Great Falls, Montana Fishing Report 06.27.19
PMD Mayflies and caddis are hatching big time on the Missouri River. There are some larger drakes and a few salmon flies on the freestone streams. Now is the time to take your vacation or call in sick or be retired and fish every single day.
Current Conditions
Missouri River below Holter Dam - Flows have dropped to the mid 5K range. Easy wading opportunities abound. While everyone’s take and experiences are different, the volume of bugs and the dry fly fishing has been nothing short of epic over the past week. The PMD hatches have come later in the season and thus the density of bugs has been compressed into a smaller window. They have been hatching in big numbers lately from mid-morning all the way until dinner time. On top of that, the caddis are out in big numbers too.
Nymphing remains best in the morning and poor in the afternoon. Probably because so many fish are focused on emergers, cripples, duns, spinners and spent food items on or near the surface. Fill up your caddis and PMD boxes!
Creeks and Smaller Rivers, Belt Creek near Monarch, MT - Plenty of water and cooler weather has our creeks and small rivers in excellent shape as we move toward the 4th of July. The hardest thing about the current conditions is picking where to fish from so many great options.
Ponds and Reservoirs - Get out early for top water Chironomid action. Fish deeper during the day. In some bodies of water, the fish will be 10-25’ deep by late morning.
Smith River near Eden, MT - It’s been raining or snowing every week of the floating season this year. Those out the next two weeks are likely in for the best conditions of the year. Check out our Guide to floating the Smith River and stop in for flies, camping gear, and bear approved coolers or fence.
Pike - Trout have taken center stage, but a few predator hunters are still out chasing the water wolf. We’ve been selling lots of pike flies if that tells you anything.
Match the Hatch
Soft hackle PMD’s have been killing it on the Mo. Rusty bodied duns, emergers and spinners have also been taking fish. On the caddis side, the Translucent Emerger, Mercer’s Missing Link, and the High-Vis Spent have been solid. So has the Purple Haze.
Tips & Techniques
Having trouble matching the hatch? Try a #16 soft hackle. Orange, yellow, pheasant tail or peacock with a partridge or CDC hackle. Swing it wet or grease it and fish it in the film.
Need to fill the box before you go? Order flies online here.
Did you know...
If you are looking for some variety in your fly fishing life and you want a big strong fish at the end of your line, carp are waiting. They are literally river wide on the Missouri, with huge numbers near and below Great Falls. They are also in the Marias and the lower reaches of the Teton, Sun and Belt Creek. We sell carp flies.
See past reports from the Great Falls region here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.