5 Best Hatches on Rock Creek

February 3, 2021

Rock Creek is the quintessential western river, and Missoula’s only Blue Ribbon trout stream. Many locals consider Rock Creek to be their home waters, and live for Rock Creek Hatches. If you could design a river for stoneflies, Rock Creek would be the model. Rock Creek’s high gradient creates fast, highly oxygenated water and a large cobbled bottom that is absolutely perfect stonefly habitat. Here is a list of our favorite Rock Creek Hatches.

Salmon Fly

Rock Creek is known the world over for its Salmon Fly hatch. Work in the shop mid-June through early July and you’ll hear 4-5 different languages spoken, all with one common denominator- Salmon Fly. That doesn’t need translation. Whether on foot or by boat, the Salmon Fly hatch on Rock Creek is a clarion call to anglers- big bugs here.

The start of the Salmon Fly hatch can be hampered by high water. Run-off traditionally ends just as the Salmon Flies are heating up. Rock Creek’s gradient means little to no silt, which allows Rock Creek to clear long before other local rivers will. Clear or not, the Salmon Flies will hatch and the trout will find them. Also, clear or not, Rock Creek is a tricky river to wade and row during the Salmon Fly hatch. Anglers can cover 25-30 miles in a day by boat- the river is moving that fast. Care needs to be taken in boat or on foot. While on safety, if you’re wading and see a Moose, go find somewhere else to fish. Get between a female moose and her calf and you have real problems.

Traditionally, the Salmon Flies begin hatching at the mouth of Rock Creek, and move 1-2 miles upstream each day on average. Many fishing reports reference “where” the hatch is on Rock Creek- it’s saying where the hatch is densest as it moves upriver. The density of the Salmon Fly hatch is truly magnificent. Find yourself in the thick of the hatch, and you can have Salmon Flies crawling all over you, the boat and every tree on shore. With every fish in the river up and looking for them.

Early in the season, we favor the large, foam Salmon Flies like Damien’s SUV or El Camino Grillo for their ability to float in high water. As the river drops, we go a bit smaller to a Goulds Half Down or a Morningwood Special. A Double Bead Black or Peacock Stonefly Nymph will work well subsurface.

Female Salmon Flies will live for 2-3 weeks in the trees, returning daily to lay new eggs. Over this time, they shrink in size and darken in color. As the hatch moves upstream, crafty anglers will take a smaller, darker pattern like a Bullethead Salmon Fly or Rogue Salmon Fly and go down low. While the crazy hatch (and crazy hatch chasers) might be at Mile 30, the adults are still there laying their eggs at Mile 6, and the trout are still eating them.

Fair warning. Rock Creek is Missoula’s most easily accessed river, with Rock Creek Road paralleling the river for 52 miles. It’s not a secret that the best Salmon Fly hatch in the world is here. If you’re looking to fish in solitude, not another angler within miles, Rock Creek during Salmon Flies may not be for you. Rock Creek is justifiably famous for this amazing hatch, but it draws a crowd. Be ready for that experience.

Golden Stones

Golden Stone Hatching On The Blackfoot River

The Golden Stones follow directly on the heels of the Salmon Fly on Rock Creek, and for many anglers provide more consistent fishing along the length of the river. The Salmon Fly can provide you with frenzied feeding, while the Golden will be consistent throughout the day. Unlike the single species Salmon Fly (Pteranarcys Californica) the Golden Stones are made up of many different but related species of stoneflies, which is why the Golden can vary in size from a 6 to a 12, with most in the 8-10 range. Be ready with multiple sizes and shapes to meet the changing hatch along Rock Creek. The size difference is why the Golden hatch is more consistent- more difficult for the fish to gorge on smaller flies and stop feeding.

The Goldens are coming off when the water is up, so a high floating fly is most effective at the start of the hatch. The Demoes Golden and the Morningwood Golden are both good foam flies that will absorb the pounding of Rock Creek. Because the Goldens will go almost through July, low floaters will work better near the end of the hatch. A Plan B Golden or Halfdown Golden are strong producers near the end of the hatch.

Western March Browns

To be honest, we flipped a coin between the WMB’s and the Skwala Stone. Both appear in the Spring, starting in late March and moving through run-off. Rock Creek hatches tends to be a bit behind in the Spring hatches because it’s in such a steep, narrow valley. Takes a few more warmer days to get the water temps to where the WMB’s will hatch. When they do, they come alive along the length of the river.

Don’t ask an angler where his favorite Western March Brown water is, because they’re not going to tell you! Rock Creek moves quickly, and there aren’t many places for a trout to set up for a mayfly hatch. It’s not the quick dart to the surface for big food like a stonefly. Look for the WMB’s along the edges of the river, and be ready with some strong mending to get the drift. The good news is the trout up and eating don’t tend to be fussy, and a well presented fly in the correct size and color is effective most of the time.

We favor the Hare’s Ear Dry or Parachute Adams when the Western March Browns are on the water. If you feel you need a bit more, the Last Chance Cripple will do the trick for the fussiest fish. If you see a few WMB’s flying but don’t see any active risers, work the fly over the good water. For some reason, prospecting with a WMB is effective, so take advantage of that.

