Depth Perception from scumliner media on Vimeo.

Tags: Fish Stories

I don’t have a lot of worm patterns in my fly boxes. I fish a few tailwaters but for some reason I’ve never got on the worm train. I don’t have a massive ethical aversion to fishing worms, although they are not my favorite.  I figure that if worms are in the drift, then you might as well fish them. Give them what they are eatin’ is as good a credo as any, I think.  So this isn’t a post to hammer on the Church of the San Juan (or the Glo-bug).  Rather this is a post to say I am ready for the end of worm days, at least for awhile.

If, like me, you’re stuck in an office for most of the week, you might find yourself living vicariously through the fishing reports of others. I know I do. I dream about fishing all those waters the fly shop reports say are “on fire.” I know that some fly shop reports are some hybrid of truth and fiction, but I don’t really care when I’ve spent the last three hours defining acronyms.

For my money, one of the best reports on the web is put out by the guys at The Headhunter. Its updated every day so my virtual fishing somehow seems more vibrant, more real—even though it is not.

But for the last, well…eternity, the Headhunters have been sinking mostly Worm patterns into the depths of the Mighty Mo. They are stringing ten feet of leader between the indicator and three shot then sending the worms to the depths, with good success from what I can tell. Frankly, I’m a little tired of fishing this particular way, even though I haven’t actually made a cast in weeks.

Give ‘em what they are eatin’ boys, I’ve got no problem there. But to the trout: could you please start eating something besides worms? It is practically July. This is ridiculous. I’ve got five days a week that I have to get through. I need to at least believe there are trout somewhere in the West eating mayfly nymphs and stoneflies, or an actual dry fly (we can only hope). How am I going to survive if this keeps up?

Tags: Flies, River - Missouri, So What?

Tags: Events

On the road this morning pondering the perplexities of river flows, fly fishing, timing and life, pretty much in that order.

She Who Must Be Obeyed and I are returning home to Bozeman this weekend for a while. Our timing from a river flow and fly fishing perspective certainly ain’t the best this trip, though home country is home country and there’s always some fishing to be done.

Looking at flows this morning my attention wandered to the Missouri, which by report continues to fish decently despite lots of water leaving Holter. Flows are damned high there, and even higher above Canyon Ferry (the largest storage pool on the ‘mountain side’ of the Missouri’s run through Montana) at Totson (second graph below). Canyon Ferry is only at 92% of full pool this morning with inputs running at more than 30,000 cfs now – that’s a lot of water coming in. It’s cooler now, but with a forecast return to seasonal weather (70s) next week, Missouri flows will probably kick up above and below Canyon Ferry. Odds are flows down the chain will have to go up next week – time will tell.

The Jefferson is still rolling at record levels as is the Madison (more or less mid-valley at Cameron).

We are looking forward to leaving country that is already feeling like the sun parched gates of hell (central Texas) for a while; as our home country floats away the last meaningful rain here was last October and daily highs for the past week or so have been in the 100-104 range. The local texicans are talking about it getting really hot in the next few weeks. Ouch.

Tags: River - Missouri

HEADHUNTERS from Justin Chaisson on Vimeo.

A little vid shot with a Go Pro on the Missouri from the Headhunters gang; check out the high water and some nice fish.

Tags: River - Missouri

Via Headhunters.

Tags: Boats

High Water Nymphing from scumliner productions on Vimeo.

Fromt the Good Folks at Headhunters on the Missouri

Tags: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Wading days on the Missouri are pretty much over for now……

Tags: River - Missouri

Talking with a friend in Townsend this morning about the Missouri……

Tags: River - Missouri

Good news, bad news.

The bad:  Snow yesterday put a damper on things around here, and it’s cold this morning.  The challenge the next few days might be the sun – it’s not great for seeing a blue wing now and then and chomps down on the streamer bite.

The good:  Check out the GF Tribune’s article below on the number of fish in the ‘Mo – damn, it’s getting better and better.  Sorry for the long quote but I don’t think they leave their links active very long.

HELENA — The Missouri River’s reputation as a world-class fly-fishing destination got a boost Monday with the release of a report that populations of large trout continue to climb in the blue-ribbon fishery.

For the second consecutive year, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks fisheries survey on the Missouri found that the number of large rainbow and brown trout between Holter Dam and Cascade are up.

State biologists this fall found 3,458 rainbow trout longer than 10 inches near Craig. The long-term average of rainbows that size for that section is 2,917.

“The rainbows in the Craig section were remarkably high quality,” said Grant Grisak, FWP fisheries biologist. “About 85 percent of the rainbows were 15 inches and larger, and fish in the 18-inch length group alone represented 24 percent of the total population.”

The largest rainbow sampled was 4.8 pounds.

In the Pelican Point section of the river, just upstream from Cascade, rainbow trout were estimated at 1,577 fish per mile, which is higher than the long-term average of 1,494 rainbows per mile.

According to Grisak, 64 percent of the rainbows in the population were at least 15 inches long.

Brown trout populations in the river also are up. The spring estimate of brown trout in the Craig section was 584 per mile; the long-term average there is 578. In the Pelican Point section, spring browns were estimated at 611 per mile — higher than the long-term average of 358.

