Keys to Summertime Success on the Missouri River
During the summer, the river is alive with lots of feeding fish and lots of food choices. Anglers are often confounded by what flies to fish. The fish are always eating. What they are eating and how to present our flies, is the endless question. Caddis, pmds, yellow sallies and callibaetis mayflies are out in June and well into July. Trico’s come out as the pmds begin to fade. As August rolls around, terrestrials including hoppers, ants, and beetles come into play. Caddis keep rolling out along with a few other smaller batch mayflies. Later in the summer, the tiny pseudo (baetis) mayflies can come out in huge numbers. Midges, scuds, sow bugs, and annelid worms are mainstays for grazing trout. Sculpin, crayfish, various minnows, juvenile trout, suckers, and whitefish are options for predatory hunters.
You Need to Become a Fish Brain Hacker
The decision on what to fish is often initiated by how you want to fish. If you are fishing nymphs, you’ll need to fish the correct flies at the right depths. If you are fishing to rising fish, you will need to select the correct stage of the insect they are focused on. If you want to fish streamers, you will want to be out super early, late, or on a cloudy day.
At times though, to be successful, you will have to let the fish be your guide. Nymphing or throwing streamers during heavy hatch periods are not likely to produce great results. Sometimes, the fish get locked on a particular food source. You may need to become a fish brain hacker to figure them out. In order to have a chance at success at any given moment in time, you are going to need to build a fly box with a group of reliable flies.
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Reliable Flies for the Missouri River
The sowbug is king for consistent Missouri River success. Gray, UV gray, rainbow, soft-hackled, beaded or not, you’ll need some sow bugs in sizes of #14 through #18. Some fish likely feed on sowbugs all of the time. Others will shift to mayflies or caddis as availability dictates. If in doubt, a sowbug is always a great place to start.
These days, there are many forms of the worm. Love them or hate them, these critters flat outperform. The squirmy is the latest form. Whether you fish the standard red ultra-chenille version, a flashy pearl braid option, or an ultra-wire wrapped hook “wire worm” choice, one thing is for sure. The worm catches fish.
Arguably the most effective fly of all time for tailwater trout fishing, the zebra is an important fly in the box. Covering midges, micro mayflies and probably other stuff, the Zebra is popular in black, red, brown, olive and purple color phases. Sizes run from a diminutive #22 up to #16. In addition to the standard zebra, we offer a tufted zebra option with a cdc wing and tail that works well as a midge or micro mayfly emerger. Fishable all year, the zebra excels in late summer when midges, tricos, and pseudo flies are all present.
The venerable pheasant tail comes in many varieties these days and covers the bases for an array of mayfly nymphs. It is very popular as the bottom of a dry dropper rig. The latest popular iteration is tied as a cdc soft hacked jig in sizes #18 through #12, but the standard versions remain popular. A size #16 is standard, but you can carry them in sizes from a tiny #22 all the way up to a #12.
Hares Ear
Like the pheasant tail, the hares ear has stood the test of time and continues to be a fish producer. It’s a great general fly for both mayflies and caddis. The tung beaded jig version with a partridge soft hackle has become a major player lately, but as with the pheasant tail, you can fish standard versions from #18 to #12.
Caddis Pupa
Throughout the summer, a #16 olive or green bodied caddis pupa is a staple in the first part of the day. It’s a great anchor fly choice to be followed by a mayfly or sow bug pattern.
Caddis Emerger
When fish are feeding on top, but not taking adults, a caddis emerger pattern like the translucent emerger will often crack the code and get the eats you desire.
Weight Fly
We are not really sure why this thing works so well. It’s nothing but ice dub ribbed with wire behind a tungsten bead. The #14 and #16 are the standard sizes with gold, purple, and brown being the most popular colors. Does it match behavioral drifting caddis? Not sure, but it works really well when the caddis are present throughout the summer and into the fall. Run it instead of split shot above your chosen hatch matcher. Don’t be surprised if it catches most of the fish.
The buzzball is a Missouri River favorite for summertime action, especially for those feeders working in the foamy slop where they could be eating almost anything including parts. Try a #14 or a #16 in the traditional grizzly orange or the newer grizzly purple phase.
Spent Caddis
A well spent caddis pattern is critical to caddis fishing success. We like the TFP hi-vis spent. It seldom fails. I often fish the spent caddis all day attached to a variety of other dries. The hi-vis spent usually racks up the most eats.
The tung bead split case pmd in #16 and #18 is a top selling fly through June and into July.
