Wedding of the Waters - Winter Fly Fishing Report

Fishing is great if it's over 30 degrees. Trout are crushing big sow bugs and some midge are showing up in stomach samples. But they are still eating attractors like firebead anything and worms. Concentrate on slow deep water with long leaders. 

River is running clear & clean @ 915cfs.

Watch for ice on the lower river. It looked pretty blocked up the other day at Rainbow Terrace. 

Bighorn River - Winter Fly Fishing - Report

Flow is around 915cfs.

Fishing has been fair to good. Cold water temps have the fish moving into deeper holes. Nymphing has been consistent with sow bugs, midge in the morning, baetis in the afternoon and worms. A few fish are eating dries. And the brown spawn is just about wrapped up.

Got a cold snap hitting us this week which will make fishing tough and unenjoyable. Temps next week climb back up into the 40s... looks like a good time to slip away for a little fishing before the holidays.

Winter Fly Fishing - Big Horn River - Thermopolis, Wyoming 

Winter Steelhead Fishing

Winter fishing

We went from 70 degrees and sunny to 6 inches of snow and temps barely breaking the freezing point almost over night... kinda shut the bite off. Add 20 mph winds and it made for a tough weekend for anglers.

But it warmed up a bit yesterday and the clouds locked in the warmth. Anthony came out from cali for a couple days and got to see the ying and the yang.

He ended up landing two 22"s back to back

First he  landed this big fat rainbow,  taped at 22x12

And two casts later tied into this Big Horn brown. We rode him down river about 100 yards. Had Anthony's Sage One 5wt corked the whole time.

Winter is a great time to fish the Bighorn here in Wyoming.  Pick a nice day and jump in. You can always warm up in the hot springs.

Boat ramp fish

Bob's first day fly fishing and cracks a slammer right off the ramp. 

We had a great weekend of fishing with return clients and new friends.

Alyssa fished with Larry and his son Kelly and it sounds like they had a pretty amazing time. Larry sent me this text last night: "We want to thank you and your wife for a wonderful weekend of fishing. We are so grateful to have met both of you. We know that God made the river and the fish that are in the river, but we also believe that He allowed us to meet you. I do not know when the next time will be, but some time in the future I will fish with you again."

Alyssa is tying flies with the Fish'N'Chicks in Laramie tonight and she'll also be in Sheridan next weekend hosting a women's fly tying clinic with Rods Reels & Heels and Fly Shop of the Bighorns at the Black Tooth Brewery. Sold out. But you could probably grab a beer and watch. 

Weather has been ridiculously nice. But it looks like snow later this week. 

Big fish week

Lots of big fish on the end of our lines this week

Alyssa & Tom ran into this awesome rainbow on sunday  25x12 

This fat boy was taped at 25.5" x 13.5" he was the second fish hooked this morning

Browns are getting a little harder to catch as the spawn gets heavier,  but you might run into a big one if you're in the right spot at the right time...

Basket full of Bighorn brownies

River flow is 812cfs. Still getting good baetis hatches in the afternoon despite the sunny weather. And it looks like it's gonna be sunny and warm for the next week or two... So if you like nice weather and big trout, you might wanna get out here.

Fishing report

Flow on the Bighorn River in Thermopolis is around 815cfs.

Fishing has been good. Seen a couple fish over 2 feet and several around 22" the last couple weeks. Still getting some good blue wing hatches in the afternoons, but cloudy days are best. Streamer bite has been day to day and nymph fishing is consistent. Been kinda busy on the weekends and by that I mean 5 or 6 boats.

We have open dates Nov 7-10 and Nov 14-18. Get in touch.

Bighorn River Update

Flow is around 820cfs.

River has cleaned up good, except its still a little murky thru town. Lots of red silt built up on the edges. 

Lots of nice big rainbows up on Tricos in the morning but it's been pretty breezy the last few afternoons. A little snow in the forecast? And definitely some clouds, oughtta make for excellent fishing this next week, expect the blue wings to hatch around 1pm. 

Nymphing is good. And the streamer bite is picking up.

