The transition from hatches of PMD’s and nocturnal stoneflies …

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The transition from hatches of PMD’s and nocturnal stoneflies into Spruce Moth’s and Trico’s are going on right now on the Big Hole. We have started to see some Spruce Moth’s in the Dewey canyon and the Maiden Rock Canyon. Trico’s have been spotted below Melrose and on the upper Big Hole. Ants and small attractors have also been working well. Patters such as PMX’s and small chernobyl’s have been working well. The streamer fishing in the shallow riffle water has remained very good for large trout in the morning hours. Our guide trips have been floating the Jerry Creek Section, Maiden Rock section and below Melrose. Here is the link to any Hoot Owl closures on our waters. 

Recommended Flies: #12 Spruce Moth; #18 comparadun trico; #18 trico spinner #12 Rogue Stone; #10 Chubby Chernobyl tan/orange/Gold/Purple #10 Purple Haze; #12 X Caddis; #8 Pat’s Stone Brown/Black; #12 Pheasant Tail; #16 Pearl Lightning Bug; #16 Red Copper John;#16 Psycho Mayfly PMD; #14 Caddis Pupa; #6 J.J. Special; #4 Smokin’ Mirrors; #4Mr. Creepo #4 McCunnes Sculpin; #4 Mini Loop Sculpin

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We are currently in between hatches on the Big Hole.

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We are currently in between hatches on the Big Hole. You will find PMD’s in the morning, some drakes are still around and you will also find Yellow Sallies and nocturnal stoneflies. Flow remain very good for this time of year. The warm afternoons and long days have some of the reaches warming into the 70’s in late afternoon hours. Please take a break when water temperatures exceed 70 degrees. We have been doing well with PMD nymphs, stone fly nymphs and streamers after the morning hatch. Don’t overlook the shallow riffles, you will be surprised at what you can hook on the end of your line. The very lower Big Hole below Notch Bottom down to the Jefferson is on Hoot Owl, and the very upper Big Hole near Wisdom is also on Hoot Owl. Hoot Owl means it is illegal to fish after 2:00pm till 12:00am. Here is a map to help you find the locations. Click Here.

Our home waters on the Big Hole are not under any restrictions. We have been floating the Jerry Creek section, Divide, Maiden Rock and below Melrose with no restrictions.

Recommended Flies: #12 Rogue Stone; #10 Chubby Chernobyl tan/orange/Gold/Purple #10 Purple Haze; #12 X Caddis; #8 Pat’s Stone Brown/Black; #12 Pheasant Tail; #12 Pearl Lightning Bug; #12 Red Copper John;#12 Psycho Mayfly PMD; #12 Caddis Pupa; #6 J.J. Special; #4 Smokin’ Mirrors; #4Mr. Creepo #4 McCunnes Sculpin; #4 Mini Loop Sculpin

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Fishing has remained very good on the Big Hole lately.

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Fishing has remained very good on the Big Hole lately. We have hatches of PMD’s, Yellow Sallies, drakes, Caddis, and nocturnal stoneflies. Our best dry fly fishing has been in the morning and during the day when we have cloud cover. If you get out at dawn the nocturnal stonefly fishing has been fantastic on large stonefly dries. In the evening the the caddis hatches have been thick from Jerry Creek down to Melrose. Streamer fishing has been good in the fast riffle water during the middle of the day and in the early morning hours. Around 10 am you will find fish up eating PMD’s.

Recommended Flies: #12 Rogue Stone; #10 Chubby Chernobyl tan/orange/Gold/Purple #10 Purple Haze; #12 X Caddis; #8 Pat’s Stone Brown/Black; #12 Pheasant Tail; #12 Pearl Lightning Bug; #12 Red Copper John;#12 Psycho Mayfly PMD; #12 Caddis Pupa; #6 J.J. Special; #4 Smokin’ Mirrors; #4Mr. Creepo #4 McCunnes Sculpin; #4 Mini Loop Sculpin

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Dry fly fishing on the Big Hole has been excellent this week and it should remain that way for the next several days.

