Big Hole River Fishing Report

Big Hole River Salmonfly Report

by sunriseflyshop

The Big Hole River Salmonfly Hatch is in full swing! We have seen the big bugs from Melrose up into the Maiden Rock Canyon and into the Dewey Canyon. Dry fly fishing around Maiden Rock on Salmonflies was excellent yesterday and it should continue all week. We have been getting rain but the entire river is currently dropping in flows, which will make the trout happy. Conditions can change quickly if we get too much rain up in the headwaters of the Big Hole. The old saying, “you don’t know until you go” is a true player when we are getting rain and snowmelt in June. Clarity in the Big Hole today was 3 feet and will remain good unless we get rain and increased flows.

The Jerry Creek boat ramp is now open! We are pleased that we now have this access available. Divide Boat ramp is still under construction and closed but you can launch your boat at the Divide Campground boat ramp. Please park your vehicle outside the Campground if you use the Ramp at the Divide Campground.

Recommended Flies:

  • #4 Cat Puke
  • #4 Flutter Bug
  • #6 Water Walker Black
  • #6 Half Down Salmonfly
  • #4 Double Stack Chernobyl Orange
  • #4 Pat’s Stone Orange/brown
  • #6 Sparkle Minnow J.J.
  • #6 Tungston Pancora
  • #4 Dungeon Yellow/Black

Big Hole River Salmonfly Hatch Update

by sunriseflyshop

The Big Hole River Salmonfly Hatch has started below Melrose. We have seen adult Salmonflies from Glen up to Melrose. Flows have slightly bumped due to rain which made for tough fishing yesterday. As of this morning the river is running with 3 feet of visibility and all signs point to a fishable river today. We think the heavy rain is behind us but we don’t know for sure. Once the river drops in flow we should get dry fly salmonfly activity below Melrose. The big bugs are out and we are ready to throw dry flies! We have not seen adult Salmonflies in the Maiden Rock Canyon yet, this should take a few days before the hatch moves into the canyon. Things change daily with this hatch so feel free to call for information.

Recommended Flies:

  • #4 Cat Puke
  • #4 Flutter Bug
  • #4 Double Stack Chernobyl Orange
  • #4 Pat’s Stone Orange/brown
  • #6 Sparkle Minnow J.J.
  • #6 Tungston Pancora
  • #4 Dungeon Yellow/Black
Big Hole River Fishing Report

Big Hole River Salmonfly Hatch Report

by sunriseflyshop

June is here and the lilacs are in full bloom, which means Big Hole River Salmonflies are right around the corner. We have not spotted any adult Salmonflies yet, but on the lower Big Hole the Salmonfly nymphs are very close to the banks when we have overturned rocks. It is very close to GO TIME! The Big Hole is dropping in flows and as long as we don’t get substantial rain, the flows will continue to decline. We are fishing Salmonfly nymphs on the lower Big Hole and streamers. On the upper Sections of the Big Hole we are fishing streamers, caddis and San Juan Worms.

The Jerry Creek boar ramp is still under construction but should be done any day now. The Divide boat ramp is still far out from completion. We are crossing our fingers that both of these ramps will be completed soon. give us a call for the most up to date information 406-835-3474.

Recommended Flies:

  • #6 Jig Sparkle Minnow Light Olive
  • #4 Big Hole Bugger
  • #4 Sparkle Yellow Yummy 
  • #4 Barely Legal
  • #10 Pat’s Stone Black
  • #8 San Juan Worm 
  • #8 Wonky Worm
  • #8 Fish Finder Wine
  • #14 X Caddis
  • #14 CDC Caddis
  • # Tungston Pandora Olive/Orange
Big Hole River Fishing Report

Big Hole River and High Water

by sunriseflyshop

The Big Hole River is in full runoff mode right now. Flows around Melrose are over 5,000cfs and flows on the upper river are around 2,600cfs. With all this said, fishing around Melrose is tough due to the high flows. The river has great clarity but it is just too high to fish it very efficiently. We are fishing above the Wise river where it is currently around 2,600cfs and fishing has been pretty good. We are seeing well fed fish lately that are packing on the pounds. On the upper river we are floating from Mudd Creek down. The Jerry Creek boar ramp is still under construction but should be done this upcoming week. The Divide boat ramp is in the same situation. We are crossing our fingers that both of these ramps will be completed soon.

Our best fishing has been with streamers and nymphs lately. We have truly had some fantastic streamer days on the upper Big Hole. Peak runoff should be coming soon and we will then be on the downward hydrographic waiting for Salmonflies. Currently we have caddis, March Brown’s and Blue Winged Olives hatching. We still have some guide openings for early June if you want to catch the pre Salmonfly fishing. Give us a call to get the most up to date report 406-8353474.

Recommended Flies:

  • #6 Jig Sparkle Minnow Light Olive
  • #4 Big Hole Bugger
  • #4 Sparkle Yellow Yummy
  • #4 Barely Legal
  • #10 Pat’s Stone Black
  • #8 San Juan Worm
  • #8 Wonky Worm
  • #8 Fish Finder Wine
  • #14 X Caddis
  • #14 CDC Caddis
Big Hole River Fishing Report

Big Hole River Fishing In May

by sunriseflyshop

The Big Hole River fishing in May can be rewarding and humbling due to the environmental factors of runoff. We are having days right now that fishing has been good and some days have been darn tough. Flows around Melrose are over 4,000cfs and fishing has been difficult with these high flows. Fishing above the Wise River has been good some days and fair on other days. The Caddis on the lower Big Hole have started to hatch. On the upper Big Hole we have March Brown’s and Blue Winged Olives hatching. Our best success on the upper Big Hole has been with streamers and San Juan Worms. Visibility has remained around 3 feet on the banks, which is excellent. Flows and clarity can change daily due to the May runoff. The upper Big Hole is dropping in flows, which should bring good fishing conditions. High water means get your streamer box out and find some large brown trout.

