Big Hole River 272 cfs Beaverhead River 865 cfs
I would like to thank Noorjahan for taking the time to give us that report regarding the Big Hole Watershed Committee. I was surprised to see there are very few comments on that entry. If you have any questions, complaints or comments about regs, irrigators, guides and outfitters or any thing else concerning the Big Hole River lets hear from you. You can make a comment on that entry or you can e-mail her direct at nparwana@bhwc.org . The governor, Dept. of Fish Wildlife and Parks and the DNRC pay very close attention to what she has to say.
I have had a couple days off the river but my last trip on Friday with Jeff and the boys was very successful. I got really lucky and called about a half dozen fish when I told them to put the fly in a certain spot and each time it produced. The best one was near the end of the float when I told Jeff to place his fly in a little shady spot along the bank where a big fish lives and as if on cue that big fish nailed his fly.
This evening it’s starting to cool down considerably and the high for tomorrow is forecast to be only 74, what a relief. The extended forecast is for cooler than normal temps. It’s about time as this hot weather was starting to make everybody a bit growly.
For the past week we have been taking the water temp. at the Divide Access and it is always considerably lower than the Melrose station. For example the water temp. late this afternoon at the Melrose station (which is actually about 8 miles down river from Melrose) was 72. At about the same time we took the temp. at the Divide Access in shallow water just off the ramp and it was 64. All last week the temp. at Divide never got above 70 and Art’s fancy thermometer doesn’t lie. Unfortunately the reading at the lower river station is the one they go by as to their official rulings as far as flow and temp. When they had the station at Maidenrock the flow was always higher than the one below Melrose. Their is a huge head gate at the mouth of the Maidenrock Canyon.
Every one is reporting excellent dry fly fishing in the mornings with patterns such as spruce moths, stimulators, caddis, small hoppers and comparaduns.