Mish mosh SW Montana fishing report - Late June

Carp flies now sold at Sportsman's Warehouse in Helena 

The huge variety of fishing options in Southwest Montana makes it much harder to write coherent fishing reports like I could do in Missoula.  I write reports every once in a while so that there is a non-biased, transaction-free source of information out there for anyone who cares.  I also use this blog as a personal fishing log which comes in handy sometimes for my own pursuits.  So here it is:

Big Hole River:
It was huge and the salmonflies have come and gone.  Usually, the fishing sucks for a couple weeks after the hatch.  It's called the "salmonfly hangover" and it can really suck.  I avoided the party this year due to my trip to Florida and the shitty conditions.  The river is dropping in nicely now and summer on the Big Hole should be the best it has been in years.  It would be awesome to be able to fish hoppers in the afternoon this year!

Upper Clark Fork:
As the river drops and clears, the caddis fishing will get insane.  The Upper is a caddis stream through and through.

Silver Bow Creek:
I haven't been out there yet this year but things usually get going right about now.  You'd be surprised by what may eat your larger attractor dry or simple streamer...

Missouri River (Craig reach):
I have to distinguish what area now because my Missouri River Range has grown so much over the last few years.  The dry fly bite is on big-time.  There are pods of snotty MO trout all over the river. You need to bring your A game.  Perfectly placed casts and drag free drifts are crucial.  Fly selection comes second in importance.  They will eat PMD spinners, caddis, and buzzballs like candy if you can present them properly.

Holter Lake Carping: 
I'm embarrassed to say that it was my first time on the boat up at Holter recently.  It is such a beautiful place!  I didn't have much info on carp fishing up there but I knew that they had to be there. They are, and they get big like in Clark Canyon.  The carp were tough and I got my ass handed to me. There is still a bunch that are spawning but I was able to find some over on the rockier eastern shore that were willing to eat.  I even landed one of the largest carp yet to date. I can't wait to get back up there again.  There are also some great trout in Holter!

Three Forks Ponds Carping:
The carping in the Three Forks Ponds is outstanding right now!  There are still some spawners but the ones that aren't are tailing in groups in the flats.  Throw a small black wooly bugger or small leech pattern for all-day action.

Clark Canyon Carping:
I haven't been down there since I've been back but I imagine it is the same as Holter.  They were in full spawn mode before I left and the fishing was hit or miss picking on the wallflowers. The carping should get better and better here by the day.  It's time to start thinking about callabaetis, damsels, and dragonfly nymphs perfectly cast and timed to be in the hot zone of a slowly cruising, golden submarine.

Georgetown Lake:
I will be checking in on Montana's finest brook and rainbow trout lake very soon.  The traveling sedge caddis should be underway as we speak and intensifying over the next few weeks.  Also, callabaetis, damsels, and dragonflies in nymph and adult form will play out as well.  The traveling sedge hatch on G-town is one of the finest of any hatch you will ever encounter.  Big bugs and big willing fish are what it is all about.  Have you ever had a 100+ fish dry fly day?


Thats all I got for now.

George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited Banquet 2017

The George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be holding its annual banquet this Friday, March 3 in the same great place as last year, next to Jo-Anne Fabric in the Butte Plaza Mall.  There are a ton of really nice live and silent auction items, a great dinner catered by Casagranda's Steakhouse, a bunch of games and activities for children, beer and wine, and much, much more!

Come on down and help the coolest TU chapter with their main fundraising event.  I'll see you there!!

George Grant Chapter TU meeting/presentation this Thursday!

This Thursday, February, 14, the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited is hosting its monthly meeting and a series of presentations by MT FWP Fisheries Biologist, Jim Olson.

This meeting will take place at 6:30 pm at the Quarry Brewing, 124 W. Broadway in Uptown Butte (in the old Grand Hotel).  I'm assuming that the meeting will take place upstairs.

FWP Fisheries Biologist Jim Olson will present a report on the Big Hole River fishery post-fungus and also on the discovery of PKD (the disease that closed the Yellowstone last year) in the Big Hole River.  Additionally, Olsen will give up some information on where to find hogs in our mountain lakes!

Big Hole River Fishery Report

Annual Meeting George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited tonight

George Grant TU's Annual Meeting

"The George Grant TU Chapter’s Annual Meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8 pm on May 9th in the Perkins Family Restaurant & Bakery Conference Room, 2900 Harrison Ave, Butte MT.

The meeting will include a presentation by Jim Olson, FWP Fisheries Biologist on How Fish See and a report on the Big Hole River followed by Dave McCumber, Montana Standard Editor, describe how an effective cleanup of Silver Bow Creek can be achieved.

