Filed under: Fishing Report, Fly Fishing | Tags: Bighorn, fishign report, Fly Fishing, Flyfishing, forresters, Montana, orvis
Bighorn River Fishing Report – Fort Lewis, Montana
The river is clearing, and streamers are working well. Worms, sowbugs, tan and gray Ray Charles! Water flows are at 2,660 cfs. Fishing is fair on nymphs. Water clarity is still improving from week to week and fish are feeding more consistently. Aquatic grass is still a factor, but the nymph and streamer fishing is starting to turn on. A few fish are being taken on tricos. Sowbugs, scuds, Baetis nymphs, and Zebra midge pupa are working subsurface. Also, trico fishing is good on the Bighorn to Mallards stretch, with some trico fishing on the upper river. Tan caddis are beginning to show up.
Flows are at 2,660 cfs. Fishing is picking up, nymph fishing in the faster water and some tricos in the a.m.
Forecast:
Temperatures are cooling. High’s in the 50’s this week.
Hatch Info
Hatches currently include some black caddis and baetis. Rainy and overcast days seem to be producing more bugs.
Hot Fly Patterns
Streamers are working very well right now! Try LBFs or black quills in 18-20, Ray Charles in orange, pink, gray or tan (16-18), tan, grey, or pink soft hackle sowbugs in (14, 16 and 18), nymphs, scuds in tan or pink in 14-18), baetis Wonder Nymph in 18-20. Of course the worm is working well in the flat wax or wire style in red, orange or two-tone. You could also try a #18 Zebra Midge.
River Flows
2,660 cfs Afterbay
Water Temperature
51 degrees at the Afterbay, 53 degrees at 3-mile
Filed under: Fishing Report, Fly Fishing | Tags: Bighorn, fishingreport, Flyfishing, forresters, Montana
*Current Report*
*The river is clearing, and streamers are working good. Worms, sowbugs, tan and gray Ray Charles!! Water flows are at 2,660 cfs. Fishing is fair on nymphs. Water clarity is still improving from week to week and fish are feeding more consistently. Aquatic grass is still a factor, but the nymph and streamer fishing is starting to turn on. A few fish are being taken on tricos. Sowbugs, scuds, Baetis nymphs, and Zebra midge pupa are working subsurface. Also, trico fishing is good on the Bighorn to Mallards stretch, with some trico fishing on the upper river. Tan caddis are beginning to show up.*
* Special Report*
**
* Flows are at 2,660 cfs. Fishing is picking up, nymph fishing in the faster water and some tricos in the a.m.*
**
*One-Week Fishing Forecast*
*Temps are cooling. Highs in the 50’s this week.*
**
*Hatch Info*
*Still some black caddis and baetis. Rainy and overcast days seem to be producing more bugs.*
**
*Hot Fly Patterns*
*Streamers! LBFs or black quills in 18-20, Ray Charles in orange, pink, gray or tan (16-18), tan, grey, or pink soft hackle sowbugs in (14, 16 and 18), nymphs, scuds in tan or pink in 14-18), baetis Wonder Nymph in 18-20, and of course the worm is working well in the flat wax or wire style in red, orange or two-tone, 18 Zebra Midge. *
* *
*
River Flows
2,660 cfs Afterbay
Water Temperature
51 degrees at the Afterbay, 53 degrees at 3-mile
Filed under: Fishing Report, Fly Fishing | Tags: Bighorn, Fishing, Fly Fishing, forresters, Montana, report
*The river is clearing, and Streamers are working good. Worms, sowbugs, tan and gray Ray Charles!! Water flows are at 2,710 cfs. Fishing is fair on nymphs. Water clarity is much improved from a week ago and fish are feeding more consistently. Aquatic grass is still a factor, but the nymph and streamer fishing is starting to turn on. A few fish are being taken on tricos. Sowbugs, scuds,Baetis nymphs, and Zebra midge pupa are working subsurface. Also, trico fishing is good on the Bighorn to Mallards stretch, with some trico fishing on the upper river. Tan caddis are beginning to show up.*