Skwala Stonefly

Rock Creek is a stonefly factory, and the Skwala is no exception. Depending on the weather, the Skwalas may start as early as mid March, but will be in full swing by the end of the month. Rock Creek is typically low and clear when the Skwalas hatch, so no 1X tippet on a short leader here. You’ll need to get out a bit, and work with the lightest tippet you can when using a Skwala.

The Skwalas are found along the length of the river, and in the Spring are not fished as heavily as other local waters, specifically the Bitterroot River. Just as Rock Creek is famous for the Salmon Fly, the Bitterroot River is famous for the Skwalas. A bit of contrarian fishing can reap big benefits with Skwalas on Rock Creek. The hatch isn’t as dense as the Bitterroot, but neither are the fishermen, so that can be a good trade off. It’s not that Rock Creek doesn’t get a strong hatch, it’s just not the strongest. Use that to your advantage.

We love the Morningwood Skwala on Rock Creek, as well as the Rogue Stone Skwala. These two flies are strong floaters, and will easily support a WMB nymph, like a Tungsten Jig Hare’s Ear, so you can double your chances at this time. If the day calls for a low floater, go with the Rastaman Skwala or the Half Down Skwala. Both are very effective in slower water as well as days when the fish are a bit sluggish.

October Caddis

Rock Creek is home to many caddis species, and late in the season the big boy comes out to play. The October Caddis is Missoula’s largest caddis species, and when they’re on the water, the trout are eating them. It’s rare to find enough October Caddis on the water to where the fish will set up and consistently rise to them, but that doesn’t matter!

If you see an October Caddis on the water, tie one on the end of your line and start prospecting. If there’s one, there’s more, and the trout know it. Work the likely water, and don’t be afraid to put 3-4 casts over a likely spot. Sometimes a few extra casts alert the trout to the hatch, and you’ll take a trout that thinks it’s missing something.

Our two favorite flies for this hatch are the Orange Elk Hair Caddis and the Orange Stimulator. Both are strong surface performers, while the Stimulator has the added bonus of floating high enough to use a dropper. The Bird Of Prey is a great October Caddis pupa, and you can also run an Umpqua Pheasant Tail Tungsten Jig to imitate the Mahogany nymphs that are also present in the Fall. Be ready for a explosive rises and hard subsurface takes to the October Caddis.

Honorable Mentions

Honorable mention on Rock Creek hatches goes to the Spruce Moth. While not technically a hatch, and not always consistent, if Missoula has a big Spruce Moth year, Rock Creek will go crazy. The Spruce Moths appear in early August, when little food is available in-stream. When they come to the water, every trout in the river is looking for that bonus food. The Spruce Moth isn’t something to set your watch to, which is why it only gets honorable mention.

Loaded Montana Fly Box

By Hatch or By Date

Additional Resources For Rock Creek Hatches

7 Tips For Fly Fishing The Salmonfly Hatch

7 Tips For Fly Fishing The Golden Stone Hatch

3 Tips For Fly Fishing The Western March Brown

7 Tips For Fly Fishing The Skwala Hatch

3 Tips For Fly Fishing The October Caddis Hatch

Hatches

Flies and Fly Tying

Matching The Hatch And Identifying Insects

January 31, 2021

It’s a complicated world out there, the first time you dive in. Pteranarcys Californicus, Ephemerella Guttulata. It’s enough to send you back to the Royal Wulff and a Prince nymph. Which makes sense, because the only good description we’ve ever heard about why the Prince works, is it’s the nymphal form of the Royal Wulff! That’s a fly joke. You’ll get it before the end of this article, promise!

Insect identification is much easier than you think. Look at it this way. A guy walks down the street with a Chihuahua on a leash, and you think, nice dog. Right after comes a woman walking a Great Dane, and you think, nice dog. Now what on earth made you think those two animals were related to each other? Well, it starts with familiarity. 4 legs. Elongated snout, fur, canine teeth. Despite the size and color disparity, you know they’re both dogs. Because you’ve grown up around dogs, seen them all your life. it’s familiar.

As you spend time on the water, the sight of the insects will also become familiar. They’re smaller than a Great Dane, and no one will have them on a string, so you need to pay attention and look for them! The different ways aquatic insects fly, the way they emerge. As you start looking for insects, this all becomes nature, second nature, just as recognizing a dog did. And here’s another very positive thought about insect ID. You don’t need to know the latin name, or common name, of every bug that flies by. If a pale olive bug 11mm long flies by on July 5, find a fly in your box that’s pale olive and 11mm long, and tie it on. Simple as that. If the Missoulian Angler Fly Shop has done its job, you have that 11mm pale olive fly, and what they are is less important,

