Slow Water Zones

In winter & early spring, the trout’s metabolism slows, leading many of them into calmer waters. Here they can hold & eat, using very little energy.

One of the more obvious slow water results are midging trout., those sipping midges off the surface, and their pupa just beneath it. Since midges emerge slowly, trout can laze around a big eddy, eating them at leisure. You may see rings, splashes, or noses when they eat adult flies; or dorsal fins & tails when they porpoise to emergers just beneath the surface. A small dry fly with a midge pupa dropper is ideal in this scenario.

Less obvious are deeper finning trout that can school up in slow runs & pools. They can vacate swift riffles where summer caddis & mayflies hatched, and drop back into deeper pools where extremes in temperature have less immediate effect. Trout don’t eat as much in very cold water, as their lowered metabolism slows their digestion rate.

Fishing slow, deep water is a bit boring, but can pay off in late winter. Deep nymphing & slow fished (or even dead drifted) streamers can get results. Finding a pocket of holed up trout can bring repeated success. This is often best from late morning through mid-afternoon, when water temperatures have risen just a bit.

-          NS

Eric Mondragon’s Fishing Report- Missouri River Montana – January 29, 2012
I recently christened my new Adipose flow skiff drift boat.  My wife says I should call her “Addy”.  I love Addy already.  (Don’t tell my wife)  My buddy Trevor and I launched her below Holter dam at about 10:00 a.m. last Saturday.  We floated below the dam to Wolf Creek bridge.
We started nymphing fish up pretty quick.  The flies that had been working lately were now only mediocre.  Hot beads and pink stuff attracted a fair amount of fish, but they were no longer the fly du jour.
Success came when we matched the hatch and didn’t throw the attractor style stuff.  The tricky buggers now keyed in on midge.  We kept our rig about 6’ from indicator to split shot.  We ran an amex Czech’s, or a rainbow Czech ’s on point and dropped a fly that I fished back in the day on the San Juan, called a Johnny flash.  Johnny flash rose to fame as one of many flies created by long time guide, Johnny Gomez.  Johnny flash lived up to its reputation Saturday.  We tried out a well known fly called the WD40 on the drop as well.  Both of the size 20 flies, tied on 5x, worked like a charm.
As the day progressed, we noticed more and more rises right around noon.  After seeing enough fish rise, we switched to dry flies.  The heat was on!  The fly I recommend is the Griffith’s gnat (size 18 or 20).  They also rose for Harrop’s CDC transitional midge and the CDC spent midge (size 20 and 22).  We had good dry fly fishing for about two hours.  Trevor and I both hooked about a dozen pigs during that time.
Our success was very satisfying because late winter and early spring dry fly fishing can be a crap shoot.  This is my favorite time to throw midge and blue winged olives on the surface, before the busy guide season starts.  The weather can be unpredictable, but the big boys are biting and the crowds are down.  Ahhh, the perfect combination.
My prediction:  As the winter passes on, we will see more and more midge.  If you pick a calm day (no more than a light breeze) with air temperatures above mid thirty degrees, and water temperatures holding above thirty five degrees, midge will hatch.  When midge hatch, fish rise.  Expect a few hours of success under the mid-day sun.  (Sounds like a line from a Country Western song)  Consider a guide trip for an optimal early season experience on the Mo’.
The fish aren’t too picky and they won’t be leader-shy this time of year.  Flows are expected to drop from the mid fives to mid fours this week. Die hard anglers will find more places to wade.  For you die hards – be careful on the shelf ice!
Until we meet again, fish it up!!

