Reports from two of Montana’s Best 

Big Hole River

Great Upper Big Hole Double

The Big Hole has turned a corner in the past few weeks as the smell of fall is in the air.  With the new weather pattern the fish have responded in a positive manner, by looking for food eagerly and often.  Dry fly fishing has been the hot ticket the past three weeks, with Spruce Moths, Ants, Beetles, Hopper, PMD’s, Wulff’s, and Caddis being the hot ticket items.  The Browns are looking as if they are starting to add a little more beef as they gear up for the fall spawn.  The coloration of the fish is eye catching, and when you couple that with the magnificent fall scenery of the Big Hole River, it’s hard to imagine a prettier setting to trout fish.  The Rainbow’s are in great shape this time of year, and are feisty and often come rocketing out of the water after being stuck by a well placed fly.  The lower Big Hole has been fishing just as well, with more hopper and bigger bug action than that of the upper stretch.  Assorted colors of Chubby’s, Foam Hoppers, and Big Rubber Legs have been the ticket.  Trico hatches have been great all throughout the river, with some fall drakes and late PMD’s still coming off.  A few Beatis have been seen on occasion, and of course the Caddis are still around in the evenings, and provide great dry fly fishing in the later evening hours.  We are excited to continue the fall season on this river, and expect it to fish well until ice over this winter.

Beaverhead River

Late Evening Beaverhead Brute

After one of the best summers in recent memory on the Beaverhead River, it still continues to fish at a staggering pace this fall.  Crane Fly fishing has been some of the best in years with fish literally doing cartwheels in the air to try and grab one of these big ticket meals.  About a week ago we stayed out a little later than normal and fished cranes into the moonlight hours.  It was one of the neatest experiences of year as is seemed as if big rocks were being thrown all over the river for miles as fish were nailing emerging cranes with some of the harshest aggression I’ve ever seen.  The river was boiling with takes and huge lunging eats as we skated our imitation by the moonlight.  A true memory that we will surly repeat this week.  With the higher than normal water flows the moss has stayed attached to the bottom of the river longer, providing ample room to both throw to rising fish still eating PMD’s, and nymphing long runs without getting hung up every few feet.  PMD’s, Tricos, Moths, Hoppers, Lime Midges, and Caddis are the main hatches at the moment…along with the cranes…and the fish are looking up throughout the river in hopes of nabbing a dead drifted fly.  Hopper fishing on the lower river has been good, great on cloudy days, and streamers are picking up better fish early in the mornings and later in the evening.We’ve had a great season here in Southwest Montana, and the Fall Season may be the best of the year.  There are more fish in the system, bigger fish, and healthier fish that we’ve had in a long time.  Cooler water temps have protected a lot of the fish that the warmer water years would have taken, which only means a greater chance to tie into a trophy trout.  We hope everyone has had a great summer, and that you see a river or two this fall.  Take care and Tight Lines! 

Justin

August 18, 2010

Bighorn River Fishing Report – Ft Smith

Ed with a beautiful Bighorn River Brown Trout

Tight Line Adventures now has an operation on the Bighorn River with under the guidance of Tight Line Adventures guides Nic Jovanovich and Scott Adamson.  TLA regulars Ed Wilson and George Miller traveled over to the Bighorn from Dillon to fish this month for their first taste of this prolific tailwater. They traveled on the 4^th and fished a couple of public wade in spots on the Yellowstone to keep the trip interesting and actually caught a few fish on the storied Yellowstone.  In Montana, one is never far away from a fishing opportunity.  They stayed at the Super 8 motel in Hardin which is on the fringe of the Crow Reservation.  On August 5, they fished with Nic who picked them up at the hotel for an early start….like 7 AM!!  They launched at the access below the dam near Ft. Smith and floated about 12 miles to the Bighorn take out.  The Bighorn fishes a lot like the Beaverhead and if one chooses to nymph, the same rig and bugs work and the fish are plentiful and strong.  However, they were there for hopper fishing and while admittedly they dredged up a few on the nymph rig they threw the big bugs most of the trip.  Fish were found in the shallow riffles and shoals…not along the grass banks where we expected them to be hanging out looking for the stray hopper.  A little time was wasted initially pounding the banks before they figured out where the fish were.  These fish wanted the hopper and in the fast water they had little time to make a decision and the takes were violent and exciting.  There was a prolonged hatch of black caddis so they occasionally trailed a size 18 caddis behind the hopper and got several fish to take the little fly.