But there comes a time when you do want to know, and we get it. The MAngler has created a large online resource page called Hatches, which if we do say so ourselves, is pretty spiffy! Look at it, and the images will give you a good idea of what a caddis fly, mayfly and stonefly will look like. When you’re on the water, if you carry a net, looking at the real thing is a very simple task. Get a stocking and stretch it over your landing net. Instant bug net, suitable for subsurface or in-flight grabbing. It’s easy to carry and store, and you don’t have an extra piece of tackle with you. There are also commercially available bug seines for this purpose as well. Start by kicking a few rocks directly upstream of the net, which is touching the bottom directly downstream of where you’re moving rocks. Look at what precipitates into the stocking. It will take a minute to get the hang of keeping the seined materials of the face of the stocking, but you will. You’re going to find more in the seine than just bugs! You’re going to have to move some stuff around to find the insects. Look and see what you’ve found. Are they big? Small? What color are they? How many of each are you finding? And once you’ve done that a couple of times. You’ll have identified the prevalent insect. If its brown, and 11mm long, tie on a nymph that’s brown and 11 mm long

Think about this. You’re a predator. An average hunter knows his quarry. A good hunter knows what his quarry is after for sustenance. We’re not on the plains of Africa, where predators congregate around water holes. Our prey lives in the water, so that doesn’t work! We have to learn about what our prey needs in other ways. When walking to the river, you’re paying attention. See a spiders web? Look at it carefully. What’s in it. Shake a few branches next to the river as you walk AWAY from the put in. Let’s emphasize that. Most fishermen get no further from their car than it takes to drink a beer and get a new one. We tend to walk to where the path gets to be only a suggestion, and then start fishing. It makes a big difference. But we digress…..

You’re paying attention to your surroundings. You’re looking, and making the proper moves, to ascertain what the most abundant food form is. Shaking branches, looking for shucks along the shore, these are all things good anglers do to figure out what the trout are most likely to be feeding upon.

Aquatic insects are cyclical. If you see that pale olive insect in July this year, you’re going to see it again next year at the same time. The MAngler has a Hatch Chart in our Resource pages as well, detailing every insect important to the trout. The chart will say what species the insect is, and when it’s like to be found on the Blackfoot River, Clark Fork River, Rock Creek and the Bitterroot River. When you’re out on July 5, look at the hatch chart. It will give you a starting point to insect ID, because you can eliminate a lot of insects that won’t be on the water at that time of year. And you start looking at the bugs on the water.

On July 5, you see fish rising, and there’s a bug on the water that’s pale olive and 11mm long. You catch one, and it has an elongated body that curves upwards, 6 legs, large eyes and the wings stick straight up and back over the body. You’ve done some research, (or used your phone to access the Hatches Resource Page) and you ID the shape as a mayfly. Boom! It’s on like Donkey Kong! It’s like figuring out your first dog. The hard step is over. Now, any time you see that shape, regardless of size or color, you KNOW it’s a mayfly. The rest will follow, names, emergence times, etc.

The same will happen for stoneflies and caddis. You’ll ID your first one, and all of a sudden those worlds open up as well. And then, the river will start to look like a bug hatchery. When you’re not sure what exactly you’re looking for, it’s really difficult to find it! But as you spend more time on the water, and start to see the insects as stoneflies, or caddis, all of a sudden they seem to pop out for you. You’ll be surprised you could have missed them all the other times you came to the river. You’ll start to understand what the birds are doing, wheeling across the surface of the water, and use their actions to locate insect activity. Patterns will start to emerge on the river, patterns that will provide you more successful angling in Missoula, and anywhere else you take the long rod out for trout.

It’s a big step, learning to ID the different insects on the river. We know anglers who aren’t comfortable without knowing latin names, the range where they’re found, life cycles and the factors that trigger their emergence. Some just want to know the name so they buy the right flies! Other could care less, and just go a-fishing. Find your own comfort level, and don’t be influenced by others. At our Missoula fly shop, we have customers who really care, and we have people who used to care. It’s all good! Fly fishing is supposed to be fun, and it’s up to you to decide the level of fun you plan to attain. No matter what level of entomologist you plan to be, the MAngler plans to be there helping you get to the level you’re striving for, online and in the shop.

One last thought. You can look a little silly, running down the river in waders, waving a landing net in the air and cursing as your swipe completely misses the mark. Get over it! We’ve all been there, we just don’t talk about it anymore!!

Flies and Fly Tying

The Cycle Of Flies

January 26, 2021

The Missoulian Angler Fly Shop is the oldest fly shop in Missoula, with over 100 years industry experience on staff. We’ve seen a few things in 35 years. This year we’re seeing Schroeder’s Parachute Hopper is hot, like microwave lasagna hot.

We’ve stocked the Parachute Hopper for at least 25 years. We first got it in because it was working so well, and had to have it. Since then, we’ve watched the ebb and flow in sales. It always works to some degree. We’ve watched that fly sell less than 6 dozen a year to being the hottest fly on the river. That’s a big swing, and we’re ready for it!

The swing comes from the trout. Our customers and Missoula’s best fly fishing guides are in daily contact, listening to what they say. This year they say Schroeder’s Hopper. Last year they said the G Kes. If you’re on the water, paying attention, the trout will tell you things about your fly choice as well. The Missoulian Angler will help translate if you’re not hearing what you think you should be!

Hot flies are like the weather. If you want to know about the weather in August, or the hot fly, ask us on September 1! We’ll have a great idea then. But before that, it’s a crap shoot. Of course, we’ve all seen James Bond shoot craps- there is some methodology to placing your bets- but no guarantees. You do the best you can with what you have, and try not to roll too many 7’s!

