The flow is 7100 cfs. The temperature is 42 degrees. Cold is good.
The lake is 94% full. We are hoping it does not go any higher.

There is mostly streamer or nymph fishing. Depth is very important. Make sure you have enough lead on. We are using sow bugs, size 14 - 18; scuds size 14 -18; worms in red, tan, wine, purple and natural; midge larvae, red size 16; midge pupae in black size 18 and baetis nymphs size 18.

For streamers, depending on weather, we are using brown and yellow, ginger, black, red and white, and white.

Flows should come down depending on how much rain we receive.

May 23, 2009

Flows are at 4100 cfs which are higher than the last report, but there are still plenty of wading opportunities. Water temperature is at 40 degrees at the Afterbay. It should rise as our daily average temperatures are increasing. The flow is supposed to increase to 4500 cfs on Tuesday as we are now starting see some snow melt. This should flush more food for the fish off the bottom.

Overall the fishing is very good. We are nymphing with sow bugs, size 16-20; beatis nymphs and emergers, size 18; scuds, size 16 in olive, pink, tan and orange. Midge larvae, size 16-18 in tan or red; midge pupae, size 18-24 in black or brown.

For dries, especially on cloudy days, baetis adults and cripples, size 18; single midges, size 20-24; and midge clusters, size 16-20.

Baetis hatches have been very good during overcast times on the river.

May 2009

The overall fishing is about the same as the last report. The water is still pretty cold averaging highs from 39 to 41 degrees. The snowpack has increased due to a couple of recent storms, averaging about 108% of normal. The reservoir is about 88% full.
The river release will increase a little bit today and tomorrow and remain at 3000 cfs for a while. This is due to some work by the Bureau of Reclamation on the Dam.
This may prevent some of the excessive high water that we had in June of last year.
Hatches are still okay and as the water temperature rises so will the fish.

We had a great day of fishing midges on the surface yesterday. The weather was sunny and in the 70’s. Spent three hours catching fish after fish.

On overcast days there will be more baetis hatching. The nymphing is good in the slower edges and tailouts with the usual suspects for fly choices.

The overall fishing is about the same as the last report. The water is still pretty cold averaging highs from 39 to 41 degrees. The snowpack has increased due to a couple of recent storms, averaging about 108% of normal. The reservoir is about 88% full.
The river release will increase a little bit today and tomorrow and remain at 3000 cfs for a while. This is due to some work by the Bureau of Reclamation on the Dam.
This may prevent some of the excessive high water that we had in June of last year.
Hatches are still okay and as the water temperature rises so will the fish.

We had a great day of fishing midges on the surface yesterday. The weather was sunny and in the 70’s. Spent three hours catching fish after fish.

On overcast days there will be more baetis hatching. The nymphing is good in the slower edges and tailouts with the usual suspects for fly choices.

March 21, 2009

River flows have been maintained at 2450 cfs to this point. The snow pack is anywhere from 87% to 102% of average depending on where you measure in Wyoming.  The reservoir is at 87.6% full. 

Spring is officially here.  Temperatures for yesterday and today have been in the 70's.  This warmth should help bring up the water temperature a little bit.  Right now the water temperature is averaging 38 to 40 degrees on the top thirteen miles.  There are midge hatches everyday and baetis hatches on cloudy days.  But most of the trout are not rising yet.  This is attributed to the very cold water.  The fish do  not want to move far for an insect.  However, as water temperatures rise, the trout will too. 

We have been mostly using nymphs because that method has been the most effective.  Yesterday all I used was a size 18 Ray Charles (sow bug) and a size 20 midge pupae.  Baetis nymphs will also work in black or olive and streamers continue to work.

I have probably said this a million times but the fish are taking the fly SUBTLY.  Yesterday I set the hook instinctively many times and did get a lot of hook ups.  I have told this to my clients many times that the trout don't actually bite a nymph.  They gently put it in their mouth.  This translates to your strike indicator hardly moving or not moving at all. The only time your indicator really moves a lot is when the fish tries to eject our imitation and the hook gets stuck in its mouth somewhere.  Trout can take a fly into their mouth and eject it in about half a second. 

February 2009

River flows have been averaging 2400 all winter. The reservoir is at 88% capacity. The overall snowpack looks good and is about average for this time of year. In this part of the country we get about a third of our yearly moisture from March through June. So things are looking good in that department.
Water temperature in the river has warmed up a bit to 40-42 degrees on average. The trout are still in their winter feeding mode, meaning most of them are holding in the slower, deeper water. That is why we always recommend using two flies to double your chances of the trout seeing your flies in the strike zone. In most winter fishing you have to put the fly right on the fishes nose. They don’t move far for a fly. Also make sure you have your flies on or near the bottom.
For nymphing we are using sow bugs, size 18-20, scuds, size 16-20, beatis nymphs, size 16-18, and midge pupae, size 18-20.
Remember the take will be very subtle. On cloudy days, we are seeing a hatch of midges and baetis. Some fish are on them but the water is still cold. As the water warms up a little bit, we should see more fish and insect activity.
Streamers are still working if you find the pattern and color they want that day. Fish them slowly.
 

February 2009

As of the beginning of February, the fishing is still the same as January.  There are a few more bugs around, midges and baetis.  Streamers will work in a variety of colors. Nymphs; pink or tan soft hackles, 16-18.  Sow bugs, 16-20. Scuds, pink or orange, sized 14-18.  Maybe some worm patterns, red, pink, and brown.

January 2009

Flow is at 2450 cfs.  Water temperature at the Afterbay is 39 degrees.  Grass is gone and the bottom is pretty clean.  A little moss here and there.  The reservoir level is 91.5 % full.  Which is historic high for this time of year.  Current snowpack is 105-115% of average.  The browns have not completed their spawn yet but should be done shortly.

There are some midges hatching at the warmest part of the day which is about noon to 2:30.  I also observed a small amount of baetis hatching at that same time. 

We caught fish on both streamers and nymphs.  With streamers I used a full sinking line or a Teeny T300 line.  As for nymphing most of the fish are in the slower deeper water.  There are some up in the riffles but only at the warmest part of the day.  For nymphing we used scuds size 14-18, in orange or pink.  Also, soft hackles sow bugs, pink or tan, size 16-18.  Black midge pupae sizes 18-20. 

The takes are very subtle.  They are not moving to eat the fly, if you put it on their nose, they eat it.  Therefore, you know my advice, set the hook frequently so you can feel the take.

We will be opening mid March depending on the weather.  Please call us as early as possible to ensure you get the dates and guides you want.

November 26, 2008

I was out guiding yesterday for the first time in three weeks.  The weather was beautiful, in the 50’s and sunny.  The flow has been averaging about 2400 cfs.  The water temperature is in the mid 40’s and the grass is disappearing. 

Fishing started off a little on the slow side but picked up tremendously around noon.  We started off throwing streamers and had a couple of eats but I think it was just too bright and sunny.  We changed over to nymphs and did well.  We were using Ray Charles, size 20;  midge pupa, size 20; baetis nymphs, size 18-20 (there was a short baetis hatch going on); and scuds, size 18.  I took a stomach sample (not my client’s but the trouts’) and collected scuds, sow bugs and a few midges.  We caught some very nice fish up to 18” and a few that got off that were bigger than that.  The browns are starting to get colored up beautifully with yellow-orange bellies and fins and brilliant red spots.  All in all it was an excellent day.

August 16, 2008

The river flows are at 2500 cfs.  The river temperature has warmed up to 55 to 60 degrees so therefore the river is more grassy and weedy.

However fishing is still very good.  Grasshoppers are still working on the surface along with black caddis size 16-18 and small baetis size 20-24.  Presentation must be extremely drag free in order to catch these fish. 

For nymphing they are eating midge pupae size 18-24, small baetis nymphs size 18-22 including pheasant tails, sow bugs size 18-20, occasional San Juan worms, and caddis pupae size 18.

I cannot over stress the presentation of a drag free drift enough.  The fishing has been  more technical than it has been all year.  With any drag you’ll get grass. 

If you present the fly well, you will catch a lot of fish.  I f you are nymphing make sure you get down to the level of the fish.

June 24, 2008

We have been experiencing higher flows this year because of our exceptional snow pack.  Which has been over 200% of average.  The Bighorn has been flowing at 9500 cfs for a week.  As of tonight flows will be reduced to 8000, because they are cutting back the outflows of Buffalo Bill and Boysen Reservoirs to allow them to fill.

A lot of the silt in the river has been moved and the river bottom is fairly clean.  Next month there should be pretty good hopper fishing because the water levels still should be higher with water being closer to the brush on the banks.