George with a Rainbow on a classic hopper take.

On the 6^th they fished with Scott and floated the same stretch and had the same experience.  The fish were still in the fast, shallow water and were hammering the hopper and caddis combination.  They probably netted 25 fish each day which was certainly less than half of the takes so the action was steady.  Weather was bright and sunny and the water clear and the fish could see the boat from distance so the angler in the front had a distinct advantage.  Back boat guy resorted to streamers when his action slowed and the fish took the streamer also.  TLA’s Bighorn operation is first class and Nic and Scott are a lot of fun, work hard, and are determined to put you on fish.  We highly recommend this trip.  Our guess is that fall fishing on the Bighorn will be really spectacular; we will go back.

Beaverhead River Fishing Report

CRANE FLIES!!

This nice Beaverhead Brown could not resist this tasty Crane.

What an exciting past few days it’s been on the Beav.  With the cloudy/stormy weather, the fish have been more than willing to chase cranes all day.  The takes have been vicious, as expected on these flies, and the fish eating them range anywhere from 6″ up to 20″+.

During the year we’ve seen fish eating, what seemed to be, and over abundance of cranefly larvae, and if this early crane fly season is any indication of what’s to come, August will be a month to remember.

Oh, and hoppers are here too

Justin

Beaverhead River Fishing Report

August 6, 2010

This brute measured just under 23" and weighed in at around 5.5lbs.

Over the past few months we can say without a doubt, that the Beaverhead River has fished better than it has in 20 years.  Not since the high water years in the 80’s have so many fish, and big fish at that, been caught in the numbers we’ve seen this year on the Beaverhead.  At the fly shop this morning, we were having a conversation with the guys who have been fishing these waters for over 30 years, and each one of them have said they are having a hard time remembering a better summer on the Beav than the one we’re in now.

Water flows have been higher for a longer period of time this year, approaching 1,000 cfs at times, providing the fish ample room to spread out and feed without as much competition as in years past.  The fish have responded with amazing girth and astounding length.  The quality and heath of the fish is amazing, with a handful of fish approaching the magical 7lb mark.  The lower river has fished just as well as an influx of Little Yellow Sallies have been pouring off the water for the better part of a month, giving the fish a fat packed diet that aids in their growth.

Lots of water puts a lot of girth of these fish in a hurry.

We are very excited about this remainder of the summer as spruce moths are almost here, and with all this high water, hopper fishing may be the best ever.  Be sure to bring lots of bugs as these big fish are breaking off even the best of intended anglers.  However, they are eating at such a rate that you’ll have more than a few chances at landing one of these brutes this year.

If you have a chance or the time to come out and fish, it will be a trip you’ll never forget.  We’d love to get you in the boat and show you exactly what we’re talking about.

Here’s to a fun filled August and a memorable fall!  Get on the Beaverhead if you can…and bring your camera.

Jefferson River Fishing Report

August 4, 2010

A nice Jefferson River Rainbow

On August 3 we launched two boats on the famous Jefferson River at Kountz Bridge and floated to Cardwell.    It was TLA’s 3rd 2010 trip to the Jeff because fishing on the Big Hole and Beaverhead has been too good to leave.   We were coming off a 35 fish day on the Beaverhead and were feeling pretty confident, even cocky, that we could take handle whatever the Jeff had to offer.  While having a fabulous breakfast at the Wagon Wheel restaurant in Twin Bridges, a few of the locals asked where we were fishing and when we told them the Jefferson most said “why”?  We knew the Jeff would be tough but we were up to the challenge and were not to be deterred by local advice.  Well, the old Jefferson kicked out butt.  Water was low, sky was clear, fish were ornery.  We did catch some fish, actually really nice rainbows, but we did not get into the collective double figures.  It was a hard day.  We tossed about everything we had at them and the few fish we caught were on streamers and a hopper dropper combo.  We had hoped for some hopper action but nothing looked at the big bug.  Every once in a while the fish need to win and the angler needs to be humbled.  That is what is so wonderful about this sport.  At the end of the day, we agreed that it was another special fishing experience on another great Montana river.  There are no bad days fly fishing in Montana.  We are not finished with the Jeff!