I just got canceled for Thursday which is a shame because it's gonna be a great day. 

Open dates: Oct 11-15, 20, 21, 22. Alyssa has plenty of open dates as well, Oct  14-23. November is right around the corner and I can't wait! 

Rain

This is what the river looked like on Sunday

...and this is what the river looked like yesterday

Should be cleaned up in a couple days. We'll see.

Bighorn River Fishing Report

Obligatory double shot. Been catching a lot of these.

Flow out of Boysen Reservoir is 825cfs +/-

Fishing is good. Tricos in the morning and baetis in the afternoon make for some happy trout and happy fishermen. Nymphing has also been pretty good with worms, baetis, drowned tricos, or other small black or olive tiny shit. Had a pretty good streamer bite the other day even in bright sun. But I prefer the clouds and drizzle we've been getting lately.

Ken with a big hen. Taped her at 22.5x12. And she was real heavy.

We've had a few guys out here this week fill their antelope tags early and decide to take a day on the river. It's been a pretty good trip to wyoming for these guys!

Joe with a nice hot springs brown

And with more folks out hunting, pressure on the river oughtta remain low and the fishing can only get better as the browns become more aggressive. We have a few days open next week and we're booking more days for October and even a couple in November. Let's get ya in the boat and into some fish!

On the water report

Flow from Boysen dam is 895cfs +/-

Just wrapped up 7 days fishing with Rodger from PA. He guided me into a couple nice browns on the hopper and I like to think I put him on a few fish too, but sometimes it's hard to tell who the boss really is. We endured some shitty weather, lots of boats, and few picky risers... with the exception of yesterday.

We waited til about noon and hit the water. Action on the hopper was pretty good right off the bat, dingin em here and there, but we ran into a lull about half way thru and you could feel the excitement fizzle. Then we started to see them around 3. One sailboat, then another, and another. The fish began to take notice and then one rise, then another, and another. Soon the tiny sailboats seemed to cover the surface, their slate wings twitching ever so lightly to dry. Our first fall baetis hatch was under way, and there we were, Rodger and me, surrounded by rising fish. The hatch wasnt so thick you couldnt pick out your flies from the naturals, but almost, and at times all ya had was a blind cast and it usually paid off. Undoubtedly the most fish I've seen up on dries since May.

I'd like to see some more shitty days in the forecast.

Also, nymphing has been productive. Some days it seems like theyre eating everything, and some days it seems like they're not eating anything.

And I'll bet ya streamer fishing could be good. I'd go with olive or white or both.

Big browns on dries. Love it.

Bighorn River Fishing Report

Flow out of Boysen Dam is around 1000cfs. River blew out yesterday from all the rain Sunday night, she was running blood red from the wedding down. Clarity is improving and should be back to normal in a couple days.

Fishing has been good. A little trico action, a little hopper action, and productive nymph fishing.

Rick from Team McKay with an awesome first brown

Good friend & client, Gary K, with a solid 22x12 rainbow

Got a few days open still for Sept and starting to book October. Also thinking about offering a couple Spey Casting clinics at the end of October and maybe November if there's enough interest... if this is something you're into, get in touch with us and we can start working on the details.

Early fall

Flows on the Bighorn River in Thermopolis are around 1200cfs. Fishing has improved with the cooler weather. We've had a busy week with multiple groups, here are some highlights...

Two thumbs up with Lee from Tennessee

Thanks to Mark Nordstrom and the boys from Tennessee for an awesome couple days of fishing! We're already looking forward to next year!

Deuce deuce. Brad B with one of many large browns caught on Thursday

Brad B with one of many large rainbows caught on Thursday 

Been finding a few nice fish on hoppers, nymphs, streamers and even some Tricos.

Plenty of days open in September... it oughtta be good.

Fishing Report - Bighorn River, Thermopolis, WY

Flow is around 1300cfs. Fishing is OK. There are plenty of Tricos out there but not really any fish up eating them... and the handful of trout rising are pretty damn spooky. Nymphing is decent... hooking 20 or 30 fish a day with a few nice ones. River is still kind of green, but the clarity has improved and I'm hoping this cooler weather will get those fish looking up. Pretty busy the next couple weeks, but we still have a few days open and some days in September. Late October might be my favorite time of the year, throw steamers until the baetis pop and then hunt some heads.