The fishing has been very good mostly from the boat.  There are some wading areas but they are somewhat limited.  We have been mostly nymphing with pink or orange scuds size 14-16, San Juan worms, a variety of colors, sow bugs in 16-18, red midge larvae 16-18 and black midge pupae 16-18.

There have been a few black caddis hatching late in the day as well as some tan caddis in the afternoons.

May 24, 2008

Finally the Bureau of Reclamation is starting to raise the river flow.  The current inflow at Bighorn Lake is 14, 500 cfs.  As of Friday, May 23^rd, they started raising the river from 1500 to 2000 cfs.  They will be raising it incrementally through Monday, May 26^th to 4500 cfs.  They need to make room for the inflow.  This has been caused by the over a hundred percent of snowpack and the 5-6 inches of rain we have received in the last 12 days.   Depending on what happens next week with the weather, the river could remain at that level for awhile or even go higher. 

This should be pretty good for the fish and the fishing.  The increased flow should clean out some of the silt in the slower areas of the river as well as push more food off the bottom.  In the past when this has happened, the trout eat somewhat better. 

May 11, 2008

Every time I write one these river reports, I think Spring is finally here.  However, the weather has mostly remained colder and wet.  Which is good weather for the baetis hatch and it has been excellent.  The water remains very cold.   Midges continue to hatch throughout the day.  So all in all the dry fly fishing has been good.  Nymphing has been generally good with some great days and some okay days.  The weather has been so erratic that we have had many days where you experience all four seasons.  Flies that we are using for nymphing are black midge pupas, brown midge pupa, size 18-20, red midge larvae, size 16, sow bugs, size 18, pink scuds, size 16-18, baetis nymph size 18 and some San Juan worms.  Dries, single midge adult size 20-24, and baetis adult in various patterns size 18.

April 18, 2008

In our last report, we had thought that Spring was finally here.  The last two weeks have proven us incorrect.

Weather has been extremely erratic which has also made the fishing inconsistent.  When we have had days when the weather fronts have come in, ie.,  cold, wind, snow, rain, falling barometer, the fishing has gotten more difficult along with the presentation to the fish.  On good weather days, especially when it is sunny, fishing improves and has been good to excellent.  These trout in the Bighorn have always liked consistency in weather.

Water temperature at the Afterbay remains a cold 38 degrees.  The fly patterns we have been using are for nymphs:  red midge larvae, black midge pupae, size 18-22, orange and pink scuds size 14-18, ray charles size 16-18, pink and tan sow bugs size 14-18 as well as San Juan worms.  On some days there are good midge hatches and we use single midges in size 20-22.  Baetis which should be strong by now have been spotty because of the weather and for those we use a size 18 adult dun.

Yesterday it was sunny, 70 degrees and the fishing was fabulous.  The weather should get better as we are almost into May and the fishing should improve.

March 4, 2008

Well Spring is almost here and for me it is about time.  Winter snow pack is almost at normal levels roughly 95% of average.  Personally I think that we are coming out of the drought pattern that we have been in for the last eight or nine years.  Yellowtail Reservoir is now at 80% full which is well above what it has been for the last several years.  Normally we receive about 35% of our yearly moisture from March 1^st through June.  If that holds true, the river flows should be coming up this year.

The current flow is 1870 cfs, which is up from this time last year when it was 1500 cfs.

Water temperatures are averaging 39 degrees on the top section of river and 2 or 3 degrees higher downstream. 

Fishing

As usual in March, the weather has been variable.  Three or four warm days followed by three or four cold days.  During the warm periods I am noticing more insect activity especially midges and a few baetis but it is still early.  In the next week or two the midge activity should increase.  We have mostly been nymphing and occasionally been dry fly fishing at the warmest part of the day with midge adults.  The nymphs we have been using are midge larvae, cream, red, black, brown size 18-20; midge pupae, black and brown size 18-22; ray charles (sow bug) size 18-20, in grey or tan; pink soft hackle, size 16-18 and small pheasant tail size 20.

For dry flies, a single adult midge, black size 20-24.

Streamers are working on most days depending on the weather using wooly buggers in black, brown, white, olive and yellow and brown.  You must vary your retrieve to find out what they like.  Not all the trout there will hit a streamer, you must find the aggressive fish.

January 2008

Since November 1^st, the river flow has averaged 1650 to 1850 cfs.  It has been cold and much of the moss and grass on the river bottom has been dying off.  The brown trout are just at the end of their spawning cycle.  Snow pack is looking very good.  At 85 to 95% of average, which considering the reservoir is 84.5% full, will hopefully mean more water in the river in 2008.

I have not fished the river for a month and a half because of traveling or weather being too cold.  It seems every time I go on a trip, the weather gets good and when I return the weather either becomes frigid or too windy with the Chinook winds.

I have spoken to a few friends who have been out on the river and they have said the fishing has been generally good.  They were using nymphs, sow bugs, and midge pupae and or throwing streamers.  The trout they caught were in great shape and fought well even in 39 degree water.

September 30, 2007

Nymphing is good with small sow bugs, midges, and small baetis nymphs.

Dry flies, depending on weather, there is still some black caddis hatching as well as pseudos and midges.

Streamers will also take some fish.

July 29, 2007

Flow continues at 1750 cfs.  Water temperature is 42 degrees coming out of the Afterbay.

We have the coldest water in Montana .  Nymphing continues to be excellent using midge pupae, sow bugs , scuds, and worms.  Dry fly fishing has picked up a little bit on midges, still some baetis around, a few pmd’s, black caddis and hoppers.

Weather has been extremely hot and we have been wet wading on most days however, the water is still pretty cold.

June 29, 2007

The weather is finally heating up.  Spring was wet and cool. 

Current flow is 1750 cfs.   The water temperature is still cool coming out of the Afterbay and is averaging about 45 degrees.

Fishing has been very good, however, it has become a little more technical.  If the fly is presented well, they eat.  You must do three things correctly to catch fish on the Bighorn.  The drift must be drag free with mending and slack line.  It is also important to adjust your weight to get the flies down on the bottom.  Every three or four drifts your weight should tick on the bottom, then you know the fly is in the fish’s face.  The third thing is hook setting.  Most people think that the fish bite the fly, when they are eating these small flies.  In reality, they gently suck it in and expel it, it is just a touch.  Therefore, most people are missing their takes.  When the trout are taking these small flies, they are predominately taking them at the end of the drift.  I advocate setting the hook when your line straightens at the end of the drift, every time.  This will increase your catch rate tremendously.

June 17, 2007

The Lake has been filling up pretty fast due to the recent heavy rains we have had.  It is now 3 feet from flood pool.  On Friday, we had  a 250 cfs increase making the flow 1750 cfs.

We have typical June fishing which is mostly nymphing.  Most of the rainbows have finished their spawn. The fish are eating midge larvae and pupae, sow bugs, some scuds and San Juan worms.  Still a few midges hatching for those looking for dry flies.

April 22, 2007

The fishing has been great with both nymphing and dry flies.  For nymphs we have been using midge pupae in black or brown ( zebra midge), midge larvae in lt. tan or red, sizes 18-22, Ray Charles (sow bug) sizes 16-18, baetis nymph, dark olive or black, sizes 16-18.  For Dries, single midge size 20-22, black or olive, small midge cluster sizes 18-20’s (Griffith’s gnat) etc.  Baetis adults  (CDC comparadun or similar style).  Emerger, RS2 or other style size 18.

April 7, 2007

The weather has been mostly overcast recently with on and off precipitation.  We have had a lot of dry fly fishing, midges in the morning and baetis in the afternoon.  Productive flies have been midge pupae, size 18-22 and a midge adult, size 20-24.  Baetis emergers, size 18 (RS-2 etc.), and baetis adults, size 18, CDC comparadun.

March 2007

Well it is just about Spring.  We have just opened our cabins and are ready for another great season.  Over the last two weeks we have had spectacular weather.  It has averaged 55-65 degrees with some 70’s.  It won’t remain that warm because we are still in March, which is a transitional weather month.  We will be getting more snow and rain as well as warm days before summer.

The river is doing well.  For the first time in three or four years, all of the grass and moss has disappeared.  The bottom is pretty clean.  This is because the water got very cold this winter.

Right now the temperature at the Afterbay is 38 degrees, and it doesn’t warm up much more till you get to 6 or 7 mile.  River flows have been about 1500 cfs all winter.  The snow pack is respectable- averaging 80% of normal.  Keeping in mind  that we receive approximately  1/3 of our moisture from March into June.  Yellowtail Reservoir is 74% full, which is great for this time of the year.  The water outlook is positive.

