why fish the missouri river?
The Missouri River can be great at just about anytime!
People come to fly fish the Missouri river for several very simple reasons. The trout are big, plentiful, wild, healthy, hard fighting, and love to eat flies. It is a great river for beginners to the most experienced anglers, there are usually a variety of different ways to fish in the same day. The Missouri River can be as challenging as you want it to be, which is great for all ability levels to learn how to be a better angler.
There are phenomenal hatches of bugs for much of the year, and the fish eat them on the surface as well as underneath. There are many times throughout the year that it is possible to catch fish on dries, streamers, and nymphs, all in the same day. We fish the Missouri River from Holter dam to the town of Cascade, about 35 miles of great trout water. In that 35 miles of river there are many boat ramps, which means you can change the stretch of the river you are fishing each day. The river is big and open with all water types and depths, which means it can be fished effectively in many different ways in the same day. Once you fish the Missouri River you will ask yourself why it took you so long to do so.
Why get a guide?
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Local knowledge is the key to success
Local knowledge of the river you are fishing is key to a successful day of fishing. Myself and any guide that I hire has intimate knowledge of the Missouri River. I only hire guides who have fished this river countless times. Fish move around depending on water flow, water temperature, pressure, time of year, weather, etc... The fact that we fish this river hundreds of days each year means that we have this critical knowledge. All of this knowledge helps us know when and how to adapt to the current conditions so we can have a great day.
Always learning
In the world of fishing there is always something to learn, no matter how good you are, or how long you've been fishing. I think that is a big reason why so many of us fish. Even the most experienced guides learn something everyday about how to have success in the near and/or distant future. We guide all angling abilities, from first timers to people who have been fishing all their lives. A good guide is very adept at teaching all anglers how to fish better. We can help with the fundamentals of fishing, all the way to analyzing a single rising fish and its feeding behavior. Good guides try everyday to pass some of their knowledge to you, we are a team out there, working together means more success. Trying to trick a wild animal into a making a mistake can be easy or difficult, depending on the situation. We can show you where to fish, how to fish, and why you are fishing a particular way in a specific spot.