Missouri River Fishing Report: June 12, 2026

Summary

The Missouri is fishing well and squarely into its dry-fly prime, a few weeks early. Flows are dropping back toward average near 3,160 CFS at Holter, the tributaries have cleared, and fish are eating heavily in their peak metabolic window. The one catch is crowds: this is the busiest month of the year, so go early or go late.

At a glance: ~3,160 CFS at Holter Dam and dropping | Light rain stain, tributaries cleared and dropping | Water around 57°F, dam discharge just under 60°F midday (wet wading viable) | Cool and wet, highs 60s to low 70s, periodic rain | PMD dry-fly season underway, a few weeks early

The Mo is fishing well and squarely into its dry-fly prime. A wet, below-average-temperature pattern through late May and early June bumped the river and the regional tributaries; flows peaked around 3,500 CFS and are now back on the drop, sitting near 3,160 CFS at Holter as of June 11. The tributaries (Little Prickly Pear, the Dearborn) have largely cleared, though the rain has left a touch of color in the main stem and set up productive mud lines for the worm bite. Dam discharge is running just below 60°F at midday with the river around 57°F, warm enough that wet wading is a comfortable option.

This is a low-water year, and the Mo is behaving more like a freestone than a classic tailwater, warming through the day moving down from the dam and cooling on the cold overnight lows. Fish are in their peak metabolic window and eating heavily, so success is mostly a matter of carrying the right bug and presenting it well. The one real headache is company: this is the busiest month of the year, with anglers and boats up and down the river. Go early or go late to dodge the crowd, and expect the Missoula-area traffic to thin out over the next week as the western freestones drop back into shape.

Best techniques

• Nymphing (morning go-to). The worm-and-sowbug combo is the reliable opener, especially early. Run roughly 5 feet to your first bug over gravel bottoms in 4 to 6 feet of water; short-leash 2 to 3 feet on the flats, banks, and through pods of rising fish. Switch to smaller mayfly and caddis patterns once the bugs start popping, generally 10:00 to 11:00. Expect to pick through whitefish. Deep nymphing produces all day when you dial in weight, depth, and pattern, the only three variables you control.
• Dry fly (the main event). When the bugs come, fish look up in numbers. These fish are educated by heavy pressure, so bring your A-game: long leaders, accurate casts, fly-first presentations. The upper river fishes best for dries with the longer daily window. A rusty spinner has been the go-to, with PMD cripples especially deadly after rain knocks bugs onto the water.
• Dry-dropper. In the skinny water a Chubby over a Micro May or Frenchie is hard to beat, and an occasional big brown will come up and eat the Chubby itself.
• Soft hackles. Late morning to early afternoon is swing time. When fish are swirling below the surface, drop a soft hackle into the zone and hang on.
• Streamers. The cloud and rain have turned on a solid streamer bite. Fish intermediate sink tips and get the fly to the fish. Dark purple and black have been best, then sparkle olive, yellow, and brown. Target banks, gravel-bar drop-offs, and mid-river buckets. Only a couple of weeks before the weeds get tall, so get the streamer days in now.

Hatches and flies. PMDs and caddis are the stars right now, with Tricos on deck and building toward late June. The PMD hatch is well underway a few weeks ahead of schedule; the cool, wet weather has the shops optimistic the early start will not mean an early end. Caddis are thickest below Craig and pushing upriver toward the Wolf Creek bridge. Ants and other terrestrials are coming on early, Yellow Sallies are beginning to show, and brown drakes could flurry any evening now below Pelican. Midges round out the menu morning and evening.

Nymphs: Split Case PMD, Frenchie, Green Machine, Psycho May, Two Bit Hooker, Micro May, Black IPT, Spanish Perdigon, Fullback Napoleon, Crust Nymph, Tung Jig Pheasant Tail, Tung Jig Hare's Ear, Blow Torch (and Red Bead Blow Torch), Red Bead Duracell, Brown Perdigons, Zirdle, Tailwater Sowbug, Wire Worm, Two Hot PMD, PMD Magic Fly, Redemption, Gold Lightning Bug, Doc's Summer Bug, Purple Weight Fly, Tung Darts, UV Czech Caddis, Pheasant Tails, Iron Sally, Split Back, and small Zebra Midges.

Dries: Rusty Spinner, Corn-Fed Caddis, Purple Haze, Adams, Purple Para Wulff, Royal Wulff, Sparkle Flag, Split Flag, Brianne Dun, Film Critic, Missing Link, CDC Para Spinner, Profile Spinner, Hi-Vis Spent Caddis, Outrigger Caddis, Sparkle Dun, Elk Hair Caddis, Double Duck Caddis, Stockingfoot Caddis, Buzzball, Hatchbacks, and D&D Cripple.

Emergers and cripples: CDC Emerger, Flash Cripple, Last Chance Cripple, Sprouts, Loop Wing Emerger, Captive Dun, Partridge and Yellow, PMD Soft Hackle, and Edible Emerger.

Streamers: Kreelex, Sparkle Minnow, Thin Mint, Sex Dungeon (down to a white Dungeon), Lil' Kim, Skiddish Smolt, Gamechanger, Bam Bam, Trout Spey Bugger, Mini Montana Intruder, Mini Sculpin, Mini-Dungeon, Micro Peanut Envy, and the Peacock and Black Bugger.

By the stretch. The reports ran mostly whole-river this week, but a few geographic notes: the upper river (Holter Dam to Wolf Creek to Craig) is the best dry-fly water with the longest daily window, and the Holter-to-Wolf-Creek wade zone (the Bull Pasture) holds fish. Caddis are strongest below Craig and moving up. Below Pelican and into the lower river (toward Cascade and the Land of the Giants), watch for brown drakes to flurry in the evenings.

Outlook. The cool, wet pattern looks to hold into next week with highs in the 50s and 60s and another good chance of rain late in the week. Flows are expected to settle near average for the back half of June, stable to slightly dropping. The shops are calling the next 8 to 10 weeks dry-fly Valhalla: PMDs should run strong through about the Fourth of July before the Trico takes over, and the unseasonably cool weather may stretch the PMD window past its usual close. Bring rain gear and sunscreen both.

Sources and Thanks

Shop	Report date	Coverage
Headhunters Fly Shop (Craig)	June 8, 2026	Missouri River
The Trout Shop (Craig)	June 11, 2026	Missouri River
Cross Currents Fly Shop (Craig)	June 8, 2026	Missouri River
Wolf Creek Angler (Wolf Creek)	June 4, 2026	Missouri River