July 17th '19 Beaverhead River Report - Stellar fishing continues on the Beav!

The folks at Clark Canyon Dam have been raising the flows slowly to meet irrigation demands down river, and the flows are ideal for floating and wade fishing. We had a real gully washer yesterday which has put some mud into the river from Grasshopper Creek. PMDs are hatching, along with a bunch of yellow sallies. There are certainly fish rising in nooks and crannies, however the best action has been subsurface with a deep nymph rig setup with a pmd nymph and a sallie.

Quality over quantity has continued to be name of the game from the dam to High Bridge, and action has been hot down from there. Make sure to use plenty of weight and depth on your nymph rigs. 6' roughly to the fly, and try keeping your split shot BELOW your fly using a tag end system. Or drop shot style. This sinks significantly better and offers enhanced sensitivity.

Small PMD dries and trico dries can fool those picky risers with a proper drift. Leader length should be at least 10', down to 4x or 5x if 4x doesn't fit through the eye.

406-835-3474 - Holler for the latest.

Dan Soltau

#16 Tungsten Sunkist
#14 Kyle's BH Yellow Sally
#4 Little Kim Copper
#4 Beldar Bugger Brown & Yellow
#18 Film Critic PMD
#18 Parachute Rusty Spinner
#8 Chubby Gold - below Grasshopper

#18 Split Case BWO & PMD
#14 Copper John Red
#16 MacGruber
#20 Compara Dun PMD
#18 Sparkle Dun PMD
#20 Trico Female

July 10th '19 - Bugs are popping and fishing has been great on the Beav!

After a great start to the summer on the Beaverhead, the great fishing continues. PMDs are hatching and the fish are gorging on the nymphs, and looking for the dry in many places. With flows just over 500, the drop shot nymph setup has been very productive.

We are starting to see more bugs towards the dam, however the best surface activity has been below Henneberry... for now. Fishing is good and traffic has not been too thick, that being said please give other anglers space in the oft congested stretches.

We have boats on the Beaverhead on a daily basis, so don't hesitate to holler in the morning for yesterdays hot word. 406-845-3474

-Dan Soltau

#18 Sunkist
#18 Split Case PMD
#16 MacGruber
#8 Pats Stone Tan
#16 Trigger Nymph PMD

#18 Film Critic PMD

#18 Compara Dun PMD
#12 Bloom's Caddis
#16 Missing Link

#16 Mayhem

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June 7th '19 - Solid flows and happy trout on the Beaverhead River!

The reports from our guides and associates on the Beaverhead continue to impress. Fish are taking small mayfly nymphs and sowbugs well, with the PMD hatch just a little ways off. Flows are just under 700 CFS out of Clark Canyon Reservoir, which makes for great floating conditions and still very wadable in most spots.

Anglers using deep nymph rigs and a decent amount split shot are getting it done and catching great fish. The streamer fishing has also been very good, and with the inclement weather moving through the streamer fishing can be excellent. Crawdads and minnows are typical fare.

Dry fly anglers are still seeing a couple fish up here and there, with outcroppings of BWO's and caddis, and a few PMDS poking around down lower. We will be looking forward to the summer hatches getting going soon, but it has been much more consistent subsurface.

Holler at us anytime for the latest at 406-835-3474!

Salmonfly Fest Click Here for More Information 

Tight lines and wet nets,

Dan Soltau

#18 Split Case PMD
#18 Split Case BWO
#16 Soft Hackle Sowbug
#6 Mini Dungeon Yellow or Olive
#18 Shop Vac
#18 Film Critic PMD
#20 Barrs Emerger

#14 San Juan Worm Brown
#3/0 Lead Split Shot
6-8' 3x Rio Flourocarbon
1'' Thingamabobber or Air Lock
-Helmet
#10 Rubber Legged Crystal Bugger Olive
#6 Clouser Crawfish

May 28th '19 - Slowly dropping flows making for great fishing and excellent wading

The powers that be within Clark Canyon Dam have dropped the flows to just over 300 CFS for the moment, making for an excellent opportunity to get after some of the quality trout within the Beaverhead. Blue wing olives are hatching daily, and trout are in position rising to them in certain spots by about 11 am. The lower flows can make things a little tight with folks in drift boats and the bank rat crowd, so please be courteous when enjoying the festivities.

