Spring Fly Fishing Pre Game Tips

February 14, 2020

Spring is almost here. We see it in the longer days and slightly warmer temps. We start dreaming about the fishing…. will it be awesome? How’s the snowpack, and when’s run-off coming? Will spring be warm or cold? Will 2018’s high water translate into more fish recruitment? How has the Bitterroot river changed over the winter? We can spend hours pondering these questions.

Questions we can’t answer and won’t know the answers to till April 30.

Here’s a suggestion. While wondering about the weather, the hatches and the river, take care of business where you can. Pull out your tackle bag, vest, etc, and take a look. Take some time to do some preseason chores so that your first spring fly fishing trip of the year is enjoyable.

Remember that submerged fence post on the Clark Fork river you wrapped your line around late last fall? It might be time to check the first 30 feet of your fly line for chips, abrasion and just plain wear. While you’re at it, check the welded loop. If the loop is fraying, you might want to replace it. If you don’t want to tie the nail knot, bring it to the Missoulian Angler Fly Shop and we’ll put a leader butt on your line. At a bare minimum, wash the last 30 feet of fly line in soapy water. It will float, mend and shoot so much better.

Take a look at your leaders and tippet. Don’t just check to make sure you still have 3-4-5X, but pull the little elastic aside, and make sure you’re not down to three wraps. If the tippet spools you’re using have different packaging than what’s on display now, it might be time to replace that nylon. Manufacturers change packaging every 5-6 years. That will help you date your tippet! If you’re using fluorocarbon, that doesn’t apply, as it doesn’t degrade. You still have to check under the elastic with fluorocarbon!

Check the laces on your boots. Try and remember if you had a leak in your waders last time you wore them. If you think you did, then check. The easiest way to check for a leak is with a hair dryer and some soapy water. Fill the waders with air using the hair dryer, and then paint the suspect areas with soapy water. If bubbles form in the soapy water, you have a leak. Better to patch now than leak in March.

Open up your reel. If you dunked it last year, it has dirt and scree in it. Get some Q-Tips, and swipe around inside the spindle receiver of the spool. Try to stay away from WD-40, as it gums up in reels. Once you’ve got it cleaned, check manufacturers instructions for lubrication, and do it. A clean reel is a smooth, functional reel, and that pays dividends for the rest of the season. Rattle the handle. If it’s loose, get some Loc-Tite and screw it back on. Make sure the handle rotates before the Loc-Tite sets!

Clean your cooler!! If you have a raft and trailer, do the maintenance there as well.

Take a look at your flies. Take out the shredded streamers and the hackleless dries! If you store your standard dries in foam, pull them out and steam the hackle straight. Use a teakettle and a pair of forceps to accomplish this. Then let the flies dry and put them in a compartment box. Foam and standard hackle don’t mix.

Go through your vest and determine if you really need a third flashlight, or 4 almost empty bottles of Gink. If you want to transfer Gink from one bottle to another, run it under hot water for a minute, it pours better. Look at your net. Check the bag for cracks or torn attachment points. If it’s a Rising Net, drink what’s left in the handle. We have a feeling the rubber stopper doesn’t add to the flavor. Start the year fresh with a new fill, and let the old stuff motivate you through spring maintenance!

Or if your a dedicated angler like shop staff Bryce Hasquet, you fish all winter long!

When rods were made of cane and lines made of silk, this off-season maintenance was critical. But with the ease of care and durability of modern equipment, it’s easy to skip this step. We can’t tell you how many reels come into our Missoula fly shop that squeak when you wind them. Or how often we have to tell people their waders need to be completely dry, and then the Aquaseal takes 24 hours to cure. An ounce of prevention will make your first days on the water enjoyable, dry and effective, instead of damp, annoying and frustrating. It won’t take anywhere near as long as you think it will, and hey, while you’re playing with your tackle, you’ll REALLY be focused on your Spring fly fishing!

Spring Special Guided Fly Fishing Trips – Missoula, MT – Discounted Rates

Montana’s Best Spring Dry Fly Fishing

Events

First Annual Skwala Fest

February 11, 2020

What are we celebrating? Why take the time? Is it a reason to hop in a boat and go fishing? Is it an excuse to go snag good beer and awesome food for a party? Have we gathered a pile of amazing prizes for the joy of selling raffle tickets? All this is true, but it’s much more then that.