OMG! The one hit wonders. Can’t keep ‘em in stock for a season, and then two years later 40 dz. are decorating the Dollar Bin. There are some shops that buy flies for their Dollar Bin. Not us! We can fill ours with flies we thought would be hot, or were previously hot, or never got hot. Customers ask all the time, “How did this fly get in here?”, and we’re always forced to answer, “On merit.”

It’s starting again for next season. We buy flies from 9 different venders and keep our local tiers busy tying our custom patterns, and keep looking for more to maintain the best fly selection in Montana. It’s like sending a fat guy to the doughnut shop! Sales reps appear with overflowing boxes of new fly patterns, and we start salivating like Pavlov’s dog. What’s going to be so good we have to have it? Who’s come up with the latest and greatest, that perfect combo of the Purple Haze, Sex Dungeon and Pheasant Tail that’s going to be so hot fish jump in the boat to take it. Take our word for it, they all look good enough to eat! And the cycle continues, but not without consequence.

We only have so many bins in the shop, and get new flies all the time. Like the art collector with no more wall space, where does our new purchase go? What leaves to make space. Sometimes the choice is easy, like the pink and orange wooly bugger. What were we thinking! Sometimes it’s more difficult, like removing the Copper Bob in various colors. Hottest fly in the early 2000’s- it’s lost its mojo. Some customers will be annoyed, finding the old tried and true gone. That’s when we ask you to take some things on a little faith.

We want you coming back. We ‘re don’t sell flies that happen to be in stock, flies that don’t represent your best bet on the water. That’s not how we roll. Missoulian Angler is the oldest fly shop in town for a reason – repeat customers. We’re intense about flies, and when a pattern disappears, it means we’ve found better. This is where trust comes in. We know you’ve been using a pattern for 20 years. It works for you. You trust that pattern. And trust is key! We know the moment you lose faith in a fly, it’s done. It takes a little time to find the trust for a new fly.

A while a go, a customer told us a story. His son in law had given him a new fly- said it worked great. He tied it on and fished it for 10 minutes. Nothing. He lost faith in the new fly, and tied on the trusty Pheasant Tail. 3 ½ hours later he caught a trout. See! It works! It wasn’t till later he saw the humor in that, but it was the old tried and true.

Watch the best guides in Missoula go to work. If nothing is happening, they make something happen. Tried and true, or something new, if one fly isn’t working, they move on! Find the size, find the color. One of the first lessons every angler learns is what good water looks like. Fish are there, and if you haven’t spooked them, they’re eating. If they’re rising, even more so! You need to be able to reach into your box and have something a bit different, a new look if you will. Buy your flies shallow and wide- that means don’t buy 12 Parachute Mahoganies, buy 4 of those, then some cripples, some Comparaduns. You know, the same, but different. Give the trout a bigger selection, and you’ll find their selectivity isn’t as big as issue as it once was.

The Missoulian Angler has the largest fly selection in the city of Missoula and likely Montana. We’re willing to say the biggest fly selection within 200 miles of Missoula! And it’s not just wide, it’s deep. For those who visit the shop, you’ve seen the storage beneath the fly bins. That storage is filled with flies. When the Mahoganies are on, and we sell 4 dz. Size 14 Brindle Chutes in one morning, we just reach under the bins and pull out 4 dz. more. We care about flies, and do everything we can to make sure we have the flies you need when you need them.

You can’t be a fly shop without Parachute Adams, Pheasant Tail nymphs and Woolly Buggers. Wherever the cycle is on those flies, they’re always in the loop. Believe us when we tell you it would be so easy to just keep a few flies in the shop, the ones that always work, and be done like most shops. But that’s not our job. Our job is to keep our ear to the water, pick up the rumblings of what’s hot on the Bighorn, what’s hot on the Madison. If Trout are eating it on the Snake River or the Henry’s Fork, there’s a good chance it makes a fine meal on Rock Creek, the Bitterroot River, the Clark Fork River and the Bitterroot River.

We all dream of Shupton’s Fancy, Paul Schullery’s fictional fly that “taketh a fish on every cast.” It’s fictional for a reason! But we never stop our quest of finding or building a better mouse trap. The G Kes didn’t just appear- we tested that fly until we found what worked. That’s what every tyer does before he puts his creation out there, test, test, test. To make sure it does what it’s supposed to, and that’s catch trout. Whether the fly is designed for a specific situation, or is a general use fly, every fly designer secretly dreams of being on the cover of Fly Fisherman as THAT guy who created the fly that sweeps the world. Lefty’s Deciever, the Clouser Minnow, Copper John, Purple Haze- the list goes on and on. And when that fly appears, the Missoulian Angler will have it stock- before it gets on the cover!

We’ll order a lot of Parachute Hoppers for next year. Along with a few we haven’t even seen yet, and the Morrish Hopper, the Pink Lady Hopper and many of the tried and true. A couple might fall to the wayside, and that’s a natural occurrence. We won’t know the hot hopper for next August until next September! But you can be sure the Missoulian Angler will be ready with something old, something new, and full bins of flies, so when you need what’s hot, you’ll find it at Missoula’s oldest fly shop. Experience is one thing you don’t get quickly!

