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Missouri River

The Missouri’s Long Journey Through a Fishing Wonderland



The Missouri River is the longest river in the United States of America and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. The Missouri likely originates at Brower's Spring at the upper reaches of the Jefferson River. The headwaters of the Missouri, where all the fly fishing takes place, start in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Montana, near the small town of Three Forks. The Missouri in name officially begins at Missouri Headwaters State Park at 4,045 feet in Montana at the confluence of the Jefferson River and Madison River. The Gallatin River joins the river about 0.6 miles downstream. From the confluence of its main tributaries near Three Forks, the Missouri flows north through mountainous canyons, emerging from the mountains near Great Falls, MT.

There’s fishing in all sections of this hydroelectric water management stream. Most dry fly anglers seek out the fabled water below Holter Dam. But, there’s a long journey the river must take before it can reach the world’s largest spring creek.

From the Three Forks Junction, the river flows slowly through agricultural property for approximately twenty miles before reaching Toston Dam. There are some fish to be found in this section, but is not very popular with fly fishermen.

Below Toston, the river flows another twelve miles before dumping into Canyon Ferry Lake. Gentle sloping hills and meadows surround the river. This is where the fishing really begins. It keeps getting better as you head downstream. Big rainbows and browns migrate out of the lake on their yearly spawning runs. Rainbows migrate up river in the spring while the browns migrate up in the fall. This section of the river supports a decent population of resident fish, but it’s the migrations that bring the anglers.

Two small tailwater fisheries are created below two different Missouri River hydro dams. Below Canyon Ferry Lake's Dam, the river flows downstream for about a mile before entering Hauser Lake. This short stretch of river is noted for very large fish and heavy fishing pressure. Large streamers, nymphs, and thick leaders work best in this area. From Hauser Dam to Holter Lake the Missouri is once again known for its huge migrating trout. Jet boats are the best way to access this section. Wade fishing is generally difficult. The giant fish in this section bring anglers from near and far despite difficult access. Holter Lake, itself, is a popular local getaway.

The Journey’s End and the Beginning of The World’s Largest Spring Creek

The end of the Missouri’s trout fishing journey starts below Holter Dam. This classic tailwater is choked with fish and is one of our favorites that we include in all of our Sampler packages. Over the years we have found that for some anglers this is the only river that they want to fish. To put it simply, we love it and look forward to every day on this river.

The water below Holter Dam truly is the world’s largest spring creek. The 34-mile section of water from Holter Dam to Cascade is recognized worldwide as a premier dry fly fishery. Prolific hatches of midges, bwo’s, caddis, pmds, and tricos are something to behold. These bugs sustain large rainbow and brown trout – over 4,000 trout per mile. They Flatwater dry fly fishing is the allure to the Mighty Mo. Big fish eating tiny dry flies is the champagne of fly fishing. You’ll find it on the Missouri.