Steps for PMD Success! PMD=Pale Morning Dun btw

For the Missouri river in early June one of the biggest questions is “what’s the flow?”  Well this year it’s not too big and it’s not too small so that means it’s just about right.  With the PMD’s already starting and the dry fly fishing soon to be awesome, I thought I’d share a bit of “how-to-do-it-right” here.

1.  Tie up or go to your favorite fly shop and get your favorite Cripples, Sparkle duns, X-Caddis (the caddis are out there too), Split cases (these are nymphs and the fish really like them), spinners (yellow and rusty bodied), some good floatant (Fly-Agra, Frog Fanny, Loon Aquel), and some damn good tippet (TroutHunter 4X and 4.5X).
2. Go fishing
3. Treat yourself to a nice new leader (4X 9′ from Rio works well). Get your taper right but be wary of too many knots.  (Buy the 3 pack from Rio).
4. Find a bunch of rising fish.  Approach the fish with at least a little bit of stealth.  It’s sometime difficult to control one’s self with the sight of rising fish but just be calm and take a moment to watch the beauty of the fish you are lucky to have right in front of you.  Note, on the Missouri, the risers on the slick water will make you earn your black belt.  The risers in the riffles will make you wish the metal your hooks are made with was a little more stout and doesn’t bend out on those bad-ass fish.
5. Lay out a nice reach cast and let it drift nice and easy right into the fish’s mouth.  Set with confidence and try not to use a “two handed tuna hauler” technique.  Let the fish run!
6. Enjoy your company and your surroundings.  (This is at the end of the list but is #1!)

Here’s a shot of what the fish that are rising actually look like..  This one ate a shallow PMD nymph.  Nice one Dave!

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