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If you’ve ever thought about flyfishing a great western river, but didn’t know who to contact or how to get there, here’s your chance to go on a dream trip with Instructors you know and trust. Join us for some fantastic fishing and beautiful scenery in one of the premier trout fisheries of the world.
Includes the following:
4 nights Lodging : Double Occupancy per room
All meals: (Continental Breakfast), Box Lunch, Dinner
All Instruction, Guides, Drift Boats & Necessary Flies
The Big Horn River is one of the best tailwater fisheries in the world, it is known for it’s huge populations of Rainbow and Brown trout, roughly 5,000 per mile! The most popular portion of this fishery is about 13 miles long, from the Afterbay/Yellowtail Dam at Old Fort Smith, Montana to the 13 mile “Big Horn” takeout point. Another very good stretch of river extends about 9 miles downstream from the Big Horn Landing to the Mallards Landing, though not as popular with other anglers I have found it to be an excellent spring fishery with much less traffic and plenty of opportunities for catching fat Browns and Rainbows.
Nymph & Streamer fishing is usually done throughout the year with some dry fly fishing. Small Scuds and Midges are the most popular flies. 9’ 5 wt. & 6 wt. rods are most common. The River is very easy to float with no major rapids throughout it’s entire length, many anglers compare the Big Horn to an extra large spring creek! We will be there for the early spawn Rainbow Trout fishing, the fish are beginning to become aggressive at this time!
Using a combination of wade and drift boat methods, we will instruct you in techniques used for fly fishing large western tailwaters. Dry fly and nymph fishing for Browns & Rainbows averaging 3 pounds is excellent as many fish are moving in anticipation of the spring spawn. Last year we had some fantastic days of dry fly Midge and BWO fishing. Low springtime water flows contribute to easy wading with many successful days.
This is Eastern Montana, the “Banana Belt”, the normal daytime temperature in mid April is usually from the mid 40’s to mid 70’s, I have seen it snow and I have also seen the temperature be in the mid 80’s during this time of the year. As the temperature warms in the middle of the day the Browns come into the banks and may viciously attack streamers.
Daily commercial airline flights arrive at Billings about 1 1/2 hours away.
For more information or to make your reservations please call: 1-715-385-0171
Itinerary: Arrive at Fort Smith / Yellowtail, MT: (The Big Horn Trout Shop & Lodge) afternoon/evening - Most Guests arrive about 2:00 pm.
We will be able to do some wade fishing before dinner in the late afternoon - Dinner is usually late, around 8:00 pm.
Before Dinner we convene in my room to go over the events the next day, set tackle & have cocktails (B.Y.O.B.)
Day 1: Fish!!! Roughly 9:00 am - 6:00 pm our vehicles will be waiting at the takeout to bring us back to the lodge. Clean up for cocktails (BYOB), Dinner about 7:30 pm.
Day 2: Fish!!! Roughly 9:00 am - 6:00 pm our vehicles will be waiting at the takeout to bring us back to the lodge. Clean up for cocktails (BYOB), Dinner about 7:30 pm.
Day 3: Fish!!! Roughly 9:00 am - 6:00 pm our vehicles will be waiting at the takeout to bring us back to the lodge. Clean up for cocktails (BYOB), Dinner about 7:30 pm.
Day 4: Continental Breakfast, Pack-up and depart by noon
Here are some helpful hints for your upcoming fishing trip on the Bighorn River.
We had very successful trips last year and look forward to even better trips this year. Most of the fish we caught were on nymphs. The nymphs were Red or Orange Midge Larva #18, Pink or Orange Scuds #14 and Gray Sowbugs #16. We fished these deep and slow on 9’ 4X leaders with 3’ extension butts with a strike indicator set at about 9’ and a dropper about 14” below the point fly, usually the Scud on top and the Midge on the bottom. We also dropped a Scud off a Pheasant Tail Nymph about the same distance.
We expect great dry fly action again this year, probably with #22 - #16 Midges and BWO’s. Our groups had some great success with Midges & BWO’s in some very shallow water sight fishing to rising Browns and Rainbows. Once hooked the fish fought very hard and we had great fun trying to land them on 4 to 6 lb. test tippets, I’m sure we will encounter similar fishing this year. Accurate casts will still be required, but I don’t think they will have to be as long as we have experimented with some emerger patterns which are more successful. When setting the hook with these light tippets all you do is raise the rod, don’t try to drive the hook home, it’s not necessary, all that will do is break the line, the fish will hook themselves.
We recommend you bring two rods, one rigged for the dries and one rigged for nymphs or streamers, this way as we’re drifting down the river you can change rods as the conditions change and you won’t waste any time re-rigging a rod. The Rods we recommend are a 9’ 5 wt. for the dries and a 9’ 6 wt. for the nymphs and streamers. The heavier rod will double as a streamer rod which we should have time to re-rig as we locate fish holding in skinny water eager to take a streamer. We use only weight forward floating lines and see no need for any sinking tips or such. Your strike indicators should be rather large to float the nymphs just above the bottom, and still allow a good drag-free drift, I prefer the yarn type that loop onto the leader.