Regional view of Southwest Montana’s Fishing Reports

THE MONTANA SAMPLER – THREE DAYS THREE RIVERS

We fished the Beaverhead, Madison, and Big Hole rivers in three successive days July 7, 8, and 9.  This little tour is a great sampling of Montana’s classic trout streams.  We would have gone for five rivers and included the Jefferson and Ruby but those rivers were running high, wide, and dingy so we will postpone that leg of the trip.  Here is a summary of our days on these spectacular waters.

The “Beav” July 7, 2010

The Beaverhead has been fishing bonanza since the season opened in May,  particularly from the dam to high bridge where multiple fishermen have been taking large numbers of big trout daily….I’m talking big!  Get on the TLA 2010 photo gallery and you can see some of these hogs.  The great fishing has resulted in great numbers of anglers on that stretch so; we went low to get away from the crowd and floated from High Bridge to Pipe Organ Bridge.  We caught lots of nice fish…maybe not as big as the “football” rainbows and browns below the dam but plenty of fish in the 16 inch to 19 inch variety.  The fish were taking the usual Beaverhead stuff, small (size 20) split backs, pheasant tails, etc.  Numbers wise, we probably netted 30 to 40 fish.  Water was perfect in flow and clarity.  All good stuff on the Beaverhead and that river is expected to fish good the rest of the year.

The Madison  July 8, 2010

We launched at Varney Bridge and fished the stretch down to the second takeout downstream…never can remember the name.  The Madison is always a great experience because of its history and the fantastic views.  The drive over to the Madison from Dillon through Twin Bridges, Sheridan and Virginia City is a wonderful trip and adds a lot to the enjoyment of the day.  It was a strange day on the Madison.  Weather wise, it was bright and sunny which always seems to inhibit the fish a bit but the water was perfect.  We caught a lot of fish, all quite small, which is at least strange and borderline weird on that river which usually produces some big rainbows and browns.  We surmised that the big fish had gorged themselves on salmon flies and other big bugs and were taking a day off from feeding.  We caught numerous small fish on prince nymphs, hare’s ears, and an assortment of pheasant tails and scuds.  Late in the day we stated with dry flies but got very few takes.  However, within sight of the take out and in the middle of the river, guest Jimmy Hayles of Cashiers, North Carolina got a huge brown trout to take a hopper.  The fish immediately headed upstream and took him to his backing.   Was a great fight for several minutes with angler and pro guide Cory Streett dismounting the boat and giving chase to the fish. However, fish won the battle by taking the line around a rock and breaking off.  Lots of fun in the fight and that big boy is still there.  We have the spot marked and will try him again.

The Big Hole

We launched at Troutfitters and fished down to the George Grant (Dewey) take out.  We were throwing dry flies most of the day and had great action the entire float catching the first fish, a nice brown, within a couple of hundred feet from the launch.  We fished a size 12 – 14 attractor fly, stimulator, wulff, hopper, etc, teamed up with a small mayfly pattern.  We caught a few fish on the big fly but most took the small offering and the most productive was the famous purple haze.  The weather was partly cloudy and overcast which helped the fishing and the water was perfect for dry fly fishing.  When that stretch of river is “on” dry fly fishing can be big fun and this was one of those days.  About 3:30 PM the fish quit on the dry flies and we switched to a nymph rig and continued to catch fish at the same pace until we got to the take out.

Was a great three day experience of some of the best trout waters in North America.  In August, we plan to expand the trip and take in the Jefferson and the Ruby.

Beaverhead River Fishing Report

With July in full swing, the PMD’s and Yellow Sallies have decided to come off in full force.  And with that it’s dry fly time on the Beaverhead.  The fish are still nymphing hard in the mornings and will still eat them later in the afternoon, but by 2 pm the dries are coming off in great numbers and the fish are looking up for them.  The “slick” is the place to be on the upper reaches as pods of risers can be found sipping duns and cripples in the calm water.  Hard to fool, but with so many eating at once your fly is bound to get eaten.  On the lower reaches the fish have been nabbing Yellow Sally dries along with PMD’s and Caddis dries toward to later part of the day.  The fishing below High Bridge has been great as of late and the fish down there are strong and are getting bigger by the day.

