Waiting for Salmonflies

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Tomorrow marks the first day of June and we are gearing up for the Salmonfly hatch on the Big Hole River. We are going to have great flows and clarity for the Salmonfly hatch this year. Currently, we are near average flows for this date in time at the Melrose gauge. We do not have any Salmonflies on the lower Big Hole River but they should start hatching soon. We have had great nymph fishing on #4 Pat’s Stoneflies which means the fish are keying into the Salmonfly nymph as the nymphs are moving closer to the banks. The Salmonflies will start to hatch around Glen. We will let you know when we first see these bugs. Fishing remains good on the upper Big Hole and throughout the entire river system. Clarity remains good and flows are currently stable.

Flies: #10 Chubby, #12 Purple Haze #4Pat’s Stone Orange/Brown #8 San Juan Worm, Bellyache Minnoe Olive #8 Sparkle Minnow, #4 Yellow/Black Beldar; #4 Smoke N’ Mirrors #6 Yellow Zonker #10  #6 Bad Boy

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Beaverhead River Fishing Report

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The Beaverhead River has been fishing well. Outflows from Clark Canyon Reservoir remain low. The outflow is currently 243cfs. You will have easy wade fishing right now on the upper Beaverhead. Nymph fishing has been the main recipe for flies. The Beaverhead River is running clear down to where Grasshopper Creek dumps into the River.

Flies #16 Ray Charles Soft Hackle, #16 Tan Scud, #18 RS2, #16 Sow Bug Tan/Pink, #18 Olive Split Back, #10 San Juan Worm, #18 Barrs Emerger #16 RS2 

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So Moist

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Click here to change this textaDamp, Wet, Moist, Soaked…However you want to describe it, that is how it has felt.  With the rain that we have seen in the last two weeks, it has felt more like the Pacific Northwest than the High Plaines Desert of Southwest Montana.  Don’t get us wrong, we aren’t complaining.  This rain is helping make up of the below-average snowpack that we received over the winter.  

What has all of this precipitation done for the fishing? It has been great for the fishing.  The river is around 3500cfs and the banks are full, and with those banks saturated from all the recent rains, the river is full of worms.  So while we wait for the Salmonfly hatch, we can continue to enjoy great subsurface fishing with San Juan Worms, Stonefly Nymphs, and Streamers

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Dropping and Clearing

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After the heavy rains that we got last week, the river is finally dropping and clearing.  The visibility around the Salmon Fly fishing access is about 2 feet, and even better than that if you get above the Wise River.  The fishing has been really good over the last couple days.  We have still been using dry dropper rigs on the upper river with Pat’s Rubber Legs, Pheasant Tails, and San Juan Worms.  From Jerry Creek down, the Caddis and March Browns are hatching with more consistency and the dry fly fishing had been pretty good.

Here is a nice brown that Pete got near Fishtrap FAS

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The rain we have had the last 48 hours has brought the river on the rise.

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The rain we have had the last 48 hours has brought the river on the rise. We had a fantastic day on the upper Big Hole yesterday. The clarity remains at about 18 inches on the upper Big Hole above the Wise River. The clarity here around Melrose is only about 6 inches. The Big Hole will fish above the Wise River today but I would stay off the Big Hole below the Wise River unless you just want a fast boat ride. We had the most success for large fish yesterday on San Juan Worms and streamers. It should be another big fish day on the upper Big Hole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelvin with a long overdue monster on the upper Big Hole

Flies: #10 Chubby, #12 Purple Haze #10 Pat’s Stone Brown/Green #8 San Juan Worm, Bellyache Minnoe Olive #8 Sparkle Minnow, #4 Yellow/Black Beldar; #4 Smoke N’ Mirrors #6 Yellow Zonker #10  #6 Bad Boy

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The moist wet weather continues in Southwest Montana.

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The moist wet weather continues in Southwest Montana. We are receiving some much needed rain to saturate the ground. Our Big Hole River guides have had fantastic fishing lately. This is the Big Hole River fishing report you have been waiting for. The large brown trout have been eating well during this wet cycle. You will find caddis hatching on the Big Hole from Jerry creek down stream. We have had March Brown hatches above the Wise River in the afternoons. Streamers have been working well for large brown’s on the upper Big Hole. The river is on the rise but don’t let that fool you. The large brown trout have moved to the banks as they are snacking on worms, and sculpins with the increase of flow. The river has 2 feet of visibility and now is the time to search for the large brown trout the Big Hole is famous for.