Fishing has been very productive.  We were mostly using streamers and nymphs all winter, however, in the last few weeks midges and Baetis have started to hatch.  These hatches are condition dependent, i.e., wind, clouds, temperature.  For dry fly fishing use individual midges, size 20-24, and baetis adults, size 18-20.  Subsurface use Ray Charles (sow bug), size 18-20, tan scuds, size 18, midge pupae, (sizes 18-24), brown or black, midge larvae in red or cream, quill nymphs (baetis), size 18-20 and RS-2, size 18-20.  Streamers are still working in black, brown and olive.  Sometimes they will chase and sometimes you have to hit them on the nose.

It is the same with nymphing, depending on what mood the fish are in.  They may move for a fly or you have to put it in their mouth. 

The trout are getting more active as the water warms up and the days are getting longer.

January 2007

The Bighorn has maintained its flows at 1500 cfs throughout the fall and into the winter.  Water temperature is at 39 degrees at the Afterbay.  This may sound pretty cold, however, it is normal for January.  Cold water is beneficial to the river in that most of the grass and weeds have died off.  The bottom is pretty clean. 

Last winter temperatures stayed warm and not much of the grass and moss died.    This Spring Season should start with little or no grass on the river bottom which could mean more insects and perhaps better dry fly fishing.

The Browns have finished their spawning activity and it looked like it went well.  Some anglers persist in walking on and fishing the spawning beds with disregard for the future of the Bighorn.  Fortunately there aren’t many of the “slob” anglers.  There are plenty of non-spawning fish to be caught away from the redds.

Recently I have been fishing with streamers, nymphs and in certain places dry flies.  The streamers that have been working are woolly buggers, brown and yellow, all black, all olive, and red and white.  For nymphs, midge larvae and pupae in small sizes, 20-24, baetis nymphs, sizes 18-20, and pink sow bugs sizes 16-18.  Dry flies:  individual midges, size 20-24, and baetis adults, size 18-20.

October 12, 2006

Fall is here.  Weather has turned cooler.  Brown trout are getting a little more aggressive.  The fishing has been good.  But remember, fishing is always weather dependent. 

Nymphing has been productive using sow bugs, worms, baetis nymphs and midge pupae.

There are hatches of baetis, pseudocloens and even some black caddis depending on the weather.  Streamers will also take fish and on some days it can be excellent.  Other days just okay depending on conditions and location.

Although we will be closing our cabins soon, we will still be providing guide service throughout the winter.  There are other accommodations available in Billings , Hardin and Ft. Smith .

We have several of our guides who will be remaining in Ft. Smith over the winter.

We are already taking reservations for 2007.  If you have a special guide you’d like to fish with, please try and make your reservations early to ensure he is available.

September 13, 2006

Water temperature is 50-58 degrees depending on location and weather.

The river flow is up somewhat.  The last few weeks it was supposed to be 1500 cfs but it was really around 900 cfs.  After a gauge adjustment it is now 1300 cfs.  So it has been raised.  It is higher than it has been the last three weeks.

Fishing has been excellent.  Most days black caddis have been hatching in the afternoon and evening.  We also9 have hatches of pseudocloens (small baetis) and midges.  I have seen some tricos around but they are sparse and only in certain areas.  For dries we have been using caddis adult size 16 and 18,  pseudo adult size 20-22, and adult midges size 22-24.

Nymphing has been good as well using midge pupae size 20-22, sow bugs size 16-20, caddis pupae size 18-20, and pheasant tails size 18-22.  .San Juan worms are working the further you go downstream.

We are still catching all sizes of fish, so reproduction has been good and the Bighorn is an extremely healthy river.

August 21, 2006

Flow 1500 cfs

Water temperature is 48 to 55 degrees

The fishing continues to be excellent.  There are hatches of black caddis, midges, and psuedocloens.  However, they are weather dependent. For example, wind may affect the hatches, clouds versus sun may also have an effect, etc.  Size 16 and 18 for black caddis patterns, midges size 20-24, and pseudo’s size 20-22. (Pseudo is a small pale yellow olive mayfly).

Most of our fishing has been with nymphs.  We are using sow bugs, caddis pupae, and midge pupae as well as some aquatic worms.

The outlook is great for the rest of the season.

August 14, 2006

Fishing has been excellent.  Fish are eating nymphs all day and depending on the weather, which has been variable, caddis have been hatching in the afternoons and evenings.  

July 21, 2006

The fishing is absolutely on fire.  The flow has been lowered to 1500 cfs because of the continued drought, and should remain at that flow for the rest of the season.  These are the same conditions we had 3-4 years ago.  The fish are more concentrated; the rainbows have finished spawning and are eating well.

For nymphing we have been using the usual suspects; Ray Charles, quill nymphs, pheasant tails, midge pupae, pink or tan soft hackles.

Hoppers have been successful at certain times either alone or with a dropper.

Black caddis have been around late in the day.  We should see more of them in the next few weeks.

Streamers are also working well.

June 29, 2006

Water temperature at the Afterbay is 43 degrees.  The flow is approximately 2000 cfs.

Fishing has been excellent for the last few weeks.  Many of the rainbows are finished spawning, and have resumed feeding.  This time of  the year most of the fishing is done with nymphs.  Productive patterns are sow bugs, Ray Charles size 16 and 18, quill nymph baetis sizes 18 -20, midge pupae sizes 18-20, in black, brown, San Juan worms size 10-16 in red, wine, and brown.  Occasionally we have used a hopper – dropper rig and it has proven successful.

Streamers have taken some good fish even on sunny days.  Black has been the best color.  We have used a Teeny T200 line to keep the fly down.

I am seeing a lot of case caddis on the river bottom.  Hopefully in about a month we might have a caddis hatch.

June 12, 2006

Water flows average 2250  cfs.  Water temperatures are low to mid 40’s.

Overall the fishing is very good, especially nymphing.  Dry fly fishing is limited and very weather dependent.  You need to have cloudy days with  little wind.  However, we have been seeing some caddis hatch in the evenings.

We probably will not get the  increased flows that we received at this time last year.  Snow pack petered out and the reservoir will probably not fill.  It may be just as well because there are still many rainbows on the spawning beds and a big increased flow would wash away some of their eggs.  Not getting more water isn’t really a negative to me because there are plenty of big fish that can be site nymphed which is my favorite type of fishing.

Every year class of fish are being caught from 8 inches up to the big ones, which tells us that the Bighorn is in fabulous shape.

The flies that have been working are sow bugs, size 14-20, quill nymphs (baetis) size 18, midge larvae and pupae, sizes 18-24, San Juan worms, sizes 10-16, and orange scuds sizes 14-18.  Streamers will work at times and some trout will eat a grasshopper.

As usual, I can’t over emphasize the need to be exact in presentation.  If you don’t get a dead drift with the proper depth the fish won’t eat your fly.

October 2004

Overall 2004 was a great season of fishing on the Bighorn. The fish were bigger and badder then ever. SUPER TROUT. It was a mental and physical battle to land these fish. Many were hooked for a second or two until your line came shooting back at you without flies. I have never seen so many anglers with sore shoulders at the end of the day.

Many trophy trout were landed. Many weighing in at over 5 lbs. And the largest was 28" somewhere between 9 and 10 pounds.

These SUPER TROUT are fish that most anglers never see, let alone catch, in their lifetime. The Bighorn is the place to test your mettle against what I believe are the toughest trout on Earth.

As the season progressed, we observed more and more smaller fish in the range of 3 to 12 inches. This bodes well for the future health of the river. These little ones eat voraciously which is why the growth rate is 6-7" per year. I tried to avoid places where the small fish lived (grassy, slow, shallow areas) in order to get my clients the BIG ONES. As we got into the end of September and October, it was more difficult to catch as many big fish. The reason being many of the smaller fish became a little bigger and expanded their territory to the entire river. They are more aggressive to the fly than the BIG FISH are. Even with dry flies you had to go through some small fish in order to catch some big ones.

With all these smaller fish in the water, streamer fishing has been pretty good and will only improve as the Brown Trout get more aggressive before spawning occurs in November and December. They spawn late on the Bighorn because the water remains relatively warm late into the Fall. I have even seen some spawning in January.

The grass and vegetation is beginning to die off. The flows are the highest they have been all year. Our moisture levels have been good, and the water flowing to the irrigation ditch has been shut off. The way the weather patterns look we could finally receive our normal or better snow pack this year. The reservoir system that feeds this river is looking good.  Boysen, Buffalo Bill and Yellowtail are all on the rise. We had a cooler than average Spring, Summer and Fall, which helped with the drought. Combine this with a healthy snow pack and we could see a lot more water next year.

