Things are looking good on the Bighorn. The water clarity has dramatically improved over the past week. There is a bit of color, especially on the upper river, but once you get down below 3 Mile, clarity has been pretty good (3-4′) and will only improve with the cooler weather ahead of us. Read more...
Water conditions are prime on the Bighorn. Current flows are around 2500 CFS and should be there for quite some time, as our snowpack is diminishing. This is a good thing! We’re looking forward to a lower, normal water Summer for the first time in about 8 years. Current water temps are in the mid 40’s at the peak of mid day’s heat. Read more...
Hey guys, sorry for the delay. Our blog was down for almost a week, but hopefully most of you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, where I’ve been posting updates.
So, finally good news! Today the barriers were removed at Afterbay and Three Mile access points. Ok-A-Beh is still closed as well as the campgrounds. Read more...
We wanted to share the latest news with you guys on where we are at regarding COVID-19 and our State regulations. Yesterday, Governor Steve Bullock held a press conference regarding lifting of certain State mandated regulations. It is described as a ‘phased opening.’ There’s plenty of politics here and we’re not trying to get in the middle of them, but agree we can’t just open things overnight. Read more...
Still pretty quiet around these parts. The river access remains closed through the end of the month (except for Bighorn and lower fishing acccess points). After that, we’ll see where our things go from there. The road blocks remain in place at all entrances to the valley as well.
THE WATER
It’s turned back into winter a few days a week and we’re starting to see that late snow accumulation. Read more...
Sowbugs have no doubt become maybe the most abundant food source underneath the surface for Bighorn trout. We’ve come quite a ways from the Ray Charles, although still a very effective fly. There’s no doubt this year with a few less fish in the river, the fish will be more selective and having a range of different patterns will be a must. Read more...
After this past cold front we have, the Bighorn trout have awaken and started looking up for the arrival of the Fall Baetis. The cloudy calm afternoons have been very productive and the fish are up. Don’t expect to see pods like we are used to of past years, but quite a few solo fish gorging on the big duns. Read more...
The dog days have set in pretty hard here in the Fort. 103 degrees on Wednesday, ouch. But we are starting to cool off at least for a few days which is a welcome reprieve from the blistering heat of late. The middle of the river has a good amount of grass so the water coming down is channeling to the sides providing good visibility and decent fishing on the banks. Read more...
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...
Things are looking good on the Bighorn. The water clarity has dramatically improved over the past week. There is a bit of color, especially on the upper river, but once you get down below 3 Mile, clarity has been pretty good (3-4′) and will only improve with the cooler weather ahead of us. Read more...