The Big Hole fishing report has been fantastic lately. We have PMD’s, caddis, yellow sallies and Golden Stones hatching on the river. You will find trout eating dries throughout the day and the dropper fishing has been flat out fantastic. Fish have been feeding in the fast riffles mid day. We have done well with golden stone patterns and PMD dries and nymphs. Streamer anglers have been crushing fish in the riffles with sculpin patterns and minnow imitations. The overcast damp weather should continue to serve up great dry fly opportunities. We have been floating the Jerry Creek section, Divide into Maiden Rock section and the lower Big Hole sections. Summer is here and it’s your time to get out and fish.
The Salmonflies on the Big Hole River are here! The arrival of the Western Tanagers on the banks of the Big Hole always signals the arrival of the stoneflies. The famed Big Hole Salmonfly hatch should be fantastic this year. We have seen adult Salmonflies from Glen up to Melrose. The next significant warm up will move the hatch into the Maiden Rock Canyon. The river flows have been dropping due to the cooler temperatures, currently the flow is 2,290cfs in Melrose. The trout below Melrose are keyed into the Salmonfly dries and you will find egg layers in the afternoons. Above Melrose we are having productive streamer fishing and nymphing on salmonflies. When we turn over rocks in the canyon you will find the stonefly nymphs ten feet off the banks. I predict by the weekend the hatch will move into the Maiden Rock Canyon. It’s time to grab your buddies and throw your foam flies tight to the willows and hold on for some dry fly action. We always see some fantastic trout caught on dries this time of the year.
The Big Hole River caddis hatch has been exploding lately. Conditions are perfect right now for dry fly fishing, with the clarity around 4 feet. The dropping water conditions have made for great streamer fishing and nymph fishing. Our best streamers have been yellow Zonkers, dungeons and Olive Lil’ Kim’s. We have also been picking fish on stone fly nymphs in the #8 size range and various caddis nymphs. The upper Big Hole has been fishing well and the canyon sections have produced great caddis fishing. Currently, we are in a great window of fishing before the high elevation snow melts off. The cloudy days have had the fish up eating caddis and chasing streamers off the banks. The Big Hole will be a great option for fishing over the holiday weekend.
We have a last minute opening for prime June Salmonfly fishing. June 12th-15th we have availability for 2 anglers and lodging. Give us a call to book these prime dates (406) 835-3474
The Beaverehad River opening week has been nothing short of very good. Despite the low flows we have seen some great fish caught lately. The outflows from Clark Canyon Reservoir are only 130cfs. Wade fishing is your best option on the Beaverhead at these low flows. We have done best nymphing on the Beaverehad this week. Sow bugs, scuds, and midges have all been catching fish for us sub surface. All of the fish we have been catching on the river look healthy and wintered very well. Clark Canyon Reservoir is 84% full and it will still be stacking up water while runoff continues. Fishing should be very good this season on the Beaverhead River.
The Big Hole fishing report has been pretty good lately. Spring has the river flows up and down, so each day has been a bit different on the river. The bright sun lately does not have the fish looking up for dry flies. We are seeing March Brown mayflies hatching below Melrose and some Blue Winged Olives throughout the river system. The visibility in the river is about 3 feet and the flows this morning are stable. We have been sticking to subsurface fishing during these bright sunny days. Nymphing or slow moving streamers have been bringing the fish to the boat. The water temperatures this weekend should get the fish moving and the bugs hatching. All of the fish we have seen caught this spring seem very healthy and are in great shape for the season.
We have had some fantastic spring weather for the most part on the Big Hole lately. We are just getting through a cold snap today and then we are back to good fishing conditions. The river is stable and visibility is around 3 feet. We have had great nymph fishing and the occasional afternoon with good Skwalla dry fly fishing. You should be able to prospect the slow grassy banks this weekend with skwalla dry flies and do well. We have seen the better dry fly conditions on the lower stretches of the Big Hole River.
The trout have looked very healthy so far this spring. You will find some blue winged olives and March brown mayflies scattered throughout the river system. The streamer anglers are having good reports in the afternoons. Some days we have seen fish chasing and some days they have wanted slower moving streamers off the bottom. It is a wonderful time to get your spring fishing in before the high elevation runoff hits. We have a snowpack around 90% of normal for this date in time. The water conditions are shaping up to be very good this season. Spring Special Packages are still available. Book your trip today.
