Little Blackfoot River @ Garrison: 245 c.f.s
Blackfoot River near Helmville: 528 c.f.s
Rock Creek @ Clinton: 710 c.f.s
The Missouri is fishing great, if you haven’t heard your friends bragging about it or you haven’t been out lately you know now. But I’m tired of the MO for the time being so I’m switching it up, grabbing the 3 wt., some big fuzzies, a few leggy, handful of flashy and finding some smaller water. Seems to me a lot of you folks out there are letting the gauges scare you off some of the open freestone rivers in the area. With the weather holding pretty steady and the cool evenings we’ve been having most of the gauges have leveled off and the clarity on many stretches is clearing up. It’s not summer time clear water my any measure but the fish are still looking up for some the early hatches of stoneflies and blue wing olives. Deeper buckets, and the shallows closer to shore that provide some cover have been producing numerous hungry fish willing to expend some energy for a bigger meal. Deep buckets in the riffles or along the edge of the faster water is a great spot to dredge a dropper though, if your focused on the shore, ditch the dropper for the solo foam or general attractor. Even if you can’t get the fly into some slower water getting a good drift off the brush and grass has been getting some chases too. Buggers aren’t out of the picture either. High profile gaudy big crap have been eliciting a response from some of the bigger (and smaller for that matter) fish that find themselves patrolling the slow runs or hanging out closer to shore, rocky shores and undercut grassy stuff alike. Humble fly suggestions for the small creek enthusiasts not afraid of a little water…
Dries: Foam Peacock PMX, Stimulators. Chubbies, Golden Stones, Bloom’s Para Hopper & Fuzzy Wuzzies
Nymphs: Pats Rubber Leg, Double Bead Hares Ear, Flashback PT, Bitch Creek Buggers, Princes & Lightning Bugs.
Streamers: Coffey Sparkle Minnows, JJ Specials, Urchin Buggers, MT Mouthwash, Halloween Buggers , Bloom’s MRS & Sculpin Buggers.
~Cheers, Chewy
