The Missouri River, near Craig, Montana is “home away from home” for some of our fly fishing guides for most of May and early June. This is our 24th season as Montana fishing guides on the Missouri River...
...and it's starting off as different – and well – as any I can recall in that timeframe. The river flow out of Holter Dam is around 4000 CFS (typical flow would be twice that this time of the year), making for unseasonably stellar dry fly and wade fishing. Mayfly and midge hatches have been starting around lunchtime and lasting until mid-afternoon. Post-spawn Rainbow are actively feeding in these ideal conditions, resulting in big numbers of 15-17” fish coming to the net each day.
Prime water conditions, reliable dry fly fishing, and healthy populations of wild trout actively feeding in ideal conditions should be reason enough to call in sick for a few days to come experience Missouri River fly fishing for yourself.
The 2023-2024 winter in Montana was mild, resulting in a slightly below-average snowpack throughout the southwest part of the state. The section of the Missouri River that we guide on this time of the year is downstream of several reservoirs that are used for irrigation storage and hydropower generation. With a lighter snowpack this year, water managers let the upstream reservoirs fill before increasing downstream discharges out of Holter Dam.
Unlike most May and Junes, anglers fishing below Holter Dam can expect to find safe wade-fishing conditions. Trout are widely dispersed in a variety of holding water, thus enabling anglers to spread out across more water than typical for this time of the year. Dry fly fishing is virtually impossible to find in high water conditions, so anglers in search of the legendary pods of slow-rising Missouri River trout have been having some magical days in late April and early May.
May and June are the wettest months of the year in Montana. Mayflies, like blue-winged olives (BWO), pale morning duns (PMD), and March Browns hatch in prolific numbers during this time of the year, especially on mild, overcast days. Midges can be found just about every day of the year on the Missouri River and they begin to become more active earlier in the day than mayflies. Anglers fishing the Missouri River always expect hatching insects this time of the year, but the fish rarely respond to them from May through early June. However, with the current flow schedule for Holter Dam releases, May 2024 looks like it could be “one for the ages” for anglers who prefer fly fishing in Montana with dry flies.
Nymph fishing is the staple fly fishing technique for most anglers fishing the Missouri River near Craig, Montana in May and June. The prolific insect hatches thus far in 2024 have been making for some remarkable nymphing sessions from Wolf Creek to Cascade.
Our Montana fly fishing guides are finding feeding fish in deep seams, shallow riffles, and gravel bar drop-offs – areas that we normally can’t access in higher flows. The variety of situational nymph fishing opportunities has made for some truly remarkable days for our guests so far this season. Whether we are searching deep water runs before the hatches or methodically covering undulating foamlines during a hatch, we have been finding actively feeding trout throughout most of the day.
Fly fishing in Montana on the Missouri River for the remainder of May and June is shaping up as an ideal angling opportunity for both novice and experienced anglers. Advanced anglers will enjoy the challenges of technical nymph-fishing along complicated current seams while waiting for the daily hatches to kick into “high gear.” Novice anglers will quickly improve their fly fishing skills with myriad opportunities to hook and land wild trout with nymph and dry fly setups.
The fly fishing guide staff with Fins and Feathers Guide Service is available daily on the Missouri River through mid-June, 2024. If you are an experienced angler, but new to the Missouri River, consider going out with one of our guides for a day to learn the tactics and techniques to find success on your DIY fly fishing days. Join our guides for a few days of Missouri River fly fishing to experience a diverse Montana fly fishing trip this spring.
Guided fly fishing day trips and Montana fly fishing vacations near Craig Montana with Fins and Feathers Guide Service can be placed via e-mail, using our contact form, or by calling or texting us at 1.406.468.5019. Please keep in mind that our phone service is poor in Craig, so e-mail is the best way to reach us and we will be sure to respond to you the same day that you make a request.
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