Catching Rainbows on the Missouri River

Wednesday was the first of three days with long-time anglers, Bill and Jim.  We had warm temps and the chance at cloud cover in the afternoon so we went downriver in the canyon.

We started with the deep nymph rods and I was surprised when the first 2 spots didn’t produce, but Bill came tight to a rainbow on the next foam line and the run below that produced several hook ups so I knew we were in good shape.

There were a bunch of spunky, smaller rainbows early but as the morning progressed the average size started to increase.  Bill tagged a big rainbow just before lunch and we made one pass in that run and Jim found an even better brown trout.

The clouds rolled in just before we took a break so we switched to the short leash rods for the afternoon.  Bill stuck a rainbow right out of the gate and then we scrambled for the rain gear as black clouds approached.  Luckily the rain only lasted a few minutes, but it really got the blue wing hatch going and it was steady fishing the rest of the way.

Every spot produced nice fish and the guys ended up with 7 or 8 doubles on the day.  At one point Jim hooked another fish before I could even release the one he had just landed from the net, and Bill had one on too.

The fishing was fast and furious the rest of the way with mostly solid rainbows from 15-19″ and a couple other nice browns.  It was a great start to the trip for Bill and Jim.

Catching Rainbows on the Missouri River

Thursday was a much different weather day from what we have had recently.  It was a winter storm warning in the morning with an inch of snow at Trout Camp.  We pushed back the meet time a little to make sure the roads would be ok from Helena for Bill and Jim.

It was definitely colder, but tolerable when we set off for the Wolf Creek bridge.  The trout didn’t seem to be affected by the weather change as the guys doubled up in the first spot with nice rainbows.

The fishing remained strong with hook ups in every run and a couple other doubles before we pulled out of the wind for lunch.  Jim got us going in the afternoon with an absolute tank of rainbow that was every bit of 22″.  He stuck a nice fish out of the next two spots as well and then Bill got in on the action with another double.

There was a bit more wind in the afternoon but still not too bad.  The guys were very considerate though, and they early released a number of fish near the boat so I wouldn’t have to get my hands wet getting the hooks out.  It was my first day on the upper river and I was very impressed with the size of the rainbows this year.

We landed a number of 20″ class fish to go along with the jumbo bow that Jim landed early.  We also found a pair of brown trout too.  For a good stretch of the afternoon we were the only boat in sight, and Jim and Bill continued to hook up in every run.

We finished up with a brief double right above the boat ramp before pulling in and jumping in the warm truck.  We had snow, a little wind, and cold temps but the fishing was great and we had a good time on the water today.

Catching Rainbows on the Missouri River

Friday was my last day with Bill and Jim, and we definitely had nicer weather.  Temps were still cool, but we had some sun and no wind in the morning which made for pleasant fishing.  We started again at Wolf Creek and planned a longer float.  Bill didn’t waste any time with a hot rainbow on his first cast.

He hooked up again at the top of the next spot and then Jim got in on the action toward the bottom of that run.  From there it was steady action the rest of the morning with a few doubles and one triple double where Jim landed his fish first and hooked another one before Bill brought his to the net.

By late morning the blue wing hatch was strong so we stopped for a quick lunch to take advantage of all the bugs around in the afternoon.  Jim got us started with a bright rainbow in the second session and then Bill went on a roll with the next 3 fish in the net.

With bugs everywhere at that point we switched over to the short leash rods and the fishing was even better.  The next seam produced 3 or 4 hooks ups and then Jim connected with 3 brown trout in a row.  The last was a big male in shallow water that went crazy when it felt the hook.

That was the biggest fish of the day at 22″.  The next bank produced a pair of doubles as the guys were hooking up in every single spot.  It was a lot of big rainbows in the 18-21″ range with hard runs and big jumps.  We capped it off with another double in our last run.

Bill tagged a nice brown while Jim had a good rainbow, and then Jim fooled one more big hook jawed rainbow before we had to row over to the ramp.  It was 3 days of good fishing with the last day about as good as gets.

The weather wasn’t ideal, but we made the best of it and had a great time on the water.  I look forward to seeing both Bill and Jim again later this season.

Catching Rainbows on the Missouri River

Saturday was the first of 3 days with the Carson group.  They have been coming to Missoula for a few years and this year we decided to make a dedicated Missouri trip.  The group was 6 anglers total so we planned for 2 boats on the Missouri and I would take the jet boat to Land of the Giants each day.

It was cold in the morning with another inch of snow at Trout Camp but the forecast was for the snow to quit and temps to warm a little.  Today I had John Carson and John Arehart at LOG.  We started on the middle river and had a couple of brief hook ups on the first few passes.

Then Carson connected with our first big rainbow of the day, but the action was a little spotty so we headed to the upper river.  That proved a little more consistent with a few hook ups and another nice bow for Carson and a pair of  big slabs for Arehart before we stopped for lunch.

We stayed on the upper river for most of the afternoon.  It wasn’t fast and furious, but it was steady with a fish or two on each drift.  Carson tagged a big 23.5″ bow and we had a few others in the 21-22″.  Some of the best action came late in the afternoon.

There was a slow run that produced several hook ups and a good double.  Just below that was a faster run that gave up a few nice fish.  We finished the day back at the middle river where the guys doubled one more time.

We made another drift after that and then called it a day.  We had to work for our chances a little today, but both Johns put some big rainbows in the net and had a good time at LOG.

Sunday I had Dean and Mark from the Carson group up at LOG.  We had a rough weather forecast with temps in the 30’s, snow flurries, and a stiff north wind.  We started off in the middle river with tolerable wind and Dean stuck a big 22″ rainbow on the first pass.

The next drift Dean picked off another thick rainbow and then Mark got in on the action with a pair of impressive bows on the next few drifts.  At that point the wind was making fishing difficult so we motored to the upper river to see if we could get away from it.

When we got up there it was blowing even harder and we had to battle to get casts out of the boat and attempt a decent drift.  Mark hooked a good fish up there, but the wind was just too much to deal with so we retreated back to the mid river and each angler picked up a solid rainbow on our next drift there.

Then we pulled in behind some trees for a wind break during lunch.  Of course, the wind laid down a little while we ate, but by the time we were back in the boat it was blowing hard again.  We made a few passes there but the wind was just unmanageable.

It was hard to mend, hard to cast, and I couldn’t control the boat very well.  We dropped further downriver and found a very small pocket that was somewhat less windy.

It was still difficult be we made a few drifts in there and Mark was able to connect with one more rainbow.

After that we decided to call it a day a little early and head for the warm truck.  The guys toughed it out, and we were one of the last groups off the water, but it was very challenging today.

Dean and Mark found a few nice ones, but they had to earn them in that wind.