If you’ve stepped outside lately, you already know the Montana summer is in full swing, and Jonathan Miller over at Capital Sports in Helena is checking in with a masterclass on how to beat the low flows. Up on the Missouri River between Toston and Canyon Ferry, it’s a classic game of hide-and-seek; the walleye fishing is strong, but you’ll have to hunt down the deep holes with hair jigs or small plastics in leech, sculpin, or perch patterns to find where they’re staging.
Catch the whole report here:
Missouri River (Toston to Canyon Ferry):
Fishing has remained strong with low flows. The hard part is finding deep enough water where the walleyes hangout. But if you can find those holes, there has been some good walleye being caught in this stretch. Mainly on hair jigs or small plastics. Any leech, sculpin or perch pattern should do the trick.
Missouri River (Holter to Great Falls):
PMD’s and Caddis continue to perform along with emerger patterns of various sorts like a hare’s ear. Usually around this time Purple has starts to perform as well. I would be cautious with wet flies though as the extremely low flows has really let the weeds in many stretches to grow in. But for the patient angler, bigger browns and rainbows can be caught in these areas.