* Special Report*
**
* Flows are at 2,710cfs. Fishing is really picking up, Nymph fishing in the faster water and Tricos in the am.*
**
*One-Week Fishing Forecast*
*Temps are cooling significantly now with the 30 inches of snowfall the last 3 days.Highs in the 50’s later in the week.*
**
*Hatch Info*
*Black caddis and baetis are slowing. Rainy and overcast days seems to be producing more bugs.*
**
*Hot Fly Patterns*
*Streamers! LBFs or black quills in 18-20, Ray Charles in orange, pink, gray or tan (16-18), tan, grey, or pink soft hackle sowbugs in (14 16 and 18), Nymph, scuds in tan or pink in 14-18), baetis Wonder Nymph in 18-20, and of course the worm is working well in the flat wax or wire style in red, orange, or two tone, 18 Zebra Midge; *
* *
**
*
River Flows
2,710 cfs Afterbay
Water Temperature
51 degrees at the Afterbay 53 degrees at 3 mile
Christina Fielding and her Guide
Meet Christina Fielding from New York and Australia. She and her husband George fished two days and hunted one day. Check out our Cast and Blast packages at: www.forrestersbighorn.com.
Filed under: Fishing Report, Fly Fishing | Tags: Big Horn Fly Fishing Report
Current Report*
Water flows are at 2,672 cfs. Fishing is still a little slow, due to the abundance of aquatic grass but the water clarity is clearing some. Grass is rendering the slower holes unfishable, so concentrate on the riffles and faster water. Dry fly fishing is marginal. Fish are being taken on hoppers, Baetis (Psuedocloeun) and Caddis. San Juan Worms, Sowbugs, Scuds, Zebra midge pupa, Ray Charles and Baetis nymphs are working subsurface. With the lake having turned over a couple of weeks ago, algae and moss are still making it tough. We are still boating 10 to 20 fish per boat.
*Special Report*
Fishing is tough, but work the clear areas near the bank. Nymph fishing in fast water. Limited dry fly fishing. Fishing is picking up a little.
*Catch of the Week:*
24″ brown trout caught by Christina Fieldings.
*Hatch Info*
Black caddis are out some days, and not others. Rainy days seems to be producing more bugs.
*Hot Fly Patterns*
/*Nymphs*/
#14 & #16 Tan Ray Charles; #16 & #18 Grey Ray Charles; #18 Pink Ray Charles; #18 Flashback Quill Nymph; #14,#16 Orange Scud; #16 Pink Scud (dirty pink); #8 San Juan Worm red, orange, or two-tone; #16,#18 Soft Hackle Sow Bug ; #16 & 18 Zebra Midge, Wonder Nymph in 18-20, sipper midges in 18-20 Hare’s Ears work great and PMD imitations. / *Dry Flies*/
#22 #22 CDC Baetis Sparkle Dun; #22 Crippled Johnson; #8 Parachute Hopper (tan); Black & Tan Caddis 18, 20
*/Streamers/*
#4 & #6 Black Conehead Wooley Bugger; #4 & #6 Brown Wooley Bugger; #4 Black Zonker; #4 & #6 Bighorn Bugger (Brown & Yellow)
*River Flows*
2,685cfs at Afterbay
*Water Temperature*
52 degrees at the Afterbay – 54 degrees at 3 mile
Filed under: Fly Fishing | Tags: Big Horn, Big Horn Fly Fishing Report, Fly Fishing, Montana, report
*September 22, 2008
Current Report*
Water flows are at 2,672 cfs. Fishing is SLOW due to the abundance of aquatic grass and the water clarity is off. The grass is rendering the slower holes unfishable, so concentrate on the riffles and faster water.
Dry fly fishing is marginal. Still some fish being taken on hoppers, and and Baetis (Psuedocloeun) and Caddis. San Juan Worms, Sowbugs, Scuds, Zebra midge pupa, Ray Charles, and Baetis nymphs are working subsurface.
