Best Time to Fish the Missouri River

The Missouri River is one of Montana’s most prolific rivers, and this is for good reason. Prolific hatches, pods of rising fish, aggressive streamer takes, and arm tiring numbers of fish on nymphs are a couple of reasons to experience this river. This river fishes like a giant spring creek and is a must-fish trout river in the Western United States. Calling this river a fish factory is an understatement, as it boasts some of the biggest fish populations by number and size of fish in the state. The Missouri is an extremely consistent tailwater, as its water source comes from a chain of three reservoirs. Copious amounts of consistently clean and cold water lend a hand in making The Missouri a reliable fishing destination for much of the year. As the river is great for the majority of the fishing season, it can be hard to decide on the best time to visit. Here’s a guide to picking a time of year that best fits your idea of a great trip.

Spring 

When Spring emerges and nature slowly starts to awaken, so do the fish. Warming weather triggers trout to start feeding hard again, as most of the winter they have been restricted in their food sources. Our season at the Lodge starts in April, and this is when the action really picks up. Nymphing can be great this time of year since most of the fish are dialed in to the same bugs. Dry fly fishing is great on the right days, and the fish are very cooperative on the top water this time of year. If the conditions line up and we get a cloudy and rainy day, the Baetis hatch can be a carpet on the water and can lead to some of our best dry-fly fishing of the year. As the weather warms up into May, the streamer bite can get outrageous, especially for big fish. April and May are a great time of year to catch a trophy trout, as all the fish are less picky in spring. This is time of year you will experience less traffic on the water and target large trout.

Summer 

June is a month of fun on the Mo’. June is when fishing really finds its rhythm for the season and the hatches gain a lot of consistency. The nymph bite is great early in the month when the water is high, creating days where you can’t seem to keep the fish off your fly. As the water starts to lower after runoff, we enter a blessed time: The PMD Hatch. The PMD hatch usually comes after peak runoff flows, and it triggers chaos. Pods of rising trout on gravel bars, heads emerging tight to the bank, and ferocious eats in the middle of the river. Dry fly fishing doesn't get much better than this. Period. Due to the size of PMDs, this is the time to throw dry flies that are easier to see than some of the smaller hatches like Baetis and Tricos. While dry fly fishing is the main attraction, the overall increase in feeding activity leads to stellar nymphing and great streamer fishing for the whole month. 

July. Dry flies. Nymphs. Streamers. Pick your poison. PMDs are still around in a big way for most of July. We use lots of spinner patterns through July to entice big sippers to take that are keyed into PMD spinners and cripples. This is also the best month for the caddis hatch. The caddis hatch is underrated and a personal favorite of mine. Once the sun starts to drop behind our jagged mountains, the clouds come out. Not the Cumulous type either. You can see clouds of caddis above the trees lining the river, and this leads to anarchy on the water. It is hard to describe the feeding activity of an evening caddis hatch, you’ll have to come experience it for yourself. Tricos show up around mid-July, and they are a remarkable sight. Millions and millions of bugs arise every morning, and when they fall to the surface, pods of heads are ready to feed. Trico mornings entail picking out the biggest head in a group and taking your best shot. This is some of the most technical dry fly fishing of the year, which also makes it some of the most rewarding. The end of the month is when the hoppers start to show, and we will also begin to throw more ant patterns. July presents the fish with an insect charcuterie board and gives us plenty of options for fishing approaches. 

August is a month of dry flies. Once August rolls around, the trout have seen their fair share of hoppers. We love targeting big trout with hoppers this time of year, and they like to eat them. Hopper fishing is a waiting game, hitting the right seams and waiting for a 22inch brown to inhale your fly like it was his first-time seeing food. Tricos are still around for most of the month, giving great morning dry fly opportunities and afternoons of tossing hoppers. August is a wonderful time to dodge some of the June and July crowds with some stellar late summer fishing. 

Fall 

September is another fun time to visit. This is a great month for big numbers on nymphs. This is also another great dry fly time. Pseudos are around, which are very small mayflies which have extremely abundant hatches on sunny days. These little guys keep eyes looking to the surface and can bring great dry fly opportunities on the right days. Hoppers and ants are still around in a big way. Some of our best hopper days in the past years have been in early and mid-September. Hopper fishing depends on temperature and moisture, so each year is a little different. Late September is when the nymph and streamer fishing really heats up again. September is an exciting time to experience all the different fishing techniques to get a true Missouri River experience. 

October on the Missouri is a true fall fishing experience. The baetis show back up in full force, meaning a cold, rainy day could be the best fishing day of the year. October caddis will show themselves sparingly, giving a chance to throw big dries if the conditions permit it. The nymph bite this time of year is on fire and getting large numbers of fish is common. October brings the big brown trout. Brown trout are getting ready to spawn in early November, so October is when they are really putting on their pounds. Streamer fishing is the preferred method to try and target giant browns this time of year. Streamer fishing enthusiasts will love this time of year, but all techniques are valuable in October. 

From April to October, the Missouri is a trout fishing mecca. Every month has something different to offer, and it is a head scratcher to figure out when to come. If you have any questions, give us a call. But rest assured, whenever you come, the fish will be here.