Missouri River Fishing Report: April 26, 2026

Summary

Spring is fully on the Missouri and the fishing is quite good across all four shops. Flows are steady near 3,370 to 3,500 CFS with BWOs the main event and midges a reliable second. Cloudy days favor streamers, while sun pushes the hatch later into the day.

At a glance: ~3,370 to 3,500 CFS at Holter | Clear | 44 to 48°F and falling | 30s overnight to 50s and 60s daytime | BWO, midge, March Brown just starting

Spring is fully on the Missouri. Headhunters reports a yo-yo week, 84°F last Tuesday, snow and rain Thursday, 30s overnight on the way into the weekend. Flows are steady around 3,370 to 3,500 cfs out of Holter, and water temps have dropped from 48°F to 44°F over the last 24 hours. Fishing is reported as quite good across all four shops, with BWOs the main event and midges a reliable second. The whole tailwater is producing, Headhunters is fishing all reaches, and the Trout Shop notes that veteran anglers are favoring water below Craig where the bug activity is strongest. Rainbows are wrapping up the spawn near the dam and beginning to spread back through the canyon, which means the post-spawn feed is just getting started.

Craig Bridge is closed for repairs through this weekend at minimum, possibly longer. Shuttles are still running daily; build alternate launch/take-out plans (Craig→Mid, Mid→Mountain, Prewett, Pelican).

Rainbow spawn is still in play, especially up near the dam. Avoid wading on visible redds and give spawning fish space.

Best techniques

• Nymphing, primary game. Cross Currents recommends 6 to 7 ft deep in the morning, 3 to 5 ft in the afternoon as fish look up for emergers. Headhunters notes nymphers running shallower than usual this spring, some without split shot. Sows and BWO subsurface patterns are the staples; double-sow rigs are still punching the ticket.
• Dry fly, opening up daily. BWOs are hatching prolifically, mostly between 2 and 6 PM. On bright sunny days the hatch may push later into the evening. Cluster midges remain a reliable warm-up before the BWO bite turns on. When fish refuse a standard BWO dry, switch profile (Purple Para Wulff, Royal Wulff, Adams) or drop to a soft-hackle / emerger just under the film.
• Dry-dropper. Suspending an #18 BWO nymph beneath a Skwala Chubby or larger mayfly in skinny water is a high-percentage spring rig.
• Streamers, bite is on, even bluebird. Browns are chasing actively; rainbows still recovering from spawn. Water temps in the low 40s, keep retrieves moderate with built-in pauses. Intermediate or dry lines for most water; dredge deeper on cloudy days. Soft-hackle BWOs swung behind a small leech or minnow are a great way to cover water.
• March Browns coming. The Trout Shop is starting to roll #12 to #14 PT-variety nymphs above an #18 BWO nymph in anticipation of the March Brown emergence.

Hatches and flies.

BWO Nymphs: Pill Popper, Green Machine, Psycho May, Two Bit Hooker, Black IPT, Micro May, Crust Nymph, Tung Jig Pheasant Tail, Frenchie, Tungsten Tailwater Tiny, Olive Perdigon, Brown Perdigon

Sows / Worms / Midges (subsurface): Tailwater Sow (Natural Grey, Rainbow), Pink Bead Tungsten Epoxy Back Sow, Soft Hackle Ray, Pederson's Sow, Caviar Scud, TFP Skurp, UV Yum Yum, Wire Worm, Bubble Yum, Amex, Magic Fly, Zebra Midge, Ruby Midge, Mercury Midge, Tufted Zebra, Midge Larva

BWO Dries / Emergers: Pederson's 401K Baetis, Sprout Baetis, Hi-Vis BWO Spinner, Hi-Vis BWO, Film Critic, Winna Spinna BWO, Brianne Dun, Sparkle Flag, Split Flag, CDC Para Spinner, Purple Para Wulff, Royal Wulff, Purple Haze, Olive Haze, Adams, Nyman's DOA Cripple Baetis, Last Chance Cripple, Flash Cripple, Jake's Hatchback Baetis

Midges: Cluster Midge, Bucky's Midge Cluster, Grizzly Midge Cluster, Adams Midge Cluster, Hi-Vis Midge, Black Midge, Griffith's Gnat, Harrop's Hanging Midge

Dry-Dropper Indicator: Skwala Chubby

Streamers: Skiddish Smolt (Silver, Brown/Yellow), Goldie, Montana Intruder & Mini Montana Intruder, Sex Dungeon, Mini Dungeon, Micro Dungeon, Micro Peanut Envy, Sparkle Minnow, Kreelex, Heisenberg, Lil' Kim, Thin Mint, Sparkle Bugger, Trout Spey Bugger, Bam Bam, Mini Sculpin, Gamechanger, Swim Coach, MoJo Minnow, Baby Gonga, Polar Leech, Dirty Hippy, Peacock Bugger, Black Bugger

Outlook. Cool, unsettled weather through Sunday and Monday with rain and possible snow, historically a boost for BWO activity and streamer fishing alike. Daytime highs climbing back into the 50s and 60s mid-week, overnight lows in the 20s and 30s. Watch for the first March Browns; have #12 to #14 PTs ready. As more rainbows finish spawning, expect the post-spawn feed to ramp through the next 2 to 3 weeks. Craig Bridge closure is the main logistics wrinkle, call ahead for shuttle arrangements.

Sources and Thanks

Shop	Report date	Coverage
Headhunters Fly Shop (Craig)	April 24, 2026	Missouri River
The Trout Shop (Craig)	April 23, 2026	Missouri River
Cross Currents Fly Shop (Craig)	April 23, 2026	Missouri River
Wolf Creek Angler (Wolf Creek)	April 9, 2026	Missouri River