We’ve made it through July, which has felt more typical of August on the Big Hole River. We received a little bit of rain towards the end of the week, which helped to level off the dropping river. We saw a lot of heavy smoke cover, which is miserable for us, but good to keep water temperatures down a little bit, for the time being.
The trico hatch has arrived, and we have seen good fishing on trico patterns in the mornings. Hoppers are hit and miss, it seems like they are location dependent right now. There was a short burst of spruce moths out, and they may come back after the rain storms pass through.
The only new closure to report is at the Divide FAS. Due to poor air quality the firefighters working both the Alder Creek and Trail Creek fires had to move their fire camp, and they are now stationed in both the Divide FAS and Divide campgrounds. These areas will remain closed to the public until further notice.
Keep doing your rain dances, snow dances, whatever! Southwest Montana is in for a long August. Remember to carry a thermometer, and stop fishing if the water rises above 68 degrees.