Late July Grip And Grins

 

It's that time of the year again when the tricos are coming to a close and with the water temps getting a couple degrees higher...pseudos...

 

The above pics are from my last few days of July. We did the lower canyon all the way to Cascade with Marc and Mark and did ok in the morning but the afternoon kind of died. Not wanting to chase bobbers, we stuck with the big stuff looking for big fish. We tried hoppers in the afternoon with no eats and then did resort to dragging crayfish with some success to finish up.

 

The next couple days were half-days and since we had rookies, we hit the dam. We managed to get Trent and Grant on some nice bows although it wasn't off the hook. We landed eight--not bad for a few hours of fishing after a little tutoring. I don't normally count fish because I truly believe it's not about the numbers; especially for the kids that may have never had this kind of experience but it is nice to compare when thinking about the advantage of heading up with the crowds versus dealing with the weeds in the canyon.

 

Today was another half-day with our sports requesting the dam. We got out early and didn't really get the cluster of boats we thought we would on a Sunday. Don't get me wrong, we did have boats but not the 30 or 40 I suspected we would. One of my guys caught 7, the other got 1.

 

Here's the deal. I have no problem going up there when guys ask to do it. For beginners, there are less variables like weeds and having to throw an accurate cast so just to get them on a few fish, it's a good call. I think there's better fishing to be had however, if you can handle the conditions in the canyon. Fish are stacked up and they will eat if you get the bug in front of them.

 

I would say 80 to 90 percent of the boats are fishing the dam from about mid-July on through August and into September. The guide trips have slowed down considerably for August in the last couple years because the perception is that the fishing get's pretty bad. The reality is, is that the fishing does get slow were the fish have gotten the most pressure. After getting pricked in the mouth so many times, they get reluctant to eat anything shiny.

 

We could tell today that fish weren't real grabby. In fact, my guy in the front only caught one bow and it was while he was mending it that his indicator went down. He just happened to get lucky to be mending it while that fish was eating. Fish aren't going to grab the bug and move back into their lane like they have been. They follow the bugs downstream when they get picky and suck the fly in and taste it before committing. When they don't taste it, they spit it out before you see the indicator move.

 

There's not a lot you can do about that because presentation is so important, which means lengthening up the leader and dropping less weight. In some conditions you can shorten up the rig to get them to move more but not when they get like this. The only other thing you can do is try to find happier fish. That's what I do and that's how I've been having exceptional Augusts on the Mo and don't understand the bad rap the Mo gets.

 

Yes, there are weeds and it can suck in spots but again, there are ways to deal. Being aggressive definitely helps. Getting drag-free drifts the second your flies hit the water; also a huge plus. Managing your line and holding onto your flies while moving from one run to the next and not over-casting--all beneficial. It also has a lot to do with placement and in some cases, simplifying. All these things can help you deal with the conditions and put you on more fish.

 

As for the pseudos; they are bastards and once the fish get on them, they won't eat any other bugs. What happens to the Missouri is that the general rule of thumb is as the water warms up, the bugs get smaller from about early mid-June on. PMD's are pretty big in relative terms and then we get the tricos and then pseudos. Pseudos can be as small as a size 28. I don't have flies that small in my box and if I did, I wouldn't let clients throw them. You'd be better off throwing ants or hoppers just in case one fish would turn on them.

 

Here's the thing though; trout don't just eat aquatic bugs so if you go where the fish are more opportunistic, you can have great days on big ugly stuff. Just think of all the 'stuff' in the water they can eat--leeches, crayfish, worms, terrestrials, and other trout are all fair game. You just have to find fish that are happy and hungry or find a guide that know where they are...just sayin.

 

Keep 'em where they live...