CRAIG — Montana is filled with a lot of “self-taught pros” when it comes to fly fishing, but with the long holiday weekend, MTN thought it would be a good public service to actually talk to the experts to find out what we need to know before we head out on the water.
“The Missouri River right now is fishing extremely well,” said Cross Currents Fly Shop Manager Jim Stein. “A little low on water, on average, but still, the fishing is very good.”
Stein knows what he’s talking about and if you want to have some success this weekend get ready to take notes.
“if you’re looking for numbers of fish it’s going to be nymph fishing. I’m a little bit of a streamer junkie, so throwing streamers is also working. Late in the day there are very good hatches coming off,” Stein told MTN. “The blue wing olives are still happening. It’s been a little slow for the March browns, been seeing a few but it really hasn’t blossomed yet and we’re also starting to see a few caddis already. So that’s going to come on pretty quickly.”
WEB EXTRA: Missouri River Fly Fishing Tips
The weather could change just as quickly this weekend – but according to Jim, that shouldn’t keep you from fishing.
“Those of us who are pretty hardcore anglers, a little shower or a few sprinkles is not going to bother anything,” said Stein. “This is one thing for sure, I would rather be out when it’s a little bit damp and certainly overcast than bright and sunny and windy. A little bit of rain isn’t going to change a thing. Those graphite rods, they’re lightning rods as well, you want to be a little bit careful about that.”
Bottom line, if you’re safe about it, every day should be a good day to fish. Especially here in the treasure state.
“We live in the mecca, people literally come from all over the world to fish here,” said Stein. “The Missouri is the big attraction but don’t forget about some of that smaller stuff too. You can fish all day and see very few, if any people.”
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