Flies and Fly Tying

Building Your Euro Nymph Box

December 18, 2020

There’s no doubt that Euro nymphing, or high sticking to the old timers, is the most productive way to take trout consistently with a fly. Euro nymph techniques provide pinpoint fly control on a tight line, utilizing flies designed for rapid sink rates to quickly enter the zone where most fish live. Whether you call it Czech nymphing, high sticking or Euro nymphing, these techniques have won multiple world fly fishing championships and is effective on the hardest fished waters. Euro nymphing quickly gets your fly where fish are feeding, which is 90% of the battle.

That’s not to say building a box and buying a long rod will instantly answer all your prayers. Like any other fly fishing technique, Euronymphing takes some practice. A slight dip in the rod can result in a quick two-fly loss, while minimizing fly loss lessens your effectiveness. The best Euronymphers walk a fine line between hauling in fish and decorating the bottom. It takes time on the water to find that fine line.

With the bottom in mind, it’s no accident that most Euro nymphers have embraced the jig nymph style fly, for two reasons. First, and possibly most important, the hook rides point up, so it’s less apt to snag in it’s underwater journey. Two, in order to turn the hook over, the bead must be made of tungsten or an equally heavy material. This means jig flies, by their design, sink faster than a fly with a brass bead, thus dropping your fly where it needs to be faster.

Speed in attaining depth is critical with Euro nymphing. Euro nymphing often utilizes a very short cast, giving the fly little time to sink. A well designed Euro nymph gets deep at a much faster rate than a standard nymph. Considering the sink rate of your fly is the most critical aspect of creating an effective Euro nymph fly selection.

Sink rate is governed by two factors- weight and resistance to sinking. This blog writer used to tie the prettiest Hare’s Ear Nymphs, with a nice, active body and super buggy thorax. The only problem was, they wouldn’t sink. Just like a dry fly’s hackle, all those spiky tendrils were trapping air and spreading out in the water, seriously hindering my flies rapid descent in the water. Pretty in the vise ain’t pretty in the water! Too much fuzz on your fly, too much spread, and it won’t sink fast enough.

Which is why the Perdigon style fly, or SR Bullet, is the backbone of any Euro nymphers box. This hard bodied fly is unprepossessing at first, seeming to flout all the widely held beliefs that a fly must be active in the water to look alive and attract fish. Because Euro nymphing is designed to put your fly in a place where the trout doesn’t question its presence, action is less important. If it’s close to looking like food, and skimming across the bottom like the naturals, it’s going to get eaten.

Choosing your first Perdigons is easy. Light, dark, big and small. What could be simpler to get started! The Orvis Co., at one point, had a brilliant idea. They offered a basic mayfly nymph in light, medium and dark. It didn’t sell, as evidenced by its almost instantaneous removal from the catalog. But the concept is smart and useful. You don’t need a lot of accuracy when putting your fly directly on the trout’s nose. The fish are feeding, taking in as much food as they can, and when your fly is in the trout’s comfort/feeding zone, it’s going to get eaten if it’s anywhere close. Light, dark, big and small.

When fishing in Missoula on the Blackfoot River, Rock Creek, Clark Fork River or Bitterroot River, bigger is often better. In Europe there are very few stoneflies, with many caddis and mayflies. Their fly selections tend to run to the small side, as do many east coast fishermen’s. This makes a lot of sense- match the naturals for more success. In Missoula, we have nymphs that are 50mm long! The small, big, light, dark theory works when fish aren’t focused in their feeding. When trout are on a subsurface “hatch”, having a fly that closely matches the natural is always better. Again, examine the fly for sink rate. The Pat’s Rubber Legs is not our best-selling fly for no reason. It’s the right size, sinks quickly and has good action in the water. A Peacock Double Bead Stonefly is also excellent for imitating the big stoneflies found in Montana. These two flies sink very rapidly and imitate a variety of stoneflies, especially the Pats in its various colors.

Another strong style of Euro nymphs is the Hot Spot. These are jigs with a drab body and a very bright spot of dubbing at the thorax. Some say it represents an egg load in the insect- others just say the contrast attracts the fish attention. We do know flies with a hot spot can be extremely effective, with hot pink and yellow being two favorite colors around Missoula. Again, big, small, light, dark with the added variable of a hot spot.

A third Euro nymph style features a collar of CDC wrapped at the back of the bead, like the Duracell or a Howell’s Shuck-It. CDC is chosen for two reasons. First, it’s easy to work with, can be torn to length and still look natural, and is a light weight fiber with lots of action in the water. CDC also has a property no other feather has. It comes from the preen gland of a duck, and is designed not to mat when it gets wet. The CDC feather holds air bubbles in its fibers that look incredibly lifelike to the fish. But this only works if the feather is dry! Once the CDC is soaked through, it loses it’s ability to trap air, but is still active.

