The Beaverhead River has been fishing well lately. We are truly finding some excellent fish since the upper river has been open. Currently, it is all nymph fishing with sow bugs, scuds, and midges. Streamer fisherman are getting it done on the lower stretches with black and olive patterns. Water flows out of Clark Canyon Reservoir are currently 421cfs.
Big Hole Mother’s Day Caddis Hatch
The Big Hole Mother’s Day Caddis hatch has started on the lower Big Hole River. We are seeing the caddis from the mouth of the river all the way up to Melrose. Above Melrose you can still find some March brown mayflies and blue winged olives. The river is entering the runoff time period. We are having some high elevation snowmelt due to the warm weather the last few days. Since the river is on the rise fishing might be tough this week. We are currently seeing about 3 feet of visibility on the edges of the river. Since conditions can change daily, we suggest calling us for the most up to date report. A dropping hydrographic usually means better fishing, but sometimes the Big Hole can fish great even with runoff pushing the hydrograph up. Streamers fishing has been active in the afternoons. We are seeing fish moving towards yellow/brown streamers and natural colors.
Recommend Flies:
- #12 Bloom’s Caddis Natural/Olive
- #12 Flambe Caddis tan
- #10 Chubby Chernobyl Olive
- #12 Jig Duracel
- #12 Blowtorch
- #10 Pat’s Rubber Leg
- #6 Barely Legal
- #6 Sparkle Minnow Sculpin
Big Hole River May Fishing
The Big Hole River May fishing is shaping up to be fantastic. We are currently in the best window of Spring time fishing. The Big Hole is stable and flowing around 1,000cfs. We have seen hatches of skwalas, March brown’s and Blue Winged Olives. The streamer anglers have been hooked up in the afternoons with home invaders, dungeons, and J.J.’s. The week ahead looks like stable river conditions and a fabulous time to get out and fish. The Big Hole will remain fishable until the next large spike in flows due to snowmelt or rain. Above is a wonderful fish caught this week on one of our guide trips. Many nice trout are being caught and released recently on our guide trips.
Recommended Flies:
- # 10 Chubby Chernobyl Olive
- #10 Water Walker Black/Olive
- #12 Purple Craze
- #12 Jig CDC Yellow Spot
- #10 Pat’s Rubber Legs
- #6 Barely Legal
- #6 Mini Dungeon Yellow
- #4 J.J. Special
- #6 Home Invader Natural
Beaverhead River Fishing Report
Fishing on the Beaverhead River has been pretty good lately. We have seen blue winged olives hatching and the Caddis will start in the next week or two. Streamer fishing on the lower end has been good on J.J.’s and black dungeons. We have seen very nice 16 inch – 18 inch brown trout in the Sections below Pipe Organ Bridge. These fish wintered well and it should be a nice fish year on the Beaverhead River. We are excited for the this month and the summer to come!
Reminder: The Dam down to Pipe Organ bridge is closed through May 17th. The opener on the upper Beaverhead is May 18th. Clark Canyon Reservoir is full and outflows are hovering at 250cfs. It is going to be a fabulous water year on the Beaverhead.
Recommended Flies:
- #16 Spanish Bullet Olive
- #16 Thread Frenchie
- #8 San Juan Worm
- #6 J.J. Special
- #6 Dungeon Black
Big Hole River Continues to Fish Well
The Big Hole continues to fish well during this most recent drop in spring flows. The Skwala hatch has been impressive lately. Yesterday we started with dry dropper rigs and ended up cutting the dropper off around 10:00 am and fished the skwala dry the rest of the day with great success. We have been seeing a nice healthy age class of brown trout lately in the river. The rainbows look healthy and have been willing to eat dry flies. The march brown hatch has also started on the river. The nymph emergers have done better recently with march browns. Streamer anglers are doing well with the recent warm up in water temperatures. Black with slight yellow accents on the streamer have done the best. Enjoy the next stretch of spring fishing before the next bump in flows.
