Spoiled Rotten

 

 

I think Steve and Fred might have a little unreal expectations after their three day fishing trip to the Missouri this year...just sayin.

 

Given that they had three days to fish, I tried to show them as much of the Missouri as I could. We floated the Lower the first day and crushed it; mostly on the nymph/streamer hybrid rig but some on dries as well. Day two we did the same hybrid rig from Craig down and did extremely well. We did target some fish on dries but it was tough. On day three we start at Mid-Canon and did the Lower Canyon.

 

I think it's fair to expect that on a three day trip, you might get one dog of a day; especially in August. The way yesterday started, I figured that was going to be that day. We started out throwing the big stuff along the hard banks and only landed one fish. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was the only opportunity we had. We hit the "Crack Whore," and changed up to a standard  nymph rig with a couple weight flies and little mayflies...nothing.

 

We headed around the corner and saw some fish up in the soft water sipping on a resurgence of tricos and targeted them but they were tough to say the least. Still only one fish to the net so we started prospecting with dries. Starting with small parachute Adams we went through the gamut of little mayfly patterns and ants and them moved up the ladder to hoppers and still, nothing.

 

It's 11 O'clock now and we've still only boated a single fish. We've seen fish up on tricos but we haven't been able to land any of them. There's a rule in my boat that I jokingly tell folks that you have to catch a fish before you either crack a beer or eat lunch. That rule was in jeopardy at this point and I tell Fred I'm getting hungry and it would suck to have to eat lunch in front of him if he can't eat.

 

We have a little chuckle over it and as we're parked inside a seam trying to figure out another approach, we see a few good fish sipping trico spinners in some really soft water. I re-rig Fred again with an Z-caddis and a trico and he sends it out. The first cast, an 18 inch rainbow sucks down the caddis.

 

"Wow, that was close," I tell Fred. "I was getting pretty hungry."

 

Fred takes another cast at the same pod and lands another one.

 

We head down stream but before we do, we change the dropper to an ant. Fred lands another, and another and within the next 45 minutes, brings 8 to the net--all on dries and the last is a beautiful 19 inch brown.

 

Fred and Steve switched up from front to back of the boat in the afternoon and we keep rolling the dries. It was stupid good with us boating a couple dozen more on ants, caddis, stimmies, and hoppers. The hoppers weren't great; in fact, we only landed one on the hopper but the ant, caddis and the stimmies were on fire.

 

I know I've said it before but I'm going to say it again. I love this time of the year. Late August can be stupid good for dries and for rolling the big stuff. I don't think I've ever seen a stretch at any time of the year where we've caught the numbers of big browns and rainbows. It's not like we're putting 40 fish in the net but we are getting the bruisers and there's nothing better than watching them come up to big dries.

 

Keep 'em where they live...