With the lake have turned over algae, and moss is making it tough to get a good drift.
*Special Report*
Fishing is tough, but work the clear areas near the bank. Nymph fishing in fast water. Limited dry fly fishing. Continued slow fishing.
*Catch of the Week:*
22″ brown trout cought by Woody Faults
*Hatch Info*
Black caddis are out some days, and not others. Rainy days seems to be producing more bugs.
*Hot Fly Patterns*
/*Nymphs*/
#14 & #16 Tan Ray Charles; #16 & #18 Grey Ray Charles; #18 Pink Ray Charles; #18 Flashback Quill Nymph; #14,#16 Orange Scud; #16 Pink Scud (dirty pink); #8 San Juan Worm red, orange, or two tone; #16,#18 Soft Hackle Sow Bug ; #16 & 18 Zebra Midge, Wonder Nymph in 18-20, sipper midges in 18-20 Hare’s Ears work great for PMD imitations. / *Dry Flies*/
#22 #22 CDC Baetis Sparkle Dun; #22 Crippled Johnson; #8 Parachute Hopper (tan); Black & Tan Caddis 18, 20
*/Streamers/*
#4,#6 Black Conehead Wooley Bugger; #4,#6 Brown Wooley Bugger; #4 Black Zonker; #4,#6 Bighorn Bugger (Brown & Yellow)
*River Flows*
2,672cfs at Afterbay
*Water Temperature*
53 degrees at the Afterbay 55 degrees at 3 mile
Filed under: Fly Fishing | Tags: Bighorn, Fishing Lodge, Flyfishing, Montana, Montana resort, Trout
As seen in the Kentucky Trout Unlimited newsletter.
Flowing through the Crow Indian Reservation in south central Montana there is a trout laden tail-water that is seldom fished by outsiders: The Bighorn. Not stocked since 1973, this river is plum full of trophy sized browns and rainbows eager to take imitations of nymphs and dries that they might be feeding on at the time.
For several days prior to this years 4th my son Andrew and I joined up and drifted a total of 28 miles of the Bighorn; catching equal numbers of the biggest, strongest browns and rainbows I have caught since fishing Alaska’s Copper and Murrel Rivers. The fish were feeding on small red river worms and scuds, and we used imitations of both tied as doubles below a white indicator. Once hooked these river spawned fish would jump 5 or 6 times and then head for the fast water.
The really big ones would be into our backing in a flash. Each day we landed more than 30 fish each between 15 and 20 inches, and only once did I handle a fish less than 14 inches. With simultaneous hookups it was everything we could do to keep our lines untangled. We kept our guide, Wayne Egbert out of Forresters’ Bighorn Resort, busy either landing and releasing fish or untangling our lines. Wayne explained that the smaller fish hide in the grasses bordering the river knowing that to venture out is suicide with so many big browns out there. Catch and release is the practice; however, one may keep one fish; I believe it must be over 22 inches.
As a tail-water one might ask how such a river can sustain a high population of fish without a stocking program. The answer lies in the slue dam some 2 miles below the 500 foot high, solid concrete hydro dam. This ingenious dam controls the flow to constant 6,000 cfs. The river fluctuates little more than 6 inches and the numerous gravel beds provide ample sites for spawning. Recent surveys indicate there are about 6,000 fish per mile of river. Most of the river flows through the reservation; however, some of the land around the river is a U.S. National Park.
While called a resort, Nick and Francine’s Forresters’ 88 acres which borders the Bighorn, is actually a very comfortable lodge with an in-house Orvis shop, sporting excellent cuisine and several good wines. Typical evenings start with appetizers in the bar equipped lounge, followed by three and four course dinners. My favorite entrée was the top half of boned rainbow trout baked in parchment paper with a white wine and lemon sauce. Both rooms and cabins are available at Forresters’, and the all inclusive cost includes all meals, guide fees, lodging and transportation to and from the put-ins.
