The 4th of July holiday and some adventures on other rivers has already landed us well into early July! Craig and I were busy on the Jefferson River over the 4th; too little water in the Smith river led us to 5 days on the Jefferson. More on that adventure later!
The Big Hole has been on a steady drop for a couple weeks now, which has led to great top water fishing. For the most part, the upper stretches of the river (above Sportsman) are limited to wade fishing only, but their is still lots of water in the middle and lower river. Afternoons have been very hot, so if you want to avoid the mid-day heat we suggest putting on early. Don’t be afraid to throw wooly buggers during the cool hours, as well in the clouds and shadowed parts of the river. We have been seeing nice caddis hatches in the late afternoon. Suggested dry flies are: #10 – #16 purple haze, #14 Gypsy King, #10 and #12 chubby (tan, purple, pink), Swishers PMX.
Additionally, the Beaverhead River is seeing a great water year. Clarity remains good on the Upper Beav, and Clark Canyon reservoir is holding at 75% + full. The past few years the Beav has not had its typical tailwater dry fly fishing, but good water flows are changing that for 2017.
Keep looking to the skies for afternoon thunder boomers; with any luck we will have rain in the forecast over the coming heat spell to keep our rivers cool and the fish healthy! We are looking forward to a great August, and still have some space available for guided fishing on both the Big Hole and Beaverhead rivers. Call us for more info!