Missouri River Fishing Report
Date: 08/11/2025
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
The Missouri River is fishing consistently well and continues to offer quality opportunities for anglers who match its late-summer rhythm. Morning sessions remain the highlight, with trico spinner falls arriving on schedule by mid-morning. Pods of trout are rising regularly in slicks, inside bends, and slower seams, and a well-placed size 18–20 spinner pattern can keep you in the game for hours. The river is getting increasingly weedy, so expect to clean salad off your flies every few drifts.
Nymphing remains effective with patterns like perdigons, sowbugs, and frenchies, fished on 4x fluorocarbon and with enough weight to get them down. A Pat’s rubberleg, zirdle bug, or crayfish up front trailed by one of these smaller offerings works well in deeper runs with structured water. Short-leash setups are also effective in shallower, faster seams where fish are actively feeding.
Terrestrial season is beginning to show promise. While hopper activity isn’t at its peak yet, trout are starting to respond to natural patterns like the sweetgrass hopper and henneberry hopper along grassy banks and around midstream islands.
Overall, the Missouri is in a stable summer pattern, offering a mix of technical dry-fly fishing in the mornings, steady nymphing through the middle of the day, and growing terrestrial potential in the afternoons. Streamer fishing is more situational now due to weedy conditions, but olive, black, or sculpin-colored patterns can still turn fish in shaded runs or under overcast skies. With a wide range of tactics in play and healthy fish activity, now is an excellent window to be on the Missouri.
Additional Resources:
- Missouri River fly fishing in August
- Bozeman Fly Fishing Guide to August
Stream Flows
Flows
Recommended Flies
Tungsten Tailwater Sowbug
Black Zebra Midge
Pink Lite Brite Perdigon
Sweetgrass Hopper
Tailwater Sowbug Jig
CDC Trico Spinner
Tan Morrish Hopper
Rusty Profile Spinner
Double Wing Trico Spinner
Missouri River Fly Fishing in Craig Montana
Our "Missouri River Fishing Guide" is a comprehensive guide to the river stretches and seasonal hatches along with pro tips from our seasoned team of Bozeman fly fishing guides.
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