The Board of Directors will give a general Chapter report, treasurer report and hold an election of GGTU board members. The following Trout Unlimited members have been nominated to serve on the GGTU board for three-year terms: Rich Day, Paul Olson, Steve Luebeck and Scott Reynolds. Other nominations will be accepted at the meeting." - GGTU

Volunteer to help the Big Hole

"The Big Hole Watershed Committee and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks are in need of volunteers to  cut willow stakes for the French & Moose Creek restoration project area. BHWC, MFWP, and volunteers will meet:
Monday, April 25, 2016 9am at the Moose Creek turnoff
Directions:

Find the Moose Creek turnoff:

The Moose Creek turnoff is located on Highway 569 (Mill Creek Road), the Scenic Byway between Highway 43 and Anaconda, MT.  Blue signs marked BHWC Restoration Tour will be visible. Please note, this is a volunteer field day, not a restoration tour. The French & Moose Creeks restoration project tour will be held later at a later date.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
Please bring sunscreen and loppers/cutters if available.

RSVP to:
Tana Nulph, BHWC Conservation Programs Coordinator, by April 21st 406-267-3421 or tnulph@bhwc.org so we can plan for lunch.

Thank you for your support!

About the French & Moose Creeks Restoration Project:
The French & Moose Creeks restoration project will repair streams impacted by historic placer mining and smelting that occurred around the turn of the 20th century. The restoration will improve water quality & the fishery and will restore degraded wetlands. Willows cut in April will be planted in May/June. The French & Moose Creek project is a collaborative effort with several funding sources and nearly $1.3 million in funding secured."
-GGTU

Fly Fishing Entomology Workshop

Join Dr. Mike Bias, a fishing guide and entomologist, on the banks of Montana's Big Hole River to learn or polish up on your aquatic macroinvertebrates knowledge. This sounds awesome and the proceeds all go the Big Hole Foundation to boot!

The Big Hole has awoken

The Big Hole River is awake and fishing well.  I fished up near Dewey yesterday and caught some nice fish.  A bunch of jumping rainbows, some nice browns including one bruiser, and a dainty grayling made for a great day.

Fishing a Marvin (Pat's rubber legs) in the right spots got attention.  Skwala's will be on the menu soon.  Slow swung streamers moved the big fish.  There were some great rainbows in the canyon section but you'll have to bust your ass to get where they are.

Bugs of the Big Hole

Michael Bias PhD. will be giving a presentation on the aquatic macroinvertebrates of the Big Hole River next Monday in Butte, Montana.  The Big Hole is a magical mystery and one of the finest trout streams anywhere.

Dr. Bias has been studied aquatic entomology, wetland restoration ecology, wildlife population and habitat ecology, for many years.  He is also a fishing guide.

Dr. Bias' presentation is on Monday, February 8th at 7 pm in Butte, Montana.  The event will be held in the Butte Local Development Center, 305 W Mercury (the old Boys Central Scool), on the second floor.

See you there!!

Public meeting on Beaverhead and Big Hole rules this week

Beaverhead River, MT

Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks is hosting two public meetings next week to take comments and questions about the Beaverhead and Big Hole River Recreation Rules.

The meetings are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. @:

Dillon: Wednesday, Oct. 21 at the University of Montana-Western Block Hall #311
Butte: Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Butte Ranger District, 1820 Meadowlark Drive

The Big Hole River, Montana in the Fall

Maiden Rock Bridge

The Big Hole is arguably one of the most beautiful rivers anywhere.  In the Autumn, it is really out of control.  This river is predominantly a brown trout stream, making Fall even more mystic and exciting!  This is my first Autumn in Butte and the closest large river is the Big Hole.  I have a lifetime of exploring to do here and I'm really happy about it.

Yesterday, the fishing was great.  I'd rather have been in my raft all day but this was a quick after-work fix. The streamer bite is on!!  Yellow bunny streamers and darker Skiddish Smolts were the ticket.  The fish were in faster knee-deep riffles and absolutely pounded the fly.  It felt like I'd hit a boulder and then there'd be that brown trout, throbbing head-shake.

I had the place to myself with the exception of this guy who fished for a little while in one spot.  He had brought his wife and kids who waited stream-side in their truck.  Poor bastard!!

It was mostly cloudy but when the sun would break through, the Fall colors were outstanding.  I saw some really slappy rises from big fish here and there and figured there must be some remaining October caddis.  I put on an appropriate foamy and skated it over a shallow riffle and Boom, rainbow trout!