We found if helpful to use fingerless gloves, neck muffs, fleece pants (under our waders), and lightweight rain jackets to protect from the wind. By the way, the wind always blows out there. The temperatures can vary from the 40’s to the 80’s in the course of the day so be prepared to shed some layers of clothing as the day progresses, towards evening as the sun sets the temps will begin to go down again and you may have to put some clothes back on to remain comfortable. High tech fleece and polypro fabrics are lightweight and very durable, they wick moisture away from your body so you can stay comfortable all day.
The food is very good with plenty to fill you up after a day of fishing, the people in the lodge and fly shop are very friendly and will help you with anything you may need. The lunches are immense and you probably won’t eat all of it, but you might be able to trade me your cookies for my apple!
The accommodations are very comfortable, the rooms are large with plenty of room to spread out and relax. We will have cocktails and/or fly tying in my room every evening before dinner, and more revelry after. This is a dry county so please bring any alcoholic beverages you may want with you, the closest retailer is about 1 hour away.
The air is very dry and we recommend you bring plenty of your favorite hand and skin lotion.
Remember to drink plenty of fluids during the day so you don’t get dehydrated.
Our essentials list includes the following:
6 - 9’ 5X leaders 6 - 9’ 4X leaders 3X - 6X Tippet Material
3- 9’ 3X Leaders 3 -12’ 5X leaders Insulated Fleece Socks
Chest Waders Felt soled wading shoes Fleece Pants & Shirt/Jac
Large brimmed hat Polarized Sun Glasses Neck Gaiter/Bandana
Fingerless Gloves Rain Jacket Camera (waterproof)
Hand Lotion Sunscreen Lip Balm
We also suggest a small waterproof bag to hold any personal items you may want while out for the day.
Our average Rainbow is about 20” and the Browns average about 17”, most anglers catch about 5 to 10 fish per day. Like all fishing, some days are better than others, your Instructors will be near you to demonstrate techniques and help you with your fishing, casting and mending skills. We hope you will come away from the Big Horn River with the skills needed to fish any large western river or tailwater - reading the water, and making the cast to the best holding lies are just a portion of what you can expect to take home from this exciting adventure!
If you’ve ever thought about flyfishing a great western river, but didn’t know who to contact or how to get there, here’s your chance to go on a dream trip with Instructors you know and trust. Join us for some fantastic fishing and beautiful scenery in one of the premier trout fisheries of the world.
Includes the following:
4 nights Lodging : Double Occupancy per room
All meals: (Continental Breakfast), Box Lunch, Dinner
All Instruction, Guides, Drift Boats & Necessary Flies
The Big Horn River is one of the best tailwater fisheries in the world, it is known for it’s huge populations of Rainbow and Brown trout, roughly 5,000 per mile! The most popular portion of this fishery is about 13 miles long, from the Afterbay/Yellowtail Dam at Old Fort Smith, Montana to the 13 mile “Big Horn” takeout point. Another very good stretch of river extends about 9 miles downstream from the Big Horn Landing to the Mallards Landing, though not as popular with other anglers I have found it to be an excellent spring fishery with much less traffic and plenty of opportunities for catching fat Browns and Rainbows.
Nymph & Streamer fishing is usually done throughout the year with some dry fly fishing. Small Scuds and Midges are the most popular flies. 9’ 5 wt. & 6 wt. rods are most common. The River is very easy to float with no major rapids throughout it’s entire length, many anglers compare the Big Horn to an extra large spring creek! We will be there for the early spawn Rainbow Trout fishing, the fish are beginning to become aggressive at this time!
Using a combination of wade and drift boat methods, we will instruct you in techniques used for fly fishing large western tailwaters. Dry fly and nymph fishing for Browns & Rainbows averaging 3 pounds is excellent as many fish are moving in anticipation of the spring spawn. Last year we had some fantastic days of dry fly Midge and BWO fishing. Low springtime water flows contribute to easy wading with many successful days.
This is Eastern Montana, the “Banana Belt”, the normal daytime temperature in mid April is usually from the mid 40’s to mid 70’s, I have seen it snow and I have also seen the temperature be in the mid 80’s during this time of the year. As the temperature warms in the middle of the day the Browns come into the banks and may viciously attack streamers.
Daily commercial airline flights arrive at Billings about 1 1/2 hours away.
For more information or to make your reservations please call: 1-715-385-0171
Itinerary: Arrive at Fort Smith / Yellowtail, MT: (The Big Horn Trout Shop & Lodge) afternoon/evening - Most Guests arrive about 2:00 pm.