These patterns can be confusing. An emerger that fails is essentially crippled. Either way, here are some good patterns; Mercer’s poxyback emerger, TFP cripple and Quigley’s film critic.
When to use and how to fish pmds on the Mo? Learn how here.
Rusty Spinner
When pmds die, fish are still happy to eat them. The rusty spinner can be deadly at almost any time of day but especially during a peak spinner fall period.
Female Trico
Many anglers focus on fishing trico spinners, but when the female duns are hatching heavily on a typical late July morning, big pods of fish will be sucking them in. A #20 or smaller olive parachute-like Stanton’s foam cut midge/trico can fit the bill.
Trico Spinner
After mating with the morning hatching female duns, the male tricos fall spent to the water and a tiny black spinner in the range of #20-#24 is the key.
Similar to the buzz ball, the cluster midge can be a cluster of midges, tricos, or various bug parts. It should always be ready in your box.
When all else fails or when you just feel like it, try a purple haze from size #18 to #12. It consistently catches fish. It imitates all the mayflies and possibly even the caddis. We simply know that some fish can’t resist it.
Ants and Beetles
Fish an ant or beetle as a searching fly over a skinny riffle, tight to the banks or along a weed line. Ants and beetles are also great flies to fish above your favored hatch matcher for easy visibility or for their random attraction power. We love Bloom’s purple stealth and rust flying ants.
When mayfly hatches fade away and the caddis thin out, crayfish are often in demand as a food source. That’s when the zirdle comes into play. Dead drifted over fishy habitat, it seldom disappoints. You’ll know when a fish takes your zirdle too! It’s not a delicate eat.
This has been a summertime favorite on the Mo for many years. As summer progresses and hatches are sparser some days, fish become more opportunistic. A bolt of flash streaking across a flat can trigger a quick chase and kill.
As with the skiddish, this has been a favorite for years and has produced many fish. It’s a staple when fish are on the streamer bite.
Designed on the Mo in several fish catching colors, the flash n’ grab is our fly shop favorite for streamer action. In low light, the black, copper, and red version can be deadly. When the sun is out, the gold, silver, copper, red, and yellow choice is hard to beat. And for variety, there is a perch colored option too.
If you could only fish one fly... Read this.
General Rules
Having the right fly is only part of the equation and the above list is only a suggestion with some tried and true favorites. You’ve still got to deliver your chosen fly to the fish in a natural way without alerting them to your presence. I’m not a big rules guy, but there are some guidelines that need to be considered if you want to be consistently successful. You can break these rules, but your net may stay dry most of the day…
Fly fishing nets: A buyer's guide. Read this.
Fly First to the Fish
Regardless of whether you are fishing a dry fly to a pod of fish, searching for risers, or running a dry dropper rig, this rule is key. Present your flies to the fish without running over them with your leader or fly line. The Missouri River is full of trout, but by the time mid-summer rolls around, they have become veterans to many, many angling presentations and have been run over by countless fly lines, indicators, and boats. They simply won’t consider your flies if they have been alerted by what they are attached to or where they are coming from.
Don’t Drag your Line Through Feeding Fish
If your cast is off target or your fly is ignored, let everything travel beyond the target zone. If you lift or drag your line and flies where fish can see them, you will likely end your chances of a positive outcome. You’ll either have to wait a long time for the fish to forget your mistake or move to a new target zone.
Keep a Low Profile
Many anglers on the Missouri prefer to fish from a seated position. No need to broadcast your presence by casting a silhouette over the fish you are trying to fool. If you prefer to stand, you will need to keep the boat further from the fish, resulting in the need for a longer cast. If you are casting further, you will have more line on the water. More line on the water is more difficult to control to effectively present a drag free drift. You see where this is going.
No Splashing or Banging
Successful anglers move carefully and quietly. Whether you are wading or in a boat, think about stealth. Pushing a four-inch wave as you plow across a flat to reach rising fish is not recommended. Or, if you are in a boat, fumbling with the anchor line and splashing it down 20 feet from a pod is not likely to result in a fishable pod. Plan ahead as you approach a key fishing zone. If you are drifting through, do it with as little oar splashing as possible. If you are setting up to anchor, make sure your line is clear and that the anchor can be lowered smoothly and quietly. Give the fish some respect and travel lightly through their world. They will reward your efforts.
Final Notes
The Missouri River is an amazing fishery, but don’t expect the fish to always come easily. You will need to fish the right flies, in the right manner, in the right places. It’s an ever-evolving puzzle. Choose proven flies, follow the basic rules, and give the fish the respect they deserve and you can have a great time out there.