Big Hole River Fly Fishing Report
Latest Big Hole River Reports
- Big Hole River and High Water
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 In May
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 Flows
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