6/19/2026: Missouri River Fishing Report
Summary
The Mo is squarely into its dry-fly prime and fishing well, though the PMD hatch is running a touch thinner than usual. A wet, cool stretch through June 17 and 18 (sleet, hail, and rain) reset the river after the early-month warm-up. Flows below Holter are holding around 3,160 CFS and easing back toward summer levels; water temps run 56°F at the dam and 58°F midday downstream, warm enough for wet wading. The added moisture and cloud cover have been welcome for the bugs and have pushed hatch start times later in the day.
At a glance: Flow: ~3,000-3,160 CFS at Holter Dam (on the drop) | Water temp: 56-58°F (wet wading viable) | Clarity: good, the June 17-18 rain and hail added a little color but tributaries are back in shape | Weather: unsettled, mid-60s to 80°F over the next ten days | Stage: PMD and caddis prime, PMDs running thinner than usual, Tricos on deck
A wet, cool stretch through June 17 and 18 (sleet, hail, and rain) reset the river after the warm-up earlier in the month. Flows below Holter Dam are holding around 3,160 CFS and continuing to ease back toward summer levels; water temps are 56°F at the dam and 58°F midday downstream, warm enough for wet wading. The added moisture and the cloud cover have been welcome news for the bugs and have pushed hatch start times a little later in the day, with PMDs and PEDs typically popping noon-ish on cloudy days and closer to 10:00 a.m. on bright ones.
The honest read on the hatch is mixed. The dry-fly fishing is the headline event, but Headhunters is calling it a mediocre PMD so far: good action during the daily hatch window (roughly 9:30 to 1:30), but not the heavy daily flurries or one great spinner fall we'd usually expect by mid-June. Caddis are decent but not over-the-top either, with the best evening activity in the canyon and fluttering adults on the water toward dusk. The grass is greener for caddis pupa-and-PMD-nymph combos than for any one bug fished alone. The PMD/caddis prime window should hold for another couple of weeks, and Headhunters is already calling for Tricos soon.
Note. Heavy boat traffic. This is the busiest month of the year and the put-ins and take-outs are stacked at peak hours. Go early or go late, give wade fishers a wide berth, and be patient at the ramps.
Best techniques
Nymphing, the workhorse. The worm-and-sowbug combo remains the morning opener, especially on the upper river: roughly 5 feet to the first bug over gravel bottoms in 4 to 6 feet of water. Switch to smaller PMD and caddis nymphs once the bugs start coming off around 10 to 11. The long-rig wire-worm-over-mayfly-nymph setup is still producing well, and a short-leash two-Split Case PMD rig has been exceptionally effective per the Trout Shop. Plan to pick through whitefish, especially early.
Dry fly, the main event, with caveats. Fish look up in numbers when the bugs come, but they're educated and the hatches are spotty day to day. Cycle through duns, cripples, and spinners before walking away from a riser. A Hi-Vis Rusty Spinner over rising pods has been the go-to, and a Corn-Fed Caddis with a PMD emerger dropped behind it is the durable two-fly setup. Don't skip caddis patterns at midday even when nothing is on the water yet.
Soft hackles. Late morning to early afternoon swing time: drop a soft hackle into the column when fish are swirling below the surface. Hit-or-miss, but on the right day it's a sleeper.
Streamers, better with the clouds back. The anemic insect bite has Headhunters reaching for the meaty alternative. Leeches have been real good on light line or intermediate tips fished with purpose. Cross Currents is still calling the darker purples and blacks first, then sparkle olive, yellow, and brown. Target banks, gravel-bar drop-offs, and mid-river buckets, and get the streamer days in before the weeds come up in a couple of weeks.
Hatches
PMDs and caddis continue to anchor the menu, with PEDs joining the PMDs midday on the upper river and a few PMD spinners showing in the evenings (though no great single spinner fall yet). The early-arrival PMD hatch from late May and early June has held on through the cool stretch but isn't producing the heavy daily flurries the shops expect by now. Tricos are on the horizon (soon per Headhunters). Background midges are still around morning and evening.
The Fly Box
Nymphs: Split Case PMD, Red Bead Duracell, Frenchie, Green Machine, Little Green Machine, Tailwater Sowbug, Wire Worm, Worms, Sows, Brown Perdigons, Zirdle, Two Hot PMD, PMD Magic Fly, Redemption, Gold Lightning Bug, Doc's Summer Bug, Purple Weight Fly, Tung Darts, UV Czech Caddis, Blow Torch, Pheasant Tails
Emergers: Sprouts, CDC Emergers, Last Chance Cripples, Flash Cripples, PMD Soft Hackle, Edible Emerger, Film Critic PMD
Dries: Hi-Vis Rusty Spinner, Rusty Spinners, Corn-Fed Caddis, Missing Link Caddis, Sparkle Dun, D&D Cripple, Double Duck Caddis, Stockingfoot Caddis, Elkhair classics, Hatchbacks, Buzzballs, Party On Top, Hi-Vis Caddis
Streamers: Kreelex, Sparkly Minnow, Thin Mint Bugger, Sex Dungeon, Lil Kim, Skiddish Smolt, Gamechanger, Leeches
By the stretch. The reports ran almost entirely whole-river this week, with no formal sub-section breakouts. Two geographic notes worth carrying: the upper river (Holter Dam down through the canyon) has been seeing the earliest PMD start on bright days (closer to 10:00 a.m.) and is where the Trout Shop is fishing dry flies through the canyon. Caddis activity is most consistent in the canyon and toward dusk, with the evening fluttering adults the standout. No specific Land of the Giants or Cascade-stretch notes this run.
Outlook. The next ten days look unsettled with highs in the mid 60s to 80°F and continued chances for rain and storms. That's helpful weather: cooler, cloudier days slow the hatch's burn rate and keep the dry-fly window from collapsing into a single peak week. Flows should keep easing toward summer levels. Tricos are on deck to add to the morning menu before the month is out, and the streamer bite should stay on while the cloud cover and pre-weed-growth window holds. Pack rain gear and sunscreen both.
Sources and Thanks
| Shop | Report date | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Headhunters Fly Shop (Craig) | June 18, 2026 | Missouri River |
| The Trout Shop (Craig) | June 18, 2026 | Missouri River |
| Cross Currents Fly Shop (Craig) | June 8, 2026 | Missouri River |
| Wolf Creek Angler (Wolf Creek) | June 4, 2026 | Missouri River |