Serious Euro nymphers will carry Frog’s Fanny dessicant with them to refresh the CDC when it’s completely soaked. The Frog’s Fanny pulls the water from the CDC, allowing it to again trap air and bring that natural light refraction to the fly. Dressing your fly after every 4^th or 5^th cast can be a pain, but there are times when the CDC is a strong trigger, and it’s worth trying if the fishing is slower than you think it should be.

No Euro nymph box is complete without the Annelid. We prefer a basic Red SJW, though Hot Pink is also very effective. A fly that’s often overlooked in Euro nymphing is the Wire Worm. While not a strong producer in Missoula (No idea why not- it SLAYS on the Missouri) it is the fastest sinking fly we sell. What’s not to like- it’s wire wrapped around a hook, and sinks like a brick.

It doesn’t matter what type of bead you use on a size 14 or 16 Perdigon, comparatively it doesn’t sink as fast as a size 4 hook wrapped with wire. The Wire Worm is a great point fly in fast water. It takes your little bug down quickly, and then the long rod controls the depth of both flies. You might pick up a fish or two on the Wire Worm, but your smaller bug sinks deep quickly and doing a lot of business. We all know the addition of lead to your leader adds a hinge point, fouls up casting and is generally annoying to use. The Wire Worm works like a sinker, and has the added bonus of catching fish.

If you’re local to Missoula and are building a Euro nymph box, don’t miss the Missoulian Angler’s Dollar Fly Box on the counter. I know it sounds weird, recommending flies on sale! The Dollar Box is filled with flies that didn’t perform as well as we hoped they would. They were all bought with high hopes- they just weren’t what we hoped they would be. The Dollar Box is incredibly useful as you learn to control your fly’s depth with the long rod and skinny leader. It’s better to lose $2 worth of flies on a cast than $6! So grab a handful of Dollar jigs for when you’re just starting, to save some wear and tear on your wallet.

Because at it’s best, Euro nymphing is about working the bottom of the river, where the fish live. With practice, your fly will follow the contours of the bottom, just as the naturals do. Present your fly naturally, where the food is, and your success rate is going to go through the roof. Too deep, and your flies are gone. Too high in the column, and the fish don’t move as readily to your fly. Depth is critical, and using flies designed to get deep and stay there is a critical aspect of Euro nymphing. Armed with this knowledge, you can build a Euro box that will take trout throughout Missoula, all over Montana and across the country.

Fishing Report

Winter Nymphing

December 8, 2020

Unless you ski or snowboard, things get a lot slower in the winter. Slower traffic, slower getting kids out of the house, slow cooker meals- face it, things just don’t move as fast in the cold.

The same thing applies to winter nymph fishing for trout in the Blackfoot River, Rock Creek, Bitterroot River and Clark Fork River. Trout are cold blooded (Trout Biology), meaning their body temperature and metabolism fluctuates with the water temperature. The colder the water, the slower the trout’s metabolism. Trout in winter don’t need much food.

In the hot summer months, trout are stressed by warmer water. Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water, so along with more food, summer fish are also searching for oxygenated water, often found in and just below riffles. Summer trout can be lethargic due to decreased oxygen. Winter trout don’t have oxygen issues. The cold water holds lots of O2.

Let’s add a third biological piece of the puzzle. Very little photosynthesis goes on in the winter. Not much beyond midges are hatching, and the number of insects in the river is declining, though the biomass is going up. Summer trout are stationed in areas of maximum photosynthesis, because where there’s plant life, there’s insect life. The higher metabolism in summer drives trout to feed more, meaning trout are found where the most bugs are- shallow, fertile water with lots of plant and algae life. In winter, trout don’t need as much food, so they don’t need maximum bug populations.

These cold water factors combine to push trout into much different water than they’re found in warmer weather. The driving forces behind trout behavior remain consistent- food, oxygen, safety from predators- but are implemented in a very different way as the water temperatures fall.

Trout are always looking for places to find food, breath and be safe. As water temps fall, trout begin to move to places that summer fishermen aren’t familiar with. Look for trout in deeper, slower water, away from the faster seams, again counter to summer behavior. A higher metabolism needs a bigger supply of food, provided by the faster seam. With less food requirements, trout are found in slower, quieter water. Less food, but with the addition of less energy used and safety from predators.

When you go to the river in summer, you see the places that are “prime”, and many places that are marginal. While marginal covers a LOT of water- shallows, stagnant, too deep, too fast- winter anglers are looking for slower, darker and less fishy looking areas. Think about the deeper drop farther below a riffle, or the very inside or outside of a seam, where the water is quite slow. If you fish those places in the summer, you tend to take tiddlers- fish that require much less food to survive, simply because their size doesn’t need as many calories to sustain them. Remember these spots!

We’ve been talking about winter trout as if they don’t eat. That’s not correct, not by a longshot. They’re still eating, and regularly, just not where you think they are. They’ve moved to the marginal water for the winter. All those spots that kicked out 4-6 inch fish now hold larger fish, looking for the less strenuous lifestyle offered by water that’s slow, cold and deeper than usual. The summer margins are now the go-to spots for nymphing.

