Northern Lights and Hopper Bites!

Jul 16
2 min read

July 16, 2026

Montana and the Missouri River is hitting it's full summer swing. With the warmer temperatures upon us, the terrestrial bite is beginning to heat up as well and will only get better as the summer continues. Big grasshoppers and ants are quickly becoming the meal of choice for the trout on the river which leads to big eats from big fish. While not a nightly occurrence, we have been lucky enough to have the Northern Lights glowing in the "Big Sky" in recent nights. Water temperatures are on the rise all over Montana, but thankfully we have one of the most stable tailwaters in the West to keep the temps in check with highs in the low 60's. Flows are staying pretty consistent around 3200CFS.

Hoppers and other terrestrials are starting to catch the eyes of eager fish with Tricos and Caddis still coming in intense hatches of a morning and evening. While launching boats at the access points on the ranch, we had a guest swear there was a campfire along the river due the thick clouds of Tricos billowing out of the bushes along the banks. After hooking into a couple of healthy trout with eyeshot of the boat ramp on a Sparkle Spinner. Trout are also starting to key in on Terrestrials as well with Hoppers being the main food source. Try tying on a Thunder Thighs or Henneberry Hopper to key in on surface eats, but a black and purple Chubby Chernobyl with a small dropper is always a great options for searching for fish just beneath the surface.

Zonkers and Zirdles have become mainstays on almost all nymphing setups. With rising tempertures, the trout are looking to make their efforts count with bigger meals so leading a larger, meatier fly with a smaller pattern has been getting the most looks on the river. Once described to me in the frame of "I won't get off the couch on a hot day for a popcorn kernel, but I'll run across the living room for a whole pizza" sums up the mindset the fish on the river are getting into. Large flies like tan Zonkers and Zirdles are getting the attention of energy conserving fish, but following the big meal with a small Frenchie or Perdigon pattern is picking up the trout that are slow to commit.

The streamer bite is becoming more and more consistent as well. With evening anglers along the Wing Dams at the ranch picking up incredible trout. We currently have a long-time friend of the ranch and avid angler in house that is using the twilight hours to search for "the big one" with streamers. Mini Dungeons and classic Buggers have been scoring fish on our stretch of the Missouri. Persistence is paying off more than pattern, so find a fly you have confidence throwing and keep at it. "The big one" is lurking out there somewhere.