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For more information on our Spring Special click here
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Big Hole River Update
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Now that the Salmon Flies are pretty well wrapped up, the fish had moved on to Golden Stones, PMDs, Drakes and Caddis. You can expect to see fish up eating the Mayflies in the morning while the light is still low. As the sunlight gets more intense, we have been seeing the fish become less interested in the dries, and more interested in nymphs such as Pat’s Rubber Legs, Copper Johns, Lightning Bugs, and Pheasant Tails. Then, in the last few hours of daylight, the caddis are coming off and the fish become interested in dries again.
Recommended Flies: #12 Purple Craze; #12 Comparadun Yellow; #12 Copper Cripple; #14 Bloom’s Caddis; #10 Chubby UV; #10 Pat’s Stone; #12 Pearl Lightning Bug; #12 Red Copper John; #14 Psycho May brown; #12 Pheasant Tail; McCunnes Sculpin; Mini Look Sculpin; #6 Sparkle Minnow
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Salmon fly Update
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Fishing has been fantastic here on the Big Hole River. Salmon flies and Golden Stones are hanging off the willows and fluttering down the banks of the river getting devoured by overstuffed trout. River flows and clarity are perfect for the hatch right now. We are finding the best Salmon Fly fishing from Jerry Creek down to Melrose. Tucking your dry flies under willows and against grassy banks will keep you hooked up.
Come Join us for Salmonfly Fest this weekend. We will have live music, food, raffle; Sponsors include Hatch Outdoors, Winston Rods, RO Drift Boats, Patagonia, Simms. Raffle Items include a set of RO drift boat oars, Winston Nexus Rod, Simms packs, Patagonia packs and Hatch nippers. giveaway items will also be at the event from our sponsors. It will be a great celebration of the best hatch on the Big Hole River. Come have some fun and enjoy live music and food at the Sunrise Fly Shop. Raffle tickets are available at our shop or during the event. For more details give us a call. 406-835-3474. 
Recommended Flies: #4 Fluttering Stone; #4 Cat Puke; #8 True Form Golden Stone; #8 Rogue Stone; #8 Pat’s Stone #12 Copper John; #4 Smoke n’ Mirrors #6 Sparkle Minnow; #6 Copper Zonker; #6 Beldar yellow/brown
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Salmonfly Hatch Update
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Salmon flies are Here
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Let the best dry fly fishing of the year begin. Salmon flies have hatched in the Melrose to Glen section. We had our Big Hole river guides on most of the sections of the river today and we had great fishing. We spotted over 50 Salmonfly shucks on the Kalsta bridge between Brownes Bridge and Glen today. The hatch will slowly work up into the Maiden Rock Canyon the next few days. Today a Pat’s Stone under a Salmonfly kept us hooked up all day. We did not have a lot of Salmonflies up in the air today taking flight but that will change tomorrow. Dry fly fishing should be great the next several days.
Recommended Flies : #4 Fluttering Stone; #4 Bullet Head Salmonfly; #4 Half Down Salmonfly; #12 Pheasant Tail #12 Prince Nymph; #4 Pat’s Stone Brown/Orange; #12 CDC Caddis #14 Caddis Pupa; #14 X Caddis; #4 Smoking’ Mirrors; J.J. Special #10 Sparkle Minnow; #4 Sunrise Sculpzilla #6 Yellow Zonker #6 Copper Zonker
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Big Hole Caddis Hatch
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It’s time to grab your Frog’s Fanny and caddis box. Our Mother’s Day Caddis are hatching on the upper Big Hole and you will have solid dry fly fishing today up there. We got into them good yesterday below East Bank on caddis dry flies. Overcast and damp weather today and tomorrow will make for some great fishing on the Big Hole River. Flows on the entire river are dropping and the clarity is around 2 feet. Sub surface activity has been caddis Pupa, Stone fly nymphs and slow moving streamers.
