Early May Status

Current Water Flow: 7,500 cfs

Water Temp: 38-40 degrees

The month of April has flown by, and we are now ready for May.  The river is still high, relative to this time of year, but the fishing has been extremely productive. Phone calls have been steady in regards to the rivers’ current condition. The big question that many have been asking –  “Is the river blown out?“, and in response, not at all. The upper 13 miles of the river is gin clear, but we have been noticing dirty water flowing in from Soap Creek, which has not had a large impact on the fishing.  The river below Bighorn has seen some good fishing, but water is a bit unsettled.

Nymph fishing has been by far the most productive method when it comes to catching fish.  Standard nymph patterns for us include: Firebead Ray Charles (Pink, Grey 14-18), Softhackle Sowbug (Pink 16-18), Killerbug (Pink, Grey 16-18), Zebra Midge (18-20), Red/Black Midge (18-20), Red midge larva, Atomic Worm and 2 tone worm (Brown/red).  Out of the boat we are running 9′ from Indicator to Split shot, with 2 BB’s as our standard shot size.  There are some fish in skinny water now, so a short leash (4-5′) setup with light lead is also a fun way to fish.

A recent stomach sample yielded Sowbugs and orange Scuds.

 A few dry fly anglers are catching rising fish in the early afternoon, and into the evenings. We are seeing quite a few Baetis from 3 Mile downstream.  Some days a lot of fish are seen feeding on the surface,  but overall nothing consistent.  Midges are abundant and are the food of choice in the morning.  Top dry patterns right now include: Smokejumper BWO and Midge (18-20), Twilight Midge (18-20), Bighorn Cripple (18-20), and Sipper Emerger (18-20)

Flows appear to be stable in the near future, at least for now.  Use caution out there as the river is a powerful creature right now!

Categorised in: Fishing Reports

This post was written by Bighornangler