fishinhogdaddy Posted February 15, 2008 Posted February 15, 2008 I will be going to Montana in early May for a few days. Has anyone experienced the fishing around Craig Montana on the Missouri? Quote
Hawgstoppah Posted February 15, 2008 Posted February 15, 2008 I know harry - H20 - has, hopefully he can offer some insight (such as, never driftboat on a river u don't know after dark) lol Quote
fishinhogdaddy Posted February 15, 2008 Author Posted February 15, 2008 Hmm. According to what I read on the web, there are three different sections. Two of them offer walk and wade opportunities, the third is access by driftboat. Good advice though. H2O? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks...FHD Quote
Guest guito Posted February 15, 2008 Posted February 15, 2008 The Missouri is a great river. There are probably about 7 different floats that can be done just below the dam alone. If you are going to be staying around Craig the Trout shop is the main fly shop of that area and the will be able to give you the river updates. If your preference is to walk & wade there are lots of places to do this. Follow the old hiway for over 40 miles and there are many pull offs that you can gain access. I would concentrate on the area from the Dam down to Craig (12 miles?). This time of year the Rainbows should be mostly back in the main River I guess depending if it is either early or late May. The 2 main spawning creeks are Prickley Pare and the Dearborn. Nymphing and streamers are probably your best to methods of fishing this time of year. You might ever get some dryfly fishing as the day warms up. Patterns you will need are small bh nymphs in sizes 14-20, emergers 16-18, plus some big streamers. Tie up some bh orange & pink scuds, lightning bugs, pheasant tail nymphs, copper johns and some San Juan worms. I hope this helps, Guito Quote
H2O Posted February 15, 2008 Posted February 15, 2008 I know harry - H20 - has, hopefully he can offer some insight (such as, never driftboat on a river u don't know after dark) lol Very funny Brian, that was the Bitterroot river, but ya, not a great idea. I've floated the Missouri only about a half dozen times but can tell you that early May would be a great time to go. There are no crowds at that time of year. You may get some awesome dry fly fishing to large pods of sipping trout. The river below Craig has it's flow rate regulated by the dam at Holter. If your down there early enough in May you be able to still see the schools of large Rainbows up at Holter Lake above the dam. The great part about the Missouri @ Craig is there is a road on both sides of the river all the way up to the dam which allows for some easy walk and wade access. There is a nice pub in Craig and within walking distance to the campground, river, fly shops. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Once you get into Craig you could head to the "Trout Shop", you will be able to get some the river report and pick up some hot flies. The owner loves Canadian beer you can't get in Montana, maybe you could bribe him for some secrets. Hopefully, I can make it down there this May too. Good luck. Quote
fishinhogdaddy Posted February 15, 2008 Author Posted February 15, 2008 Thanks for the info. What kind of beer does he like? Quote
bigbowtrout Posted February 15, 2008 Posted February 15, 2008 Harry when are we going down????? Quote
H2O Posted February 16, 2008 Posted February 16, 2008 What kind of beer does he like? How about Keith's? Everything from the Maritimes is better. Harry when are we going down????? Well, we can figure that out I'm sure. Give me a call sometime. Quote
Tracy Posted February 24, 2008 Posted February 24, 2008 We make the drive down there to fish it on occasion. Do not go down in July/August w/o calling ahead. The dam is not bottom release and the temps get into the 70's(F). In fact the Montana Fish & Wildlife folks have been closing it down when this happens. In June the PMD's have been great the last 3 years. Fish will start to get into the tricos in early July but if the temps are high they will not "pod" up. There is a 14/16 caddis that comes off (brown colour) that the fish get on in the evenings. Fish are nice. Not quite at the Bow size but they are strong. Fishing tends to be more dry fly. Harder to nymph most sections because it is more like a huge spring creek. Holter to Craig is the most popular float but the canyon sections are nice as well. We have caught nice fish as far down as Cascade Montana. Ratio is 8-1 in favour of the rainbows. Quote