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Dry fly fishing on the Big Hole has been excellent this week and it should remain that way for the next several days. The overcast weather we have had has kept the fish looking up and several big fish have been landed on the dry fly this week. We have hatches of Golden Stones, PMD’s, Caddis and Yellow Sallies. We have been fishing on the upper River near East bank and the Canyon sections of the Big Hole for our best dry fly fishing. Flows remain above average for this time of year. Streamer fishing has been very good for all the streamer junkies that hit the Big Hole. We have done best with natural and olive colored streamers.

Recommended Flies: #12 Rogue Stone; #10 Chubby Chernobyl tan/orange/Gold/Purple #10 Purple Haze; #12 X Caddis; #8 Pat’s Stone Brown/Black; #12 Pheasant Tail; #12 Pearl Lightning Bug; #12 Red Copper John;#12 Psycho Mayfly PMD; #12 Caddis Pupa; #6 J.J. Special; #4 Smokin’ Mirrors; #4Mr. Creepo #4 McCunnes Sculpin; #4 Mini Loop Sculpin

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Fishing has been stellar on the Big Hole lately

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Fishing has been stellar on the Big Hole lately. The river has stabilized and the clarity is excellent. We have hatches of Golden Stones, PMD’s, Green Drakes, Caddis and Yellow Sallies. Dry fly fishing has been good and the dropper fishing has been very consistent. Streamer fishing has been good in the morning hours and evening. Our Big Hole River guides have been fishing the upper Big Hole, the canyon stretch and the lower Big Hole.

 Recommended Flies: #12 Rogue Stone; #6 Chubby Chernobyl tan/orange #10 Purple Haze; #12 X Caddis; #6 Pat’s Stone Black; #12 Pheasant Tail; #12 Pearl Lightning Bug; #12 Red Copper John;#12 Caddis Pupa; #6 J.J. Special; #4 Smokin’ Mirrors; #4Mr. Creepo

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Salmonflies were here

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Salmonflies were here, and the fishing was incredible. We were seeing the Big Bugs from Browne’s Bridge all the way up to Sportsmans and the dry fly was as good as anyone can ask for. Then the temperature plummeted and we were hit with one of the biggest rain storms that we have seen in years. That one rain storm caused the river to go back above flood stage. Now that the river is dropping and coming back into shape, we are expecting to see another round of phenomenal June fishing.  The upper river has dropped 3000cfs in the last 36 hours, and the clarity is better than 24 inches. With warmer weather coming, we should see some of the hatches reemerge, which will get the fish eating on the surface once again. Salmon flies, Golden Stones, PMD’s, Green Drakes, and Caddis will be hatching.

If you float below the Wise River, the flows are still very high.  Please float with caution.

Below is a nice brown that Ken caught a couple days before the rains hit us.

Recommended Flies: #4 Cat Puke; #12 Rogue Stone; #6 Chubby Chernobyl tan/orange #10 Purple Haze; #12 X Caddis; #6 Pat’s Stone Black; #12 Pheasant Tail; #12 Pearl Lightning Bug; #12 Caddis Pupa; #6 J.J. Special; #4 Smokin’ Mirrors; #4Mr. Creepo

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The Salmonflies are here! We have seen them in the Melrose area and on the upper Big Hole.

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The Salmonflies are here! We have seen them in the Melrose area and on the upper Big Hole. Fishing has been tough though because of high flows. The river needs to drop to a more manageable level to get the fish looking up. We have just started to see the Salmonflies and the hatch is in the early stages. We will keep you posted on the progress of the hatch and the quality of the fishing as the river drops.

Recommended Flies: #4 Cat Puke; #12 Rogue Stone; #10 Purple Haze; #12 X Caddis; #10 Mr. Beam; #10 Skwala Stone; #10 Pat’s Stone Olive/Brown; #8 San Juan Worm; #12 Pheasant Tail; #12 Caddis Pupa; #6 J.J. Special; #4 Smokin’ Mirrors; #4Mr. Creepo

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June has been off to a high water start.

