The last time I went up river to fish I caught one sucker, may have snagged it, but I landed it none the less. The weather was crap, blowing snow and ice up into our hoods. The river was brown with sticks racing down both banks as the water rose. The good news about having a day like that is that I was guaranteed that it could only get better. And it has.
The biggest change in the river has been the water temps. They have not increased by much, but that slight increase has put the biological Big Hole clock in motion once again. Al, Mike, and I were lucky enough to get out for a day from East Bank to Greenwood late last week. The weather was fantastic, actually had to shed a layer. The dry flies were non existent but the streamer bite was as good as its been all year. The streamers had to be going slow, bouncing the bottom, with little to no stripping involved. Of course Mike kept stripping….
White streamers were best, and the browns were awesome. We only landed about a dozen fish for the day but they were all worth it. Mike landed a 22 inch brown on the tape. Al took a picture with my smartphone, and by that I mean he didn’t take a picture with my smartphone, but I did get one of the fish in the net, travesty averted! Since that day I have been getting nothing but increasingly good reports all the way from Fishtrap to Melrose.
This week saw the return of the swallows, and around here, when the birds show up, so do the bugs. If the weather is correct (big IF) we should start to see an increase in water temperatures. With the rising temps, there should be more stone flies, and the infamous mothers day caddis hatch. Shop hours are 8 AM to 4 PM, and the streamer bins are loaded up. Dust off those oars and rods and come see us at Great Divide for the most current conditions.