Timing and conditions differ for winter nymphing as well. We know in the heat of the summer, it’s better to fish the edges of the day. Dawn and dusk offer the fish a more comfortable water temperature, and they get more active. It’s the direct opposite in cold weather. Get out in the “heat” of the day. Mid afternoon is prime time when the temperature drops. Sunlight is also your friend in winter. Just as the sun makes you feel warmer in winter, it does the same for the trout. Sun on the water will quicken their metabolism, getting trout more active in the water. Counterintuitive to the summer fisherman, but important in winter.

When it comes to rigging for winter nymphing, it’s a double nymph rig all the way. However you choose to rig- drop shot, double tungsten jigs, wire worm or lead weight- there is no indicator dry in the winter. You’re going down to where the fish are, and staying there. Try and use as small an indicator as you can, and as unobtrusive as it can be. A small Thing-A-Ma-Bobber or Air-Lock is the way to go. The New Zealand wool or other natural indicators are not as effective on really cold days- they freeze on the cast! Drop your fly a bit deeper than you’re comfortable with. The fish are on the bottom, and not roaming very far for food. You need to get to them- they’re not coming to you.

When it comes to choosing winter nymphs, we wish we could say only these bugs worked. It would help sales in a slow time of year! But pretty much any nymph that worked in the summer will work in the winter, and at pretty much any time. There are no winter hatches in Missoula, other than midges, and the trout are seeing a wide variety of nymphs and pupa go by. Because there aren’t enough insects of one type to grab the trout’s focus, they will eat most anything that goes by. Provided it’s close enough to eat, presented properly and they don’t need to expend too much energy.

Early winter nymphing, found in November and December, will sometimes benefit from a smaller nymph. Due to nymphal life cycles, the early winter nymphs are smaller than the later winter nymphs. As an example, a PMD nymph in November may only be 4mm long- by February it will be 6-7 mm long. Trout are trout- you still have to be close to the size of the food form to entice them into eating.

Not expending too much energy to eat is critical. The trout’s metabolism is down, energy is down, motivation is down. They’re not going to move 4 feet to take a Pat’s RubberLegs, even though it’s a big meal. The fly needs to drift very close to the trout before they’ll eat. Which changes the strategy of the winter nympher.

One of the true joys of winter nymphing is the solitude it provides. River access parking lots that are full in July are now empty. You have your pick of the river most of the time. Cold weather fishing is not the time to go prospecting for trout. The smart winter fisherman goes right to the spot he wants to fish and stays there.

Unless you’re a world class Euronympher, there will be subtle variations in each cast you make. It looks like your flies should be doing the same thing, but underwater they’re not. In summer, these differences aren’t so pronounced, as the trout will range farther to take in food. Now, you have to bang them on the nose to get them to eat. For most anglers, the chance you hit the first cast perfectly is not great. But you know the fish are here. So keep casting!

Winter fishermen go to Prime Position A, and stay there a while. They make sure to throw enough casts to cover all the fish there. Understanding that each cast is different, and just because no trout ate the last one, doesn’t mean they won’t eat the next one. Trout aren’t moving to your fly- you need to move your fly to the trout, and that can take some time to dial in. That’s why we recommend a small indicator. It creates less disturbance on the water. The indicator doesn’t have to be a huge beacon of color in the winter- you’re working slower water where any indicator is easily seen.

This doesn’t mean you grow roots and stand in one place. Move your feet, vary the drift. Find out how the trout want the fly delivered to them. And be sensible. If you’ve fished a spot for 30-45 minutes without success, it’s time to move on. Go find another place that looks winter fishy, and cast there. If you’re new to winter nymphing, it’s going to take a bit to find the spots trout have migrated to. When you’re exploring winter nymphing, move a bit more till you find the fish.

Winter nymphing also has its own set of safety issues that need to be addressed. Cold and water don’t mix. Of course you need to dress warmly, layers, etc. We’re Montanans, we know that! But basic safety precautions need to be taken. Never walk on ice that’s formed over a river. Have waterproof matches or a dry bag with a lighter and some firestarting stuff. Put dry clothes in the car. If you take a header in August, you’re a point of entertainment to your friends. If you fall in the river in December, you have a lot more issues to contend with. Safe wading practices are key. Being ready to get yourself warm if you do fall in is critical. Rubber soled boots are the only way to go in the winter. Felt soles, once wet, will pick up snow with every step, putting you in high heels after 50 yards. Bootfoot waders are much less cold than stockingfoot waders. If you have them, use them.

Winter nymphing offers the angler some serious peace and quiet on the water. It can also be very effective, and a great way to spend a day outdoors when the opportunity arises. The best days to head out are when the temps will be above 35. Dress warmly, take precautions, and take a net. You’re going to need it all for winter nymphing!

Flies and Fly Tying

Fly Tying – Take Your Season Indoors

October 24, 2020

Lets start by saying the Missoulian Angler is at the far right on the bell curve. If left is the very casual angler, center is Missoula’s standard out fly fishing 50 days a year, we live on the far right. And if you bell curved the far right, we’d STILL be far right!

All our employees tie flies. Most have been professional tyers, and we all tie flies for the shop.

We started the same way. Someone told us we might be able to save money by tying flies (HA!) or there was a purer joy in catching fish on a fly you tied yourself (true). Now, we tie because we don’t know any other way.

