Im so sorry I’m getting this report out later today than normal.  The guide season is in full swing and my daughters definitely keep me busy as well. 

Anyway, what can I really say about the fishing on the Missouri River? Honestly, it’s incredible right now!  Lots and lots of 14 to 20 inch fish in the system.  Definitely seems to be more numbers to the south, but fish are spread out from the state line all the way up to the tailrace.  So if you don’t feel like fishing around a lot of boats, you can find areas to do so. 

The one thing I’m noticing this spring is we are not seeing a bunch of giants yet.  I think there are a couple of reasons for this.  First reason is a lot of those big fish we have become accustomed to seeing, (28 to 32 inch range) are extremely old fish.   My guess is a lot of those big fish have passed on. 

Another thing I know that happened is a bunch of those really big fish pushed up river and past the Bismarck area early, this actually happened while the ice was still on the river here locally.  Lots of those mega giants were up near the Washburn to the tailrace early.  Will those fish retreat and come back south before the spawn?  My guess is probably not.  Plenty of food up north in that stretch of river that will keep those fish up there. 

Now, we will get a push of those big fish here at some point like we always do.  I just don’t think it will be the same as years past.  I hope I’m wrong.  This is not to say people aren’t catching some giants because with this many boats on the water there are some big ones being caught. 

Jigs and minnows and jigs and plastics pitched behind slower slack water areas is almost magic right out there right now.