Logo: Missouri River Guides and Lodging
Image: Flyfishing Tips from Missouri River Pros
Clean Fly Lines.....are very important to you the angler. Do you remember that first date with your wife or girlfriend; how about the feeling you had when you drove your new SUV off the lot...I have simalar feelings about new or very clean fly lines. It is the most important part of your gear!! True performance can be achieved by treating yourself to a new fly line before your trip. Here are some numbers to consider...$60 fly line @ 20 uses = $3 per use...@ 30 uses = $2 per use...cost of a fishing trip, rental car, hotel rooms, meals, and cocktails...lots of money...Please make your fishing experience more enjoyable and purchase a new fly line for the fly rods you intend to use, you will catch more fish and be smiling along the way.
Reach Casts.....catch more fish than any fly, presentation style, and dumb luck combined. A reach cast is an integral part to catching more fish. Guides on the Missouri teach the Reach Cast everyday to clients and we are perpetually improving our own casting skills to better understand the biomechanics of the fly cast. It is an "in the air mend." If the fly is skating or dragging near the intended fish, he genearally does not take the fly...because it is not presented in a natural manner. If you ordered rare prime rib, and the waiter put the plate in front of you, and while looking at the wonderful piece of meat, it suddenly moved on the plate, you would run as fast as you could to leave the restaurant, or at the very least not touch it! This is how fish feel about improbable insect behaviors, they recognize that it is not a viable food source and ignore it, or spook and leave the area. The reach cast is a cast that begins like every other cast...while moving the rod forward, STOP the rod as you would during a presentation cast, and move the rod tip 4-5 ft. left or right, depending on the situation. The movement after the rod has stopped is even slower than the casting stroke, finishing near the water with a right angle created between the rod tip and the fly line. It is a difficult thing to explain, but an important cast for tailwater fishing. Seek out someone who knows this cast and practice it as much as possible. You will catch more fish...get the drift.
Mending....It is difficult to move 25 ft. of line with a 6 inch rod tip movement...if you utilize the 9 ft. lever in your hand and actually move the rod tip many, many, many ft., you will have success.....there are no round movement patterns in fly fishing, only vertical and horizontal, slow, large rod tip movements...
I have fished with lots great dry fly fisherman, but very few great nymph fishermen. The indicator cannot move by itself, therefore it is only one of 3 things... 1) The fly has touched the bottom 2) The tippet has contacted a weed 3) A fish has eaten the fly. THE BEST NYMPH FISHERMAN HIT/STRIKE ON EVERY INDICATOR MOVEMENT THAT IS CONTRARY TO THE CURRENT AND CATCH THE MOST FISH.
A note about Pale Morning Dun's...The PMD hatch can be a difficult hatch to master. Guides go through both periods of success and sorrow fishing these bugs...When the fish are eating Dun's, everybody can hook em'...but the rarely are eating the Dun, so...PMD emergers, cripples and spinners produce well when you identify which stage the fish are taking BASED ON RISE FORMS. Watch the feeding behaviors of these fish to really discern which fly to throw at them, BEFORE MAKING YOUR FIRST CAST. Waiting and studying the feeding behavior for an excruciating additional 3 minutes can mean the difference in shouting an expletive or snapping a photo of another wild trout. Lots of fish are caught on your initial/first presentation, and after the first drift they can become exponentially more difficult. PMD's are not strong swimmers or emergers and any movement of your fly contrary to the current is easily noticed by the fish. This is a hatch that favors folks that can achieve perfect drag free drifts, over and over and over. You need to Get the Drift...
A note about fishing Trico Spinner Falls...there can literally be an insect every square centimeter on the water making it look like an oil slick of dead bugs...PRECISE CASTING AND DRIFTING SKILLS ARE REWARDED WITH HOOKUPS...those familiar with the reach cast, slack line presentations, and possess the ability to adjust the drift during the drift have an advantage...Get the Drift Outfitters staff members are keenly aware of this and all have the skills to teach and improve all of us in the casting and drifting arena. We believe that learning is an integral part of the day and creating an environment of open communication and the trading of ideas is part of our mission statement.
MY BELIEF IS THE MAJOR TOPWATER DIET OF MISSOURI RIVER FISH IS BITS AND PEICES OF DEAD & DECOMPOSING INSECTS. Yes, fishing the classic dun/adult pattern is a lot of fun, but the fish are not always eating those high floaters. Emergers and cripples are two of the favorite stages of Missouri River fish, but I believe that they truly adore DEAD BUGS (spinners or LaFontaines' Buzz Ball) more than any other topwater food source. Bits and Pieces of dead and decomposing insects get eaten all day long in backeddies and banklines. We commonly see big brown trout sipping on unidentifiable food sources, generally bits and pieces.
There are fish in the middle of the river...we see guys fishing from the bank wading to the top of their waders to fish to the center of the river...and you witness guys from boats furiously casting to the shore......it's an oxymoron...fish live in fishy spots that range from bank to bank, so my advice is to listen to your guide and trust him...he truly is on your team.
If feeding fish ate every fly that passed them by...all the fish downriver would starve.
Bad drifts are like bad relationships.......you think they will get better but they just don't.......just think about it...