Eric Mondragon’s Fishing Report 1/10/12
Fishing on the Missouri is unseasonably good.  December was fantastic and January is shaping up great so far.  The fish are hitting on an assortment of colors and sizes, but they don‘t take the fly hard this time of year.  Instead, they are barely tapping it, so you have to be alert.
For those who like to chase indicators, I recommend any hot bead as the fly du jour.  Ray Charles is a solid choice for a hot bead.  Rainbow or amex Czech’s nymphs are proven winners as alternatives to a hot bead.
Women may not have a problem saying “I’ll just throw on something pink”, but that is good advice for men as well.  Pink definitely attracts the biggest fish.  Throw on some pink lightning bugs, pink worms, pink scuds.  You won’t be sorry.  Your usual midge larvae patterns, such as red discos or rojos are also attractive this month.  Don’t forget to mix it up with zebra midges, wd40’s, and brassies.
If you feel like swinging wet flies with a switch rod, you can catch your share of walleye and trout below Holter dam.  Use an intermediate sink-tip line with an assortment of jigs and streamers.
I am usually fishing between Holter dam and Craig in the winter months.  I’ve discovered that the key to the tug is deep, slow moving water and a very slow retrieve.  My fly box will also include coffee sparkle minnows, skittish smolt and a few of my own home brews.  You can probably find me stripping streamers (with or without a sink–tip line).  I am looking for that leisurely inside bend, deep slow holes or the shelves and soft seams below islands.  You will know me by the smile plastered on my face.

While the last two years of high water did result in better spawning conditions & fat fish, we’re hoping for some lower river levels to increase dry fly action. So far the winter has been warm & dry, with very little snowpack, as compared to last year.

The dry fly fishing that made the Missouri famous has dwindled recently, a sad fact for many hardcores. We used to always head out with dry flies rigged, knowing that big rising fish would never be far for the taking. In recent high water years, more anglers hit the stream with nymph rigs, catching lots of fish, but missing out on that sighted fish / stalking thrill. We’re hoping for low river levels, increased riffle areas, shallower flats, and bumper crop caddis hatches (due to the last two high water years). With the record fish population, may there once again be schools of rising fish & big “heads” for all!!

Neale Streeks

Hello all,

I am attaching the 2011 Fish Survey for the Missouri, 2012 looks extremely promising.  Give the shop a call (800.800.4350) or drop us a line (flyshop@montana.com) for any questions, lodging or guided trips.  Merry Christmas!

In May in the Craig section, the brown trout estimate of >10 inch fish was 537 per mile. The 30 year mean is 562 per mile. We sampled 41 walleye and 13 burbot.

In October in the Craig section, the rainbow trout estimate of >10 inch fish was 6,034 (SD 194) per mile, which is the highest on record. The 30 year mean is 3,036.  We sampled 169 walleye and 120 burbot in the Craig section.

In May in the Cascade section, the estimate of >10 inch brown trout was 909 per mile. The 28 year mean is 378. We sampled 2 walleye and 14 burbot.

In October in the Cascade section, the estimate of > 10 inch rainbow trout was 2,161 (SD 82) per mile. The 28 year mean is 1,506. We sampled 37 walleye and 33 burbot in the Cascade section. The largest walleye was 13.95 pounds and 32.5 inches long.

The most striking feature on the Missouri River in 2011 was the rainbow trout estimate in the Craig section. We sampled the highest number of rainbow trout (5,583) over the 30 year period of record. Normally we sample a small number (~20) of rainbow trout of hatchery origin that spill over Holter Dam, but in 2011 20.2% (1,130) of the fish we sampled were of hatchery origin. We were able to calculate an estimate of hatchery fish which was 1,605 (SD 240) per mile. On this basis, the actual number of wild fish in the 2011 estimate was 4,429, which is the second highest on record. The high number of wild fish was not entirely unexpected. In the past few years we observed higher numbers of 8 and 9 inch rainbow trout suggesting a possible increase in the adult population. The results of 2011 confirm these fish successfully recruited into the adult population.

One of my favorite e-zines.  Aimed towards the younger crowd but i’m sure the young at heart will appreciate it as well.  Beyond really great photography, the magazine also provides a soundtrack to listen to and some video to watch.  Enjoy!—Matt

http://www.thisisfly.com/