It’s been said that every fly you tie is a little bit of hope for the season. Every wrap of thread is a plan for the next time you hit the water. And let’s not make any bones about it- you think you can build a better mousetrap! As you bend the materials onto the hook, you can’t help but wonder if THIS is the fly that will turn your season around. That’s what fly tying is about . . .

But it doesn’t happen over night, and there’s the rub. Customers come in all the time and say, “I want to tie the Sex Dungeon and the Royal Wulff. Those are my two favorite flies and I’m always out of them.” We always respond with tying flies is great, but you may need to set your sights a bit lower to start. How about a Pheasant Tail Jig and a Pat’s Rubberlegs? Sometimes it’s yes, and sometimes it’s no.

Because fly tying isn’t an art- it’s a hand skill, like hitting a baseball or knitting a sweater. For the same reason you don’t learn to hit facing major league pitching, or start knitting with a multi color, zipper back pant suit, you have to start easy in fly tying. Choose two simple patterns, and start to tie them, like a Pheasant Tail Jig and a Pat’s Rubberlegs! You’ll need tools for tying flies, a place to tie, and the time to spend behind the vise.

And here’s what you get when you start to tie flies. Complaints from your significant other that there’s fuzz all over the house. A bunch of flies that look nothing like the picture on Instagram. Small punctures on the ends of your fingers where the hook inexplicably ended up. A much more varied and colorful way to express yourself when the thread breaks for the 3^rd time on one fly. You’ll be in closer contact with your fly fishing buddies, all asking you for “just a couple” of your best bugs. You wonder what possessed you to even start this silly habit.

Until you start to see the other side of the coin. It’s more subtle and far reaching, and it doesn’t come immediately. The moment you tie your first Pheasant Tail, you have to think about proportions. The Abdomen is 60% of the body- the Thorax is 40%. Next thing you know, you find out all mayflies have the same proportions, they just vary in size. Pretty soon, you’re looking under rocks and seeing that the flies you’ve been tying aren’t exactly the right color, so you modify that. Your bugs start to look better to the fish.

All of sudden, the shucks on the side of the river begin to mean more. You’re looking at size and shape, and now comparing it to what you’re making. You begin to make changes to your flies, and they begin to work better.

A grasshopper flies by, and it’s no longer just a hopper. You start to notice the hoppers are different sizes. Some have bright red legs, some don’t. They vary in color, and even a bit in shape. Some have very prominent legs, some are smaller. All this goes into the hopper (get it?!?!) and the next time you’re at the bench, you start to make adjustments to your patterns. They start to look more like a hopper you see on the water, not what others think a hopper should look like. You begin to scope the internet, looking at hopper patterns. You see things you like, you see things you don’t like. You begin to steal like an artist!! You take a body from one hopper and the wings from another. Legs from a third and a head from a fourth. You’re observing things as you’ve never done, and now you’re mixing and matching, learning more every time about what a hopper is and isn’t to a fish. Not all will work, but with every modification, you get closer to a hopper that works for you, that you have confidence in.

That’s the real secret about fly tying. Not that you’ll have flies when you need them, not that they’re better tied and more durable. The real secret of fly tying is now you know so much more. You’re looking at the naturals with a brand new and critical eye. They’re no longer random bugs. You’re no longer reading a fishing report and wondering what it all really means. Without knowing it, you’re learning about insect life cycles, and how and where trout interact with them. You’re seeing how the river works- how water, insects and trout all come together. Wait till you find out about clingers, crawlers and burrowers. All of a sudden, a riffle makes more sense. It’s the breeding ground for insects. No wonder trout stack up in there. You’re a better angler.

All because you took your fly fishing indoors. The moment you set up the vise for the first time, and started bending thread to hook, you’re taking giant steps to be ahead of the curve. Soon, you’ll be looking back and wondering how did I ever catch a trout? I had no real clue what was going on on the river! If you really get the bug (get it?!?!) you’re going to expand your pattern listing. You’re going to take some chances with new and different flies- always with the knowledge you’ve earned, knowing they have a very good chance of working. You’re a smarter angler, you’ve traveled further right on the bell curve.

It’s all about success on the water. At the Missoulian Angler, we learn as much from our customers as they learn from us. A fisheries biologist told us that when minnows hatch, they have no air in their swim bladder. They can’t swim until they surface and take in air. Before that time, they just sort of drift with the current. You have a Eureka moment. You have had nymphs taken as if they were a streamer. This explains it! The trout think it’s a minnow unable to swim. We all tied up some very thin, very small minnow imitations to be used under an indicator. They crush fish when the minnows are hatching. We learned more, and that made us more effective anglers.

Learning never stops on the water. It never stops at the vise either. Not just tying techniques and skill level, but that knowledge that seeps in while concentrating of fly fishing. Everything gets ratcheted up just a bit more, and keeps going. You find yourself stepping into the water with more confidence and greater skill. It’s an upward spiral that never really stops. We tell you that from our combined 100+ years of fly tying experience in the shop.

As the weather changes, and opportunities on the water get fewer and farther between, it might be a good time to think about taking your fly fishing indoors. You’ll thank us next year!

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