Tricos for Breakfast and Grasshoppers for Lunch!

4 days ago
3 min read

July 30, 2026

July is going out with a bang at the Missouri River Ranch. We've been lucky enough to have some incredible groups come through celebrating birthdays and girls' trips this last week. Not only have the spirits been as high as the temperatures, but we have also had anglers bring in some of the biggest fish of the season in recent weeks. The Bighorn Sheep have also been showing off for us in the Canyon Section of the river as well with guests getting to see Ewes (female Bighorns) with their lambs of the year frolicking along the river banks. We have also had one of our regular MRR guides see four bears in three days...from a safe distance, of course. So with the summer warming up, so is the wildlife. Water temperatures below Holter Dam have been measuring in the high 60's so it's important to get out early and respect your guide's guidance on fish handling to keep the trout in the river as happy as our anglers. Flows are still running in the 3500CFS range.

Tricos for breakfast and Grasshoppers for lunch! Tricos are still dominating the morning hatches with great activity coming up with the sun, so not only is it important to get out early to avoid the summer heat, late risers could also miss out on one of the most prolific hatches of the season. Keep your eyes out for PMDs as well as this seems to be the favorite if both are present on the water. As the day progresses, the Hopper bite has started to turn on. Best strategy is still to run a small nymph underneath your larger foam pattern until you start seeing consistent top water eats, then clip the dropper. A Grasshopper pattern alone will illicit more dry fly eats, but the nymph will help you cover more water and fish most effectively. For smaller dries, keep at them with Rusty Spinners and Cluster Midges. When the sun gets high in the Big Sky, move to a Henneberry Hopper or Water Walker to imitate your larger terrestrials.

The Zirdle...funny name, serious bug. If you check the rod racks of guides at the fishing takeouts, 9 out 10 will have some combination of Zirdle on their boats. This is a larger and very effective fly this time of year on the river. While running a double Zirdle setup is not unheard of, most savvy anglers are adding a Zebra Midge or small Frenchie pattern a few inches behind the big Zirdle to trick fish that are unsure of the meaty meal but willing to latch onto the smaller fly. Another great tip is to use as small of an indicator that you can get away with. The water is running very clear so an oversized indicator slapping hard on the water can spook fish. That being said, with the right approach, Zirdle eats have been coming as soon as the fly touches the water at times.

Big fish are keying in on big meals. Since the temperatures are on the rise, larger fish have gone into energy conservation mode and looking to cash in on a few hefty meals each day rather than thousands of small ones. Bam Bam Minnows and Sparkle Minnows are a great place to start when going for the steak dinner over popcorn approach. Place your cast as close to the banks and weed lines as you can. This seems to be where the big brown trout of the river are lazily laying looking to ambush a big meal.

Drop us a line, and we'll see you soon at the ranch! This is sure to be an unbelievable season on the Missouri.