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November Bighorn Fishing Report: Trout Spawning, Buggers, and Midge Pupa
Published 5 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with your November 10th, 2025, Big Horn Montana fishing report. We're looking at a classic late-fall day along the Bighorn—cool air, autumn colors hanging on by a thread, and the fish getting frisky ahead of full-on winter.
Weather’s taken a cool turn for us, with highs in the mid 60s and plenty of overcast this morning, giving way to scattered showers through the afternoon and a decent northwest wind running 10 to 20 mph. Expect those clouds to start breaking tonight, with lows dropping into the lower 40s and maybe some patchy fog after 3 a.m., so be mindful if you're making an early trip. Tomorrow’s snagging sunny and warmer, heading for the mid 70s, so things will pick up again for mid-week according to the National Weather Service.
Sunrise hit just after 7:00 a.m., and sunset lands right around 4:50 p.m.—daylight’s slipping fast, so plan accordingly if you’re chasing evening rises.
Now, tide fans might be out of luck since the Bighorn's long way from salt; it’s fed by the tailwater of Yellowtail Dam, so river flows dominate the bite instead. Streamflow this morning at St. Xavier is running about 2,300 cfs—just a touch above yesterday, but still on the low side for November, thanks to a dry year per the USGS summary. Lower water means fish are concentrated, but also a bit wary.
On the fishing front, it’s a good bet you'll find rainbow and brown trout pushing into the prime gravel for spawning. The browns in particular are hot right now—so keep your eyes out for those redds, avoid wading on 'em, and let the future stock do their thing. Recent days saw good numbers of quality browns in the slot, folks pulling a few over 20 inches, with a solid handful of bows in the mix too—many in the healthy 16–18 inch range, according to local guides recapping yesterday’s action.
Best lures and baits: It’s full-on midge and blue-winged olive season. Small midge pupa (#20–#22) and BWOs (#18–#20) are where the real numbers lie right now—get those emerger patterns under a small indicator and drift slow, just on the edge of seams. Streamer junkies found joy stripping olive or black buggers, especially with a little rain and cloud cover, with a few big browns rolling out from undercuts or deep shelves to hammer a slowly twitched bugger or a sculpin pattern.
For spin fishers, a lightweight Panther Martin in yellow/red or a small Rapala Countdown did the trick in deeper runs—keep retrieves slow and erratic.
Live bait’s not legal here, but if you’re tying up nymph rigs, trailing a tiny zebra midge, black beauty, or olive RS2 off a small scud or sowbug is the move.
Today’s hot spots: The section just below Afterbay boat ramp saw steady traffic but also produced the best action early, while the Bighorn Access around 3 Mile pumped out chunky browns for folks willing to hike to quieter side channels. Stay clear of heavily trampled gravels so you don’t crush egg pockets.
To sum it up—expect active browns near spawning gravels, bows holding just downstream or in slightly slower deep runs, and solid topwater action when clouds hang in and BWO hatches come off. Watch the wind, drift small and subtle, and you’re likely to net a good one.
Thanks for tuning in! Be sure to subscribe for more daily reports, and remember, this has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Weather’s taken a cool turn for us, with highs in the mid 60s and plenty of overcast this morning, giving way to scattered showers through the afternoon and a decent northwest wind running 10 to 20 mph. Expect those clouds to start breaking tonight, with lows dropping into the lower 40s and maybe some patchy fog after 3 a.m., so be mindful if you're making an early trip. Tomorrow’s snagging sunny and warmer, heading for the mid 70s, so things will pick up again for mid-week according to the National Weather Service.
Sunrise hit just after 7:00 a.m., and sunset lands right around 4:50 p.m.—daylight’s slipping fast, so plan accordingly if you’re chasing evening rises.
Now, tide fans might be out of luck since the Bighorn's long way from salt; it’s fed by the tailwater of Yellowtail Dam, so river flows dominate the bite instead. Streamflow this morning at St. Xavier is running about 2,300 cfs—just a touch above yesterday, but still on the low side for November, thanks to a dry year per the USGS summary. Lower water means fish are concentrated, but also a bit wary.
On the fishing front, it’s a good bet you'll find rainbow and brown trout pushing into the prime gravel for spawning. The browns in particular are hot right now—so keep your eyes out for those redds, avoid wading on 'em, and let the future stock do their thing. Recent days saw good numbers of quality browns in the slot, folks pulling a few over 20 inches, with a solid handful of bows in the mix too—many in the healthy 16–18 inch range, according to local guides recapping yesterday’s action.
Best lures and baits: It’s full-on midge and blue-winged olive season. Small midge pupa (#20–#22) and BWOs (#18–#20) are where the real numbers lie right now—get those emerger patterns under a small indicator and drift slow, just on the edge of seams. Streamer junkies found joy stripping olive or black buggers, especially with a little rain and cloud cover, with a few big browns rolling out from undercuts or deep shelves to hammer a slowly twitched bugger or a sculpin pattern.
For spin fishers, a lightweight Panther Martin in yellow/red or a small Rapala Countdown did the trick in deeper runs—keep retrieves slow and erratic.
Live bait’s not legal here, but if you’re tying up nymph rigs, trailing a tiny zebra midge, black beauty, or olive RS2 off a small scud or sowbug is the move.
Today’s hot spots: The section just below Afterbay boat ramp saw steady traffic but also produced the best action early, while the Bighorn Access around 3 Mile pumped out chunky browns for folks willing to hike to quieter side channels. Stay clear of heavily trampled gravels so you don’t crush egg pockets.
To sum it up—expect active browns near spawning gravels, bows holding just downstream or in slightly slower deep runs, and solid topwater action when clouds hang in and BWO hatches come off. Watch the wind, drift small and subtle, and you’re likely to net a good one.
Thanks for tuning in! Be sure to subscribe for more daily reports, and remember, this has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.