Bighorn River Fishing Report, Thermopolis

Flow is around 1500cfs. The flush helped the floating moss situation tremendously and cleaned up a lot of the banks... But the floating junk is escalating. And the river is a little greener and little warmer than I like it. Fishing early is a good idea.

Nymphing has been okay so long as you can clean flies efficiently. Tricos have been thick but not very many fish up eating them.

We've been pretty busy on the river with clients the last couple weeks... and the fishing could be better. ..but we are catching some nice fish...

Tilman and Gray came out from South Carolina and fished with guide Steve Beazley yesterday and found some nice rainbows

Also seeing some fat browns on the chow...had a day with a single gentleman on Wednesday that got 4 browns in a row 20-22. All day please. And if those clouds ever move in ya might see some of that on the surface.

Alyssa with a pretty sweet brown

I'm thinking fishing should get better by mid August.  Until then practice your moss slapping techniques and pray for rain...but not too much.

Flush it real good

The flush is happening today, goes up to 3200cfs by 9pm and should be back down to normal levels by 10 am tomorrow morning.
Dry fly fishing has been pretty good this past week. Good pods of fish up on Tricos. Alyssa had a great time with David & Leah the other day, lots of nice trout and even a muskrat in the net

Did a half day on the North Fork Shoshone last weekend and had excellent dry/dropper fishing for bright feisty rainbows before we got blown off the water. We had 5 doubles. The Shoshone is a great option this time of year.

Still have a few dates open for July. Would really like to fill 16-19 if anyone is interested give us a call.

See ya on the water

Season of the Moss

Flows are around 1500cfs. There is way too much floating moss in the river right now which makes the nymph fishing horrible. Hard to get a drift without bringing in two pounds of moss. Streamer fishing could be good if you bring a bucket with you and take home all that bright green shit and throw it in your garden. Dry fly fishing is the only game in town right now and it's an early morning thing as afternoon temps reach high 90s.

Alyssa has been crushing em on dry flies with clients

It's Pat!

The moss is so bad in fact that the Bureau of Rec is actually going to give us a summer flush. Not sure on the exact day yet but I think the 13th, will know for sure on Monday. That will coincide with the boat ramp at Wedding being closed July 11-15.

Got some days open at the end of July and early August. Holler at us if'n ya wanna go fishin.

July

Flows on the Bighorn are finally down to 2000cfs. Sounds like the dry fly fishing is heating up. We will be back in thermop on the 5th. Alyssa has a trip on the 7th and I'm open until the 12th. Would like to get these days filled, give me a call or drop us an email.

Water is still high

Flows are back up to 6000cfs as of a few days ago. And with the reservoir being 96% full I'm sure it will get higher before we start to see it drop.  But fishing has been good enough these last few days. I'm headed out of town for a few weeks, Alyssa has trips the rest of the week before she joins me. We are still booking trips for July but we WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING FLY ORDERS UNTIL AUGUST 1. We have a few shop orders to work on and we'll be in and out thru the summer.

Todd brought his daughter out today to fish with Alyssa and despite windy conditions and a few tangles got some nice fish to the net

Fishing report

Flows are around 5000cfs and will probly go back up as the heat has run off in full swing.

We've been out on the river with a few clients this past week and the fishing overall has been fair... 20 to 30 fish hooked each day.

Our calendar is filling up for the rest of June and July but we do have open dates 6/7-6/12, 7/8-7/13, and 7/24-7/30. Late July is prime time for dry flies.

Bighorn river flows

Flows from Boysen dam are up to 6,000cfs. It is cranking fast out there. You'd better be a competent oars man or you'll lose your boat to the olive trees. Also keep in mind that there's a low bridge below the 8th Street ramp that is impassable at these flows. But we are still running guide trips so give us a call if you've got nothing better to do.