The Bighorn River Alliance is working with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to try and implement a river flush program, similar to the plan at work on the North Platte in Wyoming. We will continue to try to make the Bighorn better than it already is.

We want to thank everyone who wrote comments and tributes to our friend and guide, Bob Turner, as well as those who contributed to the Memorial Fund. Bob will be forever missed by his friends. His ashes were spread in the River and his spirit will always be here.

We sincerely thank you for your business and we look forward to seeing you next season. We have already accepted quite a few reservations for 2005. If there is a special guide you would like to request or specific dates that you would like to fish, please call us to arrange your Bighorn vacation.

For big trout, the Bighorn is fishing as well as I have ever seen it. Because the water has warmed up a bit, the fish are fighting even harder, behaving like Steelhead with screaming runs and jumps.

The average client is landing about 50 % of the fish they hooked. If you fish carefully by making precise dead drifts, dissecting the area to be fished, and using the correct flies, you can hook 40 fish per day average size 19 to 20 inches. Many hookups will be on trout bigger than that which you may only get a brief glimpse of before it busts your leader. If you do react correctly, you can bring some of these fish to the net. In the last three to four weeks, we have landed trout 24 to 28 inches and 6 to 10 lbs.

If you know of another river anywhere like this, please let me know.

As far as hatch activity, I’ve seen a few pale morning duns around but nothing major yet. There have also been a few black caddis hatching late in the day but it is still sparse. However, there are an abundant amount of cased caddis on the river bottom. That bodes well for the caddis hatch. There are some fish rising every day to midges and on cloudy days to baetis

June 2004

The river flow has been bumped up to 1500 cfs from 1300 due to snow melt incoming flow to the Reservoir. This will help the fish and the angler. May was busy on the river, with all the changeable weather fronts we had, the fishing was difficult but rewarding at times. We had two weeks of cold, rainy, weather with some violent, windy, electrical storms. This made the fishing a challenge at times, however we struggled through the slow periods of the day, and waited for the fish to eat.

When they did eat, it was like some of my relatives at the "all you can eat buffet." Excluding the little fish 6-11 inches we caught occasionally, the fish were healthy and from 17-23 inch tackle busters. Mostly the fishing has been subsurface using orange and pink scuds size 14-18, sow bugs size 16-18, quill nymphs size 18-20 (baetis nymph) and midge pupa size 20.

There was some dry fly fishing around but it was spotty. The predominant hatch was midges in the sizes 18-22. There were times when the fish were eating size 30’s which is all but impossible because even if you could hook them, you can’t land these fish on such a small hook. I’ve had these fish straighten out nymph hooks.

There are still some baetis around on overcast days and if you know where to go you will find takers.

Yesterday we did well on streamers (wooly buggers) even though it was a bright sunny day. This was encouraging because the trout were very aggressive coming to the fly.

With proper technique, knowing the spots to pick and being stealthy, it is possible to hook many big fish on the Bighorn. However, if you are sloppy with presentation, wade too deep, you will struggle. Fish fighting and landing techniques are as critical as they were last year. At the risk of being redundant, if you don’t fight these fish correctly, you will lose them. Moving downstream with the fish in order to get leverage is the most important tactic. To again quote Ted Williams, the baseball great, " direction and angle of pressure is more important than amount of pressure."

We are looking forward to great summer and fall fishing

April 2004

The river flow has been consistent throughout the winter at about 1500 cfs. Much of the moss and grass has died off as usual and the river bottom is pretty clean. We had a fairly mild winter except for January which was frigid. I did not have one day on the water that month. Water temperature got down to around 38 degrees at the Afterbay which is about normal for winter time. This week the water temp was 42 degrees at three mile access.

The snow pack started off well but tapered off in February. March has been dry but the weather has been extremely mild. Most of the month has been 60 degrees or above with one week in the 70’s and low 80’s. Historically we receive most of our moisture in the Spring. As a matter of fact it is raining right now.

Over the winter my guide friends and I caught some impressive trout. There are still many big fish in the Bighorn. It remains the place to be for the chance to catch trophy Rainbows and Browns.

Early Spring fishing has been good. We have been enjoying profuse midge hatches for the last two weeks. This should continue for the next couple of months. We have been using small midge clusters and individual midge dry fly patterns. Baetis have started to make an appearance. The hatch should get stronger into April and May and maybe June.

Nymphing has been steady using tan, orange, and pink scuds in sizes 16 through 18, as well as a variety of midge larvae and pupae sizes 18 through 22 in black, red, brown, and cream. Streamers are also attracting fish.

The trout are in excellent shape and fighting as hard as they did last year. This week I noticed some male rainbows cleaning gravel waiting for the females to show up. The spawning should begin pretty soon.

We have been in discussion with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks trying to post the spawning beds in order to keep anglers from destroying the eggs. These eggs are the future of the Bighorn River fishery. We need to protect them. Let’s make people aware of this and try and educate any anglers who may be fishing these delicate areas.

The forecast for this season is positive. Our hope is for higher flows and more moisture in the region. We should have the same "big fish" angling as last year, with the Rainbows fighting like Steelhead and the Browns as tenacious as ever.

Spring Fishing Tip

During a midge hatch, swinging a soft hackled midge pupae and stripping it back slowly after the swing often out produces just dead drifting a midge dry fly pattern.

This report is written in response to the negative information and gossip that I have been hearing about the Bighorn River in Montana. Maybe some of you are hearing this as well.

Please let me explain. Over the past four to five years, Montana and most of the Rocky Mountain west has been in a drought. This has caused hardships and worse for the trout of many of these western waters. Due to water shortages as well as the demands and allocations of farming and ranching, many rivers and streams are experiencing dangerously low flows which makes some of them unfishable by late summer.

This is not the case on the Bighorn. Although we have had lower than normal flows, there is enough water in the system to support a very healthy population of trout. Granted, we do not have the fish density that we had in the 1990’s (8,000-10,000 per mile), we do have plenty of fish for the size and depth of the river. And what fish they are!

Here is where my consternation comes in. The Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department has published fish counts that are absolutely erroneous. They have stated that while electro-shocking last year, they only tallied 800 brown trout per mile. They said they couldn’t collect enough rainbows for an accurate count. They also could not find any small fish (6"-10") in the river. After I read these figures, I confronted a Fish, Wildlife and Parks official at a Trout Unlimited Meeting in Billings. I basically told him that he was talking through his hat. I stated that 80% of the trout we were catching were rainbows and they were all healthy. I also told him that because the water was so cold that most of the brown trout moved well downstream further away from the dam where the water temperature was warmer. We also discussed the smaller fish in the river. I stated that there were many smaller fish being caught in the slower, shallow, grassy areas of the river. He said that, " We know they are there, we just cannot get our motor boats into these areas to shock." They published these false figures anyway. The fishing public reads these numbers and says, "Why would we come to the Bighorn, it doesn’t have any fish in it."

Well, I will tell you why you should come to the Bighorn.

The average fish we caught last year was 18 ½" and tough as nails. We had days last year where most of the trout caught were 20+ inches and weighing 4-5 lbs., with the fighting ability of a steelhead. There are no trout like this anywhere else. I call them SUPER TROUT and there are plenty of them. Any one who fished with us last year can attest to that.

Because of the size and strength of these trout, they cannot be caught by accident. The proper techniques and flies must be used. Sloppy fishing is not rewarded. These fish didn’t get this big by being stupid. Yet even beginners, people who have never touched a fly rod before, have been successful with the correct techniques and guidance..

Therefore, if you want to catch large, powerful trophy trout, then make the Bighorn your fishing destination of choice. And just maybe catch the trout of a lifetime.

River Update

The river is looking good right now. The flow is at 1500 cfs. Water temperature is 39 degrees at the dam. The brown trout finishes their spawn in January. When I was on the river in December, there were many browns on the spawning beds doing their thing. This is very important for the future. We have had a lot of snow this past week and the snow pack is looking pretty good with most of our moisture yet to come. I am looking forward to another fabulous year on the Bighorn.

Overview of the 2003 Season

Year End Report

August 2003

The flow is at 1510 cfs. It has remained around that number since mid-June. Water temperature is about 44 degrees at the Afterbay.  It warms up to the mid 50’s by the time it reaches 13 mile.

Overall, the fishing is with nymphs. However, we are taking some fish on top with grasshoppers, a few caddis, and midges. The caddis are spotty but I am seeing more of them every day. I have seen a few pale morning duns around but they have not come on strong as of yet. Last year it wasn’t until the end of August that they steadily hatched.

