Big Hole River 396 cfs
There are some reports the Big Hole river fished very well today and then there is the ugly truth. It was really cold last night and the slush ice was bank to bank until almost noon. At ten this morning Amos had a hell of a time to find some open water along the bank to drink. He has fresh well water all the time in his bowl but for some reason he prefers the river water.
Good news is it was a beautiful blue bird day with temps finally starting to rise. As for me, I took a drive to the upper Big Hole Valley just to check out the snow pack and to get a pizza.
When you get west of Wise River about 8 miles or so it is very evident winter is still around. The river is still froze solid and there is lots of snow in the valley floor all the way up to Wisdom. The drive up there was great. There was not a cloud in the sky and the panoramic views of the snow packed peaks of the Pintlars, East and West Pioneer Mtns. and the far off Selway-Bitteroot range was something to see. It’s pretty obvious the snowpack is well above average.
Of course I had to stop at the Antlers Bar in Wisdom and see my old friends, Joyce and Christie and get a pizza. True to form, it’s the best in Montana.
Forecast for the next couple days is for temps in the 50’s and little wind. Fishing should be good from Wise River all the way to the confluence with the Beaverhead. That’s about 80 miles of river, so enjoy.