Bowling for Trout

That river is humpin out there. Flows are around 3000cfs. Fished yesterday with Dan and Steve from Billings... Steve works with the Bureau of Rec and tells me the river is going up to 4000cfs on monday. Nymphing is pretty darn good right now with a lot of work and a lot of lead. Lots of flotsam so be prepared to toss the moss. Streamer fishing is OK... I think it should be better than it is but we were getting some nice fish to eat em in the dirty water. Here's the highlight reel from yesterday...

Alyssa and I will be out tomorrow with the ladies from University of Wyoming Women's fly fishing club the Fish'N'Chicks. We're almost as excited as they are and it will definitely be a fun day. 

Flows should stay somewhat steady for the next couple weeks as the inflow is dropping dramatically and there isn't much in the forecast for rain or super warm snow melting temperatures. We have plenty of days open, so get ahold of us if ya wanna go bowling for trout!

Bumped the river yesterday

We're now up over 2,000cfs which is a great flow and I'm glad they're making room in the reservoir. Should also help dissipate some of the mud flowing in. We'll keep ya updated.

On the water report

Fished with Larry and Ray today, just a half day, which is perfect for the amount of fishable water right now. Buffalo Creek is on round 2 of dumping in red mud. It had cleared pretty good after last week's rains but I guess we got quite a bit of snow up in the Bridgers and with the warm weather the last few days it's got the creek flowing good. River is MUDDY after the red cliffs. But with all that said we had a pretty good day. Hooked about 30 of these

 Lots of break offs today. Fat feisty rainbows on 5x. Baetis nymphs were our best bugs. Saw a few guys out there today throwing streamers only saw one boat get one. Other boats said no good. But it is a good option in the dirty water. Hoping the river clears by the weekend but we are forecast to get a little more rain. So we'll see. River is at 990cfs. And we have a few trips going out next week but still plenty of days available if you're interested. Also the dry fly fishing is still pretty good, at least it was on Tuesday when I went out with Adam. Besides the bwo's we are seeing quite a few caddis and a lot of fish are taking notice and even moving out of their feeding rhythm to eat them. And a minor psa, please respect the property owners' rights... it is private property from the first highway bridge below wedding all the way past buffalo creek and the red cliffs. We don't need this place turning into the reef. Have fun out there!

Bighorn river flows

The flow from Boysen dam has increased to 1,013cfs. This is good news. Reservoir levels are over 82% full, so it looks like USBR is making room for runoff. Hoping we don't see 7500 in June.

And the river is still a little murky thru town but definitely fishable.

See ya out there!

Fishing Report Bighorn River Wyoming

River is still pretty dirty past the red cliffs. Should be cleaned up by Monday?  But we've been able to fish some clear water and find a few nice trout. Give us a call if ya wanna get out and do some fishing this week. I've got trips going out on Tuesday the 3rd and Friday the 6th. And Alyssa is open all week.

Fat rainbow

Strawberry milk

The wedding cleaned up considerably overnight. But Buffalo Creek blew out. River is pretty much strawberry milk past the red cliffs. It'll be a few days before it cleans up. In the mean time these trout are getting a deserved break.

View from Buffalo Creek bridge

8th Street boat ramp.

Bighorn River Thermopolis Flows

Flows are around 740cfs. Got a little more rain last night than I thought. The water is pretty dirty at the wedding... presumably from the slides up in the canyon...but still fishable with well over a foot of vis. River is MUDDY down to state park and north of town. More rain is forecasted for the near future. Stay tuned for signs of clarity.

On the water report

Had an excellent afternoon half day trip with Rob from Bozeman fishing dries. Excellent. The only problem was there were too many fish rising... and then the wind kicked up around 5.

Quite a few boats out here this weekend and guides from God knows where,  despite the shitty weather forecasted for the next few days. I'll be out in it til Tuesday. Mid week looks good for weather and probly fewer boats. Give us a call to get in on some awesome dry fly fishing!

Also did a late evening float the other day with return client Jason and his brother Steve from Sheridan. Fished dries till we couldn't see and then pitched some mouse patterns after dark...Moved a few and landed one... didn't see any monsters but it was real nice to do something different.

See ya out there!