Fish are still looking up: Hoot Owl restrictions in place

The Big Hole River has been under Hoot Owl restrictions since July 29, which means fishing is prohibited from 2:00 PM until midnight each day. We expect these restrictions to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Despite the warm conditions, fishing has continued to be productive. Tricos and spruce moths are beginning to make their annual appearance. While we haven’t seen the large clouds of tricos that often develop this time of year, the smaller daily hatches have still been enough to bring fish to the surface. A few spruce moths are also around, offering additional dry fly opportunities.

Terrestrials continue to produce as well, with fish actively looking for # 12–14 hoppers and ants. If you’re looking to mix things up, we’ve also been finding some quality fish chasing small streamers—Zonkers, Zirdles, and small Woolly Buggers have all been effective, especially fished through the faster riffle water.

On another note, we’ve made the decision to temporarily close the retail side of the fly shop while low water conditions and wildfire activity persist. There are currently two fires burning in the Pioneer Mountains, and combined with smoke drifting in from out-of-state fires, conditions have become quite smoky, and traffic has slowed down considerably.

We’re hopeful that conditions will improve soon. In the meantime, we’ll be catching up on some long-overdue projects around the shop and putting up a little firewood for winter.

The good news is that our guide trips are continuing as scheduled. If you’d like to spend a day on the water, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email—we’d love to get you out fishing.

Also, shuttles are still available by calling Maddy to schedule at 406-219-6525. Please call between 7 am to 7 PM.