Fly Fishing the Missouri River

Below Holter Dam near Wolf Creek and Craig, the 'Mighty Mo' is a wide, weed-rich tailwater that ranks among the most productive trout rivers in the country, holding several thousand rainbow and brown trout per mile. Stable cold-water releases and abundant aquatic vegetation support enormous insect populations and consistent rising fish across long, glassy runs. The river is fished by drift boat and on foot from numerous FWP access sites along the Recreation Road between Holter Dam and Cascade. It is renowned for blanket Trico and Baetis hatches, an early-May Mother's Day caddis emergence, and a strong Pale Morning Dun season.

45 shops nearby

See fly shops ↓

When to fish

Year-round

Best months: year-round

Best

Midge: year-round. Blue-winged Olive / Baetis: Mar–May, Sep–Oct.

Today's conditions

Where to fish

Along the Missouri River

Craig4 shopsWolf Creek1 shop

Cascade1 shopHelena3 shops

Interstate 15 and the Recreation Road follow the river between Wolf Creek and Cascade with many FWP access sites; wade or float from Holter Dam down through Craig.

The water

Tailwater

Key hatches

Midge
Blue-Winged Olive
Caddisfly
Pale Morning Dun
Brown Drake

Hatch calendar

Conditions

Loading river conditions

6-day forecast

Loading forecast

Forecast from the National Weather Service ↗

Hatch calendar

Months each hatch is active on the Missouri River, with hook sizes and local timing notes.
Hatch · hook	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O
Midge(midges)hook #18–22year-round	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October
Blue-winged Olive(mayflies)hook #16–20Mar–May, Sep–Oct		April	May	June		August	September	October
Caddisfly(caddis)hook #14–16			May	June	July	August	September	October
Pale Morning Dun(mayflies)hook #14–18Jun–Jul			May	June	July	August
Brown Drake(mayflies)hook #8–12				June	July
Trico(mayflies)hook #18–22Jul–Sep, mornings				June	July	August	September
Yellow Sally(stoneflies)hook #12–16				June	July
Damselfly(other insects)hook #10–12					July	August