Spring Fishing on the Big Hole has arrived. It has been winter like weather but that is going to change this weekend. Highs in the upper 50’s and lower 60’s this weekend will make for some nice fishing. The Big Hole is dropping and clearing and should be great shape this weekend. Water temperatures are still cold and the fish will be in the slower buckets. We have been nymphing with our best success. Flows are around 800cfs and should continue to drop or stay stable. You will find hatches of midges right now. Skwallas are still about a week out. Water temperatures need to get up into the upper 40’s to 50’s to get the Skwala hatch going. A solid window of spring fishing is here until the next push of water from snowmelt. The Big Hole basin is currently at 96% of average in snowpack.
The Big Hole River opening day is tomorrow, April 1st. We are looking forward to celebrating our 20th year in business in 2025. Our shop will be open at 9:00 am tomorrow and open daily for the Spring season. We will be running shuttles and open with many fishing goodies in stock. Our lodging opens this week and we still have some availability for our Spring Special.
The conditions of the Big Hole are not ideal right now but improving daily. The ice on the upper river has broken free last week and it has caused the flows to come up and the river to be off color. The river seems to be stabilizing and should drop in flows in the next 24- 36 hours due to cooler temperatures. Once the river drops in flow we should have great fishing. Boats will be out this week and we will give you reports as soon as we have them. We are looking forward to a great season. Snowpack in the Big Hole drainage is 95% for this date in time. We are expecting to have a good water year and plenty of healthy fish in the river system. We will see you in the shop or on the water.
The Beaverhead River can be a great refuge for winter fishing. From Pipe Organ Bridge down to Barretts park you can fish in the winter season. Anglers must remember that from the Dam down to Pipe Organ Bridge is closed to fishing until the 3rd Saturday of May. You can find hatches of midges on warmer days and a few trout siping on the surface in areas of the river during the heat of the day. For the most part nymph fishing is the ticket right now on the stretches below Pipe Organ Bridge. You can also have some luck pulling streamers in the deeper pools and moving them very slow on the bottom of the river. Our best nymphs have been #10 San Juan worms, #16 shop vac, #18 micro may, and zebra midges. When you are nymphing make sure you find the slow tail outs of the runs in the deeper buckets. Once you find fish you should have a pile of them.
Spring season will be here before you know it. We are offering our annual spring special from April 1st – May 15th. Enjoy discounted package lodging/fishing with us and fantastic Spring fishing. Some of our weekends are filling up but we still have availability for the special rates. We are expecting more winter and plenty of snow the next two months. We will keep you updated on the Beaverhead River winter fishing season.
We have your Montana snowpack update as we enter the middle of the winter season. It was a brisk -15 degrees here this morning but it looks like temperatures will get back into the 20’s in a few days. The Montana snowpack is much better this year compared to last year at this time. The Big Hole and Beaverhead drainage is sitting at 80% of normal snow water equivalent at this time. We still have 90 more days until our snowpack has peaked, so plenty of winter left to increase our percentages. It is still too early to predict streamflows for the spring and summer season. We usually will know streamflows for the spring in summer once April comes around. Updates will be coming from us throughout the winter and spring season as the snow piles up for outdoor enthusiasts.
We are looking towards a great 2025 fishing season. Fish health this past fall was found to be fantastic in the brown trout and rainbow trout in the Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers. We will start our season April 1st with our Spring Special. This year we are taking the Spring Special through May 15th. You will find great dry fly fishing opportunities in the Spring season. Hatches of Skwallas and Blue Winged Olives will dominate the menu for trout. Spring packages are 15% our regular season rates. Book your trip today.
Job Position Available:
Sunrise Fly Shop Manager Position:
Sunrise Fly Shop is searching for a qualified and hard working individual to manage our fly shop. This is a fun environment filled with passion for fly fishing on the legendary Big Hole River in Melrose, Montana.
Manage marketing and growth of online store.
Inventory accuracy and order fulfillment
Social Media Marketing and email marketing
Manage, promote, and grow Sunrise Fly Shop’s social media
Inventory management and inventory accuracy
Weekly email news blasts highlighting online store, sales, and guide trips and fishing reports
Help facilitate the accurate and efficient completion of all the day’s shuttles.
Communicate with clients via email and telephone to book both guided trips and lodging
Manage the stocking of merchandise and organize the backstock and back rooms
Contact all clients that will be checking in within the next 24 hours and ensure that they have all the – logistical information that they might need for their upcoming trip
