Current Conditions
Flows are running at 1,490-1,530 CFS — clear, manageable, and concentrated in classic seams and tailouts. While air temperatures are climbing into the mid-90s, the tailwater below Yellowtail Dam maintains a consistent 52-58°F — the reason the Bighorn keeps fishing hard all summer while every other river in Montana shuts down.
Your productive window is compressed into the early morning and evening hours. Fish the morning hard — the prime dry fly window is 5:30 to 9:30 AM with BWO and PMD hatches overlapping in the cool morning air. Be back on the water by 7 PM for the evening caddis and hopper action.
One note for float anglers: Afternoon moss is showing below 3-Mile. Plan your float accordingly — our guides know exactly how to work around it.
The Hatches
August on the Bighorn is a genuine best-of-both-worlds month. Trico spinner falls are happening at first light — small, technical, and thrilling. PMDs are still producing through the mid-morning window. By afternoon the hopper bite takes over as grasshoppers tumble from the drying banks into the current. Caddis swarm the banks at dusk.
The big browns know all of this. They have positioned themselves along undercut banks and grass lines, waiting for exactly this kind of opportunity.
What's Working Right Now
Nymphs:
- Tailwater Sowbug #16 — always in the rig
- Trico Spinner #20-22 — dawn and early morning
- Egan's Frenchie #12 — excellent in the seams
- Black Zebra Midge #20 — mornings
- Pheasant Tail dropper #18 — reliable all day
Dries:
- Dave's Hopper #8-10 — tight to the banks all afternoon
- Tan Chubby Chernobyl #8 — hopper season is on
- Corn-fed Caddis Tan #20 — evening banks
- Trico Spinner #20-22 — first light on calm mornings
- Foam Beetle #14 — along grassy edges
Streamers:
- Coffey's Sparkle Minnow Sculpin #6 — first and last light along the banks
Tips for This Week
Fish the morning hard. Get to the river by 5:30 AM while it is still cool and work the shallow gravel bars and soft banks where wary trout are feeding in water they would never touch at noon. Size down to 5X or 6X tippet and keep your shadow off the water.
For hoppers — cast tight enough to the undercut bank that it makes you a little uncomfortable. Let the fly hit with a small splat and do not touch it. When a big brown crushes it, count one Mississippi before you set. It feels impossibly slow. It works.
A Note on Licenses
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks no longer allows fishing licenses to be sold at the lodge or any fly shop. You must purchase your license online at ols.fwp.mt.gov before you arrive in Fort Smith. Cell service can be unreliable — take care of this before you leave home.
Forrester's Bighorn River Resort — Fort Smith, Montana
Orvis-endorsed fly fishing since 1992 | 800.665.3799 | forrestersbighorn.com