Missouri River High Water FAQ’s
A short list today on the HH Blog.
Sunny, 83F today. We love it. Rain Thursday and Friday. No rain, I hope, on Caddis Fest ’18 Saturday.
Can I wade fish? Sort-of. Up at the dam there is some room. The paved and dirt road sides. Walk around up there and you will find some room. Here and there up and down the river. Pretty tough. You cannot just waltz out on to your favorite flat and cast away. It’s not that kind of water. July is the month that we can do that. But probably not til then. Boats are the key in this high water period.
When will the water recede? Late June, or early July. That is based on conversations with the dam managers and long time locals in the know. But, then again I, we, could all be wrong.
Can I dry fly fish? Sort of. You could toss an attractor at the bank from a boat. You could roll a dry/dropper rig. Fishing toward the banks with nymph rigs have been successful…so why not toss a dry fly. Will it work? Maybe. Gotta throw to know.
There are BWO’s, Midges, some caddis, and a few March Browns out there. No fish rising to them. The fish will return to the rise more frequently when water levels reach 8K. They will rise when it is higher, but not in the numbers you are thinking of. Just too deep to get them to come to the surface. You should see the bonanza sub-surface for those fish to eat.
Do fish get fat during high water periods? Yes. A veritable bug and goo and worm and more buffet for our hungry fish.
Will the water ever go down? Yes. “It will not go down while you are here sir.” That is a common conversation here on the porch at HH of Craig. No, magic will not happen overnight. Just like the fly cast…you cannot make magic happen practicing your cast in the boat between spots. Just won’t happen.
That is analogous to watching golf on TV emulating Spieth’s swing standing behind the couch and thinking it will rocket you to the ranks of semi-pro…