Big Hole River Fly Fishing Report
Latest Big Hole River Reports
- Big Hole River Fishing Report
We have been in a cooler weather pattern lately and the fish have been responding well to the favorable conditions. Heat is back on the horizon for the next week but the overnight low temperatures have been dipping into the upper 40’s to lower 50’s, which has made for good morning fishing. You will find clouds of tricos hatching around 10:30 am. After the tricos we have switched to hoppers and ant patterns for dries. The deep nymphing has produced good fish lately. Our shop is open daily for all of your fishing needs and river shuttles.
The Big Hole water flows have been average for this time of the year. We still have Hoot Owl conditions on the entire Big Hole River, this means you can’t fish past 2:00pm. Our guide trips have been leaving early in the morning and wrapping up our fishing @ 2:00pm.
Recommended Flies:
- Spanish Bullet #16 Black/olive
- Thread Frenchie #16 Black
- Pat’s Stone #8
- #16 trico Spinner
- #16 Comparadun trico
- #10 Chernobyl Ant
- Big Hole Report
We have updates for the Big Hole Fishing Report. Flows remain average for this time of the year. We are enjoying the great floating season on the Big Hole River. We are starting to see Trico’s and a few Spruce Moths. Look for these hatches to start getting thick. The afternoon hopper fishing has been picking up on size #10 chernobyl ants. Nymphing has remained solid on nocturnal stonefly nymphs and caddis nymphs.
The entire Big Hole River is under Hoot Owl Restrictions. This restriction means you can only fish from Midnight till 2:00pm daily. It’s time to get out early and enjoy the cooler water temperatures and fish till 2:00pm. We are still running guide trips daily and clients are enjoying good fishing on the Big Hole River.Recommended Flies:
- #12 Bloom’s Spruce Moth
- #18 Trico Spinner
- #16 High Visibility Trico
- #10 Chernobyl Any (Peach) (Peacock)
- #8 Pat’s Stone Black/Brown
- #14 Spanish Bullet (Black) (Olive)
- #14 Flamethrower
- Big Hole Fishing Report
We are in a bit of a heat wave in Southwest Montana. The good news is that the Big Hole has been fishing well from around 7:00 am to 2:00pm. The flows have remained great for this time of year; the Melrose gauge is currently 830 cfs. We have hatches of Tricos, Caddis and nocturnal stoneflies. Dry-dropper set ups have been working well and dragging streamers in the riffles has produced very nice fish. When focusing on placement, look for the three- to four-foot sections of riffle chop. Make sure to carry a thermometer out there. You will notice a steep drop in fishing when the water temperature hits 68 degrees. We suggest hanging the rods up when the water temperature exceeds 68 degrees. The fish around Melrose are starting to key into hoppers in the afternoon hours. We suggest small #10 chernobyl ants.
From Dickey Bridge down to Notch bottom is open with NO restrictions. Hoot Owl restrictions are on Section I,2 and 5 of the Big Hole. From Saginaw Bridge to Dickey Bridge is under Hoot Owl Restrictions. Section 5 from Tony Shoonen Access down to the Beaverhead River confluence is also on Hoot Owl Restrictions. Please call us if you have any questions, as these restrictions can be confusing.
Recommended Flies:
- Chubby Chernobyl tan #8
- Brindle Chute #14
- Purple haze #16
- Plan B #10
- Chernobyl Ant #10 Flesh
- Pat’s Stone #10 Brown/black
- Spanish bullet #14
- Jig Hot Spot #16
- Flamethrower #16 tan
