Missouri Madness Oct 1-7 (3400 cfs)

When its right, its right.  A week of near-perfect conditions.  Hardly saw the sun at all. Lots of clouds, off and on, showers a few days, BWO's every afternoon, and comfortably cool. One day we stayed back rather than fish in the horizontal rain.

Its the MO, so too many fish pictures and sometimes it was pretty easy, but we could choose the level of difficulty by choosing which water we fished, and how.  Some days we fished the main river flat waters and edges, where the "A" game was needed.  Others, we fished side channels and slight riffles where all you had to do was get it in there right.   Most areas had both, so we could go back and forth from fast textured water to smooth slow flats.

While I was surprised at the October weekday crowds, especially with the inclement weather, there was always a place to go.  We fished the top and bottom of Lone Tree, the entire ladder area, and the islands below "high bridge".  Didn't see any bugs up above Wolf Creek Bridge the couple of times we went and looked.

Dark-winged flies were most visible, and the "Sri-Lanka BWO Emerger" in a size 20 was just magic.  Such a busy, bulky little but, but they loved it.  It's an Ebay, 60-cent cheapo special, not a $3.50 House of Harrop masterpiece, but the fish didn't care.  They did eat the little Harrop Cripples too though.  And the black-wing Adams was a winner in the pods of fish.

Baetis Box One

 

 

Tricky Fish

 

 

Three Legged Cripple

 

 

 

 

"High Bridge" Islands

 

 

 

Foam wing cdc fooled a few

 

 

Many hours on this pod.

 

 

Ah, Montana wilderness fishing at its finest!

 

 

 

The Glory Hole

 

Bi Visible was visible!

 

 

Just relax and stay a while at the mega pod

 

 

Yep, there were bugs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harrop Cripple always shines

 

 

This rocked in the pods

 

 

 

 

Fly of the Week!  "Sri Lanka Emerger."  Got the tough ones.