The nymphs we are using are: orange and pink scuds, size 16-18, tan soft hackle sow bugs, size 16-18, black quill nymphs, size 18-20, caddis pupae, size 16-18, midge larvae and pupae in a variety of colors, size 18-22, worms in red, tan, wine and orange, size 12-18.

I have heard a lot of rumors and griping about how the river is fishing. Also, on the Internet, there is some negative talk about the river. The straight dope is that people are coming to the Bighorn, not using guides, not adjusting their terminal tackle, not getting dead drifts, and not fighting the fish properly when they do hook up. These trout are big, average fish is 18 inches with many over 20 inches, they didn’t get that big by being stupid. With the proper techniques, we are catching many fish and all our clients are happy with the fishing. The key is to make adjustments on the river as to where the fish are and what they are doing, and to be at the top of your game. We are the predators out there.

If you want to catch big, feisty rainbows and browns, there is no other place to be right now.

June 2003

May 2003

March 2003

Our snow pack is way up from last year, many areas of our watershed are reporting 100% normal snow levels. That is excellent news. Historically we get a majority of our moisture in the Spring. Therefore we should have better river flows than we had last year.

Presently, the river is flowing in the 1300 cfs range. That should increase steadily in the next month or two. With more water we should have higher water temperatures which will mean more insect activity and rising fish. Speaking of the fish, they are bigger and stronger than they were last year …and those of you that fished here last season know what I am talking about. Every fish in the river is a challenge. A few days ago, a client hooked a fish and we thought it was the mother of all rainbows by the way it screamed off line, ran downstream then upstream. It turns out it was a 16" rainbow with an attitude.

The water temperature is around 38 degrees coming out of the dam, which is cold. It warms up about 5 degrees by the time you get to the 13 mile access. We have had cold weather and a lot of snow which has kept the water temps low. The weather has finally broken and we have had some nice early Spring weather which should warm up the water.

There are midges around and I am seeing baetis occasionally, if you look and observe you will see some fish rising. This will increase as things warm up. Most of the fishing is with nymphs using scuds (orange #16-18) and tan soft hackles, size #16-18, midge larvae and pupae (tan, black, red size #18-20). Streamers are working on overcast days with brown-yellow, white, olive, and black being the producing colors.

Overview of the 2002 Season

December 2002

As of December the fishing is very good. River flow is a legitimate 1300 cfs which is actually higher than what it was most of the summer. Water temperature is still in the 40’s.Snow pack in Wyoming is looking pretty good. It is almost at normal. The brown trout are just finishing up with their spawning, rainbows are very active downstream of the REDDS (spawning beds) eating tan sow bugs, size 16 to 18, pink and orange scuds, size 14 to 16, and baetis nymphs (pheasant tail and quill nymphs) size 18 to 20.

There are some insects hatching. Midges and baetis, especially baetis on the overcast days. You can still find fish feeding on the surface but it requires patience and stealth to catch them.

All in all we had a pretty good year. The river flows were low and cool because of the continued drought, however, we caught a lot of big fish. The average size trout this year was 18" with many 20 inches plus, and they were the most vigorous trout that I have ever fished for. There were a few broken rods, and many snapped leaders, straightened hooks, and bruised knuckles (from screaming reel handles) fighting these fish.

The most often heard phrase from clients was "I can’t believe how big these trout are and how hard they fight." As well as, "You wouldn’t think a fish that big would eat such a little fly". This is why I live on the Bighorn River.

The trout population is very healthy. Over the last couple of months, I have been seeing many little fish 4-8 inches in the river. This is good news. It means that spawning is going well and the Bighorn is in great shape.

October 2002

This morning the flow was 1640 cfs. They raised the river a little. Water temp is about 47 degrees. There are some bugs around, caddis, baetis, midges, and even a few trico's. Mostly, we have been nymphing with scuds, sow bugs, worms, and the usual assorted nymphs that always work here. There
is some moss and weeds in the river, but if you are catching fish, it doesn't really bother you.

August 28, 2002

The weather has been cooler than average for the month. This has slowed the onset of insect hatch activity by keeping the water cooler. The water level is up a little bit from mid summer. The god news is ---the pale morning duns have started to hatch very well this week. Like last year, ground zero for the hatch is the first 1 ½ miles of the river. We are using size 14 and 16 imitations. Black caddis are also coming off sporadically and should get better if we get our normal hot temperatures. Baetis have been hatching pretty well on cloudy days and we have had many overcast days this month. Midges continue to come off during the day and at dusk.

Nymphing is good using PMD nymphs, scuds, sow bugs, worms, pheasant tails, quill nymphs and caddis pupae.

August 2002

The Bighorn is flowing at about 1400-1500 cfs. The flow will probably remain there for the rest of the season. Water temp is still cold at the Afterbay 44° , warming up to 55° at 13 mile (Bighorn Access).

Overall the fishing has been pretty good. We are presently between hatches. We are waiting for Pale Morning Duns to start up. Last year we didn’t see them until August 15^th. They have been late because of the water temperature. We are seeing some Black Caddis down around 10 mile, and have taken a few fish on them. Hopefully in a couple of weeks we could have some good evening hatches.

Nymphing is overall pretty good with the usual assortment of flies – sow bugs, scuds, pheasant tails, midge pupae and larvae, and worms. The most important thing is to slow the drift down with good mending to allow your flies to stay down at the bottom as long as possible in the zone. If you get good slack line, dead drifts, you will catch fish. If you don’t get good drifts, bird watching is fun.

There are some rising fish around if you look for them. Not huge pods, but 4-8 fish clustered. We have been mostly using Baetis and midges in sizes 18-22. I have never seen so many fish lost as I have this year. This is attributable to both the size and tenacity of the trout and poor fish fighting and hooking techniques. The answer is to set the hook the moment that indicator does absolutely anything, and I mean anything! And set it with authority.

After that, point your rod butt at the sky and let the fish fight the full flex of the rod. Next is to point the rod downstream and make the fish fight the side pressure. That sounds pretty simple and it is but you have to watch the fish and react to what he is doing. You have to watch the fish, react to him, and use the current or lack thereof to your advantage. By that I mean make him fight the current and your rod as well as use the current to get him in. Keep him off balance.

June 2002

It’s been a very wet Spring. The Lake behind the dam is slowly rising with the snow melt and all the rain we have had. This is encouraging because we have been in a lower water cycle the past few years. The river flow is still between 1400 and 1500 cfs. I expect it to rise somewhat in the near future. Water temperature is 40-42 degrees coming out of the dam. But it will go up.

The fishing is good with midges still around and baetis when we get some cloud cover. Catching fish on dries is not easy but with accurate casting and long leaders we are having success.

Nymphing remains good and with the water temperature rising the fish are moving up higher in the riffles to feed.

As far as fly patterns that are working, it is pretty much the usual suspects: quill nymphs size 18, Ray Charles size 18, so bugs size 16-20, midge pupae size 18-20, orange scuds size 16-18, and San Juan worms fished deep are doing well. For dries, bunny duns for baetis size 18-20, single midges size 20-22, and parachute adams size 18-22. A good combination is a bunny dun or adams with a dropper such as a baetis emerger or midge pupae.

The fill are extremely healthy averaging 17-18 inches and tough hombres! Good fish fighting tactics are critical to landing fish on the Bighorn. By this I mean, taking immediate action once you hook up. My suggestion is, as soon as you set the hook, point your rod tip up and to your downstream side to keep side pressure on the fish and get it towards the bank.

Ted Williams (the baseball great) was quoted as saying, " The direction and angle of pressure is more important than the amount of pressure. You want that angle to be against their lateral line."

We are looking forward to a great summer and fall fishing season, with many big fish to be caught.

May 2002

Winter has hung on a long time this year. We have had some very extreme weather which has maintained the cold water temperatures. However, it is starting to warm up. The water is up to 40 degrees. The flow is about 1450 cfs and will probably stay at that number until the lake fills. We have not had an appreciable spring runoff yet.

Fishing has improved and will pick up even more with warmer weather that will heat up the water. We are having good hatches of Baetis (BWO) every day that there is some cloud cover. My most successful pattern has been a bunny dun, size 18. Midges are hatching pretty well about 1 ½ hours before dark, and sometimes, depending upon conditions, at any time of the day. We are using midge clusters, single midges, and sometimes trailing a midge pupa.