There were some signs that the spawn is getting going.  I caught a couple rainbows on egg-type stuff and a guy came by and told me that he saw some browns sitting on redds in the upper river by Wisdom.  He also mentioned that the fishing was slow up there and that is was really weedy.  He was from out-of-state so it may just have been him.

The Fall has really just begun here in Southwest Montana.  I can't wait to float the Jefferson for the first time, hit the awesome streamer maddness on the MO as always, the Yellowstone beacons as does the Madison, and there's huge brook trout on the spawn in Georgetown Lake.  Not to mention the Upper Clark Fork and the brookies in Silver Bow.

Too much awesomeness, too little time!!

The moose days of summer - Butte area fishing report

Beaverhead River moose

This has been a very long and hot summer in Southwest Montana and I'm not gonna lie; I'm over it. I used to put together a Missoula area fishing report from time to time and folks seemed to appreciate the unbiased reports.  I'm not affiliated with a fly shop and I'm not a guide so there's no hype. I just have a love for my area's amazing fishing and I hope that the ridiculous time I send on my local rivers can bring others some insight and a few fish.  I have held off on doing a Butte area report until I really felt like I had a solid grip on the area, but I think the time has come.

Beaverhead River:
The Beav is carrying a lot of color and water.  The fishing is a bit slow for my liking, but you'll have the river to yourself.  I've been spending a lot of time down there over the past few weeks and last week I floated from Buffalo to Pipe Organ and did not see another boat.  The best bet is to get out at sunrise and chase the cranefly hatch.  Since I work all week, waking up at 5 on my day off is not something I'm really down with.  In the late morning, there are still some PMDs and every once in a while you can get one to eat a hopper.  The streamer bite is weak even though the conditions seem appropriate.  Your best bet is to fish cranefly larvae under an indicator or pumped right off the banks. Also, going dirtbag and fishing a double worm rig with one of them being a Wire Worm has been effective. Once we move into fall, the Beav will come alive.

Big Hole River:
Check the mandatory closures before you head to the Big Hole as there are a couple of closed sections.  The Big Hole has really suffered from drought and heat this year and is running very low. I've been leaving it alone for the past month (as there are better options) but it is fishable.  Spruce moths, hoppers, and tricos are the fare on the Big Hole this time of year.  Prepare to drag your boat a bit!

Upper Clark Fork:
The Upper is also suffering from a severe lack of water but if your willing to do some walking, you'll find the fish.  They are in the places you'd expect them to be, the deeper riffles and runs.  It's hopper madness up here with some craneflies and tricos in the morning as well.  I had a great time fishing cranefly larvae through deeper holes stacked with brown trout this week.

Georgetown Lake:
The lake is fishing pretty well. The best bet here is to throw a hopper with a longer dropper rig than you'd use on a river.  Surprisingly, using a larger red San Juan Worm as a dropper can be killer even though it really doesn't make much sense.  Just have faith.  Some other good droppers are larger pink scuds and standard chronomid and midge larvae are good too.  There are some PMD/PEDs and still some Calibaetis as well.  In the late evening you can also frustrate yourself to no end with the micro caddis.  I love G-town and have really got to fish the crap out of it this year.  What a treasure!
    
Silver Bow Creek:
This may be the first true fishing report written for Silver Bow but it is not a secret anymore and I'll keep it real.  The work up in the canyon and the nasty, hot weather has made the creek a little bit tougher this year but due to the engineered nature of the channel below Fairmont, the creek is pretty drought tolerant.  Those big deep holes are still over a person's head in many spots.  All you need is a hopper here for some good fun.

These conditions should be the norm until the real fall weather starts to show.  I can't wait for that. Die summer die!

Big Hole River Day!

Big Hole River Day Invitation
Join Us!
Dinner tickets for our open pit roasted baron of beef dinner by Ray Weaver and all the sides by Wagon Wheel Restaurant in Twin Bridges are now on sale.  Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased at www.bhrf.org or by calling us at (406)560-7089.  Deadline is noon on Thursday, July 16th.  Tickets may also be purchased at the event on Saturday if seats are still available.

