July 30, 2010

The water levels have come down to 3000 cfs, where hopefully they will remain the rest of the season (however I doubt it).

Grasshoppers are finally here.  Yesterday was the first day the fish really ate them well.  It was pretty windy in the afternoon and they got blown into the water and the fish gorged.  There is also a black caddis hatch as well as some PMD's, yellow sallies and pseudo cloens.

June 25, 2010

Current flow is 10,000 cfs. Lake is full. The inflow has slowed so as it stands right now this should be the peak flow, unless something crazy happens and we get a tremendous amount of rain.

Hopefully soon the flow will start decreasing. The fishing has been very good. Pretty much all nymphing, like it was last year with sow bugs, scuds and worms. 

The rainbows are almost done spawning, so they should be back in their feeding patterns again. 

I have been seeing a lot of very small hoppers anywhere there is vegetation. So the predictions for 4 to 5 times as many hoppers for this year may be right. 

I was on the river with a few friends yesterday and we did try a hopper and got 3 or 4 fish. We also saw a few pale morning duns as well as a few caddis hatching.

May 28, 2010 Fishing Report

If you are suffering from FDD (Fishing Deficit Disorder), then book your trip to the Bighorn now.

Once again we have had an inordinate amount of spring moisture which the forecasters said would not happen. So we have had increased flows but it does not look like it will get as high as last year.

The latest increase puts the flow at 9400 cfs. It should level off around that figure for awhile.

Believe it or not the fishing is better than it was before they raised it. The water temperature is still cold between 40 and 42 degrees on the top thirteen miles. Presently, most of the fishing is with nymphs and the trout are eating them very well. We are using sow bugs, sizes 14-16, in grey, tan, and pink; scuds size 14-16 in orange or pink; san juan worms in a variety of colors including red, brown, tan, maroon etc.

As I said the fishing is very good. The reasoning behind this --- increased flows flush more food off the bottom into the flow which increases the metabolism of the trout.

Don’t forget, the forecast is for a tremendous amount of hoppers this season. Last year was the greatest hopper fishing I have ever witnessed and they are calling for 4 to 5 times as many hoppers as last year.

Things will be very busy in July and August because of the hopper activity.

February 3, 2010

The current flow on the Bighorn is averaging about 2700 cfs, Which it has been running at for the last 3 or 4 months. Water temperature is about 39 degrees. The grass and moss have cleaned up nicely. The reservoir behind the dam is at an 89% capacity level and the snow pack is currently averaging 65 to 70 percent of normal. 

People have called to ask what the fishing might be like this year. It is always difficult, if not impossible to predict fishing. If we don’t have an extremely wet Spring we could be looking at a year where we don’t get real high flows in June or July. Although when we had those high summer flows, the fish ate very well.

My preference is to maintain more average flows this year after three high water years. The benefits would be that the water would remain colder throughout the summer which is healthier for the fish. There would be more wading as well as site fishing. Because the water would be cooler, the grasses and aquatic weeds would not grow as quickly. Another positive note would be that hunting for big fish would be a little bit easier because during the high water and fluctuating flows, the really big trout move around a lot and it is difficult to pinpoint them. 

An extended dry fly season is another benefit, because we started to see some pale morning duns, yellow sallies and tan caddis just as the water was coming up last year. Of course, the high water blew them out. 

Currently, I am told that the fishing has been pretty good. I have not been on the river since before Thanksgiving because of my accident. Streamers are still working in a variety of colors from light to dark. Nymphing is good especially in the slower deep areas. Most of the trout hold in the deep, slow water at this time of the year. There are dry flies and midges pretty much every day at the warmest part of the day and baetis hatching on overcast and or snowy days.

Medical update on Michael

Michael is improving on a daily basis. Walking the treadmill faithfully and continuing with his breathing exercises. He is hoping to be back on the river in a month or two. Keep those phone calls coming.