Happy 4th!

Yes, it's the Fourth of July, it's Saturday, and the heat wave continues for at least one more day, which means tubes and bikinis and drunk floaters all over the river. If you're a spectator; not a big deal and it can even be pretty humorous. If you're an angler; it means get on early and off early and pick a take-out that the rec-floaters don't use. I'm picking my clients up at 6am today and will be getting out somewhere that is too much of a pain in the butt for rafts to pull out. See you out there...or maybe not.

It has been hot and we already have Hoot-Owl closers on many of the freestones like the Blackfoot. Check the FWP website for updates. http://fwp.mt.gov/news/restrictions/waterClosure.html It is a bummer but early on and early off and you can have some great days and you'll avoid a lot of the traffic. You just have to plan for having the afternoons to go exploring. As for the Missouri, we still have water and it's still fishing well into the afternoon. Water temps remain in the mid-60's, which is warm for this time of year but fish are still happy. Tricos are popping and soon you'll see those pods of fish gulping that the Mo is famous for.

A lot of people are bailing on trips in August as the heat wave continues. We will see more typical weather next week but we have definitely reached August conditions a month early. Before you write off August, please consider a few things. I generally have great fishing in August. Tricos in the morning can be insane and big fish will be eating them--even in the sun. In the afternoon, fish will eat big bugs because they have to. Terrestrial fishing can be a blast and as the days get shorter, the metabolism in those guys kicks in and they have to eat. You just have to know where the fish are the happiest and what they are willing to eat.

The biggest advantage to August is that you'll have the river to yourselves. Look at this brute from last August. I'd say some folks may even get a bit spoiled...

Keep 'em where they live...