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The Fishing
Montana's Bighorn River is proclaimed by many to be America's premier trout
stream. A tailwater fishery, the river flows from the bottom of the Yellowtail
Dam into a large man-made Afterbay. The water from the dam enters the Afterbay
at various rates, but is held and then released at a constant flow. The Bighorn
Canyon behind the dam is filled by a 70 mile lake which slowly dissolves
the limestone into the water. This process creates the world's largest "chalk
stream" and is the basis for an exceptionally nutrient-rich environment.
The resulting mossy bottom harbors aquatic insects in such large numbers
that the Browns and Rainbows grow at a rate of 6 inches per year. An average
3 year old trout in the Bighorn is between 15 -18 inches long.
Cathy & Barry Beck
FlyFisherman.com:
Bighorn
River Hatches
"At the end of those two days, fishing was so good we canceled our plans
and stayed on the Bighorn. All the motels were full in Fort Smith, so we
slept wherever we could. One night we slept in a tent that belonged to a
guide, and another night we slept in our car. The fishing was so good we
rarely thought of the kinks in our necks, or where we would sleep the next
night."
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 Bighorn
River
Seasonal Fly Hatches |
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Apr |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
| Baetis (blue-winged olive) |
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| Pale Morning Dun |
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| Tan Caddis |
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| Black Caddis |
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| Trico |
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| Midges |
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 Check
out
USGS streamflow conditions on the Bighorn River for
St. Xavier, Montana
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