Nymphing has been up and down. At times it gets really good and then you will get a few hours where it becomes work. The key is getting drag free drift with the correct amount of weight on your rig. Top patterns have been a size 18 quill nymph, tan soft hackles in sizes 16,18, and 20, Ray Charles’ size 18 and various colors of midge larvae sizes 18 through 20.

The river if fishing about 1 to 1 ½ months behind where it should be this time of year. I am looking forward to some great fishing from now until November.

Winter 2002

November/December 2001

Overall the weather was above average for the two months.  There were some tricos hatching until the first week of  December.  The tan caddis tapered off in November. Fall baetis were coming off especially on overcast days but also during sunny periods.  

We started seeing the beginning of the spawning cycle for brown trout around the first week of December, and spawning will continue for the next month or two.  

Nymphing is working well in the shallow riffles and tail outs, using sow bugs, scuds, pheasant tails, San Juan worms.  Water temperature has stayed fairly warm and there is still grass and weeds in the water which means that there are plenty of crustaceans for the fish to feed on.  In turn, the trout should winter well and be bigger and stronger in 2002.

October 2001

River flow stayed about the same. Caddis started to move up the river and come on strong, especially the tan caddis. Weather has not been that cooperative this month. It has been very windy which has blown some of the bugs off the water. There have been caddis, tricos, baetis, and pseudocloens hatching and fish eating them but you have to search for the feeding fish. Nymphing continues to produce with worms, sow bugs, pheasant tails, midges, scuds, and caddis pupae. Nymphing has gotten better as the day progresses right into the darkness.

Forecast

Caddis hatches should continue for another month or so. Tricos are still around in certain places. They could be here for awhile. Fall baetis fishing should be good into December.  Streamer fishing has really been good for those who like that type of action.

September 2001

River flows stayed about 1500 cfs for the month. Pale morning duns continued to hatch on the upper river then tapered off around the second week of September. We started to see caddis hatching from 13 mile down. They gradually worked their way upstream. The fishing was mixed. Some days were spectacular, some days poor. This depended on where you were fishing on the river as well as weather conditions. Tricos were making an appearance on the lower river and making their way upstream. I did fish several times below 13 mile (Bighorn) and the fishing was spotty. Sometimes very good, sometimes just okay. However, if you look hard enough there were fish rising there.

Nymphing continued to be good throughout the month using the usual suspects, i.e. sow bugs, scuds, pheasant tails, midge larvae and pupae, worms, etc. Tan caddis pupae and black caddis pupae also worked extremely well.

August 2001

Fishing is good. River flow is at 1500 cfs, which is only about 200cfs below the historical average for this time of year. We are getting a wonderful PALE MORNING DUN hatch in the afternoons, especially on the top section of the river.

Nymphing is good both before and after the hatch. We have been using pheasant tails, sow bugs, midge pupae and larvae as well as soft hackles.

I have been seeing a few caddis both black and tan, but nothing significant yet. Hopefully we will get caddis in good numbers soon.  There has been no sign of any tricos yet, the water is still pretty cold coming out of the dam. It is in the mid 40's.

June/July 2001

Water temperatures have been about 42-43 degrees F coming out of the dam and gradually warming up as it travels downstream. Flows averaged 1750 cfs which is below normal but we still
have plenty of water to fish and will have for the rest of the year.  Because of the lower water, photosynthesis has created algae and weed growth which is normal for a spring creek which is basically what the Bighorn is. You have probably heard rumors (I have) that the Bighorn is nothing but moss. Not true. We have been fishing nearly every day and haven't had any problems catching good sized fish. Yes, the moss at times can get on your flies but when you catch a 20" rainbow that jumps 5 or 6 times and almost takes you into your backing, you forget about the moss.

Nymphing remains the steadiest method of taking fish. We have been using pheasant tails, sow bugs, scuds, midge larvae and pupae, and a few secret flies. There has been a lot of sight nymphing, which to me is as exciting as dry fly fishing. Many fish are in the shallows.  On the surface, there are still some midges around as well as baetis.  On the Bighorn there are always trout rising somewhere. As I write this, there are fish rising pretty much all day from 3 mile access
down. They are eating midges, baetis, as well as baetis cripples and spinners.

The way to fish the Bighorn is by observation and presentation. By this I mean, before you make a blind cast, you look for fish either rising or in the shallows, then you figure out what they are eating.  Next would be how to rig your tackle for the presentation. I see many anglers get to the river and immediately start wading and casting into the deepest water, never realizing that they have just walked through and spooked many fish.
We should start seeing caddis and tricos soon, we hope.

May 10-31, 2001

Over the last several weeks we have been catching a lot of big fish, I am talking in the 18-24 inch range. A few weeks ago I noticed we had not been catching any 12-14 inch fish. I started reflecting about this and it finally dawned on me that the fish are extremely healthy and above average in size this year. We have had a significant growth spurt in the river. There probably are several factors responsible for this, abundant food organisms in the river, concentration of food due to lower water 
levels, and so forth. 
This could be the year to catch that trophy rainbow or brown in the Bighorn.

May 1-10, 2001

The baetis are starting to come on strong.  We have been doing well on dries especially with cloud cover.  There are still some midging fish around, but you have to search them out.  I have hit them in the early morning.  A technique that has been working is trailing a baetis nymph behind a midge cluster or baetis dun.  

Nymphing has been extraordinary at times.  The fish are stacking up feeding in the seams, where slow and fast water meet, or where you have a bottom drop-off or ledge, or a bottom color change.  The most successful flies have been quill nymphs and believe it or not, San Juan worms.  The other usual suspects such as sow bugs, soft hackles, etc. will work at times.

April 2001

Throughout the month we had some pretty good dry fly action with midges.  Mostly it was bracketed around darkness, by that I mean early AM and for the two hours prior to night fall.  We had some spectacular evenings of up to 20-30 fish per angler on midge clusters.  We started to see some baetis around the end of the month.

Nymphing overall was pretty good using the usual sow bugs, quill nymphs, which are basically baetis nymphs, midge larvae and pupae and small pheasant tails.

March 15 - March 31, 2001

The dry fly fishing has been very good. Midges have started to hatch around 3 pm until after dark. We have been using a midge cluster, size 16 and 18, with a single midge trailing it size 20 to 22. We've started off using pretty long leaders16 to 18 feet, and as it gets darker shortening up to 7 or 8 feet.

Nymphing has been spotty. The water coming out of the dam is still pretty cool, 38 or 39 degrees. Consequently, the fishing has been slow in the morning. As the day progresses, the river warms up and the fishing improves. We've been using soft hackle sow bugs, natural sow bugs and midge larvae and midge pupae.

March 1-15, 2001

We've been enjoying some nice weather here with many very pleasant days for fishing.  However, this has melted some of the snow in the mountains and hills and added some colder water to the river.  I believe this has slowed the midge fishing for now.  As I write this at mid month the nymph fishing has been very good.  We are still using the same flies, natural sow bugs and soft hackle sow bugs both pink and tan.  The technique that is working is to use plenty of lead to slow the nymphs down.  You want your strike indicator to be running slower than the current speed.  We are looking forward to increased midge activity for the last half of the month.

February 2001

The weather was about average for the month.  There were a few midges around, and occasionally you could catch a trout on the surface.  However, most of the fishing was sub-surface.  When the fish were stacked up in the tail outs of riffles,  the fishing was spectacular.  So the object was to locate pods of fish and use nymphs to catch them.  The flies that we used were the usual suspects, soft hackle sow bugs both tan and pink, and natural sow bugs in light gray.  Toward the end of the month, the midges started to hatch and it was possible to catch fish on dries.  It wasn't easy because the trout were skittish.  The only way to catch them was to use long leaders, 16 to 18 feet, and make repetitive, precise casts without any drag.

January 2001

The weather has been good through the first half of the month.  The water temperature is about 40º F.  Nymphing continues to work with soft hackle sow bugs, natural sow bugs, San Juan worms, pheasant tails, midge pupae and larvae.  Streamers are also taking some fish, the bigger and uglier the better.

On the surface, there are some midges clustering in the morning and there are small pods of fish responding to them.  I have also seen baetis hatches on certain days - the beauty of the Bighorn is that there are always rising fish somewhere on the river.   If you are willing to search them out, you can have a lot of fun.

Overview of the 2000 Season

December 2000

The weather continued cold right until Christmas.  The fish did become acclimated to the colder water temp, and became a little more aggressive.  One of the great things about the Bighorn is that even though the water turns cold and the trout's metabolism may slow down a bit, once you hook them they fight as hard as they do in the summer.

There are still some active redds around, but I think most of the brown trout spawning is about over.

