Missouri River special place for PPL Montana employee
From the first moment I cast my line in the Missouri River and heard the light plop of the freshly tied nymph, I knew this was a special place to be.
I first fished on the Missouri in 1981 with a friend of mine from college. I was just astounded by the magnificence of it. Living in Kalispell at the time, where the water is clear and cold and the trout small, the Missouri River just blew me away.
Here you see endless hatches of mayflies and other water bugs in spring and summer, and the trout seem to be everywhere rising up to get them.
My favorite place to fly-fish is between PPL Montana’s Holter Lake and Cascade, a 35-mile stretch that offers some of the best trout fishing I know of anywhere. PPL Montana’s Hauser Dam, about 30 miles upstream, is another great place for outdoor enthusiasts.
For anglers like me, the big advantage here is access. There are many shore access points and boat ramps. When you get to know the river, you’ll discover many different areas to fish. There’s lots here to enjoy.
I tend to stick to the middle and lower parts of the river closer to Great Falls, where there often are fewer people. Working for PPL Montana on fisheries issues on the Missouri and its tributaries gives me lots of opportunities to appreciate the significance of this historic river.
When folks ask me about my fly-fishing techniques, I tend to recommend nymphs —basically insect larva — with a floating indicator. As a fisheries biologist, I’ve noticed over the years that trout are always eating nymphs and eat dry flies only at certain times of the year.
A good nymph on the Missouri River is the “bead head pheasant tail nymph.” It imitates a mayfly nymph, and there are lots and lots of mayfly nymphs in the Missouri River. They’re a major part of the trout diet. Tying one is fairly simple.
First, slide a small gold metal bead on a hook. Then tie in and wrap on some fibers from pheasant tail feathers for the tail and body. Use some peacock tail feathers for the thorax, and then pull a covering of pheasant tail fibers over the top to imitate a wing case.
The Missouri River is a dramatic landscape, with really good quality fishing and diverse wildlife that ranges from white pelicans and heron to mink, muskrat and otter. What more could you ask for?
Access: One of Steve Leathe’s recommended access sites is at Cascade’s North Park, a waterside recreation area with a new boat ramp, picnic area and parking area. PPL Montana helped redevelop the park, which was dedicated last year. It’s a half mile north of Cascade on the frontage road. From I-15, exit at the Town of Cascade and follow the signs to the park. There are many Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks access sites along the Missouri River between Holter Dam and Great Falls. The Wolf Creek Bridge and Craig sites are very popular put-in spots and are heavily used. For directions, click here.