The last few days the temp. has been almost fifty. It’s pretty incredable that just a week and a half ago it was minus 30, but that’s Montana. I was almost tempted to go down to the river this afternoon and wet a line but then it started raining.
It got warm enough today to melt a lot of the snow in the lower valley’s, Divide Creek was bank full. There is plenty of open water from Wise River down stream.
I received an e-mail from a guy who fished the Skwalla hatch last year on the Big Hole and he said they did excellent but he couldn’t remember the exact time frame. It’s hard to predict exactly when this hatch occurs as a lot of it depends on the weather. All I can say is that it can start as early as the end of the first week of April and continue through the month of April. Also you have to remember this is not like the Salmon Fly hatch where you see the big bugs all over the place. If you are unsure if the fish are looking for them, do as I do, tie on a Skwalla pattern or a big stimulator right off the gitgo and go hunting. Present the fly in obvious places where you know there should be fish. If you don’t get any action switch to nymphs or streamers. Later in the day try the big dry fly’s again and you might be surprised. Also this time of year keep your eye out for the bwo’s, especially if it’s cloudy and even if it’s snowing. Last April we had a fantastic day with bwo’s and it was snowing all day. The clients almost backed out because of the weather but by the end of the day they couldn’t believe how many fish they caught. This is what makes fly fishing in the Spring fun. You never know what the day might bring.