Schedule of Events:

8-11 AM Pancake breakfast at the Hitchin' Post Restaurant
11 AM-6 PM Vendors, artists, craftsmen, exhibitor booths and kid's activities open at the Fire Hall along with fly tying and casting lessons in our custom casting pond
2-7 PM Brew Fest with local Montana Breweries
11 AM- 9PM  Raffle tickets on sale for Hyde drift boat at Big Hole River Foundation booth
3-6 PM   Casting competition hosted by Sunrise Fly Shop.  Pro, amateur and women's divisions with prizes from Simms, Scientific Angler, Patagoinia, RIO & Costa
4-6  PM  Music by King Friday Band at the Fire Hall.
6-7 PM  BBQ dinner
7-9 PM Live and silent auctions
9 PM Drawing for Hyde "Montana" skiff drift boat and Montana Rodsmiths fly rod

Visit www.bhrf.org for updates on schedule of events.

Hyde Drift Boat Raffle
Our sponsor Hyde Drift Boats has constructed a Big Hole River Foundation edition "Montana" skiff for our 2015 raffle.  Tickets are available now in fly shops and sporting goods stores around the watershed or by calling the Foundation at (406)560-7089.  The boat will be on display in many spots around Butte, Dillon and the Big Hole over the next two  weeks.  This boat is valued at over $8,000 and tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100.  Purchasing a packet of 6 tickets earns one entry into the Montana Rodsmiths fly rod raffle.  Don't miss your chance to win this beautiful boat.
Brew Fest
This year we have added a brew fest to the event.  Local Montana breweries will set up shop in the vendor area with their best seasonal brews.  Purchase a BHRF logo beer glass and fill it with samples from Quarry Brewing, Beaverhead Brewing, Philipsburg Brewery and others.

Vendor Spaces Still Available
Big Hole River Day is scheduled for July 18th in Melrose and we are currently seeking vendors, artists, and craftsmen to exhibit during the day from 11 AM to 6 PM.  If you are interested in obtaining booth space, please give us a call at (406)560-7089 or visit our Event on our website at www.bhrf.org where you can find more information and sign-up form.

I'm not dead, I've been fishing my ass off...

Fishing the Big Hole with a salmonfly on my shoulder

The past month has included some epic fishing in some epic places.  It is summer in Southwest Montana and I'm surrounded by the best trout streams in the United States.  This has been making it hard to get anything done lately (including paying my internet bill) but I've been having the time of my life.  I've got lot's to share in the coming weeks so stay tuned...

Big Hole Moose in the bush

George Grant Chapter of TU's Annual Meeting

Quick Jaunt to the Big Hole

Big Hole Brown

My first semester of graduate school is almost over and I'm barely hanging in there.  I had enough time to shoot down to Maiden Rock yesterday afternoon for a quicky just to get my head straight. The Big Hole is flowing great and is the classic tea color.  It looks absolutely perfect for a float!

Pound the banks with leggy nymphs or the dude rig and keep an eye out for rises in any type of slack water.  There was a solid March brown hatch yesterday in the snow and wind and the fish were on it.

Once this semester is over, I'll only have to work 40 hours a week like a normal human being and I've got lots of fishing trips planned and new places to discover.  I can't wait!

Big Hole mule deer

"Three Rivers" - An old movie by Montana FWP about Lilly, Bailey, and Grant

Grab some popcorn and a beer and watch this classic from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks

Today's wisdom

Sometimes it's a good day to die, sometimes it's a good day to go fishing. 
-Play on an old Sioux saying also used in Sherman Alexis' Smoke Signals

Going to hit the Lower Big Hole for the first time this year before a balls-to-the-wall week at work/school.

"Montana's Last Best River: The Big Hole and its People"

This is a wonderful book by Pat Munday about one of the most fabled trout streams in the world, the Big Hole River.  Pat is a professor at Montana Tech in Butte and author of the EcoRover Blog (which sadly, seems to have been abandoned).

Excuse my napkin, I was reading the copy at Quarry Brewing in Butte

"Montana's Last Best River" has fabulous photography and covers everything from pre-European history to modern day conservation efforts.  Pat does a great job guiding the reader down the meandering relationships this amazing river had and still has with the people who've used it and loved it.

Of course, you can't write a book about the Big Hole and not talk about the impact this river has had on fly fishing.  Hey, those flies look familiar!!

This is a great book for any history buff, conservationist, and fly fisher.  Check out the copy at Quarry Brewing next time your in Butte and be sure to get one for yourself.

Beaverhead River Teaser from Trout TV

The Beaverhead and Big Hole Rivers are probably two of the coolest trout streams on the planet.  I've been fishing them for some years now and recently, they became my home waters.  Trout TV is a show that plays here in Montana, usually after sporting events end, on over the air TV.  I don't know if you can beat a show about a drop dead gorgeous woman fly fishing all over the northwest.  I'll take that over football any day!  Anyway, here is a teaser for their next episode highlighting the best of south central Montana.