Well, well, well, Spring came quick on the Big Hole River!
With increasing flows and runoff over the last few days, the fishing has become somewhat sporadic. Early on before the flow increased, we had some good days on the water Streamer fishing and running indicator Nymph rigs. Streamer fishing seemed to be the most consistent producer of larger trout with the Nymph bite catering to trout of all sizes.
Last week on one of our guided trips we even saw a taped 24″ Brown Trout on Dan’s Delektable Kaboom Stone! Not to mention RT had another Big Brown Trout, of the same size, try to eat his hooked 16” Brown next to the boat! A great indicator of a healthy fishery this year!
Apart from chuckin’ and duckin’ streamers and bobber rigs, we did see some fish looking up on the River. Dan and RT were able to identify rising fish in the side channels and soft water on the edges of the larger flow. There were solid reports of Skwala hatches early after the river opened and fish were being caught on the big bug. Skwalas dwindled away towards the end of April and were replaced with March Browns and BWO’s in solid numbers. With around 3 feet of visibility and many insect hatches, the River is still fishable with increased flows.
Over the next few weeks expect bigger water as runoff begins to ramp up over the hill. With this increase in flow comes some great highwater fishing opportunities with the Salmonfly Hatch about a month and half out. Before that time nymphing and streamer fishing will be your most consistent action, with still some opportunities to target risers if conditions permit.
Dries: Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis Cinnamon #14; Parachute Adams #14-18; Delektable Two Tone Olive Chubbyness #10-16; Delektable Two Tone Royal Chubbyness #10-16.
Nymphs: Delektable Kaboom Stone #8; Delektable Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail #14-16; Pats Rubber Legs Brown/Black #8, Delektable Guide Stone Brown/Black #8.
Streamers: Delektable Screamer Single Spawning & Yellow #6; Coffey’s CH Sparkle Minnow Sculpin #6; Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow JJ #6; Eric’s Jealousy Articulated White/Black #4; Delektable SS Double Jointed Screamer Yellow #6; Galloups Sex Dungeon Yellow #6.
