The Big Hole has been tough some days for our guides and fishing well on other days. We are still seeing good Trico hatches in the mornings. You can hunt sipping trout on the surface during the spinner fall. After the trico hatch we have been prospecting the riffles with a spruce moth, hopper or ant pattern with a paragon dropper nymph off the back. We are seeing a tremendous amount of hoppers in the valley this August. Flows remain low and well below average for this time of the year. We have some hoot owl closures on sections and some full fishing closures on some sections of the Big Hole. Below is all the information on fishing restrictions. Section 3 remains open all day. This section is from Dickey Bridge down to Maiden Rock FWP (Lower Maiden Rock).
Recommended Flies:
- Spruce Moth #12
- YFG Spruce Moth #12
- Bloom’s Spruce Moth #12
- Comparadun Trico #18
- Trico Spinner #18
- Chernobyl Ant #8
- Morrish Hopper #8
- Fat Albert #8
- Pat’s Rubber Leg #10 (Black)
- Spanish Bullet #16 (Black)
- Thread Frenchie #16 (Black/Olive)
Fishing Restrictions/Closures:
- Section 1 Closed – Saginaw Bridge on Skinner Meadows Road to North Fork Big Hole River mouth
- Section 4 Closed – From FWP’s Maiden Rock FAS (Lower Maiden Rock) to Tony Shoonen FAS (Notch)
- Section 5 Closed – Tony Schoonen FAS (Notch) to confluence with Jefferson River
Hoot Owl restrictions prohibit fishing each day between 2 p.m. and midnight in the following sections of the Big Hole River:
- Section 2 Hoot Owl – From the North Fork of the Big Hole to Dickie Bridge FAS
Section 3 Dickie Bridge down to FWP’s Maidenrock FAS (Lower Maiden Rock) is open to fishing all day. Even though this section is open all day please take water temperature readings and if the water temperature exceeds 68 degrees please stop fishing for the day. If these restrictions confuse you, please give us a call and we can clarify the locations. 406-835-3474.
