With flows on the Mo hovering around 4,000 CFS right now and probably staying there, the Missouri River has been fishing quite well lately with hatches of PMDs and caddis. The entire river from Wolf Creek down to Cascade as been fishing well. Look for pods of fish in the usual areas during a PMD hatch--riffles, seams, and dropoffs near bankside structure. Now is a great time to fish the Missouri River!
Where to Find Trout on the Missouri:
Throughout the day, trout are actively moving from holding to feeding lies on the Missouri River as they adjust to the current hatch. Before a hatch occurs trout will hold in deeper, slower runs. Missouri River trout prefer holding lies in river currents that are medium speed and not too slow. Deeper areas next to faster current are good places to focus with a tandem nymph rig. As a hatch develops trout may move to bankside structure or slide into shallower water. Anglers interested in fishing streamers can also find success on the Missouri River at the moment. As trout become more active in longer, deeper runs, swinging for trout with spey rods is increasingly popular as results can be good.
Trout populations on the Missouri River consist mostly of rainbow trout and now is the time of year they spawn so be cautious of targeting spawning fish on redds. Quickly land any hooked fish and release any fish that look to be in spawning mode.
Favorite Flies for Fly Fishing the Missouri River Right Now:
Para Adams in PMD in sizes 18-22
PMD Sparkle duns in sizes 14 to 22
Captive duns in PWO in sizes 14 to 22
Blooms Hi-Vis caddis in sizes 12-18
CDC caddis in sizes 12-18
Crime Scene caddis in sizes 12-18
Beadhead Pheasant Tail nymphs in flashback and natural in sizes 12 to 20
Firebead SJ wormies in sizes 10-18
Buzzballs in size 20-22
Little Green Machines in natural or olive in size 18-22
Zebra Midge in black, olive, or purple in sizes 18-22
Tungteasers in black, grey, or red in size 18-22
Jujubee midges in black and purple in size 18-22
Scuds and sowbugs in various colors in size 16 to 22
Sculpzillas in black, olive, or purple in sizes 2 to 6
Home Invader in any contrasting color scheme in size 2 or 4
The Month Ahead:
As the weather warms in the coming weeks the fishing on the Missouri River only gets better with stronger hatches of caddis and PMDs. The Missouri is a tailwater and always produces. By mid July the trout have seen a lot of flies and the river can see a lot of traffic. By late summer the trico hatch still brings trout to the surface. This is a bucket list river for many anglers and even though we prefer to fish it in the early summer a day on the Mo is always memorable.