The Bighorn River, Montana, has always been an approachable, consistent and easy to read river for most anglers. But sometimes a curveball is thrown, and the Bighorn has certainly been representative of that over the past few years. From dramatic water level fluctuations to earlier insect hatches, the river is demanding adaptation from even the most seasoned anglers. Read more...
The Bighorn has finally cleared and fishing is great! A few folks around, but not too bad. Our Bighorn Brown Trout are in full spawn mode so please stay off the redds!
Nymphing with BIG Sowbugs, Squirmies and Orange Scuds are still about all you need.
We’ve seen some BIG fish showing up to chase the streamer. Read more...
It’s finally turning around! The Afterbay is beginning to fill and clarity in the river is slowly improving. We’ve had some fantastic weather and great fishing the past few days and should continue to get even better!
Streamer time is here. Dredging with tips is the preferred method this time of year. Read more...
We’re getting closer, but water temps need to come up just a bit. Flows are still stable at 1750-1800 CFS and the river remains Gin clear with some drifting vegetables below 3 Mile. Keep your flies clean and the fish will eat them!
A couple of PMD’s around, but not the main push yet. Read more...
This past Summer we fished with the crew from the New Fly Fisher and are proud to share the episode to you. Please be sure to follow @thenewflyfisher ‘s YouTube page as well. A big thanks to Mark Melnyk and crew.
We’re looking forward to another awesome Summer just like this past year! Read more...
Dry fly season is on! The Bighorn continues to kick out impressive hatches of PMD’s and Black Caddis daily. Fishing has been great in all aspects (Nymphing, Dry fly, some streamers). Definitely a few people around, but the fish don’t seem to mind.
If you’re looking to hunt heads, plan on being on the water by about 11 and stay until dark. Read more...
We’re currently experiencing some of the best PMD fishing we’ve seen in years on the Bighorn. The fish are eating them with reckless abandon (a good presentation is still necessary) but it’s damn good! Here is one of our favorite PMD nymphs ever that works across the West and is especially good on the Bighorn. Read more...
Midges are available year round to Bighorn fish. They are especially important in the Spring. On a lower water year, which we are experiencing now, our Bighorn fish become very selective and you must carry a wide variety of Pupa and Larva versions in all sizes and colors. The Green Weenie dates back a good while in Bighorn fly pattern history and has resurfaced as a ‘must have’ pattern this past winter and Spring. Read more...
Shifting into winter mode here on the Bighorn. The browns have just about wrapped up their spawn for the year. We saw good numbers of fish on the redds this Fall, but not quite like the good ol’ days. The positive side is that there were some BIG fish seen. Angler numbers have dropped off significantly as most folks are chasing Roosters or waterfowl. Read more...
We’re nearing the end of a great, but interesting season on the Bighorn and getting prepared for some excellent late Fall/early Winter fishing. Overall, it’s a ghost town out there most days but the fish are very willing to EAT!
Nymphing has really picked up and now is a good time to start sticking some of those big fish we have in the river this year as they are in peak shape. Read more...