River Data:
River flow: 3000 cfs
Water Temp: 64 F
Water temperatures are cool in the mornings and on the right days the fish are still eating Trico spinners and duns. The cold nights are starting to change the river and it won’t be long before the Trico’s are done and we anxiously await the fall Blue Wing Olive hatch. Oddly enough there has been a few of PMD’s around in the mornings and the evenings. They aren’t major players in the trout catching game right now, but keep your eyes open and maybe tie a PMD nymph on or run one as a lead fly to a Trico spinner first thing in the morning.
Hot Flies:
Nymphs: Sow bugs, PMD Nymphs, scuds, caddis emergers and worms.
Method: 7 foot 3x or stronger leader to one BB. 1ft or so to the first fly and1ft or so to the second fly on your tippet.
Size 16-18 Tan Soft Hackle Ray Charles
Size 16-18 Gray Soft Hackle Ray Charles
Size 16-18 Carpet Sow Bug Gray and Tan
Size 16-20 Caddis Emerger (Poodle sniffer, big mac, or bead head caddis)
Size 18-22 Black Baetis Nymph
Size 18-22 Sunken Trico
Size 6-12 Chenille worm (purple, red and brown)
Size 12-16 Orange Scud
Size 16-20 PMD Nymph
Trout aren’t hiding in usual warm water spots on the Bighorn River. The bulk of the trout being caught are in deep swirly water. Inside seam lines and wild spots that are hard to get a drift in. It’s hard to ignore the hundreds of pelicans lurking around the popular dry fly holes. It’s possible that the fish have moved out of the riffles and into the deep spots to avoid the pelicans. Bottom line the trout are hiding on the Bighorn River right now and you have to seek them out.
Dry Flies: Caddis in the evenings and Trico’s in the early mornings. On occasion pseudos’ will hatch in large numbers and you can occasionally find sneaky trout eating below grass islands and on heavy banks.
Method: 9 foot 5x leader to the top fly. 1ft or so leader to the second fly.
Size 16-20 Black Caddis patterns. Both Black CDC and elk hair caddis patterns are working well.
Size 18-22 Trico spinners
Size 18-22 Trico duns
Size 18-20 Psedo duns and spinners
The fish are getting tougher and tougher on dry flies so make sure that you present the fly perfectly to the fish. Don’t cast the fly line over the fish only the leader and make sure the drift is motionless over the trout.
Streamers:
Colors: White, olive, black, brown, red and yellow Especially WHITE
There are tons of baitfish swimming in the shallow warm water and occasional getting kicked out into the main channel where trout are lurking. Make sure your casts make it to the bank and pull through the seam line to the main river channel. Lots of fish are eating off the immediate seam line so strip it all the way back to the boat.
Happy Early Fall Fishing from Forrester’s Bighorn River Resort!