The Missouri River : Fly Fishing

Missouri River : Pelican FAS to Great Falls

Below the Pelican FAS, which is near the town of Cascade, the Missouri River leaves the mountains behind and begins its journey through the Montana prairie. The flows slow down, especially as it nears Great Falls. The Missouri River also begins to become quite warm, limiting rainbow trout fishing.

Photo Use Guidelines

Large brown trout can be found throughout this stretch of the Missouri River, lurking in the deeper holes and along the many undercut banks. As this is primarily brown trout water, a popular fly fishing method is to use streamers on sink tip lines, casting them into the holes and along the many undercut banks.

The best time to fly fish for these brown trout is during the spring and again in the fall. During the summer, the high water temperatures can severely limit trout fishing.

Other fish species found in this stretch include carp and smallmouth bass. Fishing for smallmouth bass should not be ignored, as they are loads of fun to catch. Additionally, this section of the Missouri River is very lightly fished. When fly fishing for the smallmouth, use crayfish on a sink tip line, dragging them along the bottom and around obstructions or near undercut banks.

Next Page : Floating the Missouri River

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