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Missouri River (Craig) Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Craig section: Montana's trout interstate, where 5,000 fish per mile sip tricos below Holter Dam and drift boats run like commuter rail.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
3,690 cfs
Air / High
76 / 77 F
Wind
W 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06066500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Missouri River (Craig) is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 3,690 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1007 hPa and a high of 77. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 77 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Missouri River below Holter Dam.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06066500.

3,1493,3703,5913,690 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp76 F
High / Low77 / 57 F
WindW 7-16 mph
Pressure1006.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 12%
Sunrise / Sunset06:51 / 20:01
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 77/57 F, wind 14 mph, rain 12%

Fair or better. A 14 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Missouri River (Craig): seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Missouri River (Craig) calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Missouri River (Craig) today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 79 F, wind to 16 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 34 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 81 F, wind to 34 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 87 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Montana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Montana license + AIS pass. Standard limits with artificial-only stretches: check FWP region 4.

Access

Holter Dam, Wolf Creek, Craig, Stickney Creek, Pelican Point, Mid Cañon FAS: I-15 parallels the whole reach.

About this water

35 blue-ribbon tailwater miles below Holter Dam, Lewis and Clark County, MT. The trout interstate at Craig.

Fishing Missouri River (Craig): the full guide

The tailwater that never misses

The Missouri below Holter Dam is Montana's most dependable trout factory: 4,000-6,000 rainbows and browns per mile in a tailwater that flows fishable when every freestone floods or freezes. Craig: a town that exists for the river: anchors the storied miles: fly shops outnumber other businesses and shuttle trucks are the local traffic.

A spring creek the size of a river

The Mo fishes like a giant spring creek: weed beds, scum lines, pods of sipping fish: and rewards spring-creek manners: long leaders, small flies, downstream reach casts. Sowbugs and pink scuds run the year: BWOs and March browns start spring: PMDs and caddis carry summer evenings: and the trico mornings of August put a thousand noses up between Craig and the Dearborn.

Seasons on the Mo

Winter: midges and pods in the slicks: the year's most solitary quality fishing. Spring: the pre-runoff crowds and the year's fattest rainbows on baetis. Summer: dawn tricos, hopper banks below Pelican Point, and PMD spinner falls at dusk. Fall: streamer weather: browns turn territorial and the wind sorts the faithful from the fair-weather.

Craig logistics

Access ladders the river: Holter Dam, Wolf Creek Bridge, Craig, Stickney, Pelican Point, Mid Cañon: float any pairing or fish the bank water at each (the Mo wades better than its size suggests along the shelves). Summer weekends stack boats: launch at dawn or float the lower canyon: and the shops' daily boards tell the truth: read them like scripture.

Common questions

Why is the Missouri at Craig so famous?

Density plus dependability: 5,000-fish miles that flow clear when everything else blows out, with hatches a spring creek would envy. It is Montana's most consistent big-trout water, period.

When are tricos on the Missouri?

Mid-July through early September at dawn: clouds of spinners and pods of sippers from Craig down. Size 20-22, 6X, and your best drift: the river's graduate seminar.

Is fishing good at Missouri River (Craig) right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Holter Lake1 miCanyon Ferry Lake40 miGallatin River72 miJefferson River74 miGeorgetown Lake81 miRock Creek83 mi
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