping an eye out for fish sipping on both Caddis and PMD spents.

August

August.....Trico's, Terrestrials, and Caddis are the bugs for this month. The weather and water heats up in August and we focus on early morning fishing. With the crowds of July waning many people like August for the consistancy of weather. Trico spinner falls in the morning, followed by Hopper fishing can provide catches of rainbows and browns throughout the day. Late August can be difficult dry fly fishing and we do begin to nymph more than the two previous months. Looking for the coolest water temperatures often on the upper river produce more consistant catch rates and indicator fishing can become the most productive technique.

September

September.....Great month for nymphing the Missouri. Water Temperatures begin to fall and the fishing gets better and better. Still caddis and Trico's around, albeit in smaller numbers, and we do find fishing taking dries. Terrestrail fishing can be outstanding because of the lack of huge aquatic hatches. Streamer fishing can also be good, fishing dry lines with your favorite baitfish imitations. September is a fun month to mix it up while catching fish on all three disciplines, dry, nymph, and streamer flies. Later in the month we begin to see the return of the BWO. Starting very small, sizes 20-24, increasing in size towards October, the Baetis Pseudocloen and Baetis Bicaudatus keep us busy mid-afternoons. With cooler temps., we are again floating the entire 35 miles of the Missouri and having a ball. The summer crowds have left and the river can be very peaceful.

October

October.....a month that all guides love...great BWO hatches, October Caddis, awesome nymphing and terrific streamer action are all a part of any given day. Long been a favorite for guests that once came at other times of the year, October shows us the beauty of fall with vibrant color changes of the surrounding landscape. October can bring phenomenal BWO hatches providing dry fly activity that we dream about. Noon to 4 p.m. we see the entire progression of the Baetis, from emergent through spinner. Lots of fun and lots of action. Streamer fishing should keep you occupied before the hatch with catches of some of our largest browns of the year. Some folks will chuck the bugger all day long in the pursuit of the wall hanger. Truly a terrific month for Missouri River fishing.

November, December

November & December.....November is great. You may be the only fly rodder on any given stretch, and take full advantage of it. Freely rising fish that are grabbing the last bit of BWO's before the winter sets in. Streamers are of course great and can bring large Browns to the hand. If you are hardcore and want to put a few more trophies in the net, this is the time for you.