We will be able to do some wade fishing before dinner in the late afternoon - Dinner is usually late, around 8:00 pm.
Before Dinner we convene in my room to go over the events the next day, set tackle & have cocktails (B.Y.O.B.)
Day 1: Fish!!! Roughly 9:00 am - 6:00 pm our vehicles will be waiting at the takeout to bring us back to the lodge. Clean up for cocktails (BYOB), Dinner about 7:30 pm.
Day 2: Fish!!! Roughly 9:00 am - 6:00 pm our vehicles will be waiting at the takeout to bring us back to the lodge. Clean up for cocktails (BYOB), Dinner about 7:30 pm.
Day 3: Fish!!! Roughly 9:00 am - 6:00 pm our vehicles will be waiting at the takeout to bring us back to the lodge. Clean up for cocktails (BYOB), Dinner about 7:30 pm.
Day 4: Continental Breakfast, Pack-up and depart by noon
Here are some helpful hints for your upcoming fishing trip on the Bighorn River.
We had very successful trips last year and look forward to even better trips this year. Most of the fish we caught were on nymphs. The nymphs were Red or Orange Midge Larva #18, Pink or Orange Scuds #14 and Gray Sowbugs #16. We fished these deep and slow on 9’ 4X leaders with 3’ extension butts with a strike indicator set at about 9’ and a dropper about 14” below the point fly, usually the Scud on top and the Midge on the bottom. We also dropped a Scud off a Pheasant Tail Nymph about the same distance.
We expect great dry fly action again this year, probably with #22 - #16 Midges and BWO’s. Our groups had some great success with Midges & BWO’s in some very shallow water sight fishing to rising Browns and Rainbows. Once hooked the fish fought very hard and we had great fun trying to land them on 4 to 6 lb. test tippets, I’m sure we will encounter similar fishing this year. Accurate casts will still be required, but I don’t think they will have to be as long as we have experimented with some emerger patterns which are more successful. When setting the hook with these light tippets all you do is raise the rod, don’t try to drive the hook home, it’s not necessary, all that will do is break the line, the fish will hook themselves.
We recommend you bring two rods, one rigged for the dries and one rigged for nymphs or streamers, this way as we’re drifting down the river you can change rods as the conditions change and you won’t waste any time re-rigging a rod. The Rods we recommend are a 9’ 5 wt. for the dries and a 9’ 6 wt. for the nymphs and streamers. The heavier rod will double as a streamer rod which we should have time to re-rig as we locate fish holding in skinny water eager to take a streamer. We use only weight forward floating lines and see no need for any sinking tips or such. Your strike indicators should be rather large to float the nymphs just above the bottom, and still allow a good drag-free drift, I prefer the yarn type that loop onto the leader.
We found if helpful to use fingerless gloves, neck muffs, fleece pants (under our waders), and lightweight rain jackets to protect from the wind. By the way, the wind always blows out there. The temperatures can vary from the 40’s to the 80’s in the course of the day so be prepared to shed some layers of clothing as the day progresses, towards evening as the sun sets the temps will begin to go down again and you may have to put some clothes back on to remain comfortable. High tech fleece and polypro fabrics are lightweight and very durable, they wick moisture away from your body so you can stay comfortable all day.
The food is very good with plenty to fill you up after a day of fishing, the people in the lodge and fly shop are very friendly and will help you with anything you may need. The lunches are immense and you probably won’t eat all of it, but you might be able to trade me your cookies for my apple!
The accommodations are very comfortable, the rooms are large with plenty of room to spread out and relax. We will have cocktails and/or fly tying in my room every evening before dinner, and more revelry after. This is a dry county so please bring any alcoholic beverages you may want with you, the closest retailer is about 1 hour away.
The air is very dry and we recommend you bring plenty of your favorite hand and skin lotion.
Remember to drink plenty of fluids during the day so you don’t get dehydrated.
Our essentials list includes the following:
6 - 9’ 5X leaders 6 - 9’ 4X leaders 3X - 6X Tippet Material
3- 9’ 3X Leaders 3 -12’ 5X leaders Insulated Fleece Socks
Chest Waders Felt soled wading shoes Fleece Pants & Shirt/Jac
Large brimmed hat Polarized Sun Glasses Neck Gaiter/Bandana
Fingerless Gloves Rain Jacket Camera (waterproof)
Hand Lotion Sunscreen Lip Balm
We also suggest a small waterproof bag to hold any personal items you may want while out for the day.
Our average Rainbow is about 20” and the Browns average about 17”, most anglers catch about 5 to 10 fish per day. Like all fishing, some days are better than others, your Instructors will be near you to demonstrate techniques and help you with your fishing, casting and mending skills. We hope you will come away from the Big Horn River with the skills needed to fish any large western river or tailwater - reading the water, and making the cast to the best holding lies are just a portion of what you can expect to take home from this exciting adventure!