This event is a celebration of the Clark Fork River, as well as a recognition of how much trouble the upper Clark Fork is having. Fish counts have fallen drastically above Drummond, and Trout Unlimited’s Clark Fork River Project is diligently working and studying the situation. They haven’t cracked it yet, but given enough time, they will. But keeping MT TU on task above Drummond isn’t easy, and it isn’t cheap, which is why we’re launching the first annual Skwala Fest.

This event is a fundraiser, with proceeds going to Trout Unlmited’s Clark Fork River Project to continue their study and rehabilitation of the upper Clark Fork. This is a chance to give back to a river that gives Missoula so much. Kettle House is on board. They’re sponsoring a pint night in March, with a donation for every beer poured that night, as well as providing beer for the April 4th party. Simms, Douglas, Winston, Outcast and so many other manufacturers are on board, donating products to spice up the day with the chance of taking home an amazing prize or two. The goal is to raise as much money as we can, funding the continuing efforts to raise fish counts to their historic levels. We owe it to the fly fishers who come after us to leave the rivers in as good shape as we’ve found and enjoyed them.

There are so many ways you can participate. On April 4th, 12 local guides have donated their time and skills, in prime Skwala season, to float donors down the river. The cost per seat is $275.00. It’s a full guided day on the river, with some one else rowing and supplying the flies! It’s a chance to learn what people who spend 150 days a year on the water have found out. And of course, it’s a boatload of fun!! If floating isn’t your bag, think about this.

We have received three large donations from our suppliers. They understand the value of river rehabilitation, and have put their money where their mouth is. Simms has donated one of any item in their entire catalog as a prize. Sure, you could get new laces for your boots, or a pair of fleece gloves, but we might recommend shooting a bit higher! Douglas has donated a Sky 9′ 5wt rod, which has won George Anderson’s shootout multiple times. And Outcast has donated a one man pontoon boat, opening up vast stretches of river that are inaccessible to a wading fisherman. We are raffling these items off as single items, and you can buy tickets at the shop, or Pint Night. You can buy tickets over the phone, or you can stop by the shop and get your chance at one of these great prizes.

And of course, we’re throwing a party! Kettle House has donated the beer, and Fresh Market has donated the food! On April 4th, the Missoulian Angler will be rocking, with beverage, chow and a purpose. It’s the last chance to buy tickets for Simms gear, the Douglas Sky and the Outcast pontoon boat. Additionally, there will be many raffle prizes donated by local businesses and conservation minded customers. This is the chance to come to the shop for dinner, camaraderie and beverage, with conservation on your mind. We’re looking to raise $10,000.00 to keep these projects going, and we can’t do it without you. So while you’re floating, eating and drinking, be mindfuil that the real purpose of this event is to help bring fish counts in the upper Clark Fork River back to where they should be. We hope to see you floating, we hope to see you on Pint Night, and on April 4th at the shop to celebrate the chance to do a lot of good for the Upper Clark Fork.

Click below to the event home page for additional info, list of prizes and fundraiser progress.

Missoulian Angler’s
Clark Fork Skwala Fest

In Support Of Trout Unlimited’s Clark Fork River Project

Montana Fly Fishing Guide Chase Harrison

Missoula Fly Fishing Guide

Maximize Your Missoula Montana Guided Fly Fishing Trip

January 16, 2020

You want to get the most out of your fly fishing trip to Missoula, MT. We definitely want you to get the most out of your trip!!! And that boils down to one simple word- communication. For those who have booked with Missoulian Angler Fly Shop, you know we have a series of questions we ask at booking. This helps us ascertain what your needs are on the river. During this process, we’re also trying to figure out what you want from your day. But as the customer, you should never be bashful about saying what your expectations are for your fly fishing trip. If you say you want to catch a 24 inch trout, we’re not giving any guarantees, but we’re going to do everything we can to make it happen. The same goes for dry flies, or nymphing, or whether you want beautiful Montana scenery. We’re here to maximize your day.

Missoula is blessed with over 350 miles of fishable waters, including the Blackfoot river, upper and lower Clark Fork river and Bitterroot river, all within about a 75 minute drive. And the guides are on the river every day- their ears are to the ground, they know where the fishing will be good. But most Missoula fly fishing guides haven’t chosen where they’re going to fish before they meet with you. It’s a game time decision. Which means guides want your input, and they can then make the best decision. But if they receive no input when first meeting, they’re going to make a shuttle call and head off to the river. They’ve made their choice, and it’s the best choice they feel they can make. But it doesn’t help your to find out you want to fish nothing but dries when they’ve already chosen a prime nymphing float. So when you meet your fishing guide, let them know what you’re thinking, let them know what you want from YOUR day.

