Fishing Report: Big Hole River

This past Friday we were able to sneak away from shop construction for the first float of 2017 on the Big

Hole. The river had dropped drastically during the week (from nearly 6,000 cfs early in the week to  about 3,000 on Friday). River clarity is pretty good, with visibility at about 10-12″. We opted to float Divide to Melrose. We were able to get in a few good hours of throwing streamers before the wind picked up, and turned some good fish in the process. The fish did not seem too picky about color or size; we caught on articulated size #2 (Black Butte Rat) and articulated sparkle minnows (JJ). Big and ugly streamers seemed to be the ticket, anything too light just got flushed down the river with the fast current. After the wind picked up (20 + mph), we opted for nymphs. Caught a few nice browns and a rainbow on red and purple worms. The fish look healthy after winter, and aggressive!

The river is still on a steady drop from the ice jam blow out last week. Weather forecast remains mostly cool for the remainder of the week, with some rain on Thursday. We are still gearing up for the shop to open on April 1, this Saturday. Lots of work to do, but we look forward to seeing everyone soon. We are also excited to see Al back around the Big Hole; he returns tomorrow.

Giving new life to the original GDO sign, which now hangs high in the air out front.