Hauser Fishing Report by FWP (July 4, 2022)
A good number of rainbows are caught below the Canyon Ferry Dam while using caterpillars and a marshmallow or small nymphs or leech patterns. The cowbell and wedding ring combos between Devil’s Elbow and York Bridge have also produced some nice rainbows. Some walleye are being scooped up from the Causeway Bridge while using float jigs with leeches or crawlers or pulling the nether jumpers and walleye spinners on the Causeway Arm. Chris Hurley, FWP, Helena
Headhunters Fly Shop Missouri River Fly Fishing Report (July 5, 2022)
Classification? Oh, I think a 9. Not too crowded today. July 5 This since it was the day the cork came out. But that month is now June. And Julio plays the second violin. It’s not that July isn’t busy, and many would say “full”, but not in the way that he was ten years ago. He has and was, the beginning of the true dry fly period.
June
Lots of non-anglers on the water over the bank holiday weekend. Fewer fishermen. We all had a family weekend. Soggy electrical storms ignited everything near and far. Flash flooding in some fishing suburbs coupled with a sure fireworks weekend due to wet environment.
June has become the peak month in the month. Julio is a close second, but it doesn’t feel that way today on Trico’s historic start date. While the Tricos are at the bottom, and not in large numbers yet, the breadth of this hatch will start in a few days. Some years in the middle of the month. This year? Us to think within the week.
July
Weather is a dice game as is June. Hot. July is our hottest month. Sometimes daily afternoon thunderstorms can disrupt the natural procession of insects. Which means if you have a really good PMD, or Caddis hatch in the morning or noon, and the rain is pouring down hard, all the bugs literally fall to the ground from the heavy rain. And therefore, no spinners are dropped or caddis PMD action is wasted in the morning. The dry fly guys don’t really get rolling until later during those periods of weather. Daily highs can reach the 90s and beyond. Bring rain gear, sun gear, and your cooler.
Streams will hover around the 4K mark and fluctuations will occur as deemed appropriate by the BOR/DNRC. Stable forecast for the rest of the summer. We are grateful for that. Level and stable flows are good for both the fish and the angler.
Current water temperatures in the 60F range. We’d like it to stay in the low end of the 60’s. Will it? Probably not. Long-term forecast air temperatures include temperatures in the 90s. That’s hot. The cool night can help. Will we witness that? Maybe. We don’t need temperatures approaching the 70F mark. Not good for fish or fishermen.
pale morning dunes
LDCs continue to be strong. I just finished a healthy dry fly session for the last 2 weeks of the month. Fantastic is how we would rate that period. Both for the dry fly and for the nymph. Great catch rates, whether you’re a dry fly only angler, or those who like to drown nymphs under a flag, everyone had a blast.
PMD patterns doing well this week include several Rusty Spinner spinoffs. Biot Wing, Hi-Vis PMD Spinner, Quig’s Hackle Stacker, CDC PMD Spinner, CDC Para Spinner, Jake’s Wet Body Spinner, Ninch’s Sacked Out Spinner Rusty. emerging? Yes. CDC Biot Emerger, Half Dun Hatching, Floating Wet PMD. Crippled too. Last Chance Cripple, CDC Cripple, Limestone Cripple, Ninch’s Hangman PMD Cripple, Quig’s Film Cripple, Sparkle Flag Cripple Pink or Yellow, Daigle’s PFD Parachute Cripple.
Cadiz
A player in July. Good caddis hats, he is the last couple of weeks as they have been gaining strength. Good dry blind fishing with the caddis. Ant too. Throw one that you can see. Walking around every day. Winged downwind tent patterns work well here. Hello, floats like Elk Hair, Goddard, high buoyancy foam patterns created for free stone anglers are not as well received here locally.
Fish fusion with confidence. Fish the spent with confidence. Patterns you can’t see are more attractive to our trout.
Hi Vis Tape Wing, CDC and Elk, Translucent Pupa and Emerger, Hi Vis Spent Caddis, Double Duck, Harrop’s Palmered Caddis, OUTtrigger Caddis, Flambe, Buzzball, Bloom’s Caddis, Missing Link.
Show them a smooth hackle if you want. fun times.
Trico’s
On the low end of fishable ranges below Mid Canon currently. It will move upriver as the month progresses. Early morning emergencies produce spinning falls by mid-morning. Bunches in the early end of the event. Spinners no back-end huh. But when the fish see the tiny Trico fly for the first time, like all forward hatches, they go crazy. The fish get a bit stupid for a short period. How long does the stupid phase last? Not enough. But a week of very good to great Trico fishing pool.
More on this event as it happens. But, for those who love the technical game of dry flies, July is your month. Get up front as trout selectivity becomes real business here at Mighty Mo in late summer. Dry fly fish can get really smart. Hitting casts, slack line presentations, and not showing the enemy your fly wrong are important factors for success in angling.
terrestrial
Yeah. Hopper late, ants early.
Weeds
Not now. But the weeds will affect the nymphs if they grow this month. Currently not a problem.
Nymph fishing
Excellent. 4′-5′ under an indicator. Caddis Pupa and PMD nymphs are the queens. Center of the river. derive them.
Holter Dam to Cascade MT
All fishing well. All scopes. Get out there.
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