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June has been off to a high water start. The Big Hole is almost at flood stage around Melrose. We would not suggest floating in the Melrose area due to high flows right now. Our Big Hole River guides have been fishing the upper Big Hole. Above the Wise River the Big Hole has 2 feet of clarity on the banks. We have been successful with dead drifting streamers, worms and stone fly nymphs. This is a good time to get all of your gear ready for the Salmonfly Hatch. We are getting close to the hatch and we will keep you posted once we see the bugs. We are hoping the river drops before the bugs start to hatch. The first area that we will see the Salmonflies will be around the Glen Access site.

Mark that calendar for June 10th. Our 2nd Annual Salmonfly Fest will be from 5pm – 9pm on June 10th.  We have music from Smokestack and the Foothill Furry. We have food from Brunchies, and Rollin Bites brick oven Pizza. Beaverhead Brewery will be here, and Rattlesnake Distillery. We have giveaways and raffle items from Patagonia, Winston Rods, Simms Fishing Products, Dirty Water Fly Company, Bauer Reels, Scientific Anglers and much more. 

Sunrise Fly Shop Client Corky with a Big Hole River brown trout

Recommended Flies: #10 Purple Haze; #12 X Caddis; #10 Mr. Beam; #10 Skwala Stone; #10 Pat’s Stone Olive/Brown; #8 San Juan Worm; #12 Pheasant Tail; #12 Caddis Pupa; #6 J.J. Special; #4 Smokin’ Mirrors; #4Mr. Creepo

 

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High water right now on the Big Hole but fishing has been fantastic the last couple of days.

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High water right now on the Big Hole but fishing has been fantastic the last couple of days. The Big Hole has about 2 1/2 feet of clarity and remains at a stable flow. We have had good fishing from the upper reaches of the Big Hole all the way down to Notch Bottom. If you want to get into lower flowing water then fish above the Wise River on the Big Hole. You will find some bug activity in the afternoons. We have had hatches of Blue Winged Olives, and March Brown mayflies. Our best fishing has been sub-surface with streamers and nymphs. Yellow Zonkers, Yummies, Sparkle Minnows and Sunrise Sculpzilla’s have been our best streamers. Nymph droppers have been San Juan worms, pheasant tails and lightning bugs. We have a good period of fishing before the next bump in flows. Get out there while it remains good.

Recommended Flies: #10 Purple Haze; #12 X Caddis; #10 Mr. Beam; #10 Skwala Stone; #10 Pat’s Stone Olive/Brown; #8 San Juan Worm; #12 Pheasant Tail; #12 Caddis Pupa; #6 J.J. Special; #4 Smokin’ Mirrors; #4Mr. Creepo

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The upper Big Hole River has leveled off for the last few days.

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The upper Big Hole River has leveled off for the last few days. We currently have 2 feet of clarity in the river. Our Big Hole River guides are back on the river and we are catching some nice fish lately. Our guides have been fishing the upper Big Hole since it has less water volume and more fishable water at these high flows. The Mother’s Day Caddis have hatched all the way up to East Bank, but the river is currently too high to get the trout to eat on the surface. We have been doing the best subsurface with dead drifted streamers and worms. The trout have been filling up on worms lately. We have had fish puking up worms in our boats when we land fish lately. Some worms have been 5 inches long! Sparkle minnow, yellow yummies, Smoking’ Mirrors and zonkers have been our best streamers. If you are looking to fish high water for some trophy trout, this is the time to be here. Conditions can change if we get increases in flows so please call for the latest update. Here is some information on the 2nd annual Salmonfly Fest. 

Our Client Justin caught this Brown on the Big Hole yesterday

Recommended Flies: #10 Purple Haze; #12 X Caddis; #10 Mr. Beam; #10 Skwala Stone; #10 Pat’s Stone Olive/Brown; #8 San Juan Worm; #12 Pheasant Tail; #12 Caddis Pupa; #6 J.J. Special; #4 Smokin’ Mirrors; #4Mr. Creepo

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