Fall is here.  There's no debate about it now.  Snow didn't make it to Craig, but the local foothills had their first taste of winter.  Yep, it's chilly.  The warmest part of the day was around 10:00 am - 49° F. The rich dark clouds brought on and off again rain.  If that wasn't enough, how about some northeast wind?  The river is busy.  We won't see sunshine until Tuesday.  



Current Conditions:

Are you in your car yet?



What isn't working on the river?  Midges, Pseudos, BWO's, Caddis, Hoppers, Nymphs, Streamers......all produce.  



Weather holds the key to your success.  Expect mixed weather conditions from here on out. Cool mornings and nights will be the norm.  It's our favorite time of the year.



Start your day with a hearty breakfast in The Trout Shop Cafe.  Open now through the end of the Mo's fishing season. 





 

Fall appears to be settling in.  Our cottonwoods are starting to turn color.  Cloudy and cool conditions generally prevail.  Hmmmm.....sounds like fall baetis are in the air.  Indeed they are.



Along with the mixed weather, expect to have mixed, but great fishing.  If you're at the Dam, you'll find very large trout eating nymphs.  From the Wolf Creek Bridge to Cascade, dry fly fishing is a possibility.  What you will be using for weapons matters.  If you want to fish the water, hoppers produce well.  If you want to target rising fish, you'll find bwo's, caddis, pseudos, calibaetis, midges, october caddis, and a few surprises are necessary.  Ants are still working their magic. 



Buggers...................... it's that time of year.  Stay with it.  You'll be glad you did.



At 4200 cfs and 59° the Mo is poised to show her charm.  The weather heading our way should turn summer (did we have one?) to fall.  It might be a good time to call in sick.

While we're just beginning September, the weather will feel and act like late September to early October.  Air temperatures will struggle to get out of the 60's for days.   Expect anythng from brilliant sunshine to dense fog on a day-to-day basis.  What the clouds and wind will be doing is tough to say.  Cool conditions, however, create the general theme in the long and short term weather forecast.  Is it fall already?



River flows have increased to 4,800 cfs.  The river's temperature is declining and will soon reach the 50's. The prime combination of flows and temperture are very close to reality.  Cool nights will take us there.



The Missouri's trout were big in the spring.  They've had all summer to eat and are now simply huge.  Despite their size, they eat dry flies.  The weather is right, but the bugs (baetis) are a little ways off.  For now, nymphs produce the most fish.  Streamers are hard to resist on cloudy days.  Hoppers are everywhere and help satisfy your dry fly desires.



If you look closely, you'll see a few trees showing their autumn colors.  We're not quite there yet, but the cool nights we're presently experiencing can't be overlooked. The steam coming off the river most mornings is a tell tale sign that the Mo is preparing for winter.  Until winter arrives, enjoy the best the Missouri has to offer.