Recommended Flies : #6 San Juan Worm; #12 Pheasant Tail #12 Prince Nymph; #10 Pat’s Stone Brown/Green; #12 CDC Caddis #14 Caddis Pupa; #14 X Caddis; #10 Mr. Beam Skwala #10 Bullet Head Skwala #8 J.J. Special #10 Sparkle Minnow; #4 Sunrise Sculpzilla #6 Yellow Zonker
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Spring Special
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Here are the details of our spring special this year. You can’t beat the price and fishing is pretty darn good. In April we have a great Skwala hatch on the Big Hole with a mix of Blue Winged Olives. In May you will have the Mother’s Day caddis hatch and excellent streamer fishing. Get rid of the cabin fever and join us this spring.
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fishing has been very good this week.
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fishing has been very good this week. In the mornings we have had good fishing in the slow tail outs of the runs for large brown trout. We have been mainly catching them subsurface on Pat’s Stone’s, and #16 Super Flash Pheasant tails. Around noon hour the Blue Wing’s and PMD’s are showing up and the fish have been willing to eat dry flies. Our best dry flies are #16 Split Wing Blue Winged Olives and #16 Purple Craze’s. Streamers have been taking fish in the fast riffles in the afternoon hours. Look for sunny weather the next few days, with the clouds and moisture coming next week.
Photo: Dan Armstrong Photography
Flies: #16 Split Wing BWO, #16 Purple Craze, #18 Trico Comparadun #18 HIgh Vis Trico Spinner #12 Chubby, #14 Rocky Mountain Mint Olive, #16 PMX Olive, #10Pat’s Stone Black/Brown, #16 Green Machine, #14 Pearl Lightning Bug #14 Red Copper John #16 Superflash Pheasant Tail #16 Shimmer Nymph #12 Psycho Mayfly #14 Kyle’s Sally #6 Bellyache Minnow Olive, #8 Sparkle Minnow, #6 Copper Zonker #6 Mini Loop Sculpin #6 J.J. Special
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Similar good news to report on the Big Hole.
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Similar good news to report on the Big Hole. Trico’s, PMD’s and some Drakes hatching on the river lately. Your most dependable hatch right now is the Trico Hatch. You will find a great spinner fall around 10:30 a.m. In the afternoon we have been throwing ant patterns, hoppers, and nymphs. Your best nymphs in your box are #10 Pat’s Stone’s, #18 Micro Mayflies and #18 and Psycho Mayflies. Streamers have also been working well in the riffles. Our favorite streamers have been Mini Loop sculpins and Copper Zonkers.
Flies: #12 CDC Spruce Moth #12 Spruce Moth #12 X Caddis #18 Trico Comparadun #18 HIgh Vis Trico Spinner #12 Chubby, #14 Rocky Mountain Mint #16 Purple Haze, #16 PMX Olive, #10Pat’s Stone Black/Brown, #16 Green Machine, #14 Pearl Lightning Bug #14 Red Copper John #16 Superflash Pheasant Tail #16 Shimmer Nymph #12 Psycho Mayfly #14 Kyle’s Sally #6 Bellyache Minnow Olive, #8 Sparkle Minnow, #6 Copper Zonker #6 Mini Loop Sculpin
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Say Goodbye to Hoot Owl Closures
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Hoot Owl Closures will lift on 8/21. You will be able to fish 24 hours a day from below the North Fork all the way down to Notch Bottom. So you have over 80 miles of river to fish. Below Notch Bottom on the Big Hole is closed due to low flows, which is the very lower end of the Big Hole. We have had good Trico fishing and some flying ant fishing in the afternoons. Some afternoons have been thick with ants. Nymphing and streamer fishing the fast riffles have also produced some good activity lately for large fish. Flows remain low but the angler can still do well on the Big Hole.
Montana Hoot Owl and fishing closure resources link.
Flies: #12 CDC Spruce Moth #12 Spruce Moth #12 X Caddis #18 Trico Comparadun #18 HIgh Vis Trico Spinner #12 Chubby, #14 Rocky Mountain Mint #16 Purple Haze, #16 PMX Olive, #10Pat’s Stone Black/Brown, #16 Green Machine, #14 Pearl Lightning Bug #14 Red Copper John #16 Superflash Pheasant Tail #16 Shimmer Nymph #12 Psycho Mayfly #14 Kyle’s Sally #6 Bellyache Minnow Olive, #8 Sparkle Minnow, #6 Copper Zonker #6 Mini Loop Sculpin
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