The flies that have been working are soft hackle sow bugs, both pink and tan, natural sow bugs, small pheasant tails, midge larvae and pupae.  On the surface there are some fish rising to midges and on cloudy days baetis.

At the end of the month the weather pattern changed and finally we got some milder weather, this should continue into the month of January.

November 2000

After the first week the weather got cold, it actually was one of the coldest Novembers on record.  The cold did affect the fishing for a while later in the month.  I think the cold air made the water temperature drop quickly and it took the fish a week or two to adjust their metabolism.

We did have tan caddis until mid-month which is the longest I have seen them here.   The surface fishing was fabulous.  Baetis and pseudo's were also around but were sporadic.  Nymphing was consistent, if not spectacular.  The fish were taking nymphs very subtly.  You almost have to set the hook on intuition.   Streamers were working, but the fish weren't moving a long way for them.  You had to put the fly right on their nose.

October 2000

Overall the weather was about average with many spectacular, Indian summer days mixed with some cool ones.  The river flow remained about 2000 cfs.  The lake above the dam started to turn over about the third week of the month and continues as I write this.  The water is slightly off color with some grasses and weeds in it.  It hasn't negatively affected the fishing too much.  On the surface we have been fishing tricos in the morning, tan caddis in the afternoons.  There are some fall baetis around as well as many pseudocloens.  At the end of the month the tricos are petering out but the tan caddis are still going strong, and you can always find rising trout.  

Nymphing has been good using pink sow bugs, natural sow bugs, small flashback pheasant tails, caddis pupae, and midge larvae.  Streamers and wooly buggers have also been working well.  The brown trout are really starting to color-up for the coming spawn.   They remind me of the autumn foliage in New England, really spectacular looking and aggressive. 

September 2000

Water flow averaged around 1900 to 2000 cfs.  The beginning of the month saw the caddis starting to come on.  Tan caddis during the day and black caddis late afternoon and into the dark.  Tricos have been hatching in the morning downstream from Bighorn Access to Two Leggins Access, but they have been spotty.  The second half of the month saw tricos hatching on the top 13 miles and we have been catching some good fish.  Caddis fishing continues to be good especially the black caddis at dark.   There are some fish feeding on psuedocloens, however, you have to search for them and they are a challenge.  Fishing has been good subsurface with sow bugs, both natural and pink, small pheasant tail flashbacks and caddis pupae.  Streamers have also been taking fish with the usually wooly buggers in various colors as well as bait fish imitations.  We expect the tricos and caddis to continue into October.  The weather has been spectacular.

August 2000

Water has remained about the same as July. However, this is a drought year and it could actually go down lower.  Just starting to see caddis activity with a few more every day.  But most of the bugs are hatching during the dark hours.  The caddis fishing should be happening shortly.  We have been taking fish on deep sparkle caddis pupaes.  As for the rest of the hatches, we are still getting some PMD's and very small baetis (psuedocloens), as well as midges and some yellow sallies.  However, you have to pick your spots where you can find fish rising in small pods and it has been very challenging.  Nymphing continues to be very good and the fish are eating a wide variety of flies, from PMD nymphs, pheasant tail flashbacks, Ray Charles, assorted sow bugs, scuds and pink soft hackle.

July 2000

Water flow is still running between 2000 and 2300 cfs.  Fishing has still been very good using mostly nymphs.  We are starting to see some PMD's hatch and the full blown hatch should be close.  We are taking fish with Ray Charles, sow bugs, scuds, PMD nymphs, and pheasant tail flashbacks.  Streamers are still working as well as an occasional hopper.  Dry fly action should really start to explode soon with the PMD's followed by the caddis and the tricos.  The end of July still had no caddis.   PMD's have been somewhat sporadic, believe it or not there are still baetis around and we have still been catching fish on then.  Nymphing has remained good.

June 2000

The water flow is averaging 2300 to 2400 cfs. Looks like it will be a slow water year.  Right now there are still some baetis around, especially on overcast days.   The baetis pattern that is working for me is a size 18-20 sparkle dun with a CDC wing.  Midges have tapered off.  We are waiting for the PMD's to start soon.   Nymphing has been extremely good using pheasant tail flashbacks, hare's ears, pmd nymphs, Ray Charles, gray or tan scuds.  Streamers have been taking fish as well.   We have been using Bighorn Specials, black wooly buggers, and JJ specials.  We have been streamer fishing  by working the banks from the boat, using a floating line with a 5 or 6 foot leader tapered to 3X with a split shot about 6" above the fly.

May 2000

The flow is still around 2400-2500 cfs. Water temps remaining in the 40° to 42° . The weather was a little more variable in April, more moisture with fluctuating temperatures. There is ongoing rainbows spawning. We are seeing more and more baetis hatching, especially on overcast days. Toward the end of the month, there are more fish willing to come to the surface to feed. Midge clusters and single midges are working well. As for the baetis, we have been using a CDC baetis size 20, this has been the most consistent producer. You have to really look good to see the fish rising in the riffle edges, if you see a few fish rising to baetis, stop and fish them because there will be more fish there than you think. They love to eat baetis. Nymphing is working as usual with midge larvae and pupae as well as pheasant tails size 18 and 20, quill nymphs and sow bugs size 16 and 18. Woolly buggers are also working in black, brown, tan and olive. My typical nymph rig is a pheasant tail as the top fly and a midge larvae on the bottom. I have lightened up my tippett sizes recently. We started out the month using 3x and 4x while nymphing. I am now using 5x and 6x and some fluorocarbon while site nymphing. The reason for this is May is usually the most crowded fishing month and the fish have seen a lot of flies and anglers.

April 2000

The river flow has been averaging 2500 cfs for the month. Water temp has not appreciably risen. We are still getting readings of 39° to 41° . Weather for the month was excellent with many days in the 70’s. Some rainbows are spawning and we are seeing more and more redds (spawning beds). The fishing has been pretty good, nymphing with midge larvae and pupae, pheasant tails, hare’s ears and any baetis nymph imitation. Dry fly action has been spotty. The midge hatches have been good with some baetis the last half of the month. I think that because the water is cold, it is retarding most of the fish from expending the energy to feed on the surface. However, there are small pods of fish in slower edge waters that are feeding on the hatches. These fish must be fished carefully with good presentations.

March 2000

The river flow was increased around the 10^th of the month to 2400 cfs. I thought that this might improve the fishing, but it didn’t appreciably. My theory is because of the cold water, some of the fish have moved downstream where the water is a little warmer. I have taken several water temperature readings from the Afterbay, 3 mile, and Bighorn access. At the Afterbay the last reading I got was 38° , at 3 mile it was 40° and 41° at Bighorn. The way that I have been fishing is to get out early and hit the major riffles and runs, take a couple of fish and move down. Basically, a quick hit and run style of fishing. The flies that I have been using are tan soft hackles, sizes 14 and 16, my own special pheasant tail size 18 and size 20 midge pupae in either black or tan. As I write this, the rainbows are beginning to spawn.

February 2000

Continued good weather this month. The water level was still low, around 1800 cfs. Water temperature around 40° . The fishing was still a little slow, due to the cold water and what I believe is a lower density of food for the fish. Nymphing was the anglers first choice; with sow bugs, both pink and natural, small pheasant tails, scuds, and midge pupae. Streamers still worked when cast from the boat up against the bank, as well as in deep holes.

January 2000

The weather has been moderate, with plenty of good fishing days. Nymphing and streamers are the two techniques working the best. The water flow has been dropped a bit resulting in lower water temperatures. This has slowed the fishing a little bit as cold water always does. Best flies are tan and pink sow bugs (soft-hackle), scud patterns, gray and gray-green, midge pupae and San Juan Worms, occasionally. There were occasional rises to midges but it wasn’t consistent.

Overview of the 1999 Season

December 1999

Good fishing continues with nymphs and streamers producing well. The Browns are becoming more active and there is spawning happening. Rainbows are also very active hanging behind the spawning redds. In the afternoons, midges are hatching. I’ve had good results using an Adam’s midge cluster, as well as Griffith’s Gnats. As an option you can trail a midge emerger behind the cluster. Another one is to use two streamers using different colors. I experiment with colors until I find the optimum color for the day. We always use two nymphs when we fish, to give the fish a choice.

Overall the weather has been spectacular this fall. Temperatures have been above average and pleasant. Late season fishing on the Bighorn is often the best of the year, and there are days when you can have most of the River to yourself.

