Big Mo Trout Fishing

Monday was my last day with Bob and Frank. The guys like the canyon and the chance at brown trout so we launched at Dearborn this morning. Bob had the hot hand out of the gate with the first two rainbows in the boat.

We tagged a few more in the next run including a nice 19″ rainbow and then Frank went on a tear in the next fast bank with 5 or 6 fish in the net. In fact his streak continued for most of the morning and it was uncanny.

The guys were fishing the same flies and Frank was sticking trout in all the spots but Bob could hardly buy a bite. He did pick up a couple more, but it was definitely Frank’s morning. Fortunately the tide turned some for Bob in the afternoon.

Right away the guys doubled up on nice rainbows and it was a circus. The lines were crossed and I had to spin the boat around and direct traffic but everyone kept their composure and we put a couple nice rainbows in the net. The fishing remained steady all afternoon. We had some wind to deal, but the trout were still eating in all of the spots.

Bob tagged a long 22″ brown in some fast water on the short leash which was the biggest fish of the day. We had a couple brown trout doubles and a bunch of other nice browns and rainbows from 14-20″. The weather turned out better than the forecast and we had solid fishing to close out the trip. It’s always a good time with Bob and Frank in the boat.

Frank sending a cast in the morning - Big Mo Trout Fishing — Frank sending a cast in the morning – Big Mo Trout Fishing

Lots of solid rainbows - Big Mo Trout Fishing — Lots of solid rainbows – Big Mo Trout Fishing

Big Mo Trout Fishing

Tuesday was the first of 3 days with long time Missouri angler, Craig. This was the second year that he was joined by his wife, Carol, who enjoys taking in the sights and snapping pictures. We didn’t get a chance to fish the canyon section last year so we headed down there today with mostly cloudy skies and a stiff downstream wind.

The deep nymph rig produced a nice rainbow in our second spot to get Craig started. In the next run we had to get his hook set dialed in as he stuck several fish but only landed one. As soon as he figured that out it was non stop action the rest of the day. We fished the deep rig all morning and every run produced.

It was an impressive morning of fishing and it only got better after lunch. We switched to the short leash rod for the afternoon and Craig quickly tagged a hard fighting 20″ rainbow on the first fast bank. It was so good that the question was not if we would catch a fish in a spot, it was how many would Craig hook.

There were lots of brown trout in the afternoon too with more browns in the net than rainbows. With action that good we played around with a dry/dropper rod too and Craig stuck several good ones out of rising pods. The last long bank of the day was as good as it gets. I don’t remember how many Craig landed, but every time I released a fish and got the boat in position Craig would hook up on the next cast.

He boated a couple 20″ class rainbows, 2 browns of similiar size and an absolute pile of browns and rainbows that were 15-19″. I don’t know how many Craig caught today, but I know his rod was bent more than it was not from start to finish.

Craig hooked up on a stunning day - Big Mo Trout Fishing — Craig hooked up on a stunning day – Big Mo Trout Fishing

Nonstop fish in the net today - Big Mo Trout Fishing — Nonstop fish in the net today – Big Mo Trout Fishing

Big Mo Trout Fishing

Wednesday I took Craig and Carol up to Wolf Creek to start the day. We had wind, cooler temps, and possible rain or snow in the forecast so I wanted to be near Craig in case we had to bail in the afternoon. I started Craig with a deep nymph rig and he tagged a fat rainbow in the first spot.

Then the deep fishing sputtered like the last time I was up at Wolf Creek. Craig fished through 2 other runs and had maybe one strike so we changed over to the short leash rig and he immediately hooked up on the next seam. Another bite came in the next seam and I knew we were on the right track.

From there it was steady fishing and there were a lot of big rainbows in the 18-20″ range eating in the morning. We stopped for lunch out of the wind and had a quick lunch as some dark clouds were closing in on us. Fortunately the moisture held off and the short leash fishing was gang busters all afternoon.

Craig was picking off nice rainbows and browns in every single spot that we fished. The wind remained a challenge for casting and keeping the boat in position, but every time the flies were in the right spot it didn’t take long before Craig was fighting another trout.

There were tons of blue wing olives hatching towards the end of the float and we finished up with some dry/dropper fishing.

We pulled into the take out with a brown trout in the net and black clouds all around us. Luck was on our side though as we never got wet all day and Craig landed another pile of 14-20″ browns and rainbows.

The weather threatened but we stayed dry all day - Big Mo Trout Fishing — The weather threatened but we stayed dry all day – Big Mo Trout Fishing

Nice morning brown trout - Big Mo Trout Fishing — Nice morning brown trout – Big Mo Trout Fishing

Rainbow that didn't want to cooperate - Big Mo Trout Fishing — Rainbow that didn’t want to cooperate – Big Mo Trout Fishing

Big Mo Trout Fishing

Thursday was my final day with Craig and Carol. While the weather was better than the forecast the last 2 days, it was spot on today with temps in the high 30’s/low 40’s, snow, and a north wind. We launched at Wolf Creek again so that we could stop short at Craig if needed.

We pushed downriver to get out of some of the wind before starting to fish and Craig was throwing the short leash rig. He had a bite at the top of the run and then connected with a big 19″ rainbow at the bottom of that run. Despite the nasty weather the fish were eating early.

The cold and wind made it a challenge though. Craig had a hard time feeling his fly line so there were some missed strikes and trout that came unbuttoned simply because it was difficult to manage the line. Fortunately we had plenty of chances as the trout were really feeding.

We skipped the marginal spots and places where it was too windy, but every time the flies were in the water Craig was hooking up. Lots of big fish today too. Craig had a couple 21″ bows and several in the 18-20″ range. By the time we made it to Craig boat ramp we had caught enough trout and were cold enough that we decided to cut the day a couple hours short and just take out there.

It was another great 3 days of fishing for Craig and I enjoyed having Carol with us too.

Big Mo Trout Fishing

Saturday I was on the water with the Lindquist family and fellow guide, Tom. It has become an annual tradition where John brings out son Johnny, and grandsons, Zach and Alex. I had the father/son duo in my boat while Tom had the young guns.

We floated the canyon and started off with short leash rigs in the morning. John tagged a fat 18″ rainbow in the first spot to get us started and we followed that up with a long run where the guys landed 7 or 8. It seemed like one rod was hooked up the whole way through that run.

We pulled into a little riffle below that and the guys boated 6 more. It was that kind of day, where we just hooked up all day long. John had the magic touch when it came to brown trout. He landed a 21″, a 20″, and 3 or 4 more that were 18-19″. Johnny was on a steady diet of rainbows with a bunch of fish in the 16-19″ range including a couple that nearly jumped in his lap after he hooked him.

We probably had at least 10 doubles in the net as well. The young guys had a great day too with plenty of fish in the boat. This crew is always a lot of fun to fish with, good stories, lots of laughs, and non stop action on the Missouri.

Big Mo Trout Fishing

The Missouri is fishing about as good as it gets right now, and the March Brown hatch just started. River levels are stable and the tributaries are running clear. I am excited to see what the week ahead brings!