Flies For Fly Fishing
What kind of flies should I be fishing with on the Missouri River west of Great Falls, MT?
Not sure what kind of flies I should use for fly fishing this time of year. I went to today with no success.
Are you fishing the farmlands, say from Casdade to Great Falls?
Or are you up in the Holter Dam to Cascade area?
If you are down in the farm lands, I have never fished there.
Holter Dam to Cascade, that is a different story.
Nymphing is really great this time of year.
Dry fly when you see the hatches coming off.
The Missouri River fishes mostly really small flies, far smaller than many other Montana rivers.
In the past I have had great luck with the following nymphs fished 3 to 5 feet under a strike indicator:
Bead Head Hare's Ear with flash; BH Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear; BH Copper John; BH Lightening Bug; BH Pheasant Tail and Pheasant Tail with flash; Brassie. All of these fished right off the bottom.
For dries the Elk Hair Caddis in tan or brown is a good one as is the Adams or Parachute Adams.
All of these are small, nothing over size 16. The fish really key in on the smaller flies.
In some of the deeper holes you could do some streamers going deep after the Browns.
I looked up the following info from my copy of Flyfisher's Guide to Montana.
Midges come off year round on the Missouri. Good flies would be the Griffith's Gnat 18-24; Adams 16-24; Palomino Midge 16-24; Serendipity 16-24.
The Pale Morning Duns should be starting up really soon if not already. Flies like a PMD Crippel 16-22; Sparkle Dun 16-22; Rusty Spinner 16-22; CDC Transitional Dun 18-22; Hare's EAr Nymph 16-20; Pheasant Tail Nymph 16-20.
The Caddis should be coming off by now and flies like the Black Caddis Pupa 16-18; X-Caddis 16-18; Emergent Sparkle Pupa 16-18; Hemingway Caddis 16-18; Tan Caddis 16-18; Elk Hair Caddis 16-18; Soft Hackle 14-18.
Good luck.
Larry
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The Best Saltwater Fishing Flies are a Mouse Click Away
Flies sure have come a long way. Today there are dozens of specialized vices and tools as well as hundreds of supply outlets. And of course you can buy ready made fresh or saltwater fishing flies from anywhere in the world, with the click of a button. But one thing remains the same; the best flies are hand tied by people who tie from experience. And that's what this article is about. We're going to take a look at some of the best flies, for any fishing conditions and locals, hand tied by the true masters.
Let's do this by region. If you are planning a fishing getaway this will give you time to get the best flies you need for where you want to go. And of course, it never hurts to try a new fly at you favorite local spot. You never know...
Starting in the northeast I bring your attention to Joe "Flycatcher" O'Clair. If the name sounds familiar, you might have heard it mentioned by fly tying legend and editor of Fly Tier Magazine, David Klausmeyer. David featured Joe as one of the "top 13 US fly tiers" in his fly tying hardcover classic; "Striped Bass Flies: Patterns of the Pros."
A saltwater fly tying innovator, Joe has designed some great flies for fishing conditions common to many coastal anglers. Located on Cape Cod, he caters to the need for distance casting by beach bound anglers and saltwater flies that are visible, but natural looking, in the cloudy Atlantic waters of New England. Joe's "Cone Head Deceivers" make the distance and sink rapidly. They do the trick nicely, working especially well on Striped Bass and Bluefish. http://www.FlycatcherFlies.com
If you're looking for saltwater flies that work like magic from the coast of Nova Scotia down to the outer banks of Carolina, FlycatcherFlies.com should be your first stop.
Now we head down south to St. Petersburg, Florida and fly tying great Danny Sauvageau, of DansCustomFlies.com.
We visit with Dan for one of his latest creations, "Dan's Weedless Shrimp" http://members.ij.net/danscustomflys/WeedlessShrimpPage.html. This little beauty is virtually snag proof and great for Seatrout, Snook, Bonefish, and just about anything else that will eat shrimp.
Dan has been designing and selling his award winning flies for over a decade. Next time you find yourself in his neck of the woods, a visit to his online store is a must.
Now let's head over to the Pacific Northwest and http://www.adiposflytying.com. If you're looking for great Salmon, Steelhead or Trout flies, look no further. The pros at Adipos got their experience fishing the best that British Columbia, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon have to offer.
These are rugged flies for hearty fish that are as at home in the Washington as they are west coastal Canada.
We finish our online pursuit of great saltwater fishing flies in Southern California with a visit to Gary Bulla of http://www.garybulla.com. Gary is one of the foremost experts in designing flies that work especially well for kayakers and surf casters going after Yellowfin Tuna and Roosterfish.
These are just a few of the great saltwater fly tiers out there. Most of them and countless others sell out of local bait and tackle shops as well so look around the next time you take a last minute fishing trip. There's bound to be a local legend fly tier that has just the right fly for what you're after.
Keep those lines tight!
About the Author
Proving that fishing for fun can pay off; Scott Jason founded http://www.SaltwaterFlies.org and spends his free time testing the best master tied saltwater fishing flies the world has to offer.
Flies For Fly Fishing