Recommended Flies:
- #8 Bullet Head Skwala
- #10 Chubby Chernobyl Olive/Tan
- #10 Double Stack Chubby Black/Olive
- #10 Pat’s Rubber Legs Olive/Brown
- #8 San Juan Worm Red
- #14 Jig Spanish Bullet
- #12 Jig Hot Spot
- #6 J.J. Special
- #6 Big Hole Bugger
Big Hole River Skwala Hatch
The Big Hole River Skwala Hatch has started this week. We have seen the adult stoneflies from Melrose down to the lower end of the river. Some afternoons have been better than others on the dry fly bite. In the morning we have been getting fish on the stonefly nymph and then switching to the dry fly in the afternoons. Water clarity remains at around 3 feet and the river remains stable. Look for the slow grassy banks for the Skwala dry flies.
The weather looks quite pleasant for the next several days. A good Spring fishing window is upon us, time to get out and fish! We still have some availability for our Spring Special.
Recommended Flies:
- #8 Bullet Head Skwala
- #10 Chubby Chernobyl Olive/Tan
- #10 Double Stack Chubby Black/Olive
- #10 Pat’s Rubber Legs Olive/Brown
- #8 San Juan Worm Red
- #14 Jig Spanish Bullet
- #6 J.J. Special
Big Hole is Back In Shape
The Big Hole is back in shape after the ice off event on the upper river. Flows are around 1,300 cfs and stable. The river is very cold at the moment. Looks like day time water temperatures are only hitting 42 degrees today. The river clarity is good. I was seeing 3 feet down off the banks today. We are going to fish it tomorrow and it should be good. You will want to fish the inside corners tomorrow with nymphs. Slow, deep water on the inside corners will be the ticket since the water temperature is in the upper 30’s to lower 40’s. Air temperatures are increasing throughout the week so we should get better water temperatures by Wednesday or Thursday. It is time to get your Spring Big Hole fishing on!
Spring Sprung on The Big Hole River
The Big Hole River had good fishing earlier this week before Spring sprung on the upper Big Hole and the winter ice broke off the river. This is an event that happens every year and starting last Wednesday the ice broke and continued throughout the week. Needless to say the entire river is not fishable right now due to muddy water. We think sometime this coming week the river will be back in shape for fishing. We will let you know as soon as conditions get better on the river. For now I would suggest heading to tailwaters such as the Beaverhead below Pipe Organ or the Missouri River.
These high flows you see on the hydrograph is not high elevation runoff. This event is just the upper Big Hole valley floor and river ice coming down. It will clear up soon and we will be back to good Spring fishing.
Big Hole River Fly Shop
Our Big Hole River Fly Shop opens for the 2024 season tomorrow! The doors opened in 2006 and it is with great honor to serve anglers from all over the country for another year and many more to come. The entire Big Hole River is open April 1st. We will be fishing from Divide down to the lower stretches. The upper Big Hole is still frozen above Dickie Bridge. Guide trips are out all week and we will have an updated report once we get on the water. the river is flowing around 520cfs in Melrose, it is running clear and should fish well. It will be subsurface activity and slow moving streamers in the afternoons. Looks like nice spring weather this week. We look forward to another fantastic season and seeing all the familiar and faces in the shop.
Spring Special trips are still available Click here for more information.
Join The Sunrise Fly Shop Staff
- Sunrise Fly Shop is hiring for the 2024 fishing season. Below are there positions that are available. We would like to hear from you and welcome enthusiastic employees who are passionate about fishing.
- 2024 JOB OPENINGS :
To inquire about or to apply for any of the open positions, please give us a call 406-835-3474 or email [email protected] - Shop Staff
- Sunrise Fly Shop is seeking a dynamic individual to join our Fly Shop Team. As a key member of our passionate and knowledgeable staff, you will be responsible for various tasks, including sales, providing exceptional customer service, answering phones, operating the register, running shuttles, fulfilling online orders, and crafting engaging fishing reports. We require someone with a genuine passion for fly fishing, a willingness to learn about the rivers of Southwest Montana, the ability to thrive in a fast – paced work environment, and, most importantly, a positive attitude. If you are enthusiastic about sharing your love for fly fishing and providing top-notch service, we invite you to apply and be a part of our Sunrise Fly Shop staff.
- Shuttle Driver
- Looking for a fun Summer job? We are looking for hard working individuals to fill 3 open positions as a shuttle driver. You will need to be at least 18 years of age, good driving record and have a great attention to detail and safety. You will not need to use your own vehicle. A Company vehicle is provided for you.