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Report at a Glance
| General Region | Holter to Craig |
| Specific Location | Same |
| Time of Day | 7 - 1 & 6 - dark |
| Fish Caught | Not much |
| Conditions & Hatches | The PMD's were good for the 1st two days then started to lessen. No Tricos until July 04, virtually no caddis. |
Details and Discussion
| Wbranch | July 9th, 2021, 7:16 am | |
 Posts: 2733 | Very low water. Lowest I had ever seen it in 24 years. Level was 3250 when I arrived and 3100 cfs when I left and 64 degrees. No water in the channels I prefer to fish and the brown trout numbers are very low. To put my 2021 trip in perspective in prior good years I would of caught as many big trout, 19" - 22", in two days that I did in 13 days of this trip. | |
| Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years. | ||
| Jmd123 | July 9th, 2021, 7:30 am | |
 Posts: 2611 | Still looks like you did Okay there, Matt! Nice fishies and beautiful sunset! Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Wbranch | July 9th, 2021, 8:06 am | |
Posts: 2733 | Jonathon, It was so very hot that it was hard to wade fish more than 4/5 hours. Every day for about 8 days it was no less than 92 degrees and up to 100 degrees twice. We caught fish but I had to go dry/dropper since it was hard to find rising fish. My fishing partner caught the biggest rainbow I had ever seen caught on the Missouri at 23.5". I have a picture but he probably prefers I don't post the picture. The whitey was a big surprise and it ran almost into the backing and we thought it was a good rainbow. I had a Trifecta that day; rainbows, two whitey's, and a brown. and beautiful sunset!Actually it is a sunrise. | |
| Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years. | ||
| Partsman | July 9th, 2021, 8:52 am | |
 Posts: 420 | Thanks for the pictures Matt, looks like a good trip considering the conditions. Those are some special rainbows, and the white fish are pretty cool. Actually I have been buying smoked white fish from a little family market here in my home town, comes from bay port fish company, but really good with cheese and crackers and a very cold beer. Mike. | |
| Wbranch | July 9th, 2021, 2:31 pm | |
Posts: 2733 | Those are all wild rainbows 19" - 21". | |
| Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years. | ||
| Troutnut | July 20th, 2021, 7:50 pm | |
 Administrator Bellevue, WAPosts: 2737 | Nice pictures and fish Matt! That drought is a shame. | |
| Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D. Troutnut and salmonid ecologist | ||
| Wbranch | July 21st, 2021, 7:47 am | |
Posts: 2733 | Jason, I just learned last night that the entire Missouri is under Hoot Owl restrictions. Fishing is allowed only from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. What in the world does one do until the next morning? | |
| Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years. | ||
| Jmd123 | July 21st, 2021, 7:56 am | |
Posts: 2611 | And the evening is my favorite time! That's why I mistook your sunrise for a sunset...you're an earlier riser than me, Matt. But I usually nail 'em in the evening into dusk... We've gotten some rain lately around here so we're out of our drought. However, our sun has been yellow from all the smoke in the air from western fires... Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Wbranch | July 21st, 2021, 8:02 am | |
Posts: 2733 | Yes, I am an early riser and even during good water years on the Missouri I was often on the water by 6:00 a.m. as trout were already rising to the previous evening spinners, spent caddis, or Trico duns. | |
| Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years. | ||
| Martinlf | July 21st, 2021, 9:53 pm | |
 Moderator Palmyra PAPosts: 3233 | Nice looking fish, Matt. I'll be posting up a recap of my trip in a bit, once I have everything in hand. I'm also working on a full article about Nelson's to post up. Thanks for recommending it; I've enjoyed our conversations about it, and I had a good time there. More later. | |
| "He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'" --Fred Chappell | ||
| Troutnut | July 21st, 2021, 10:20 pm | |
Administrator Bellevue, WAPosts: 2737 | What in the world does one do until the next morning? I would fish cold little mountain creeks for small trout, but I know small trout aren't your cup of tea. :) | |
| Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D. Troutnut and salmonid ecologist | ||
| Martinlf | July 22nd, 2021, 8:47 am | |
Moderator Palmyra PAPosts: 3233 | Jason, you'd love the North Fork of the Blackfoot. And there are some bigger cutties there, and bull trout. | |
| "He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'" --Fred Chappell | ||
| Wbranch | July 22nd, 2021, 4:33 pm | |
Posts: 2733 | Jason,I would fish cold little mountain creeks for small trout, but I know small trout aren't your cup of tea. :) Little Prickly Pear Creek is just 75 feet in from of the place where I stay every year. It is full of 8" - 12" wild rainbows. I've fished it twice and both times saw rattlesnakes. I've not fished in in at least 15 years. The Little Blackfoot is west of Helena and has lots of wild brookies and browns. The North Fork of the Blackfoot is at least a two hour drive from Wolf Creek - and is grizzly country. I'd never consider fishing it by myself. If I could afford (or was willing to pay) a walk-in guide for the day to stand within six feet of me to keep his eye out for bears I would fish it. I have this fear of a bear attacking me and literally eating me while I'm alive. It is not the way I want to leave this earth. | |
| Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years. | ||
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