Author: sunriseflyshop

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Since we all have cabin fever come mid January in Southwest Montana.  Here is some dreaming to think about for the spring.

The Mother’s Day Caddis hatch gets so thick on rivers like the Big Hole, and Yellowstone that you better keep your mouth closed because caddis will be flying down your throat.  When the caddis come off, it looks like another spring snowstorm during your Montana fly fishing vacation.  The Mother’s Day Caddis hatch is the last hatch before runoff clouds our rivers and we wait for Salmonflies.

Spring fishing in Southwest Montana is filled with unpredictable weather that consists of snow, sun, clouds and rain.  The payoff for dealing with the potentially nasty weather is having days when trout eat voraciously on the surface.  As the ice leaves the rivers of Southwest Montana, Skwallas begin to emerge and anglers hit the Big Hole River for this exciting hatch.  After the explosive eats to Skwallas on the surface anglers wait patiently for the rewarding but yet finicky Mother’s Day Caddis hatch.

The Mother’s Day Caddis hatch is a bonus hatch for anglers to hit in their lifetime.  This is because the elements that need to be in place for the hatch to occur while the trout are interested to eat on the surface depend on many factors.   These factors include water temperature between 52-55 degrees for an extended period of time, water with at least 2 feet of visibility so the trout can see the caddis on the surface, and consistent water flow.

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The holiday season is here and we wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.  As a small business owner please take advantage of the second annual  Small Business Saturday on November 26th.  Get out in your local community and support the small business that help fuel our economy.  We will be taking phone orders on all the fly fishing products we sell at the Sunrise Fly Shop.  Give us a call anytime 406-835-3474.

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Sloughs have started to freeze over and you can feel your pulse in your hands. You strip your fly line from your reel as you barely can feel your fingertips but can’t give up the urge to find the next trout taking a streamer.  Fall has slipped into winter in Southwest Montana.  My last day on the Big Hole for the season was November 4^th.  Slow stripping and dead drifting streamers was the name of the game to get about 10 browns to eat all day, not bad for November.  With the shop closed for the season, it is now time to think about winter trips, tying flies, elk hunting, and flushing birds before it is time to gear up for 2012.  If you are going to brave the elements and fish in Southwest Montana during our frigid months; here are some tips I have received and am going to try to help prevent guides from freezing.

One of our last clients for the season, Christine Warren heard that spraying Pam oil on your guides prevents icing from occurring.  I have yet to try it but will let you know how it works.  For some great reading from a passionate angler, check out Christine’s blog: flyfishchick.com and her new book Paddlefish.

Loon Outdoors has come up with a new product to prevent ice from collecting on your guides.  The product is called Stanley’s Ice Off Paste . I am going to compare spray on Pam to Loon’s Ice Off Paste and will report back to you how these products work.  All anglers need to fill their winter trout fix or cabin fever, these products can make the difference in an enjoyable winter fishing experience.

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Big Hole Fishing Report

Feels like summer here even though it is starting to look like fall.  Cold nights and warm afternoons with high overhead sun has made for tough fishing lately.  We have been doing well nymphing the riffles with Blue Winged olives and swinging small buggers.  For about 2 hours in the afternoon we have had glory hours of hopper fishing.  In fact we have had a few over 20 inches lately on hoppers like this one above which was caught on a 6ft. 3 weight!   More of the same weather on tap for the next few days here.  Looks like the clouds will roll in early next week.    

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Cool crisp nights and warm days.  Hmmm, how many more of these do we have left?  Get it while you can; it’s early September and it feels like fall in the morning and summer in the afternoon.  The Big Hole River is in great shape, water temperatures are staying cold.  We have Trico’s in the morning, with some PMD’s kicking around.  The afternoons have been a terrestrial game.  Look for browns sitting in skinny riffle water or grassy banks willing to eat hoppers and ants.  Spruce moths have tapered off.  You may find a few around the Jerry Creek to Dewey section.  The summer crowds are gone and late summer fishing is here!

