Missouri River Fishing Report 7.31.2017
It’s relatively quiet on the river these days. The summer peak of guides and anglers from all over the country has moved on. The days with mixed hatches of bugs available all day long has also changed. Trico’s still dominate the morning and will remain your best bet for finding the most rising fish. Caddis are still about, but are a shadow of what they were in late June. The dry fly game after the early morning is shifting to terrestrials (ants, hoppers, beetles) and attractors.
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In the Summer we see a Slower Mo
The pace of the river has slowed somewhat. The current now winds its way through weed beds, giving it that slow, undulating, spring creek look. The water is also at its summer temperature peak. The activity level of the fish follows the daily temperature swing (inverse to that of the cold-water season) with the highest activity during the coolest hours.
On Top? Duns, Tricos, Clusters and Hoppers
Is it still worth fishing? Absolutely. You can go all in on the Trico game and match your skills at a tricky hatch if you want to. Fish the little duns in the early morning hours and change to the spinner once the fall happens around 9 am. If you don’t groove on the little spinner patterns, try a cluster. Just like with midges, Trico’s can glom together. Greedy fish are used to eating clusters.
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Later on, you can float a hopper or attractor along a favored bank in hopes of tempting a splashy rise. You won’t likely post big numbers, but the anticipation and the eats are worth it. Following a big visible dry fly as it floats along is a casual pursuit. You don’t have to strain your eyes and you won’t need a precise cast to a particular fish.
Nymphing in the Heat: Tips for the Mo
On the nymphing side, the fish are getting a bit spookier and a bit fussier. In the late summer flows, big indicators stand out like oversized hoppers without any fish attracting vibe. As the hatches dwindle, so does the drift volume of nymphs. Fish are back to looking for little midges and tiny mayfly nymphs. Scuds and sow bugs are also high on the list.
Most nymphing is focused near the dam and that will continue for a number of weeks until the water begins to cool. If you choose to fish further downstream, you will be faced with a stream of floating weeds that will clog up many good drifts. Lower Mo nymphing is often done with larger attractor nymphs and crayfish. The larger targets show up better in the weedy environs, plus a little weed on a size 8 hook is less noticeable than on a size 20.
Stop in for Tricos, hoppers, ants, beetles, and attractors, small and large nymphs, a river map if you want one... and whatever else you need to fill out your quiver for a day on the water.