Big Hole River Fishing Report

After a the high water month of June, the Big Hole River is back in stride and has been fishing off the carts with dries the past two weeks.  Clouds of caddis and some of the biggest Green Drakes seen in years have been piling off the river with the dropping flows.  Golden Stones can still be fished on cloudy days, and PMD’s are flying as well.  Size 16 purple haze, humpy’s in yellow and red, PMX’s in yellow and green, royal wulffs, and an assortment of attractors from size 14-18 have been doing very well.  Look for this river to continue to fish well throughout the summer, and we’re predicting that August will be on the best on record with the amount of water coming down the Mountain.

Remember that if you’re planning on floating the Big Hole, FWP is closing the reach from Silver Bridge to Divide starting on July 12th to replace the existing dam.

Hope everyone is having a great summer.  Tight Lines!

Justin

Beaverhead River Fishing Report

June 21, 2010

We were back on the Beaverhead today hoping for some good weather and a little less fishing pressure.  We were rewarded nicely by both mother nature and the anglers (who we assume went to the Big Hole to chase Salmonflies) and it turned out to be a nice day for us.

The morning started off relatively slow (as it typically has this year) and we netted about a half a dozen fish, most taking an orange scud or Ray Charles pattern.  Around 11am, things starting heating up and the fish started hitting on various emerger patterns.  We were able to net quite a few fish on olive splitbacks, Barr’s emergers, and other size 18-20 BWO/ PMD nymphs.

Green seemed to be the color of the day, but as the temperatures get warmer and more PMD’s start popping, we’ll be looking for the fish to start keying in on browns and tans soon.

Big Hole River Fishing Report

Sunday, June 13, 2010

This 20 + ate a big stonefly nymph on the Upper Big Hole

After a few weeks of playing the waiting game while the Big Hole ran her annual spring run off, we have been able to run a few trips in the past week as the waters have receded enough to fish.  This past Thursday we ran Divide to Melrose and had some great action throughout the day on stonefly nymphs, san juan worms, zonkers, and an assortment of mayfly patterns.  The weather didn’t corporate as well as we would have liked, as there was a mixture of rain, snow, and wind most of the day.  The fish seemed to eat better between the fronts, and all in all it was a great day on the water.

Today we had boats from Troutfitters down to Greenwood, and Glen to the Notch.  The upper stretch down to Greenwood fished very well from beginning to end, as we found fish eager to grab a big stonefly nymph drifted just a few feet from the bank.  The bigger the stone got, the better the fish seemed to like it.  The day saw many different types of caddis, drakes, and mayflies hatch and buzz the water all around us, but we didn’t see any activity on the surface ( must be waiting for the big bugs ).

Our boats from Glen to the Notch went looking for Salmonflies and a little bit of dry fly action.  Although the weather was cooporative, the big bugs were not.  The top water action did not happen, but the boys were able to pick up good fish on nymphs and streamers troughout the day.

A few more days of warm weather may bring the Salmonflies/Golden Stones out from the depths and onto the river banks as they prepare to hatch.  We will be out there for the entire month of June seeking out the first big “pop”, and will bring you a full report when the skies are filled with these special bugs.

Justin

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

By Theresa Hartman

Big Rainbow for a happy first time fly fisher.

“I got the Big One!”

The weather was not to bad and our spirits were great on Memorial Day on the Beaverhead River in Dillon Montana.  I was going to participate in my very first fly fishing experience. With Travis as our guide, Russ and I were on an outdoor adventure for the day.

I actually caught 2 fish all by myself. (and also toad in the biggest fish of the day that Travis snagged.)  (Russ caught 6-7)  Travis is a wonderful guide and he really knows what he is doing.  I felt sorry for him though as I don’t know how good of a student I was.  lol  He was patient with me, but I know that he extended a lot of loving energy to teach me the techniques of fly fishing.  (believe me, there are lots of techniques, or so I thought)

I was all in it for the adventure and I was not going to let anything stop me from experiencing this wonderful outdoor sport that my two son’s so enjoy.  In other words, I was not going to be a sissy wimp! 

