Thursday, August 4, 2016

August Fishing on the Missouri River

 
Ho, hum...just another day on the Missouri in August:  Too many weeds, no bugs, the fish aren't eating cuz the water's too warm; blah, blah, blah. Tell that to Rob and Max Dutto from California. I'm sure they're not complaining.
 
There are a lot of misconceptions about the Missouri this time of the year. Some of those things are perpetuated by crispy guides that have been doing circles at the dam all summer and some of it comes from clients that haven't seen anything else. Some of it even comes from shop employees that fall into the trap of regurgitating what they're hearing from folks complaining about the conditions. The reality is, if you're willing to do what it takes, you can catch quality fish this time of the year and you can put numbers of them in the net.   
 
Are there weeds? Of course but it's not as bad as in years past. In fact, it's been pretty good out there and where there are weeds, there are ways of dealing with them and still catch fish. Weeds are kind of like tubers and rec-floaters. They tend to get bunched up in places where they can't get out. (You ever see a tuber get caught in a big eddy and not be able to paddle themselves out? Hilarious!) The Mo is a big river and you don't have to fish every inch of it. Pick and chose your spots. If it's too weedy, go to the other side of the river.
 
After ten years of guiding in such conditions, I feel like I've found a few ways of minimizing the frustration of dealing with the weeds while putting people on fish. In some ways, I actually think the fishing is easier; bigger bugs, fewer boats to contend with, and fish are hungry. That's right. Fish are hungry if you are willing to go out and find them.
 
Is it always sunshine and roses? Of course not. It is fishing but give me the potential a few big 'ole browns sucking down a hopper and I'm in. And if you're into just catching a bunch of fish, the crayfish bite is getting pretty sick. And again, there's nobody on the river!!
 
Keep 'em where they live...
 

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