Here is the latest fishing report for the Bighorn River After-bay in
Fort Smith, Montana.
Fishing is very good on nymphs. Concentrate on the riffles and faster
water. Dry fly fishing has been good on black caddis, Baetis and hoppers
. Zebra midge pupa, Black caddis pupa, sowbugs, scuds, and Baetis nymphs
are working subsurface. Afternoons and evenings are best.
*River Flows:*2,475 cfs
*Water Temperature: *63 degrees at Three Mile.
*Catch of the Week*: A 19 inch Rainbow Trout caught with a #18 Downey
Wonder Nymph
*Fishing Forecast:* Good dry, (if you can hit a cup at 30 feet) and
nymph fishing is very good.
***Hatch Info:*
Baetis mayflies in early afternoon (Pale Olives #22). Black caddis in
afternoon. Hoppers all day, but especially good on windy afternoons.
*Hot Fly Patterns:*
*Nymphs*
#14 & #16 Tan Ray Charles; #16 & #18 Grey Ray Charles; #16,#18 Black
Caddis Pupa (various patterns with green body); #14,#16 Orange Scud;
#18 Epoxy Back Baetis Nymph; #18 Downey Wonder Nymph; #16,#18 Soft
Hackle Sow Bug (camel dubbing); #18 Flashback Quill Nymph; #16 Root
Beer Midge Pupa (aka “Big Ugly”); #16 & 18 Zebra Midge;
*Dry Flies*
#22 Parachute Adams (White or Black Post); #18 Griffith’s Gnat; #22
CDC Baetis Sparkle Dun; #22 Crippled Johnson; #8 Rainey’s Hopper (tan)
*Streamers*
#4,#6 Black Conehead Wooley Bugger; #4,#6 Brown Wooley Bugger; #4
Black Zonker; #4,#6 Bighorn Bugger (Brown & Yellow)
Forrester’s Bighorn River Resort recently guided Dick Cheney on his successful quest for big fish on the Bighorn River. Come see why we’re the only fishing lodge with all four Orvis endorsements. www.forrestersbighorn.com
VP Cheney with some of our guides at the Bighorn River Resort
Filed under: Fishing Report, Fly Fishing | Tags: Bighorn River Fishing, Fishing Report, Fly Fishing
Here is the latest fishing report for the Bighorn River After-bay in Fort Smith, Montana.
Water flows are at 2,500 cfs.
Water Temperature: 60 degrees at Three Mile.
Fishing is good on hoppers, black caddis, blackcaddis pupa, sowbugs, scuds, and Baetis nymphs.
Drifting moss is a factor, especially as you get closer to Bighorn access.
Catch of the Week: A 23 inch Rainbow Trout caugh with a black caddis
One-Week Fishing Forecast: Good dry and nymph fishing.
Two-Week Forecast: Good nymph fishing. Black caddis action continues to be good. Hoppers too.
Hatch Info:
Baetis mayflies in early afternoon (Pale Olives #22). Black caddis in afternoon. Hoppers all day, but especially good on windy afternoons.
Hot Fly Patterns:
Nymphs
#14 & #16 Tan Ray Charles; #16 & #18 Grey Ray Charles; #16,#18 Black Caddis Pupa (various patterns with green body); #14,#16 Orange Scud; #18 Epoxy Back Baetis Nymph; #18 Downey Wonder Nymph; #16,#18 Soft Hackle Sow Bug (camel dubbing); #18 Flashback Quill Nymph; #16 Root Beer Midge Pupa (aka “Big Ugly”); #16 & 18 Zebra Midge;
Dry Flies
#22 Parachute Adams (White or Black Post); #18 Griffith’s Gnat; #22 CDC Baetis Sparkle Dun; #22 Crippled Johnson; #8 Rainey’s Hopper (tan)
Streamers
#4,#6 Black Conehead Wooley Bugger; #4,#6 Brown Wooley Bugger; #4 Black Zonker; #4,#6 Bighorn Bugger (Brown & Yellow)
