Fall is creeping into the Valley and so is Legendary fishing!

Sep 10

3 min read

September 10, 2026

Fall has finally arrived in the Missouri River Valley! The start of September has came in with some much needed rain and bugling elk. The added moisture has boosted the flows coming out of Holter Dam and have fish enjoying the extra water. The trout have started to move around the river and bouncing between their highly oxygenated Summer spots to slower, deeper Fall holes. Highs are coming topping out in the mid-60's to mid-50's with lows of an evening dropping all the way down to the 30's. Flows have risen to 3900CFS and water temperatures are clocking in at the mid-60's from the dam. Sunrises and Sunsets have been something to behold at the Ranch as well. Check out the two pictures below to see a sunrise and sunset from the same day. Also be sure to swing by the bar for Sophie's daily drink specials. They are as tasty as they are creative...and we won't tell if you come back for seconds.

Tricos and Hoppers are still the meal that have had our trout looking up. Tricos have been best earlier of a morning and starting to taper off as the day progresses. They are making another resurgence of an evening before sunset, so any guests looking for a bonus fish would be wise to indulge in Chef Justin's dinner early then hit the banks along the Wing Dams before sunset. Try some Midge Cluster patterns and a Parachute Adams. As the sun gets higher in the sky, grasshoppers have been more on the radar for rising trout. Doctor up a classic Chubby Chernobyl or Henneberry Hopper with a few artistic swipes from a Magic Marker if you are having trouble getting the fish to commit. Sometimes it's just that little something different that sets them off.

When all else fails...give them the Sowbug! Crawfish patterns are still tricking a lot of fish on the river with the key being slight twitches to add movement to the fly. While it can sound daunting trying to liven up a Zirdle pattern, it is really easier than it seems. During your drift, add in some clunky mends that stop and start the fly pulling it out of its "dead drift" swing. These little abrupt starts and stops of the fly are what catch the eye of the trout and set your fly apart from the other crawfish imitations they've seen throughout the last few weeks. If that's not working, put on what always does on the Mighty Mo...a Sowbug. We can try to overthink our fly selection and try to reinvent the wheel, but sometimes the tried and true Sowbug is what brings in the fish. Pill Poppers and Tailwater Sowbugs are great places to start. Size up and down to find the right look, but you'll never go wrong on the Missouri having a Sowbug as one of your two flies on an indicator rig.

Streamer season is fast approaching and becoming more and more effective in pulling fish out of slack water pools. Fall is spawning season for brown trout so now is the time they are looking to fatten up for this yearly push. They are doing this by keying in on larger meals to sustain them through this time. So before you leave a hole or run that you just KNOW has to hold some quality trout, tie on a Sparkle Minnow or dark bugger pattern and make a few retrieves through before you walk away. The increased action of the streamer coupled with the added protein can be just what it takes to lure that big brown out of its slumber.