This bears remembering. The choices you make may affect the quantity of fish you catch. If you want to throw streamers all day, or float the dry, your fish count may be lesser than if you ran a nymph or hopper/dropper. So if catching a lot of trout is your goal, be guided by your Missoula fishing guides! It’s what they do for a living, put people on fish. Your fish count will go up dramatically if you do as the guide recommends. But that’s not in stone. It’s YOUR day. Fish any way you want. The guide is there to make your day the best it can be, no matter what’s going on. But none of this happens without communication. Make your day, make the guides day, and let them know what you’re thinking. It’s a win/win situation.

Want to fish with one of our guides? Click learn more below for info.

Fly Fishing Hot Topics

The Best Spring Fly Fishing In Montana

January 13, 2020

Missoula Montana spring fly fishing is like few others in the west. Some of the best fishing of the year starts in March, and it starts on the surface! That’s correct, we have stellar dry fly fishing in March and April. Whether you’re a fan of throwing a big dry fly like a Skwala stonefly, searching with a Nemoura or take pride in hatch matching with a Western March Brown or Blue Winged Olive, Missoula’s spring dry fly fishing will make you smile. The Bitterroot River and its epic Skwala hatch is famous in Montana, and for good reason. What’s less known is Rock Creek and the Clark Fork River also have strong Skwala populations, along with excellent WMB and BWO hatches. While most anglers are focused on the Bitterroot River, the adventurous angler will find spring dry fly fishing throughout the Missoula area.

You can expect surface action from late morning through the afternoon. Missoula’s fly fishing in March and April is temperature dependent, meaning the warmer it gets, the sooner the dry fly fishing starts. If the day stays on the cold and wet side, that activates the BWO’s to epic hatches! Montana’s spring dry fly fishing is focused on Missoula, due to our warmer early season weather. It’s tough to find better spring dry fly fishing in Montana. It’s a lot of fun to be able to start the season on the surface!

Coming off the cold winter, the big dogs are coming out of hibernation, and they’re looking to feed. Every angler knows big flies take big fish, so if you’re looking to see Brother TwoFoot, you may want to turn that dry into a streamer! Many who take advantage of spring fly fishing in Missoula will start their day with the big rod and the big flies, working the edges and holes to sting those big, hungry trout. When the dry flies truly establish later in the day, some anglers will put the big flies away, but don’t kid yourself. The longer you fish the streamer, the longer the Big Dog barks! We love to take those early spring streamer junkies to the Blackfoot River, letting those steep ledges and deep holes divulge their early season secrets.

Which brings us to old reliable. Why does the nymph get such a poor rap, when it’s hands down the most effective way of putting trout in your net. Spring fly fishing in Missoula offers multiple nymphing opportunities, including shallow water sight nymphing with a Skwala or Nemoura nymph, or working a little deeper with your Pheasant Tails and Hare’s Ears. For the first time since late fall, there are lots of nymphs on the move, and early season trout will key on this new and abundant food source. You can get way serious and run a double nymph rig, or you can combine the great spring dry fly fishing with your subsurface hunting and rig up a dry/dropper. However you plan to approach it, the nymph is always the workhorse, the producer, for any angler.

When you start the season early, the weather can be as exciting as the fishing, so be prepared for a Montana Spring fly fishing! But no matter what the weather is above the surface, the trout are eating, and eating hard.

The Missoulian Angler Fly Shop is offering three great deals for experiencing the best spring fly fishing in Montana. Click the button below to see more details.

Spring Special Guided Fly Fishing In Montana – Discounted Rates

Take advantage of our Spring Special Guided Fly Fishing discounted rates. March and April is some of the best dry fly fishing of the year. Our guides love this time of year because of the big fish eating dry flies. Come enjoy a day on the river with Missoula’s best fly fishing guides.

Learn More

Missoula Fly Fishing Guide Chase Harrison

Flies and Fly Tying

The Perdigon Nymph

January 12, 2020

When first shown a Perdigon nymph, you ask yourself what’s up with this fly? It has an extremely sparse tail, very thin body often made of thread, and coated with a hard shell. The colors are mostly neutral, sometimes with a hot spot, and are the exact opposite of a classic nymph. There’s not much to a Perdigon, and it’s not what you expect in a fly pattern.

