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Holter Dam is situated approximately 7 miles up-stream from the
small fishing village of Craig, Montana. In addition to being a hydro-electric generating facility for the unlikely
owners Pennsylvania Power and Light, it marks the starting point of perhaps the most prolific 35 miles of trout stream
anywhere in the world. The Missouri meanders it's way downstream through a valley of hay fields and white tail
deer habitat past Craig and into the canyon carved from the Little Belt Mountains.
It is because of the regulated and
consistent flows of Holter Dam that create a veritable "trout
factory" and the reason many folks refer to the Missouri River below Holter Dam as the world's largest spring creek.
2012 population
studies conducted by fishery biologists the Montanan Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) have estimated the population
of the upper sections of the Missouri river to be in excess of 7000 trout over 10 inches long per mile of river! It
is the size, strength, and accessibility to these fish that draws most anglers to the Missouri
. The Missouri River supports a mind-boggling population of rainbow trout
in the 18-20 inch range and routinely gives up brown trout that can exceed 22 inches.
. The Missouri River supports a mind-boggling population of rainbow trout
in the 18-20 inch range and routinely gives up brown trout that can exceed 22 inches.