Trust your guide...he has intimate knowledge of the river, is addicted to netting fish, is your team leader, and rowin' his ass off to give you the most opportunities to catch fish. Most guides are on the Missouri 125-175 days a year and are always thinking abut fishing, well sometimes women, so while you may not believe everything that comes out of his mouth, the fishing stuff is true. Being a guide is a lifestyle choice, sacrificing most of what is considered to be a normal life path. What we get in return is richness of life. We have chosen to be present and immerse ourselves in the everyday rhythm of water and nature. Fishing 300 days a year is more days than most people will fish in their lifetime, and a lot of guides do just that. We love to see fish caught and are always excited to learn and teach. Listen to your guide and Get the Drift...
Good drifts are like good relationships..you nurture them, synonym mending, and they will produce...
Fishing is what you do on the river...casting is what you do in your yard...get the drift...
Even Tiger Woods has an instructor, those who are at the top of their game are coached and are willing to learn. Casting Instruction from a Federation of Fly Fishermen certified instructor is always a good idea. I love to take 4-5 lessons a year and it really does pay off when on the river. Great instruction coupled with casting practice is a sure way to catch more fish. 10 minutes of casting once a week can make you a far better caster.
Golfers often use a mulligan, fishermen do not have that opportunity...but we can make a couple practice drifts. Watching a feeding trout for a couple of minutes, figuring out the feeding patterns as well as the current/drift line is imperative. I advocate making a practice drift or two. Casting short of the fish and having the ability to view how the current takes the fly, as well as having the proper amount of line out is a terrific way to set you up for success. We want to catch him on the first drift. Catching a spooky bank sipper takes patience...making a plan and following it is one way to increase your odds. You wouldn't rush into a business without a business plan, so why would you rush your cast in a situation like this. So many times we see people throw a cast too soon, without proper preparation and spook the fish.
Nymph fishing...the fly that is in the water the longest has the greatest chance to catch fish. Any cast that lands outside of the boat is a good nymph cast. We are not looking for tight looped 70 ft. casts here; instead 20-30 ft. casts in conjunction with good mending skills will get the job done. The 9 ft. lever in your hand is an excellent tool for mending, moving the rod tip vertically 4-5 ft, then horizontally 5-6 ft. upstream is my preferred method. Think of it as an upside-down capital L. The wrist is a wonderful articulating joint, but we need to use the long lever. Moving the rod tip inches does not move a limp fly line much, but moving the rod tip distances measured in feet not inches works better.
Image: Get the Drift...catch BIG BROWNS on the Missouri River
I don't know anybody on the Missouri who hasn't learned from their friends. The Missouri is a wonderful place on our earth, a great lab for us to continue to learn, and one of the friendlier rivers I know. The dissemination of information amongst fishermen allows us to improve our fishing and guiding skills, and without it our beloved sport would founder. Flyfishing mentors are worth their weight in gold and I encourage everybody to find one if not many. They help us learn and understand not only how to catch more fish, but also how to conduct ourselves in communion with nature, our surroundings, and other fishermen. There are certain behaviors that we all see that make us uncomfortable and anxious; exhibiting proper river etiquette and respect for others goes a long way in perpetuating this terrific outdoor activity.
This list is long, and getting longer every year I spend on the Missouri. I believe this is a special river and so do these people. I would not have achieved the success I have enjoyed without them. I cannot thank them enough and have the utmost respect and love for them...It starts with my mom and dad, Richard and Karen Raisler, for encouraging me to follow my passions, sometimes to their chagrin, but always supporting me with continued love. The first trip with Shaun Thompson, who outfished me at least 50-1, but I outdrank him...who was crazy enough to go on a fishing road trip with me and I am still surprised we did not get arrested. Also Erich Bittman, who falls into the some catergory, the not getting arrested one, thanks to both of you fellas. Tom Bramble, Larry Tarmelli, Capt. Scott Yetter, Mark Daly, Dave Ames, Chuck Tuchschimidt, Dave Carnahan...fellas who befriended me in the early nineties and are responsible for a large part of my river knowledge...they encouraged/forced me to begin guiding, I'll never forgive them. Chris Goodman and Jerry Lappier, who gave me a job, allowed me to tie flies for the shop, and stood behind me even after I quit working for the Trout Shop during the high season. Carroll and Margaret Jenkins, my parents on the Missouri, whom I have borrowed everything through the years including my first drift boat, Suburban's, rods, flies, anchor's, trailers, stiff Gin & Tonic's, and countless conversations’ on their porch. The outfitters who believed in me in the beginning, when I was just fakin' it and did not even believe in myself...Gary Fritz, Tim Plaska, Mark Daly, Chuck Tuchschmidt, Dan Kelly. Pete Cardinal for his intimate knowledge of the Missouri, sharing bits and pieces throughout the years, and his encouragement. Geoff Ferguson & Dangerous Dan Gard for allowing me to look at their flies, which I've been trying to emulate that buggy style ever since. More recent friends, John Arnold and Dave Bloom, who think about fishing on the Missouri like no others. Mike Bushly for constant level headed advice and encouraging me to pursue my outfitters license. Long time friend and guide Mike Kuhnert, who is hungry and full of enthusiasm, trying new patterns, spots, and techniques, not following the status-quo, who keeps me from becoming complacent. Lastly to Mother Mo, for giving me a place to call home and for being the most beautiful river known to man.
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