But Perdigons are amongst the most effective flies the Missoulian Angler Fly Shop sells. They work on all Missoula river, The Clark Fork River, Blackfoot River, Bitterroot River and Rock Creek, as well as all the tributaries and lakes! They work because they do exactly what a nymph needs to do to be effective.

Polly Rosborough self-published his classic book, Tying and Fishing The Fuzzy Nymph, in 1965. His theory was motion in a fly provided life-like action, separating the fly from inanimate objects and attracted fish. This was conventional wisdom in the U.S. for a long time, and for many still is. Hackled nymphs, fuzzy nymphs and spiky dubbed nymphs all utilize fibers extending from the body to give action to the fly.

We all know that nymphs live on the bottom of the river and the trout are on the bottom as well for easy access to the nymphs. We all know that a sky diver, to slow their descent, will spread their arms and legs wide to slow down their drop rate.

A fuzzy nymph, by definition, has extending fibers. These fibers act as the arms and legs of the sky divers do, slowing the descent of the fly. A slower descent delays the fly from getting to where the fish are. The slower the sink rate of the fly, the longer the controlled cast must be to give the fly time to sink to the correct level. There is no denying classic (fuzzy) nymphs work, we see proof of that every time we go fly fishing!

The Perdigon is more effective than the standard nymph. The slim design and clear, smooth coating allow this fly to sink at maximum sink rate. With no extending fibers, nothing impedes its descent. Additionally, the smooth UV resin coating also removes friction, also adding speed to the Perdigon’s sink rate. The Perdigon gets to the bottom in a hurry, and it stays there. You can use a shorter cast to reach your depth or use a longer cast and be in the zone for a longer time, showing your fly to more trout.

The business axiom of Location, Location, Location is the reason the Perdigon works. It may go against conventional fly fishing wisdom with its lack of life giving fibers. But the tail is mobile, and it gets down to where the fish are. If you show a standard nymph to 3 fish due to its sink rate, you have 3 chances a trout makes a mistake and eats the artificial. If your Perdigon is seen by 10 fish, you have 10 chances to have your fly eaten. Trout are comfortable on the bottom, and rarely selective in their daily feeding patterns. The Perdigon comes at feeding fish in an expected way, making them almost a no brainer for trout to eat.

From a fly fisherman’s standpoint, the Perdigon gets where it needs to be and stays there. From a fly tyers standpoint, the Perdigon is one of the simplest flies to tie. Depending on the Perdigon size and pattern, it may take just as long to get that pesky 3/32” bead on your jig hook than it takes to tie the thread body! Fly tyers will have a lot of Perdigons and won’t worry about losing a couple. Now you’re fishing those tight, tricky spots because you’re not worried about leaving 20 minutes of tying time in a submerged snag. You’re taking bigger fish from the better holding water, because replacement is so simple.

The Perdigon is a newer concept in nymph imitation in the U.S., stemming from Euro nymphing. But we’re finding these nymphs work just as well in a dry/dropper set up as well. You don’t have to Euro nymph to make use of a Euro nymph!

Here is some of our favorite Perdigon Nymphs for fishing in Montana and across the country.

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Fly Fishing Hot Topics

So Buster Wants To Be A Missoula Fly Fishing Guide

January 9, 2020

Many fly fishermen get to a point in their life where they kick around the possibility of becoming a fly fishing guide in Missoula. They love to fish; they love the outdoors and what can be better than being paid to enjoy both?

While many ponder the idea of becoming a fly fishing guide, few do it. There are many hurdles to jump just to get a chance to spend your days on the river fishing, and getting paid to do so. Contrary to popular belief, being a fly fishing guide in Missoula is not easy work. It’s physically and mentally exhausting at times and always keep you on your toes.

Too start, it’s rare for fly fishing guides to be a wade only around Missoula, which means you need a boat. Not only do you need a boat, but it has to be a boat the hiring outfitter is confident the boat is safe and comfortable for their guests. Spending $500 on a raft from the 80’s that has weathered in the sun for 30 years is not going to impress any outfitter or client. At this point you have spent at least $2500 or more on a boat. Then you need a vehicle that is just as presentable and able to tow your raft. It goes without saying you need a working trailer to tow your raft which can cost upwards of $1500.