Recommended Flies:

  • Pat’s Stone Olive/Brown #8
  • Pat’s Stone Black #8
  • San Juan Worm Pink/Red #8
  • Rio’s Tractor Trailer Yellow/Brown #6
  • Jig Sparkle Minnow J.J. #4
  • Dungeon Yellow #4
  • Barely Legal Olive/Black #6
Big Hole River Fishing Report

Big Hole River Flows

by sunriseflyshop

The Big Hole River flow is a result of a fierce freestone stream. We had some tough conditions last week but we are seeing the river drop and clear. We had good fishing yesterday river wide and it should be getting better as the river drops during this cool weather period. We have gotten rid of the low to mid elevation snowpack from the warm weather last week. The spring fishing will remain good until the high elevation snowpack melts. With daytime highs in the 50’s to 60’s the river will continue to drop unless rain makes it rise. Upper elevation snowpack is currently at 100%. So we should have a normal runoff at the end of the month unless Mother Nature changes the outcome. May is always an exciting time because of how the flows can be unpredictable.

We have seen hatches of March Brown’s, Skwala’s and Blue Winged Olives. Our next big hatch will be the Mother’s Day Caddis. Our best flies lately have been San Juan worms, Skwala nymphs and streamers. Inside corners of the runs and tail-outs of the runs have produced the hookups on fish lately.

A friendly reminder for all angler that the Jerry Creek Fishing Access site and the Divide Fishing Access Site are closed due to a new boat ramp construction project. We will let you know as soon as these re-open.

Recommended Flies:

  • Pat’s Stone Olive/Brown #8
  • Pat’s Stone Black #8
  • San Juan Worm Pink/Red #8
  • Rio’s Tractor Trailer Yellow/Brown #6
  • Jig Sparkle Minnow J.J. #4
  • Dungeon Yellow #4
  • Barely Legal Olive/Black #6

Big Hole River Fishing Report

Big Hole Spring Fishing Report

by sunriseflyshop

Spring fishing on the Big Hole River has been good lately. The very upper Big Hole River above Wise River is still frozen. We are fishing from Maiden Rock down to Notch Bottom. The Divide and Jerry Creek boat ramps are currently getting improvements and are not usable. We will update you when these ramps open back up.

Fishing has been good subsurface with Skwala nymphs and squirmy worms. We have had some midge activity as well. Any day now we will have Skwala dry fly activity on the surface. Water clarity is around 18 to 24 inches. Conditions can change very quickly this time of the year so feel free to call us for a report 406-835-3474.

Big Hole River Fishing Report

Big Hole Fishing Report

by sunriseflyshop

The first half of this week has more winter conditions on the Big Hole River, but towards the end of the week we will have some Spring fishing weather. Look for the day time high temperatures reaching 40-48 degrees later this week. The Big Hole still has a fair amount of shelf ice on the banks but the lower river is floatable and fishing. We do not advise floating above Melrose. The upper Maiden Rock boat ramp and lower Maiden Rock boat ramp is snow covered and access is about impossible as of today. Sections below Melrose are floatable but you will encounter shelf ice on the banks. Sub surface nymphing is the name of the game right now until water temperatures warm up. Look for the slow deep buckets to spend your time fishing.

New inventory is coming into the shop daily and we are looking forward to opening our doors for the spring season on April 3rd! Feel free to give us a call for up to date information 406-835-3474. We are running shuttles daily and open 7 days a week.

Big Hole River Fishing Report

Big Hole River Spring Special

by sunriseflyshop

According to the calendar spring is officially here but the weather has not been cooperating for fishing on the Big Hole. We are under a winter storm warning and the forecast this week has winter like conditions daily. The lower Big Hole still has lots of shelf ice and is not yet floatable due to the amount of ice on the banks and in the river. Feel free to give us a call for up to date conditions and we will update this report as soon as we get on the water. We are looking forward to a great 2023 fishing season.

Spring trips start for us the first week of April. We still have openings for our Spring special. Book your trip today! You can expect Skwala stoneflies, Blue Winged Olives and March Brown’s hatching during April. Some of our first hatches can be the most prolific and fishing can be very rewarding in the spring months.

Big Hole River Fishing Report

Welcoming October Fishing on The Big Hole River

by sunriseflyshop

October fishing on the Big Hole River is here and we are excited for the month of fall foliage and active trout. Fishing has been very good lately on the lower stretches of the Big Hole River. We have had guide boats out from Brownes to Glen and Glen to Notch Bottom and the fishing has been excellent. You will find blue winged olives and mahogany duns hatching during the day. Dropper fishing with a blue winged olive nymph has bee very good. The streamer fisherman have been pleased with the activity from large brown’s chasing the sculpins and minnow imitations.

Reminder: Maiden Rock (BLM) to Brown’s Bridge is closed from October 1st through March 31st. You can fish above Maiden rock BLM and below Brownes Bridge. Please call us if you need any clarification (406) 835-3474.

Recommended Flies:

  • Spanish Bullet (Olive) (Black) #16
  • Psycho May (Olive) (Brown) #16
  • Jig Blowtorch (Black) #16
  • San Juan Worm #8
  • J.J. Special #6
  • Barely Legal #6
  • Split Wing Blue Winged Olive #16
  • Hot Spot Para Wulff #16 #14