Brant with a nice Big Hole Brown

Flies: #10 Chubby, #12 Purple Haze #10 Pat’s Stone Brown/Green #8 San Juan Worm, Bellyache Minnoe Olive #8 Sparkle Minnow, #4 Yellow/Black Beldar; #4 Smoke N’ Mirrors #6 Yellow Zonker #10  #6 Bad Boy

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Beaverhead River Fishing Report

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Well, it’s opening day today on the upper Beaverhead River. The reservoir outflow is only 278cfs out of Clark Canyon Reservoir. Wade fishing is very easy right now on the upper Beaverhead. You will need your sow bug/scud box and midge larva box. You will not find much for dry fly fishing on the upper river. Midge patterns of choice have been #16 Zebra Midge in red or black. Clark canyon creek is dumping mud into the river just above High Bridge. If you have some clarity below High Bridge San Juan worms will work well. Small wooly buggers will take some fish below High Bridge. Our Beaverhead River guides will be on the river during the middle of the week.

Flies #16 Ray Charles Soft Hackle, #16 Tan Scud, #18 RS2, #16 Sow Bug Tan/Pink, #18 Olive Split Back, #10 San Juan Worm,

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Fishing has been pretty good the last couple days and it should be pretty nice this weekend.

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Fishing has been pretty good the last couple days and it should be pretty nice this weekend.  The cooler cloudy weather has had the larger brown trout willing to eat streamers and some dry flies. We have caddis on the lower river below Melrose. Above Melrose you will find March Brown’s still around and some blue winged olives. The flows have remained stable and the visibility is excellent.  We have 2 feet of visibility here in Melrose. Our guides have had good fishing on the upper Big Hole above the Wise River and also around Melrose.

Happy Clients below Divide yesterday

Flies: #10 Bullet Head Skwala, #12 Purple Haze #10 Pat’s Stone Brown/Green #8 San Juan Worm, Bellyache Minnoe Olive #8 Sparkle Minnow, #4 Yellow/Black Beldar; #4 Smoke N’ Mirrors #6 Yellow Zonker #10 Prince Nymph: #12 Flashback pheasant Tail

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Job Positions Open

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Sunrise Fly Shop Open Positions

Fly Shop Specialist / Customer Service and Sales:

Starts: Mid May 2015

Hours: Full Time/Seasonal

Shop duties include high end customer service providing information regarding the fishing on the Big Hole River. This position includes shuttling of vehicles. Fly shop cleaning, and general maintenece of inventory. You will need some Point of Sale/POS skills which means familiarity with computers. Strong phone skills are a plus too.

Requirements:

  • Good personal and customer service skills
  • Excited about helping fly fishing anglers
  • Knowledge of fly fishing basics
  • Basic computer skills
  • Good Organizational skills

Send Resumes to [email protected]  406-835-3474

Shuttle Drivers 2015

Starts: ASAP

Shuttle drivers work very hard, and should expect hours to be 2-6 hours a day. The schedule is pretty flexible, and it’s a great way for those looking to stay busy and earn a few bucks during the summer.

Requirements:

  • Clean Driving Record.
  • Ability to back up a truck and trailer.
  • Ability to drive a manual transmision vehicle.
  • Great attention to detail

Contact [email protected] 406-835-3474

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Cold and Dark and Wet

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The weather has changes significantly in the lats 48 hours.  After a couple week of sunny days with daytime highs reaching the 70’s, Mother Nature decided it was too early for Summer to start.  For the next several days we are forecasted to have overcast skies with cooler temps, and a chance of precipitation every day.  This change in weather has probably slowed the arrival of the Mother’s Day Caddis hatch, but it has been great for getting more water in the river as well as improving the overall fishing.  With the bright sunny weather we had been experiencing, the spring streamer fishing hadn’t been as good as it usually is in May.  But now that we are in a pattern of overcast skies, you can expect the streamer fishing to be really good for the next week.  Yellow, Orange and Olive were the best streamer colors for our guides yesterday.  For all you “Streamer Junkies” that have been waiting for a good time to hit the Big Hole, this might be the weekend you have been waiting for.

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