November 1999

Gradually the water cleared up along with the grass, moss, and algae. Nymphing has been great, with the usual assortment of Bighorn patterns working. Added to that we used egg patterns, with the LaFontaine marabou eggs working the best. Streamers have been deadly both fished from the boat cast toward the bank, and when wading using a steady two-handed retrieve. Dry fly fishing remained good with hatches of Baetis, Pseudocloen’s, and midges during the afternoon. The Brown Trout were in pre-spawn mode and becoming aggressive.

October 1999

The Trico’s hung around until mid-month. I hated to see them disappear. The water remained off color through most of the month which made fishing a little tough, however, the trout are still there and they have to eat, there are tactics that work. Nymphs; San Juan Worms, flashback pheasant tails, orange scuds, sow bugs, brassies, midge pupae, all worked pretty well. On the top we used blue winged olives size 18-20-22 in both dun and spinner patterns. Adam’s parachutes also worked well in the same sizes. Streamers can always be effective on the Bighorn and more and more people start to use them in the fall. Patterns included JJ specials, black wooly buggers, brown wooly buggers, big zonker patterns in various colors including white. We use rubber legs and cone heads on most of our streamer patterns.

September 1999

This month’s fishing continued to be good with Trico’s in the morning, nymphing after that, as well as attractor flies (Wulff’s, Trude’s) fished mid-day along the banks and through the riffles. Caddis were still around but the hatches started pretty late in the day. LaFontaine sparkle emergers worked extremely well. Rusty spinners also worked during this time. During the last week of the month, the lake turned over which turned the water in the river green and deposited a lot of algae into the system. This did hurt the fishing, however it didn’t hurt the Trico’s or fall Baetis. Dry fly fishing remained spectacular.

August 1999

The water flow is still around 7000 cfs at the beginning of the month. Fishing was still the same as the end of July. As the days grew hotter, nymphing slowed down. The water level was dropped to 4500 cfs which exposed a lot of grass and moss. The daily heat and water temperature (65° ) made for a very fertile growth environment.

Fishing became an early and late event. Mid day was extremely difficult to catch fish. There were a few methods that did work at times. Deep nymphing in fast oxygenated water, attractor flies along the riffle edges and in the riffles, (stimulators, wulff’s etc., ) or hoppers with a dropper (San Juan worm, pheasant tail, caddis pupae, caddis emerger) along the banks. As August rolled along, the caddis hatch got later and later and the tricos slowed down some and became smaller in size. However, we began seeing baetis around the 20^th and the fish are keying in on the spinners around 7:00-8:00 pm. I expect September to still see some tricos, nymphing the riffles and deep channels, streamers in the deep holes, as well as hoppers with droppers, caddis, and baetis.

July 1999

At the beginning of the month the water was still at 10,000cfs. The water temperature was rising. Around the second week the water flow was lowered to 7500 cfs. We started seeing caddis, yellow sallies, and then the tricos started to appear. Nymphing was still pretty good in between the hatches, however, the water and the air temperature were heating up. The typical day was to get onto the water at 5:00-5:30 am, fish the trico hatch til 10:00 –10:30 am then float in either nymphing or using yellow sallies or hoppers with a trico spinner trailer. At mid day it was nap time then we would go back out at 5:00 or 6:00 pm and fish the caddis hatch until exhaustion set in.

June 1999

Water level was 10,000 cfs. We were experiencing a lot of water pumped through Yellowtail Dam. There was a late snow pack at the headwaters of the Bighorn in Wyoming. There were some hatches around, primarily midges and blue winged olives. Nymphing was very good. Patterns that worked were San Juan worms, sow bugs, pink and natural, pheasant tails, hare’s ears, Ray Charles and streamers. In the middle of the month, we had some sporadic PMD activity, but I believe the high fast water blew them out.

May 1999

The water levels had been low at the end of April, 2500 CFS. It was raised to 5000-6000 CFS in the first week of May. The fishing improved immediately. The same flies are still working, particularly the pink soft hackle, we did catch some fish on baetis emergers. In the first week of the month, I've been fishing twice and both days guiding two anglers we landed 30-40 fish.

There have been a lot of anglers on the river partially because many
western rivers are suffering from spring runoff, and because the Bighorn is
a Mecca for anglers. However, the fish are everywhere on the river, the
Bighorn is all holding water.

April 1999

Most of the month we had very cold water temps 38° - 39°. I believe that this factor made the fish a little lethargic. We had both good and bad days. Again most fish were taken on nymphs, sowbugs; pink and natural, small pheasant tails, orange scuds did work at times. Baetis started to appear in numbers and provided some dry fly action along with midges. We used size 16-18 blue wing olives as well as midge clusters and Griffith's Gnats.

March 1999

Water temperature averaged 40° - 42°. The fishing was generally fair to good - Almost all of the fish caught were on sub-surface flies; including: pink soft hackle (sowbug), natural sow bugs, small size 18 pheasant tails. Streamers also worked at times, wooly buggers, big streamers, strip leeches, etc. We did catch some fish on top during midge hatches, but that was sporadic. The biggest fish of the year so far was a 24 inch 6 lb.   Rainbow, caught at a location where no one would think there was a fish.

February 1999

This month was also moderate weather-wise, however, it has been the windiest winter that anyone around can remember. The middle of the month saw water temps down to about 38°- 40°. The fish were a little sluggish. The same flies worked as in January, in addition we used Ray Charles in
various colors size 16-18, egg patterns, small San Juan Worms (pink), midge pupae, and small midge patterns for surface activity. To catch fish consistently, we had to make sure that we got as close to the bottom as we could. I occasionally tried streamers and wooly buggers without any significant success.

January 1999

The weather was moderate with very little snow. The water was very clear and average water temperature was 43° -45° . The fishing was good, almost totally subsurface with nymphs, however there was some midge hatches and occasionally we took fish off the top. The flies that I used were; a
pheasant tail mutant size 18, brassie size 18, pink sow bug size 16, serendipity size 18-20, frost white sow bug size 16. For midge dries I used a black midge pattern size 20-22.

Overview of the 1998 Season 

November/December 1998

Fall Streamer fishing is at it’s best. I fished November 2^nd with a friend and we landed 6 fish over 20 inches and several 16-19 inches. Fall Baetis are hatching in the afternoon Size 20-22 as well as Midges. Nymphing continues to work and will continue all winter with Sow Bugs, Scuds, and San Juan Worms. The streamers we are using are JJ Specials (yellow-brown) and black-silver combinations working well. Small Black Wooly Buggers (leeches) have also proved very successful.

September/October 1998

Due to the very hot summer we had an unusually large algae bloom in the Lake (Reservoir) above the Dam and in the River. This made sub-surface fishing difficult. However, the persistent anglers did extremely well. Caddis continued until the end of September as well as the Tricos, Hoppers, Ants, and other Terrestrials. Around the end of September the lake "turned over" which discolors the water and also adds moss and grasses to the river system. This frustrated most anglers, but some still managed to find bare gravel and areas where the moss was not as heavy (target-slot fishing). Gradually, near the end of October the river started to clear. There was a Pseudocloen hatch during October, size 20-22. Parachute Adams in size 20 worked well also.

July/August 1998

Yellow Sallie’s continued through most of the month. The PMD hatch never really materialized to its usual magnitude. However, there was some PMD hatch activity on the upper 4-5 miles for a couple of weeks. Nymphing continued to catch a lot of fish. Mid-month, the Caddis started to appear – both tan and black. Caddis Pupae could be fished on a nymph rig during late morning and early afternoon. Caddis Emergers could be fished in the afternoon right through the evening, either alone or dropped off an Adult Caddis. Hoppers started to become effective during the month. A very successful tactic that I used was to drift a hopper along the Bank with a Caddis Pupae or Emerger dropper. Around the second week of August the Tricos made their appearance. The fishing was spectacular from first light until approximately 10:30 am. The first Tricos were large, a size 16 and by the end of September dropped to a size 20.

Mahogany Duns were magically appearing in the middle of August for about 10-12 days. They were big, size 10-12 female and size 14 males.

June 1998

Nymphing was the primary tactic used during June. A tandem rig of Sow Bug or Scud on top with a Pheasant Tail, Hare’s Ear, or PMD nymph on the bottom. San Juan’s continued to be successful fished dead drift and deep. Yellow Sallies (Little Yellow Stones) began to hatch on the lower river and moved upstream during late June and July

April/May 1998

A typical day began with nymph fishing in the early morning. We tend to fish a two-fly rig. A Scud or Sow Bug on top – Pheasant Tail or Hare’s Ear on bottom. San Juan Worms also worked extremely well. Late morning saw a Midge hatch, with Griffith’s Gnat’s working as a midge cluster. In the afternoon, the Baetis hatch was on in sizes 18-20.

                                The Bighorn River

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