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Bighorn River Fishing Report: Winter Trout Feeding Frenzy in Montana
Published 5 months ago
Description
This is Artificial Lure and here’s your boots-on-the-bank, real-time fishing report for Big Horn, Montana, and the legendary Bighorn River, for Monday, November 24, 2025.
Sunrise rolled in at 7:25 a.m. with a golden chill—the mercury hovering just above freezing. Sunset’s coming up early, 4:36 p.m. So if you want that magic hour bite, plan on packing up gear early. Winter weather advisories have been in effect; overnight snow dumped a couple of inches across southern Montana, and the bite of windchill lingers this morning. By noon, expect the sky to clear somewhat, but not much warmth—it’ll toughly crack the low 30s.
There’s no saltwater tide here, but river flows set the rhythm; according to Snoflo’s latest, Montana’s major rivers like the Bighorn are running a hair lower than average, about 80% of normal. The Bighorn below Afterbay remains fishable with steady, albeit chilly, flows. Water’s cold but clear—prime for watching trout chase your offering.
Montana Outdoor Radio Show reports most hunters are still out in the hills after deer and elk, so fishing pressure is light. That means quiet waters for anglers, and trout are active and hungry, feeding up ahead of the coldest months. Recent creel surveys from local fly shops say brown trout are still running large, with bows mixed in—the past week saw several slabs in the 20- to 24-inch class brought in by dedicated waders, especially on slower inside bends downstream of St. Xavier.
On the menu today: midges, sowbugs, and scuds—the winter drift buffet. For the fly crew, it’s hard to beat a Pink Soft Hackle Ray Charles or a tan sowbug pattern, sizes 16–18, paired with a zebra midge dropper. Go with 6X tippet and keep it subtle. Some locals are swinging smaller olive woolly buggers or leech patterns in the late afternoon, picking off the bigger browns lurking in slow seams and deep holes.
If your style is spinning, grab a small gold Panther Martin or Mepps pretty much anywhere from Three Mile to Soap Creek. Trout colored up for the spawn have hammered these flashy offerings. If you like to fish with bait and local regs allow, a fresh nightcrawler drifted under a small float remains a Bighorn classic—just work those deeper runs.
Hot spots?
- **The Afterbay to Three Mile stretch**: Deep pools below riffles are winter sanctuaries for trout and have been producing daily.
- **The big slow bend just upriver of Soap Creek**: Recent reports spotlight it for quality browns on big nymph rigs and streamers.
Traffic is light on the river this week; your only competition might be an eagle overhead or a sleepy muskrat in the willows. Just keep an eye out for ice at the edges and wade carefully.
Thanks for tuning in, and remember to subscribe for the latest boots-on-the-ground fishing updates. 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
Sunrise rolled in at 7:25 a.m. with a golden chill—the mercury hovering just above freezing. Sunset’s coming up early, 4:36 p.m. So if you want that magic hour bite, plan on packing up gear early. Winter weather advisories have been in effect; overnight snow dumped a couple of inches across southern Montana, and the bite of windchill lingers this morning. By noon, expect the sky to clear somewhat, but not much warmth—it’ll toughly crack the low 30s.
There’s no saltwater tide here, but river flows set the rhythm; according to Snoflo’s latest, Montana’s major rivers like the Bighorn are running a hair lower than average, about 80% of normal. The Bighorn below Afterbay remains fishable with steady, albeit chilly, flows. Water’s cold but clear—prime for watching trout chase your offering.
Montana Outdoor Radio Show reports most hunters are still out in the hills after deer and elk, so fishing pressure is light. That means quiet waters for anglers, and trout are active and hungry, feeding up ahead of the coldest months. Recent creel surveys from local fly shops say brown trout are still running large, with bows mixed in—the past week saw several slabs in the 20- to 24-inch class brought in by dedicated waders, especially on slower inside bends downstream of St. Xavier.
On the menu today: midges, sowbugs, and scuds—the winter drift buffet. For the fly crew, it’s hard to beat a Pink Soft Hackle Ray Charles or a tan sowbug pattern, sizes 16–18, paired with a zebra midge dropper. Go with 6X tippet and keep it subtle. Some locals are swinging smaller olive woolly buggers or leech patterns in the late afternoon, picking off the bigger browns lurking in slow seams and deep holes.
If your style is spinning, grab a small gold Panther Martin or Mepps pretty much anywhere from Three Mile to Soap Creek. Trout colored up for the spawn have hammered these flashy offerings. If you like to fish with bait and local regs allow, a fresh nightcrawler drifted under a small float remains a Bighorn classic—just work those deeper runs.
Hot spots?
- **The Afterbay to Three Mile stretch**: Deep pools below riffles are winter sanctuaries for trout and have been producing daily.
- **The big slow bend just upriver of Soap Creek**: Recent reports spotlight it for quality browns on big nymph rigs and streamers.
Traffic is light on the river this week; your only competition might be an eagle overhead or a sleepy muskrat in the willows. Just keep an eye out for ice at the edges and wade carefully.
Thanks for tuning in, and remember to subscribe for the latest boots-on-the-ground fishing updates. 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