Small mayfly nymphs have continued to produce, as have sow bug and scud imitations. In the deeper runs and holes, try a nymph rig with your heavier bug on the bottom along with a split shot for the most sensitivity. It requires more of a flip upstream than a traditional fly cast, but it sure works! Once you have located a few rising trout, a long leader in the 11-12' range down to 5x will help your chances. A blue winged olive emerger pattern in a #18 will do the trick if presented properly.

Keep an eye out for the flows to change, and look forward to the fish liking a worm pattern once that takes place. Streamer fishing is a time honored technique on the Beaverhead, and now is nice flow to do it both out of the boat or on foot. The big trout in the Beaverhead love a crawdad, along with small minnows and sculpin. A slightly longer leader off of your sink tip will help get down through the hydraulics and into the zone the fish like. Give it a couple twitches and hold on!

Give us a shout anytime for the latest reports, we have had guides on the Beaverhead quite a bit lately and our clients have been nothing short of thrilled of the quality of trout so far this year. Please let us know if we can help your next trip down this awesome tailwater!

-Dan

Link to Information on Salmonfly Fest 2019

#4 JJ Special
#6 Sparkle Minnow
#4 Little Kim Copper
#8 Crane Fly Larvae
#18 Split Case BWO Nymph
#18 Film Critic BWO Emerger

#18 BWO Cripple
#16 Soft Hackle Sow Bug
#20 Barrs Emerger
#18 Rocky Mountain Mint Olive
#18 Purple Craze
#16 Split Winged BWO

May 23rd '19 - Opening week started great with a decrease in flows from Clark Canyon Dam

We have had boats on the Beaverhead the last bunch of days, and despite a ruthless wind out of the north, fishing was very good. While most of the fish have been coming on deeper nymph rigs, many trout are rising to blue winged olives in the hot spots and edges.

They have been dropping the flows out of the dam, which were just under 600 CFS to start the week and are now down to 375 CFS. This drop makes wading anglers smile, yet is still plenty of water to float any stretch. Grasshopper Creek is not adding a ton of mud, so the river looks great all the way to Dillon.

Streamer strippers found great fishing with the overcast conditions, which is a very fun way to fish the Beaverhead. We would suggest small minnows and larger crawdad patterns as a starting point. The folks nymphing have been having great success using a sow bug and mayfly nymph combination under bobber rigged anywhere from 5-8' deep depending on the particular spot.

Those trout that are eating the blue winged olives like an emerger style bug in an #18 tied onto 5x tippet. If wading, a leader at least 10' in length is a good idea. Those set up from a boat might be able to get away with shorter, but the longer the leader the better the drift. The rises can be subtle, keep your eyes peeled in random soft spots and eddies.

Holler anytime with questions or curiosities on what is going on out on the water, we have guides on the Beaverhead today and will have more intel this evening and tomorrow morning. Keep an eye on the flows, but this weekend is looking like another phenomenal weekend to fish the Beaverhead!

Cheers

Dan Soltau

#4 Burgin Bugger - Olive
#4 Sparkle Minnow
#6 Kreelex Silver & Gold
#18 Split Case BWO
#10 San Juan Worm Brown or Pink
#18 Film Critic BWO
#18 Sparkle Dun BWO

#18 Green Machine PT
#18 AnatoMay BWO
#12 Silver Lightning Bug
#18 HiVis Parachute BWO
#14 Soft Hackle Sow Bug
#20 Barrs Emerger
#18 Real Deal Point Fly Olive

Beaverhead Rainbows get big.

May 17th '19 Beaverhead River Fishing report - The long awaited opener on the upper Beaverhead River is here!

Tomorrow marks one of the most fun days on the water, the upper Beaverhead opener! The stretch between Clark Canyon Dam and Pipe Organ Bridge will open to fishing and we are looking forward to top notch fishing in that stretch. The river is coming out of Clark Canyon at 550 CFS, which is a great flow to float and wade fish in the right locations. We are anticipating a great sowbug bite, along with solid streamer fishing given the dark and rainy conditions.

The Mother's Day caddis may still make an appearance on a warmer evening, however they did pop last week and most reports indicated very little surface activity. We are thinking that Grasshopper Creek will be putting in mud due to the precipitation we are receiving.  The flows however can mix that up quickly and there can often be a great worm and/or streamer bite below the confluence.

