Little Missouri Fly Fishing

Many thanks, Mike, for sharing Lil'Mo river information with all for the past year.  2025 has been difficult year but I expect things to be much better in '26 provided that AGFC can keep the river adequately stocked. Thanks, too, to Jeff G. for keeping the web page going. Best wishes for good health and good fishing in the year to come.
SEARKJim   

That is great news!!!  I hope its finally done. Thanks fir the update

When I got up this morning they were generating. They are running all three generators wide open, first time I've seen that in about 2 years. The barge has been moved from the dam to the swimming area on SAWHA and there were no workers there this morning. Don't know if that signals that they are finished working on the dam or not.

The water clarity looks really good. Hopefully we will get some fresh stockers in the next week or two. Happy new year to all.

Mike, just want to say your reports are really appreciated.  If you didn't keep us informed on the condition of the river, fishing results, and stocking we'd be completely in the dark.  Thank you again for all you do.  And I want to wish you and all who love the Little Mo a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year.

I have been advised that the fish that were stocked around the 10th of December were the last for this year. Next stocking will be around the middle of January.

A big thanks goes out to Christie Graham for taking care of us this year. She did more than I thought she could with all the problems she has. We could have had no fish this year because of the work on the dam and the hatchery problems. Remember her in your prayers.

Water quality and temperature is very good over the entire river. They are still working on the Dam!!!!

Happy Holidays all you fly fishers. Special thanks to Hen,

Thank you, Mike!!

I fished here today for first time in a week. Been fishing Albert Pike and Broken Bow. The water clarity has really improved here over the past week. The muddy brown color is gone. The water temperature is 54 degrees over the entire river. They are still working on the dam. They had to bring in more rock for their platform because the lake got too low and they couldn't move their Crain!! Still don't know what caused the muddy lake, the guys working on the dam said it was nothing they were doing.

I can't say if they have stocked any fish recently because I haven't seen the truck. My "junk" is still on the stocking tubes at RR and HB, However the drivers have been known to play games with me and put my "junk" back on the lids just like I had it. 🤔😂😂.  I did catch quite a few fish in the wall hole today which is an improvement from the last time I fished it. Don't know if it's fresh fish, a rising barometer, water clarity, 54 degree water or the fish were just hungry and hadn't been harassed in a week or so?? Just don't know, but it was nice!!👍

I'll try to keep an eye out for a "Christmas Stocking" and let you know when I know for sure. 👍

Regarding Beaver's Bend:
Meanwhile, to build on an aside by Hen, if y'all feel discouraged by the Lil' Mo' report, Beaver's Bend IS loaded at this time with hungry trout. It's only 45 minutes from DeQueen. I've only been going there so far this season. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I fished the Evening Hole mostly with small soft hackles, BWO's in about a 20, small RS2's. There weren't really midges hatching. I plan to go next week. It'll probably be something completely different by then. LOL! Midges maybe.

I fished Spillway Creek 3 weeks ago. They usually hit nymphs, deep. They were going after BWO's in the film. My euro-stick was the wrong rod, though not usually, there. I made it work.

In about 2 months there should be caddis hatching, and march browns, larger patterns. Till now it's been quite small patterns, although till now, again, midges haven't worked for me.

If you don't know what else to try, olive wooly buggers are always good. Nymphs, like PT's and Hare's Ear -type things are always good, under bobbers in the EH flats. If you just want to start off with some fish, park in the Hickory Campground by the dumpster. Walk down and swing a wooly bugger off the edge into the 40 Foot Hole (where the river slows and deepens). That will nearly always get you something, sometimes a lot of a something. Be ready for it. Good luck!

Mike, have you tried the Day Use Area, yet, or Swim Beach? I've heard they've pulled the logs, finally.

As of 12:00 noon today no fish have been stocked since the November 24th stocking. I hate to admit that I never really found the fish from that stocking. I caught a few (that would be 6!) below the weir at Old Factory Site, all were between 8 and 10 inches long. The ones stocked at Riverside just disappeared??  If Robert hadn't seen the stocking truck I would have sworn we never got fish!!  Hope we get a stocking for Christmas. 🤔🤔. 

The water temperature is cold🥶. The water clarity is terrible!!  It's like chocolate milk coming out of the dam. The lake is the same color in the SAWHA area but at Self creek where you cross the bridge going to Albert Pike its crystal clear?  SOMETHING is going on at the foot of the dam or there is a big construction project in the Sawah area somewhere!  Yes, they are still working on the dam.

They did generate for 2 hours yesterday afternoon which spread the muddy water all over the river. The fishing is the worst Ive seen it in years at this time of the trout season. There just aren't enough fish in the river and I can't say I expect it to get any better in the near future.

I have fished Albert Pike ( when I'm not driving to Broken Bow to fish the Mountain Fork river at Bevers Bend state park) a couple of times this past week and found a few fish at the Swimming Hole, above the car wash bridge and below the car wash bridge. Boy has that river changed since last year, I didn't recognize the Long Creek area.  There must have been some big blow outs since I was last there. Hopefully it also will get stocked for Christmas!! 

Just to sum up,🤔🤔🤔😬😬 it's gonna be a tough trout year in Arkansas.