Wild Weather Trout Fishing
Wild Weather Trout Fishing – From sunshine and mid 80’s to snow and low 30’s. It was a wild weather week trout fishing on the Missouri River!
Monday I was back on the water with Jim and Gary for another sunny, warm day on the Missouri. We decided to go upriver today and launch early at Wolf Creek. We started out fishing with deeper nymphs on the upper river and Gary didn’t waste anytime with quality rainbows out of the first two spots.
He added a couple more in the next few runs and then Jim got in on the action with a big rainbow. The next riffle produced another hot bow for Gary and then Jim connected with a big brown trout that gave us a couple of awesome jumps before sliding into the net.
From there, Jim went on a heater with the next 5 or 6 rainbows to the boat. After that we had 3 consecutive doubles, all with good sized bows before Jim tagged one more solo fish as we pulled into lunch.
The afternoon proved to be just as good as the guys stuck 5 in the first 2 runs and it just kept going from there. At one point we had to take a break and rest due to forearm cramps from fighting fish.
The fish on the Missouri are so healthy this year that it is hard to keep track of it all, but Gary and Jim landed a bunch of big 17-20″ rainbows today as we had strikes in nearly all the spots I would expect them.
The fishing was especially good considering the bright sunny weather. Jim closed out the day with a nice rainbow just above the ramp and then our smallest fish of the day directly across from the ramp. Solid fishing from start to finish and we managed to avoid the crowds as well.
Wild Weather Trout Fishing
Tuesday I took Jim and Gary back to the same stretch as yesterday. With the wind that was forecast it was our best option and the fishing yesterday was pretty good. The morning was very similar, except Jim got us started off with a couple of rainbows in our first two spots.
Gary got in on the act hooking a pair of healthy fish and then Jim connected with a heavy rainbow that put up a hard fight. That was the first fish over 20″ of the day for Jim. From there the fishing continued to improve. At times it is hard not to get jaded by the Missouri this time of year.
We were sticking big, healthy fish in just about every run. The kind of trout that would be the fish of the day in other places at other times of year and on the Mo, it’s just another nice fish to release and get back out there.
The guys had a few doubles in the morning including a nice brown that Gary landed and we finished off with one more double as we slid into lunch. At that point the wind was starting to blow and it didn’t let up the rest of the day.
The fishing was still good in the afternoon but we had to fish some different water to stay out of the worst of the wind. Immediately after lunch we had trout in the net again, and Jim had a special stretch of river when he came tight to a fish and a huge brown trout launched into the air.
There were some choice words at that spectacle and after a strong battle he had a gorgeous 22″ brown in the net. Only a couple casts after that he connected with a big 21″ buck rainbow. The river continued to give up nice fish in the likely spots and later in the afternoon Gary battled with a great 21″ bow.
It was challenging to fish with that much wind but the guys did a great job. Again, a pile of nice trout to the boat and Jim capped it off with one last rainbow at the take out.
Wild Weather Trout Fishing
Wednesday was my last day with Jim and Gary. It was cloudy and cooler and I jumped at the chance to get back into the canyon with hopes of some big browns on the prowl. We launched early and the first 2 runs produced 3 or 4 smaller bows and 3 decent rainbows.
Jim had a big fish race upstream and pop the tippet just below that and then the next bank was action packed. We had two doubles including a double brown trout and a couple other bows off that same bank.
I expected the fishing to just continue to improve, but it stalled out a little on us. Instead of fish eating everywhere, it turned into a fish in every couple of spots and about half of them were small bows. We were still getting our chances, we just had to work a little harder than the past couple of days.
Jim picked up a couple 17-18″ bows and a fat 17″ brown in fast water, and just before lunch Gary connected with a healthy 16″ bow. I kept watching the water to see the when the blue-wing hatch would start but they didn’t show up while we took a break.
In fact the bugs never came at all today. The best fish of the day came early in the afternoon when Jim connected with a heavy fish on a bank. It was a dog fight in fast current, but he eventually netted a thick 20″ brown trout.
From there Gary heated up with the next 3 or 4 decent rainbows. The guys continued to pick away at them until we hit the take out early. With a Winter Storm Watch they wanted a head start back to Spokane tonight.
The incoming storm put a big of a damper on the fishing, especially after how good it was the past three days. We still boated some great trout today and enjoyed the gorgeous views in the canyon. Jim and Gary are always a true pleasure to fish with and I always look forward to their trips.
Wild Weather Trout Fishing
Thursday was the first of 2 days with Eakle and his group. Eakle was an addition to a crew we have fished with for years last season and he had such a good time on the Mo that he had to share it with some of his life long friends and sons.
The weather today was challenging to say the least. It was raining last night and this morning I woke up to a few inches of snow in the boat. It was still snowing and 33 degrees when we all met in Craig. Everyone put on as many layers as they had and we headed up to Wolf Creek to launch.
By the time we arrived at the boat ramp the wind was blowing hard out of the north. There were whitecaps on the flat at Wolf Creek bridge…and it was still snowing. I had Eakle and his son, Nick. Nick had not fly fished recently and had never nymphed like we do on the Missouri.
