By: Craig and Warren DeMark

It’s a Sunday in March so things at the lodge are a bit slow. We’ve had howling winds all week so no fishing has been accomplished as of late. Looks like there is rain/snow on the horizon and temperatures will start to drop again later this week. To pass the time we’ve decided to do a little Q and A session based on some questions we’ve been asked at travel shows this spring. I’ll start us off with the most common question that we get from everyone.

By: Craig DeMark

We are introducing our inaugural fly fishing school at On DeMark Lodge June 1st through June 6th, 2025. We are extremely excited to teach the skill and passion we have for this incredible sport and river. 

By: Warren DeMark

While air temps are trending upwards, water temps are slow to catch up. Water temps are between 34-35 degrees as of today, which means the fish are still fairly lethargic. This doesn’t mean that they won’t eat a well presented fly though.

By: Warren DeMark

April is a month that is headlined by absurd nymph fishing. As the warmer water temps roll in, every single fish in the river needs to eat. They've spent the last 4 months at the bottom of deep slow pools, eating the occasional midge or sow bug.

You can catch the DeMark’s at the listed shows this spring.

Craig had the opportunity to sit down with Dave Stewart from Wet Fly Swing Podcast and discuss the phenomenal fishing on the Missouri River. Click the link to listen or find it on your favorite podcast platform.

Wet Fly Swing Podcast Episode 683

By: Warren DeMark

Everyday I spend on the Mo’ I’m reminded of how lucky we are to have access to a resource like this river. The ample bug life, absurd amount of fish, and the opportunities to target dozens of them in pods on the surface. A good dry fly day on this river is something I believe every angler should experience. It’s beyond what I'm able to put in words. Bring your favorite five weight and a positive attitude, I’ll help you with the reach cast.

By: Craig DeMark

Fall is my favorite time of year for various reasons. Upland bird hunting starts. My Brittany, Blue, is very upset that we’ve been busy at the lodge and haven’t hit hunting grounds yet. Every morning he runs out the door and to the Yukon in anticipation that today is the day we go. So far, he’s been disappointed. Evenings are spent with him staring at me with true disdain.

By: Craig DeMark

We’ve started this busy month with some great guests. New friends have been made. Later, old friends are returning. Becky keeps wowing everyone with meals and desserts. The fishing will bring you here, her meals will keep you coming back. 

By: Craig DeMark

The morning dry fly fishing is great right now. Trico spinner fall, leftover PMD cripples and spinners and caddis have the fish looking up. By early afternoon the sun gets high and hot, the hatch wanes, and the trout retreat to deeper runs amongst the drifting weeds. Fish early and hard then go somewhere cool, like the trout, in the middle of the afternoon. Decide your game plan for the next day over drinks in the evening, then repeat starting at 6 AM the next morning.

By: Warren DeMark

We have had a busy month here at the lodge, and the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of good fishing, great people, and delicious food. With every new group that has come in, we’ve had a whole new weather system, from 90 degree days with 30 mph winds, to highs in the  60’s and an inch of rain in one storm. Conditions have varied greatly, which is normal for June, and our fishing approach changes daily.

By: Warren DeMark

Happy Memorial Day weekend from ODL! Hope everyone enjoyed their extended weekend and got some time to reflect on what is important. We are coming off a busy week with a full lodge and lots of interesting weather, which is common for May. We had tons of rain this last week (close to an inch over a 2 day stretch), plenty of cold days (40 degrees), and our fair share of wind (30 mph). The rain brought lots of mud from the tributaries: Prickly Pear has lots of water and color, Stickney Creek had tons of mud and debris for a couple days but had cleared up now, and the Dearborn has some color, which is normal for this time of year. With changing conditions brings challenging fishing, but we had some great days through the turbulent weather. Sun and rising temperatures are on the horizon, as we look forward to more summer-like conditions. End of May usually means the end of our Baetis action.

By: Warren DeMark

August. It’s like a dirty word among fly fisherman. A word draped in stereotypes of poor fishing. Sure, August in a lot of areas can be the dog days of the season with warm water temps and hoot owl closures. Montana has its fair share of warm water in August that leads to poor trout fishing. But the Missouri is different. We have three reservoirs full of water that feed into our river, and it stays pretty damn cold all year long. And in August, we have plenty of water, and plenty of fish that are eager to eat some bugs, making us the place to be in August.

By: Craig DeMark

Crazy, unsettled weather has been the pattern and it looks to continue this week. I’ve seen snow, hail, rain, and graupel (If you don’t know, google it. I had to), 40 mph winds and lightning (way too close for comfort). And that was Wednesday! Through all this the fishing has remained consistently outstanding. 

By: Craig DeMark

The baetis (aka BWO) hatch has arrived with a vengeance! We had some outstanding surface fishing throughout the day with clouds, snow and rain. It turns to more of a late afternoon thing on sunny days. Huge numbers of midges remain and are another reason the fish are looking up. The fish seem to prefer the baetis.

By: Warren DeMark

Birds are chirping and fluttering about. The sun is sitting higher in the sky and the days are longer. The weather is warmer, and the grass is greener. May is a time of change, and this can be seen in the fishing on the Missouri. Warming water temps and longer days inject new life into the river and the fish react accordingly. If you enjoy high quality fishing and using a variety of approaches without the heat of the summer, May is the time for you. 

By: Warren DeMark

It’s 9 pm in the middle of August. The sun just started setting and you haven't started dinner yet. You woke up at 5:30 am today to hit the Trico hatch and stayed on the water for way too long. You had the time of your life squinting at size 20 bugs all day and repairing 5x leaders. A couple of Missouri bruisers were fooled in the midst of the hatch, and lots of fly line was seen leaving your reel when they went on their screaming runs. It was a successful day, as is any day you can fool some trout into sticking their noses out of their aquatic home into our warmer, dryer domain. But you’re tired and dehydrated now, and if you wake up tomorrow at the break of dawn, there may not be enough coffee in the world to prevent you from taking a nap in the river. If only there was a way to wake up at noon and catch fish on size 4 dry flies. Enter Grasshoppers. 

Just wanted to give you a quick update. We've had some great winter weather in February. Great to see those snowpack numbers bumping up. The Missouri will be in great shape this year as Canyon Ferry is sitting at a little over 80% capacity right now with spring runoff on the way. 

Looking for great dry fly fishing (sometimes with unlimited targets) with light traffic? Then you are going to want to fish the Baetis (a.k.a. Blue Winged Olives) on Montana’s Missouri River. For this article we’re going to talk about the 35 or so miles of river between Holter Dam and the town of Cascade.