We have a great river level at the moment at 2,500 cfs. The low and clear water and plentiful Blue Winged Olives have made for some great days fishing the surface. Our consistently partly cloudy weather has provided the perfect hatching conditions for our BWO’s. The midges have been coming of in large numbers as well, but the fish seem to key in on the BWO’s.
Nymphing has been consistent as well with midge larvae, sow bugs, and the san juan’s have started to be a nymph of choice.
Dries: CDC BWO Cripple 16-18, Brooks BWO sprout 16-18, Griffiths Gnat 18-20.
Nymphs: Killer Mayfly Nymphs 18-20, Ray Charles Grey and Tan 16-18, Root Beer Midge 18-20, San Juan Worm 14.
After a great one day flush that cleared out all the “rock snot” we are back at prime conditions with clean and clear water.
The water climbed a few degrees with the nice flush which gave the Blue Winged Olives a kick start into full hatch mode. The midges are still very consistent as well. A good dry fly combo is a size 16 CDC Blue Winged Olive with a size 18 Brooks sprout midge as a trailer.
Nymphing is still productive with a sow bug in tan or gre in size 16 with a red or amber midge in size 18 or a BWO nymph in size 18.
Give us a call for any details at 406-666-2233 or toll free at 866-658-7688. Let us know if you need a room, guide, or drift boat too!
The flush was just announced officially today. We are really excited about their proactive approach to the fishery that the Bureau Of Reclamation is taking.
Here is their statement:
“The flushing flow is scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, April 9, and be completed by 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 12. During the flush, flows in the Bighorn River will be stepped-up incrementally from the current flow of 2,880 cubic feet-per-second (cfs) to a maximum of
about 7,000 cfs and held at that rate for approximately 12 hours before stepping incrementally back down. The maximum flow of 7,000 cfs is expected to occur on Tuesday, April 10 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. During the flushing flow, the river stage is expected to vary
by approximately 2 feet.”
This is going to be great for spring fishing and the fishery in general. The river currently has a bit of moss, different than grass, and this should clear the moss and expose some gravel that our hatching insects thrive in.
It may cut down on our sow bugs a bit by clearing out silt, but there are plenty of them anyways!
Our estimate is that on the morning of April 12 we’ll be right around 3,200 cfs running clean and clear with the fish ready to eat again.
The water is still cold right around 40 degrees but the weather has been great. Friday at 70 degrees and Saturday at 73 degrees!
Blue Wing Olives are starting to come off in good numbers throughout the day. Fish are starting to key in on the BWO’s but are still heavy on the midges on the surface.
Water clarity is as good as it gets and the flow is down a bit to 2,700 cfs. Fishing pressure is very minimal at the moment and at this water level there are lots of great wading spots. Morning fishing is tough but picks up around 10 AM.
With the temp of the water still being cold look for fish to be in the slower water.
The fishing is never bad on the Bighorn, but right now with the active fish, few people, and ideal flows it’s a lot of fun out there!
Give us a call with any questions or of you want to rent a boat or hire a guide. Lodging is available too and Polly’s is open for breakfast and dinner.
866-658-7688
local 406-666-2233
It’s 72 degrees here in Fort Smith today and fishing is excellent. The flows are down a bit to 2,700 cfs and we are starting to see the water temps up a bit to get our Blue Winged Olives coming off. With the lack of clouds the dry fly fishing has been limited to mornings and evenings but the nymphing mid-day has been excellent.
The fish are still in some of the slower water so nymphing from the boat is a little tough, but pulling over and wade fishing has been very productive as the fish are very concentrated in the intermediate water.
Streamer fishing is a little tough as the fish are really concentrating on the midge and BWO nymphs and every time we get a break from the full sun we see a myriad of rising fish.
It is going to be great weather all weekend, let us know if you need any boats, guides, or lodging. 1-866-658-7688.
It’s a beautiful morning down here on the Bighorn, yesterday was a little cold and windy, but today is expected to be 55 and there is no wind yet.
The midge hatch has been very consistent. The blue winged olive hatch is picking up, but a little slow at the moment. The midges are very small at the moment with the naturals being close to a size 22, you can get by pretty well with a size 20 Parachute Adams. If that is too small to see then trailing it behind a size 16 Griffiths Gnat / Midge Cluster or a sz 16 CDC Blue Winged Olive is a good lead dry and will attract some hits as well as be visible.
Nymphing with a Sowbug or Worm as a lead fly and a size 18 or 20 midge has been productive as well. We are focusing on the 2′ -4′ depth of intermediate to slower speed water.
Streamer fishing has been best in the deeper trenches of the river, the fish in the slower slackwater don’t seem to be willing to chase much. A sinking line is necessary to get the streamer down to the fish. The best colors have been brown and black.
Next weekend looks like some great weather as well. Give us a call if you need lodging, rental boats, or guides. Polly’s Place will be open for breakfast and dinner as well.
Give us a call with any questions at 866-658-7688 or 406-666-2233.
A light dusting of snow came through last night and temps cooled off a bit. Saturday was gorgeous at 55 degrees and no wind until around 3.
Fishing was great with a solid midget hatch from about 11 to 3 and a few baetis were spotted.
Nymphing was very productive with red, cream, and Amber colored midge nymphs.
It’s looking like a nice week and a good weekend to come fishing!
fishing!
406-666-2233 or 866-658-7688
It’s going to be a great weekend to come to the bighorn. A little cold, but no chance of wind and with the midge hatches we’ve been having, there is nothing to keep you warm like seeing the surface bubble with rising fish!
Streamer fishing has also been excellent and that too will keep you warm! The fish are really aggressive for your medium sized streamers like olive wolly buggers and such.
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Give us a call and get scheduled in, this weekend only we’ll do a boat rental and a shuttle for only $100!
406-666-2233 or toll free 866-658-7688
Yesterday’s fishermen saw a great all day midge hatch. The conditions were perfect with no wind, cold temps, and lots of eager fish. Nymphing with midges was productive, but not necessary as there were so many fish feeding on the surface.
The cool temps kept the dries stuck on the surface but the only problem was their size. Being that this is very early in the midge hatching season we see the smallest midges of the year. Size 22 or 24 would have been the accurate match to the natural, but the fish didn’t shy away from a size 20 Parachute Adams or a size 20 Adult Grey Midge.
The cloud cover and glare made it fairly tough to see a size 20 so a lead fly of a size 16 or 18 Griffiths Gnat became a nice strike indicator getting a few fish on the size 18 Griffith’s Gnat.
The nymph of choice was a Red Thread Midge size 18 behind a Grey 18 Firebead Soft Hackle Sowbug.
We’re off to the river. It’s 50 degrees. Sunny. Beautifully Calm. Let the season begin. We’re starting to book up and many weeks are full don’t delay give us a call and at least get penciled in for your Guides, Drift Boat Rentals, Lodging, and All-Inclusive Packages.
1-866-658-7688
