Entries by Pete Shanafelt

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July 19 Bighorn River Report

It appears as our flows are finally on the way down (9100 CFS as of last night).  This should be the last of it, should be..  Fishing remains really consistent and will only continue to get better as the water comes down, which should be very soon.

Summer dry fly fishing has kicked off and we’re seeing great numbers of PMD’s, Black Caddis and Yellow Sallies.   Read more...

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July 11 Bighorn River Update

Flows are back up to 9500 CFS but the fish don’t seem to mind!  We’re seeing good numbers of PMD’s and Sallies in the mid day and Black Caddis are starting to make an appearance in the evenings.  There are finally a decent amount of fish up in side channels and softer edges.   Read more...

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Fourth of July Fishing Report

Happy Independence Day everyone!

We’ll just get to the point….fishing is good right now on the Bighorn.  With flows at 8,500 and river temps at a perfect 55 degrees the fish are active and feeding.  Our guide reports are good numbers of healthy fish in the nets daily.  AND THERE IS NO ONE HERE!!!  Read more...

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June 28 Bighorn Fishing and Flow Update

Things are shaping up great for the Bighorn.  Flows are on the drop again and water temps are still prime, but not getting too warm like last year.  The river is scheduled to be at 8500 CFS by the end of today and should sit there for the weekend.  We’re not sure what happens next, but as inflows to the lake drop, our section will drop as well. Read more...

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June 22 Bighorn River Report

 

Bighorn River flows are just above 10K.  This is obviously not what was expected, but runoff came late this year and with the Corps of Engineers taking over operation of the Yellowtail dam, it’s hard saying what their next move will be.  The good news is our runoff is subsiding and we don’t expect flows to stay up at current levels for too long (maybe a couple weeks max).   Read more...

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Bighorn River Flow Update

Flows this weekend were bumped to 8300 CFS and we just got word they are on the rise to 10k by tomorrow.   Inflows to the lake are right around 11,900 and we’re guessing (and hoping!) this is our last push of water and remainder of runoff for the season.  The best news is water temps have bumped up into the mid 50’s which has really got the fish on the feed! Read more...

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Mid June Bighorn River Update

The Army Corps of Engineers has given the all clear to bump the flows up after tampering them down the last couple weeks to help with catastrophic flooding in the Midwest.  Flows went up 500 cfs yesterday to 6500 and they are going up another 1000 today. The runoff inflows to the lake have stabilized at 5500 and while we don’t know exactly how high the flows will get in our neck of the woods, our guess is not much higher than 7500 unless we experience significant amounts of rain over the next few weeks.   Read more...

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Big Horn River Flows on the Drop

We got word that the river will be decreasing by 500 CFS at least once a day, possibly twice, until we hit ‘X” flow.  We’re still waiting to hear what ‘X’ is.  Current flows are at the 5500 cfs mark.  The Corps of Engineers is taking preventative measures to cut down on flooding in lower reaches of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Read more...