Sunrise Fly Shop-Big Hole River Blog

The Big Hole River has been fishing well.  This fish was caught on the upper Big Hole River.  26 inch 8lb. brown.  This was a fish of a lifetime.  Way to go Steve Gilb.  It will be an interesting week.  Will the Big Hole River remain at a steady flow or will it spike from snowmelt.  I have been thinking I can predict mother nature but we all know that is difficult to do.  Traffic here has remained very light and the fishing has been great.  Some caddis still around in the Maiden Rock Canyon, mainly streamer fishing and nymphing everywhere else.  Salmon Flies soon?? 

First busy Saturday here at the Sunrise Fly Shop.  After another winter storm, the weather is warming up nicely here this morning.  The warmer weather has brought people out of the house.  Highs in the mid forties and warming up to 50 by monday will get the fishing back on track.  Look for Skwala dry fly fishing to be good in the afternoons on the Big Hole River.  The hatch has just started on the lower river.  We have been getting them on top on the lower river.  Skwalas have not been hatching above Melrose yet.  Nymphing will be solid in the tailouts of runs and on the soft banks.  Our Big Hole River guides are off the river today but Sam Wyke is here this weekend.  Sam is one of the owners of the Big R Fly Shop up in Great Falls, Montana.  This is a great fly shop and good guys in the industry.     

Salmon Flies are maybe the most impressive of all the insects that we get on the Big Hole River.  These orange and black behemoths can grow to over two inches, and during early to mid June are crawling on every willow on the Big Hole.  These oversized flying bugs are such an amazing meal for the fish, that nearly every trout in the river is looking up just waiting for a Salmon Fly to hit the water. 

 

There is nothing in the world like throwing a 2 inch dry fly along a cut-bank under an overhanging willow, making the perfect mend to keep the fly tucked tight to the bank, and then seeing the mouth of a twenty-plus inch brown trout come up and grab your foam imitation.  It is am exhilarating experience that every angler should experience at least once in his or her life.

 

With the amount of snow that we have in the mountains during this 2011 spring, and the temperatures that we have seen so far this spring, we are predicting that the Salmon Fly hatch will be arriving slightly later than usual.  Having said that, predicting the timing of the Salmon Fly hatch is nothing more than a blind guess, but our Big Hole River Guides think that June 13^th to June 26^th sounds like a probable prediction to me.  Contact us today to book your trip. 

Sunrise Fly Shop is opening it's doors for the 2011 fishing season On Friday April 1st.  We are looking forward to a great season in Southwest Montana.  Snowpack in the Big Hole River and Beaverhead River drainage are well over 115% of normal.  Currently, Clark Canyon reservoir is over 90% full.  The season starts with the Skwala hatch on the Big Hole River.  We will keep you up to date throughout the spring to the progress of the hatch.  Look for an updated Big Hole River fishing report starting April 1st. 

We have already had some good fishing on the Big Hole below Melrose, it has just been darn cold still.  The river is ice free below Melrose and once we get a few more day time highs in the upper 40's to lower 50's fishing will improve.  Get that gear ready, and start to think  about booking your trip with our Big Hole River guides and Southwest Montana River Guides at the Sunrise Fly Shop.    

Winter has been harsh in Southwest Montana this year.  Plenty of snow with bitterly cold temperatures.  The snowpack in looking great for this years fishing season.  The Big Hole / Beaverhead drainages are @ 109% snowpack for this date in time, and we still have another couple months to gain more snow in the high country.  The big story this winter has been the ice jams on the rivers.  The Big Hole River, Beaverhead River, Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin Rivers have all had major ice jamming events this winter.  This has created some low valley flooding at times, and scouring of the banks and rivers.  Last week a rancher on the Big Hole River lost several cows due to a break in the ice, the cattle fell through and were lost to the frozen river.  

Day time temperatures are now getting above freezing which is starting to break up the ice on our rivers.  We will start to get some days of productive fishing later this month.  With the healthy snowpack we are looking ahead to another great late summer fishing season.  August will be filled with great terrestrial hopper fishing with good water flows.  August has been an overlooked month of Southwest Montana fishing in high water years.  Take advantage of this in 2011, our Big Hole River guides and Beaverhead River guides will make a memorable fishing trip for you!