fishinhogdaddy Posted February 25, 2008 Author Posted February 25, 2008 We make the drive down there to fish it on occasion. Do not go down in July/August w/o calling ahead. The dam is not bottom release and the temps get into the 70's(F). In fact the Montana Fish & Wildlife folks have been closing it down when this happens. In June the PMD's have been great the last 3 years. Fish will start to get into the tricos in early July but if the temps are high they will not "pod" up. There is a 14/16 caddis that comes off (brown colour) that the fish get on in the evenings. Fish are nice. Not quite at the Bow size but they are strong. Fishing tends to be more dry fly. Harder to nymph most sections because it is more like a huge spring creek. Holter to Craig is the most popular float but the canyon sections are nice as well. We have caught nice fish as far down as Cascade Montana. Ratio is 8-1 in favour of the rainbows. I have heard that the PMD and BWO's could be out in force at that time. What size of flies were you using? Probably in the 14-18 range? I noticed that the snowpack is at 133% of normal right now. This should have an effect on the water, whether it is high or cooler. I don't think we have to worry about 70' water in May! How long is the float on the canyon section? Is it safe enough to try ourselves, or should we be taking a guide along? What is your favorite section to fish? I need as much info as I can as we are there for four days and accurate info is hard to get on the 'net. Thanks for the info. H2O? Been there done that? FHD Quote
Tracy Posted February 27, 2008 Posted February 27, 2008 I have heard that the PMD and BWO's could be out in force at that time. What size of flies were you using? Probably in the 14-18 range? I noticed that the snowpack is at 133% of normal right now. This should have an effect on the water, whether it is high or cooler. I don't think we have to worry about 70' water in May! How long is the float on the canyon section? Is it safe enough to try ourselves, or should we be taking a guide along? What is your favorite section to fish? I need as much info as I can as we are there for four days and accurate info is hard to get on the 'net. Thanks for the info. H2O? Been there done that? FHD My experience on the river has been in June/July. You will not have the problems with water temps in May or June. That is only an issue in July and August. I know a fishing buddy of mine has fished it in May and said they had BWO's and some PMD's. We did well on CDC styled PMD's (16) as well as parachute adams (also 16) or female parachute adams in a yellow colour (16) in June for sure. There are several floats in the canyon section. All are good. The Canyon on the Missouri does not equal white water as it does on some rivers up here. The whole Missouri system from Holter to Great Falls is placid and spring creek like. For fish numbers Holter to Craig is hard to beat. Second favourite float is Craig to Dearbourn. Canyon sections below some of the tribs can get blown out in accordance with run-off so call ahead to see where they are down there with that. I hear they are getting much needed snowpack, but with Montana they have to sustain cool temps all spring otherwise it all can melt very quickly and before you know it they are back to water deficits. Just a function of the arid nature of that country down there. Call Chris and Jerry at the Trout Shop in Craig. They are the definitive source of info. down there. Nice chaps. Real easy going. Cannot help with the beer selection though. Quote
fishinhogdaddy Posted May 14, 2008 Author Posted May 14, 2008 Wow is all I can say about our experience down on the Missouri in and around Craig Montana. The fish were very cooperative and the place is beautiful! Hiring a guide was the ticket as he immediatley put us on to the fish. I think that day we had close to 30 fish to the boat which according to our guide, was a slower day. It is quite a busy place and the people there were very nice. Can't wait to book for next year! FHD Quote
reevesr1 Posted May 14, 2008 Posted May 14, 2008 Wow is all I can say about our experience down on the Missouri in and around Craig Montana. The fish were very cooperative and the place is beautiful! Hiring a guide was the ticket as he immediatley put us on to the fish. I think that day we had close to 30 fish to the boat which according to our guide, was a slower day. It is quite a busy place and the people there were very nice. Can't wait to book for next year! FHD Nice! Pictures?? Love to see some. Quote
fishinhogdaddy Posted May 14, 2008 Author Posted May 14, 2008 Ummm. My camera was the only fatality fortunately. Someone walked off with it. At least that's what I'm telling my wife! FHD Quote
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