The second hurdle is getting to know your raft and mastering the art of rowing. It takes a lot of practice to consistently put anglers on fish, at the correct angle, and correct speed, positioned to allow anglers front and back to fish at the same time. Safety is a big concern too and you need to be able to navigate the river without any incidents.

Many guides grew up rafting and fishing around Missoula, providing a huge advantage over many people trying to start guiding in Missoula. More than once a fledgling fly fishing guide in Missoula comes to the Missoulian Angler saying, “Hey I just got a boat and I want to start guiding professionally.” We typically ask a series of questions. Starting with how many days have you rowed, how long have you been in Montana, what rivers and sections of rivers have you fished, and that’s just a start. We are trying to get a feel for how serious about fishing and rowing you are. If you tell us that you have rowed the Blackfoot River and the Bitterroot river about 20 times each, we will politely tell them to come back in a few years, after floating many stretches around Missoula as you can. While you may be the best fisherman in your group of friends and have taught many of them how to fly fish, the average fly fishing guide in Missoula is on a whole other level. There are a lot of great fly fishing guides around Missoula that consistently spend 150+ days on the rivers a year for many years. You might not be on this level right out of the gate, but if you plan to consistently put fish in the boat and keep your guests safe, that’s going to become the norm.

The third step is licensing, which can take a bit of time. The Board of Outfitters in Montana requires guides to have an Independent Contractor License, state issued guide license, Basic First Aid training and insurance. We’re not going in depth on this, just know there is plenty of paperwork in the initial process and there continues to be paperwork throughout your guiding career in Montana.

The fourth step is obtaining work from a local Missoula outfitter. The regulations for fly fishing guides in Montana does not allow you to go out and guide on your own. Every guide must operate under a licensed Montana fly fishing outfitter. Once we’ve had some conversation, checked raft, rig, trailer and paperwork, the next step a check float. The check float, for lack of a better term, is your interview. This is your chance to show us what you got! You will take us floating with your equipment, so you can show us presentable gear and knowledge of use in a safe and effective manner. We like to see how you rig your rods, how you position the boat, how sociable you are, how you drive, how you back up your trailer, among many other things.

Once you’ve done a test float and been found to be employable as a guide, the outfitter will endorse you by signing your license. Having one endorsing outfitter as a novice guide, you need to get 10 more. The chances of being hired by one outfitter fulltime during your first year is slim to none, and Slim to none. Outfitters have a long list of the best fly fishing guides in Missoula. If you spread out your work between multiple outfitters, then you might fill your schedule for this season and maybe find a full-time home for the next season with an fly fishing outfitter in Missoula. Once you find some outfitters confident in you, you can start narrowing down the fly-fishing outfitters in Missoula that you work for.

If you’ve gotten this far, now comes the hard work. There’s no question fishing guides have a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work. As a fly fishing guide in Missoula, you often wake up at 5:00 AM to prepare lunches, grab drinks, stop at the shop for flies, clean your cooler, wash your truck and boat, and then pick up your clients. Most often, you’ve never met your clients, nor do you know if they have ever held a fly rod. Once you get a feel for your clients, you must decide out of the 300 miles of fishable river in the Missoula area, where you will go to give these guests the best possible fly fishing experience in Montana. This decision is based on other guide reports, weather, water flow, hatches, guest skill level, your confidence level and many other variables that rivers in Missoula will throw your way. After a full working day on the river you arrive home at 8:00 PM to rinse and repeat for your next day on the water.

After 100+ days of this, with 20+ days straight at a time, you get very worn down. It takes a special person to be a fly fishing guide, and it it’s not for everyone. We guide a lot and we absolutely love it. Spending every day on the rivers in Missoula and teaching a brand new angler to fly fish, and be successful fly fishing, are just a few reasons why we love what we do. Most of us can’t imagine having a 9-5 office job. Not to mention we have the winters off to hunt, ski, snowboard, ice fish and enjoy so much more that Montana has to offer.

Missoula fly fishing guides Matt Robb and Dustin Stetson scouting a stretch of the Bitterroot River during February in preparation for the upcoming guide season.

If you think you have what it takes or need a push in the right direction to become a Missoula fly fishing guide, then stop by and we can help you.

Author: MAngler

Spring Special Guided Fly Fishing In Montana – Discounted Rates