Prime time right now on the Beaverhead for dry fly fishing.  Crane Fly dries in the mornings and evenings in the upper Beaverhead slick has been excellent.  The nymphing during the day has been solid with PMD nymphs on the upper river.  Below high bridge we have had excellent dry fly fishing lately. Yellow Sallies, caddis, and hoppers have been what we have been fishing on the surface below high Bridge.  The water is big down there but when you have inside bends with about 2 – 3 feet of depth with a grassy bank, you will find fish willing to eat a hopper or sally.  This river is healthy and producing some great fish lately.  Good stuff right now on the Beaverhead, I mean real good.

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It is hard to believe that August is coming to an end soon.  Southwest Montana fishing has been heating up.  We have had hot and dry weather, which has really gotten the hopper fishing on track.  We are looking forward to a September filled with exciting hopper fishing on the Big Hole, Beaverhead and Jefferson River.  I have been on all three rivers this week.  We still have Spruce Moth’s on the Big Hole River; the upper Beaverhead has been fishing excellent on PMD nymphs with hopper and Crane Fly fishing on the surface.  The Jefferson River has been streaky on the hopper bite.  Some days they have been crushing the hopper and other days the Jefferson River can be humbling.  Fall fishing is right around the corner.  Start planning your Fall fishing trip now!

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August terrestrial hatches on the Big Hole are in full swing.  We currently have Spruce Moth’s, hoppers, and flying ants.  Dry fly fishing doesn’t get better than this, brown’s eating Spruce Moth’s and hoppers in skinny water.  We have been fishing the Big Hole from Jerry Creek all the way to Notch bottom.  You will find the Spruce Moth’s from Jerry Creek down to Maiden Rock.  The Spruce Moth’s are thick and the trout are lined up to eat them.  Below Melrose it has been a hopper/nocturnal stone fly game on the surface.  August flows are great right now.  We are over 600cfs in Melrose right now.  Read more about the Spruce Moth Hatch here.       

A Ro Skiff was pinned on a rock in the Maiden Rock Canyon.  The boat was stollen from the river before the owner could recover it.  If you have any information on this boat pleasecontact our shop.

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Many people come to Southwest Montana to fish the famed Salmonfly hatch in June on the Big Hole River and the Madison River.    Besides the Salmon Fly hatch, the rivers of Southwest Montana have other great Stonefly hatches.  One in particular that is worth the trip to Montana is the Nocturnal Stonefly hatch.

Nocturnal Stoneflies are found on most freestone river is Southwest Montana.  In mid July after most of the Golden Stoneflies are gone the Big Hole River has a fabulous nocturnal Stonefly hatch.  As with most stoneflies, the males are much smaller than the females, and in this case the male Nocturnal Stone does not have the ability to fly.  This is part of the reason why you rarely see these flies buzzing around during the day like you will with a Golden Stone or Salmon Fly.  Similar to other stoneflies the nocturnal stonefly crawls onto dry rocks to sheds their exoskeleton and become an adult fly.  The best way to know if these flies are hatching is to look at dry rocks along the banks of the river to see if there are any stonefly shucks stuck to the rocks.

The Best Time to Fish The Nocturnal Stoneyfly Hatch on the Big Hole River

The best time to fish the nocturnal stonefly hatch is in the early morning hours, or in the late evenings.  I believe the best dry fly fishing is in the early morning hours before the sun hits the water.  One section of river in Southwest Montana that has a wonderful nocturnal stonefly hatch is the Dewey canyon of the Big Hole River.  Mid July is the time period that the hatch seems to be the best.

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A Winston rod was brought into the shop tonight.  It was found at the big rock between Melrose and Brownes Bridge that has been sucking boats this year on the Big Hole River.  If you have lost a Winston Rod please call the Sunrise Fly Shop to identify it.  Another honest angler with a rod that wants to get back to it’s original owner.

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