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Bighorn River Fishing Report - Prime Time Trout Action in Big Horn, Montana
Published 10 months, 1 week ago
Description
Good morning from Big Horn, Montana—this is Artificial Lure with your Saturday, June 21st fishing report.
It’s prime time on the Bighorn River, and the bite has been steady as we roll into the heart of June. Sunrise was at 5:25 a.m. with sunset coming up just after 9:10 p.m., giving you plenty of daylight to fish hard. Weather’s settling into that classic late-spring groove, with highs pushing toward 77°F and lows near 50°F. We’ve had a few patches of rain this week, but overall the skies are cooperative—just cloudy enough to keep those big fish feeding a little longer through the day, perfect for dry fly fanatics. No tides to speak of out here, but river flows have finally stabilized at 3,000 cfs after bouncing around earlier in the month, according to Bighorn Angler's recent updates.
Water clarity is very good this week, though there’s still some drifting moss below 3 Mile, so it pays to keep an eye on your hooks. The river’s a touch touchy, but when the fish settle into their new holding water, the action really picks up. Nymphing remains the best bet overall, with the subsurface game simply exceptional right now. The hot nymphs have been UV Yum Yums, Carpet Bugs, Tailwater Sows, Silver Bullets, Zebras, and Quills. Run these deep through the slow buckets and edges—especially where you see trout stacked behind midstream structure. PMD nymphs and scuds are also pulling steady numbers.
If you’re itching for some surface action, we’re starting to see more PMDs and caddis popping, with the odd blue-winged olive hatch midday. Keep a PMD Comparadun or a Purple Craze dry fly handy for rising fish. Stonefly patterns like a Chubby Chernobyl in yellow, tan, or even purple are still drawing aggressive eats along grassy banks and undercuts, especially early and late in the day.
Streamer anglers have been rewarded lately—Sparkle Minnows, Skiddish Smolts, and black Peanut Envys are accounting for some slabby browns and rainbows, particularly in the riffles and deeper tails. Let those streamers sink and strip them in slow for your best shot at a trophy.
Recent catches: anglers are reporting healthy numbers of rainbows in the 16–18-inch range and plenty of browns running up to 22 inches, with the best fish coming from the deeper bends and below the Afterbay down to Bighorn Access. The spawn for rainbows is winding down, so please give any visible redds a wide berth.
Hot spots for today: the Three Mile to Bighorn Access stretch is fishing the strongest, particularly around the “Slides” and “Slick,” while the Afterbay to Soap Creek run continues to be a reliable producer for both numbers and size.
For bait, tailwater scuds and sowbugs are hard to beat right now, but if you prefer lures, try a minnow-imitating crankbait or a Panther Martin with a gold blade in the runs.
Thanks for tuning in to the local scoop—don’t forget to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things Bighorn fishing. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
It’s prime time on the Bighorn River, and the bite has been steady as we roll into the heart of June. Sunrise was at 5:25 a.m. with sunset coming up just after 9:10 p.m., giving you plenty of daylight to fish hard. Weather’s settling into that classic late-spring groove, with highs pushing toward 77°F and lows near 50°F. We’ve had a few patches of rain this week, but overall the skies are cooperative—just cloudy enough to keep those big fish feeding a little longer through the day, perfect for dry fly fanatics. No tides to speak of out here, but river flows have finally stabilized at 3,000 cfs after bouncing around earlier in the month, according to Bighorn Angler's recent updates.
Water clarity is very good this week, though there’s still some drifting moss below 3 Mile, so it pays to keep an eye on your hooks. The river’s a touch touchy, but when the fish settle into their new holding water, the action really picks up. Nymphing remains the best bet overall, with the subsurface game simply exceptional right now. The hot nymphs have been UV Yum Yums, Carpet Bugs, Tailwater Sows, Silver Bullets, Zebras, and Quills. Run these deep through the slow buckets and edges—especially where you see trout stacked behind midstream structure. PMD nymphs and scuds are also pulling steady numbers.
If you’re itching for some surface action, we’re starting to see more PMDs and caddis popping, with the odd blue-winged olive hatch midday. Keep a PMD Comparadun or a Purple Craze dry fly handy for rising fish. Stonefly patterns like a Chubby Chernobyl in yellow, tan, or even purple are still drawing aggressive eats along grassy banks and undercuts, especially early and late in the day.
Streamer anglers have been rewarded lately—Sparkle Minnows, Skiddish Smolts, and black Peanut Envys are accounting for some slabby browns and rainbows, particularly in the riffles and deeper tails. Let those streamers sink and strip them in slow for your best shot at a trophy.
Recent catches: anglers are reporting healthy numbers of rainbows in the 16–18-inch range and plenty of browns running up to 22 inches, with the best fish coming from the deeper bends and below the Afterbay down to Bighorn Access. The spawn for rainbows is winding down, so please give any visible redds a wide berth.
Hot spots for today: the Three Mile to Bighorn Access stretch is fishing the strongest, particularly around the “Slides” and “Slick,” while the Afterbay to Soap Creek run continues to be a reliable producer for both numbers and size.
For bait, tailwater scuds and sowbugs are hard to beat right now, but if you prefer lures, try a minnow-imitating crankbait or a Panther Martin with a gold blade in the runs.
Thanks for tuning in to the local scoop—don’t forget to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things Bighorn fishing. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.