The 2008 survey estimated there were 1,126 brown trout 10 inches and longer per mile, more than twice the 22-year average of 554 brown trout per mile.

Biologists don’t actually count all the fish in the river when they perform the survey. Instead, they electro-shock the water in an area, then count, tag and release the fish. Two weeks later, they repeat the process and use the ratio of tagged to untagged fish to calculate an estimate of the trout population per mile.

Brown trout populations are sampled in the spring and rainbow populations are sampled in the fall.

The report’s findings didn’t surprise 26-year Missouri River fishing guide Pete Cardinal, owner of Missouri River Angler in Craig.

“That’s what happens when you add water to a Montana river. The fish like it. There’s more habitat, more food, more space and greater survival,” Cardinal said. “It’s probably a real reflection of great habitat conditions from the last two years of great water levels.”

Trout numbers are healthy throughout the stretches of the river that were surveyed, according to FWP. Additionally, Missouri River anglers reported good fly-fishing for larger rainbows during the late summer and early fall.

Cardinal said he has been guiding on the Missouri since 1983, and he has never seen healthier looking fish than this season.

“The most noticeable difference is the quality of the fish. They’re just larger than they’ve been,” he said. “People are really happy with the quality of the fish, and the fish really fight hard. They’re so healthy that they just really tear you up when you hook them.”

Grisak said Cardinal’s observations are consistent with the number of large trout observed during the population survey.

The situation wasn’t as rosy on one of Montana’s other world-class rivers. According to FWP’s findings, trout population estimates in the Smith River show numbers continued to trend down over the long term.

In the Eagle Creek section of the Smith River — a couple miles downstream of Camp Baker — the number of rainbow trout longer than 8 inches was estimated at 371 per mile, which is consistent with a short-term trend, but below the long-term average of 527 such fish, Grisak said.

Brown trout in the same section were estimated at 270 per mile, which is less than the long-term average of 315 fish per mile.

“Higher water flows and lower water temperatures in the Smith River this year should provide relief to future trout populations, especially in the wake of a nine-year drought experienced in central Montana,” Grisak said.

Tags: River - Missouri

Another short and sweet report from the Missouri today.

Fishing has been decent pretty damned good the past week; there have been olives in places but the typical approaches nymphing and chucking streamers have been working very, very well.

The river has been a ghost town for the most part; few boats and just a wader here and there.  Too bad, this is some of the best fishing of the year.

The most sobering news I have is that the wind should be back for a few days making it more of challenge, though it’s not going to get super cold.  The high 40s feel chilly enough when the wind is howling….

Couple of more days and I’m headed to Oregon with friends to chase some chrome.

Tags: River - Missouri

Baetis.

Streamers.

Windy as hell.

Warming.

Few fishers.

Wade.

Good to great.

Tags: River - Missouri

This past week has been a good one on the river.

Air temps have been in the 50s in the afternoons, there have been a couple of days without wind, water temps have cooled over the past several days but are 50 in the flow out of Holter this morning.

Baetis and midges for the most part on top (I heard reports of some October caddis too, but haven’t seen many), nymphing shallow in the afternoons and deep in the mornings has been good, and streamers are working too.  Don’t forget your scuds.

The river has been busy at times (more in the afternoons) but not anything close to being crowded.

The weather dudes are forecasting winter to return early next week, should be a good weekend on the water though and with the hunt opening this weekend lots of guys will be in the hills.

Tags: River - Missouri

For a lot of folks who truly love to fish the Missouri, this is the time that they think about being on the water most of all.

It’s been a hell of a year water and weather wise, and after going from summer almost straight to winter, we’re about to get some of that incredible fall weather that the river is famous for.

The next couple of days are going to great days to get some chores done and just be outside – hell, it could hit 7o on Saturday, though the next prime Baetis day looks to be Sunday, with a nice window of cooler, cloudy and rainy weather continuing on into next week.

For you dry fly types, like other folks are reminding you these days there are several different flies that get called Baetis on the river right now – there are pseudos and true BWOs; you’ll need life cycle patterns (down to a 20 at least) and will need to truly watch what’s happening on the water.  Don’t be surprised to see heads sipping midges or an october caddis or two if it really gets as warm as they’re predicting.

Nymphers and streamer dudes are scoring too, the usual stuff for this time of year.  It’s not rocket science.

Now is the time.

Tags: River - Missouri

After dancing naked in the 90 degree temps a few weeks ago (I can’t tell the story) it feels damned cold lately in the morning, and the next few mornings it’s gonna be damned fricken cold.

We have been seeing a fair number of fish up on olives this week – fish are pretty much up where you’d expect to see ‘em, and there are a fair number of smaller fish in the pods.  Time to pay attention and cast meaningfully to the big boys.

Nymphing has been damned good too; I’ve been setting up clients on some nifty seams lately and they’ve been kicking ass.  Deeper in the mornings than afternoons and be patient.

Now, I hate to sound pissed off about this but I’ve seen more than one boat this week pulling a handful of browns off redds as if they were shopping at the fricken grocery store.  Even some of my neighbors who should know better are doing this and flashing pics on their blogs.  Damn.   It’s the fricken spawn – knock it off.

Bring your cold weather gear and get ready for some of the best Missouri fishin’ of the year.

Tags: River - Missouri