The narrow channel on the Beaverhead can make for an interesting day when there are lots of anglers, so please be considerate to the other folks on the river. With the river remaining at a nice flows through out the past winter, we are anticipating great fishing on the upper Beaverhead which means that the top section can get a little congested. Call the shop to learn about other sections that can offer great fishing and less anglers. The Henneberry area can be spectacular, and can produce some phenomenal trout without as much crowding as near the Dam.

For the most part, our guides are sticking to the Big Hole but we would love to have anyone for a day down on the Beaverhead. It is well known for large trout and this season is set to be a magical one on Montana's favorite small tailwater. Call us at 406-835-FISH for the latest report or inquiries!

#4 Smoke & Mirrors - Cream
#6 Kreelex Minnow
#4 Little Kim Copper
#6 Clouser Crawdad
#6 Jewel Thief - Brown & Copper
#18 Film Critic BWO Emerger

#18 Split Case BWO
#16 Soft Hackle Scud Orange
#16 Hot Bead Sow Bug
#10 Ninch's Fish Finder Worm Pink
#14 Brown Hot Spot San Juan Worm
#6 Zirdle - Tan

Beaverhead River trout grow quick and make for a great day on the water!

The Beaverhead River is fishing well from Pipe Organ Bridge down to Grasshopper. Below Grasshopper Creek the clarity has improved dramatically. Currently we have 3 feet of visibility below Grasshopper Creek. We have done the best on zebra midges and blue winged olive nymphs. The Blue Winged Olive hatches have been thick but fish have not been up eating them. Streamers below grasshopper creek and nymphing San Juan Worms have been the best option.

Reminder: From the Dam down to Pipe Organ Bridge is closed until May 18th.

Book Your Spring Special Package today!

Recommended Flies: #18 Zebra midge; #18 Shop Vac; #16 Green Machine; #18 Sow Bug; #6 J.J. Special #8 Flash Minnow Olive;

The Beaverhead River is currently fishing pretty good from Pipe Organ Bridge down to Grasshopper Creek. Below Grasshopper Creek the river is pretty darn muddy due to runoff in the Grasshopper Valley. This can change daily so please check in with us on the most current clarity of Grasshopper Creek. Our best flies below Pipe Organ Bridge has been midge nymphs, sow bugs, and blue wing nymphs. On the warmer day we have  had good streamer fishing during the heat of the day.

Reminder that from the Dam down to Pipe Organ Bridge is closed until the 3rd Saturday of May.

Recommended Flies:

#18 Shop Vac; #18 Green Machine; #16 Soft Hackle Sow Bug; #16 Zebra Midge; #10 San Juan Worm; #6 J.J. Special; #6 Sparkle Minnow

Sunrise Fly Shop opens April 1st! We got out on the Beaverhead the other day and it fished very well in there afternoon. The morning was slow due to cold weather but as soon as the water stopped freezing on our guides we were into fish the rest of the day. All subsurface nymphing and slow stripping streamers. The Blue Winged Olives are about to hatch as we found many nymphs in the water column.

The Dam down to Pipe Organ Bridge is closed until the 3rd Saturday of May. Currently, you must float or wade fish below Pipe Organ Bridge.

Book your Spring Special Fishing package today! Details Here. 

A nice Fish caught below Pipe Organ this week

Recommended Flies: #16 Shop Vac, #18 Green Machine; #18 Zebra Midge; #8 San Juan Worm; #18 Disco Midge; #6 J.J. Special; #6 Flash Minnow Gold; #6 Sparkle Minnow

The Beaverhead River is predicted to have a banner season for us. Clark Canyon Reservoir is 90% full for this date in time and when we have runoff in the spring it should fill to capacity. We will have excellent flows this season on the Beaverhead. Our winter flows on the Beaverhead have been around 200cfs which is fantastic for the trout. The winters we have had in the past when flows remain above 100cfs has allowed the fish to grow and stay healthy, also it has helped the fish habitat and bug life. Our spring fishing packages are available again. We are excited to have our own lodging this spring for our clients. Click here for more information. 

February 7, 2019 at Sunrise Fly Shop