Yes, I went right out in the middle of the river with my waders and my “I can do this attitude”. I LOVED being out in the middle of the river trying to put into practice all the gazillion fly fishing techniques that I was just taught.  The water was only about 2+ feet deep, so I felt very safe.

About 30 minutes into the trip, I was fishing about 30 feet up stream (in the middle of the river) from the anchored boat where Russ was fishing. Travis left me to go assist Russ.   I was so feeling like an outdoors girl.    Russ was in the boat and had snagged his first fish of the day.  While Travis wadded in the water, fish net in hand, he so professionally instructed Russ on how to reel in the toad (big fish) to be caught in the net.

While trying to take in the exciting action happening downstream with Russ and Travis,  I went to lift my foot out of the way of my tangled line and I fell right on my butt in the middle of the river.

My mind immediately went into reaction mode and I remembered what Travis had taught me……  “If you fall in the water Mom, point your feet down stream, keep your arms out to the sides, and I will come get you with the boat”

When I fell, my feet were pointed up stream, so I immediately turned myself around.  I was totally safe as the water was only about 18″ deep, so it didn’t go over my head and I was actually sitting on the bottom of the river. I did not panic at all.  Because I had waders on, I didn’t get that cold soaking wet feeling.

Not wanting to spoil the excitement for Russ who was working on bringing in his first catch of the day, I decided not to yell at Travis for help, and had the mind set that I was going to get myself out of this predicament all by myself.  I was very calm, talking out loud to myself and even letting out a few laughs.

After turning myself around with my feet facing downstream, like my great fly fishing guide had taught me, (now looking in the direction to view Russ and Travis) I noticed that Travis and Russ had not even noticed me sitting on the river bottom.  But before I got myself back on my feet, Travis saw me.

He said, “What are you doing Mom?”

“I fell”  (big smile on my face)  Getting attention from a few other fisherman and woman from downstream.  Sheesh!  lol

“Are you ok?”

“Yes”

“Do you need some help?”

“No, I’m okay”  and I got up all by myself.  YA!

He later told me that when he looked at me, his first instinct was to quickly come and help me, but he saw that I was smiling.  He thought to himself….Hum, why is she not panicking?  What is she doing?

Well, I had to laugh and I was able to remain in great spirits throughout our 6 hour trip. Travis was a great teacher and pointed out many interesting things along our outdoor adventure.

The hood on my sweatshirt did soak up some water when I fell, so eventually the whole backside of my sweatshirt and pants inside the waders did get wet.  I managed to stay comfortable thought.  We did get hit by a rainstorm while docking the boat at the end of our trip and while driving back upstream with our shuttle truck to get the boat trailer.  Good ole’ mother nature in Montana. 

Needless to say, by the time we were ready to head back to Dillon, anyone riding in the truck I was driving had to endure the heater on high for our 30 minute ride back.  But Russ didn’t mind, as he was all wet too.

Why was Russ wet you ask (when he didn’t get out of the boat all day) …well while he was getting out of the boat after we had pulled off the river to dock, the tip of his big water boot got caught on the edge of the boat, and yes, down he went.  He fell forward in about 12″ of water,…. picked himself up,…. grabbed his cowboy had that had fallen in the river, …..put it back on top of his head….water dripping off the sides…and walked up the bank.

Travis immediately went to go help him (I was still in the boat) and wanted to give him a hug, but Russ didn’t want one.  After making sure that he was alright, dignity NOT intact at all, we all laughed our butts off.

Travis then said, “Wow, I had a parent in the water at the beginning of the trip, and then a parent in the water at the end of the trip…..sheesh…..I am so glad that you both caught some fish today”  We laughed until our stomachs hurt.  (well at least I did)

Russ waited with the docked boat while Travis and I drove the shuttle truck upstream to get the truck that had the boat trailer.  While Russ waited, he had to endure the rainstorm by the boat.

I couldn’t stop laughing. (even hours later)     Despite our personal bodily experience with the water, Russ and I (and Travis) really enjoyed the day.  Boy do we have some funny fishing stories to share now.

In summary,  Yes, I would go fly fishing again in a heartbeat.

Theresa