I had to push downstream around the corner just to get out of the wind enough to do some teaching on how we wanted to try and fish today. From there I had to focus on spots that were most protected from the wind. Fortunately the fishing was actually excellent despite the weather.
The first run we tried is a spot I hardly ever fish. We gave it a shot because there was little wind and it would allow Nick to get in the rhythm of casting, mending, etc. and he actually had two strikes. The next run was even better.
We had a bunch of takes, broke one off, then Eakle boated a nice bow and Nick followed suit on the next pass with a pair of fish. Nick picked up a bigger rainbow in the next protected spot and the other 2 boats were hooking fish there as well.
Then we had to do some serious pushing as we were exposed straight into the north wind. Once we found some protection the trout were grabby. Nick struck first with a colored up male and then Eakle boated a bright rainbow and Nick was hooked up a couple more times during the fight.
The guys doubled up below that as Nick landed a big 20″ class slab. At that point Nick’s hands were frozen so Eakle put a couple casts in the next run and came tight on a hot 19″ buck. By then everyone was pretty much chilled to the bone and we pushed out a short distance to the takeout.
It was one of the toughest weather days I have every been on the water. Cold, snow, and wind all day. The fishing was great though. All the boats landed some nice trout and every place where the conditions allowed us to fish produced. There were only 2 other boats on the water with us today if that gives a clearer picture of how inhospitable the weather was.
Wild Weather Trout Fishing
Friday dawned without much change in the weather. It was still cold and snowing, but Eakle and the crew were eager to get back on the water. The air temp was a little cooler than yesterday, but we were fortunate that the wind wasn’t as bad.
As a result, it actually felt a little warmer today and the trout were hungry. Nick hooked the first rainbow of the day just below the put in and as we netted that one the boat behind us connected as well. Eakle got in on the act in the next run with a jumping rainbow.
We were off the races from there as the guys were hooking up multiple times in the likely spots. Cold fingers and ice in the guides led to a few that got away, but we netted our fair share too. Eakle landed a big rainbow with a fresh osprey scar in it’s back.
Thank Nick landed the first brown trout of the trip. That run was absolutely loaded, and all 3 boats had several hook ups in there. At one point I think 5 of the 6 anglers were all hooked up at the same time.
We picked up a couple more on our way to an island that was out of the way for lunch. The snow came in heavy while we ate but it didn’t slow down the fishing as Nick was tight to a strong rainbow as soon as we put our lines back in the water.
Eakle picked up a nice brown trout just downstream for that and the action continued in all of the spots. Eakle added another rainbow close to 20″ before we switched rigs with lots of blue-wings hatching. Nick closed out the trip in style with one more rainbow in the net as we slid into the take out.
Lots of quality trout today. A couple solid browns and plenty of 16-18″ rainbows with a handful in the 19-20″ range. Fishing the last two days has been incredibly good, but the weather has been nearly unbearable. It was a great group of guys to spend time with on the water.
Everyone had great fishing and I hope to see them again when the weather is a little more tolerable.
Wild Weather Trout Fishing
Sunday was the first day with Sheila and Jeff’s crew. It was her sister Lara’s birthday so they were celebrating with a couple days of fishing on the Mo and great meals at Hidden Canyon Lodge. We had 3 boats total, and the weather had improved slightly, but not much so we decided to play it safe with a float through the canyon back to the Lodge.
It was cold and spitting rain at the put in, but everyone was layered up and I set off with Lara and her husband, Jason, in my boat. It didn’t take long as Jason hooked 4 or 5 fish on the first bank and landed a couple nice rainbows.
Lara connected with her first bow of the day at the bottom of that bank. Despite the cold and wet, the trout were eating in most all of the spots. In the morning it was a lot of mid-sized and smaller bows with a few brown trout mixed in.
The bigger fish all came out of faster water and we had a handful of 16-18″ bows by the time we stopped for lunch under cover of a bridge. The rain let up a little in the afternoon and the blue-wing hatch was heavy.
That got the fish fired up and it was a banner afternoon. Jason hooked up in the first spot after lunch, Lara added a good rainbow just below that and we were off to the races. A better class of fish was eating too with a lot of 15-18″ specimens and a few around the 19″ mark.
Just above the lodge we doubled up twice in a row, both times Lara had nice browns while Jason boated good rainbows. At Mountain Palace Lara decided to head to Lodge to dry out and warm up while Jason stayed in the boat for the last stretch to Prewett creek.
He hooked multiple fish on each pass just below the Lodge and they were all quality rainbows. Jason’s rod was pretty much bent the rest of the way as every good seam was holding aggressive fish.
We boated another quality brown trout and coasted into the takeout with one final rainbow on the line. The weather was a challenge again today, but we had the river to ourselves and plenty of trout to keep us occupied.
Unbelievable weather change this week. It was sunny and 80’s to start off and then cold, snowy and wet at the end. The fishing held up every day, but I am definitely looking forward to a return to more average weather in the coming days! Be sure to check our river conditions guide.
Tight Lines,
Tony Reinhardt
Montana Trout Outfitters
406-544-3516
