Missouri River Rainbow Trout
Missouri River Rainbow Trout – After a nice holiday break, Thursday was my first of 4 days with the L.A. ladies, Penny and Dianne. We launched early at Wolf Creek under a bright blue sky.
It was a little slow out of the gate as Dianne connected with a couple of decent rainbows in the first few runs, but by 9:30ish they were getting more active. Both Penny and Dianne started finding them in the likely spots.
It ended up being the hottest day of the year so far with a high of 95! The sun and heat took their toll on the trout and anglers alike. Overall the fishing was slower than it has been on the Mo recently. Sun, heat and lack of bugs were the likely culprits.
Even a “slower” day on the Missouri is still fairly decent. The ladies doubled up a couple of times and we were tight to fish often enough to keep it interesting. Lots of mid and smaller sized fish on the hunt today with a handful of better rainbows in the 16-18″ range.
Missouri River Rainbow Trout
Friday was another hot, sunny day as I launched early in the canyon with Penny and Dianne. We fished the deep rig early with some solid hook ups, and Dianne had a big brown that was a heartbreaker when it got tangled up on the boat and broke off.
The fish were eating, and it was a mix of browns and rainbows today. By mid-morning the short nymph rig was producing better for us and we stayed with that for the rest of the day. 3 really nice fish hit the net just before lunch.
Penny had a solid rainbow in a riffle while Dianne connected with a pair of good bows in foam seams. Fishing held up in the afternoon too. We had several hook ups in a foam back eddy and a couple nice fish, a double with brown trout and more hot, jumping rainbows. It was a solid day of fishing in the canyon on the Missouri River Rainbow Trout Fishing.
Missouri River Rainbow Trout
Saturday we had a little better temperatures, but the wind forecast wasn’t great so we went to the upper river. The morning was good as the gals hooked a fish or two in nearly every run although some of those big rainbows proved hard to handle.
Dianne had a couple of really nice bows and a quality brown in the morning. For the afternoon we put the boat on the trailer and headed back up to the dam.
Not many anglers up there late in the day and Penny and Dianne each started off with big, slab rainbows above the boat ramp. Dianne added another big bow in the next spot and then Penny went on a heater with several big fish in a row.
Things balanced out toward the end as both ladies put some heavy rainbows in the net not far above Wolf Creek bridge.
Missouri River Rainbow Trout
Sunday I finished off the trip with the ladies back in the canyon. The morning was solid with a mix of sizes and species, from little browns to chrome bright 18″ rainbows.
We had another giant brown get away from us after a long fight which was a bummer, but we bounced right back with some nice rainbows. It was cooler than expected for most of the day and we had zero bugs until near the end.
There was a funky stretch for an hour after lunch when the trout just didn’t want to play. I switched up the flies and Penny and Dianne were immediately back on them with 4 fish in the next run including a double.
They doubled twice again just downstream. The balance of the day was good fishing with plenty of action. Dianne finished the trip off in style as she landed another hefty rainbow as we coasted into the take out.
Always a fun time with the L.A. ladies and I will see them again at the end of June in Missoula.
Missouri River Rainbow Trout
The weather has been all over the map on the Missouri this year. From cold and snow to 90+ degrees in a little over a week. For the most part, the fishing has held up though. Lots of quality fish in the net this week and I have a few more days left on the Mo before heading back to Missoula for the rest of the season.
Tight Lines,
Tony Reinhardt
Montana Trout Outfitters
406-544-3516
