This Big Hole has been undergoing its fall changes. The river is starting to bounce back as ditches are being shut down and water is making it back to the river. This time of year is some of our best fishing. As the water moves up into the banks the fish are spreading out, getting comfortable, and finding sources of food that have until recently been out of reach.
I have been fishing several different rivers lately and having surprisingly good luck. The Clark Fork has been fishing well on October caddis and streamers. The CF is a little off color but that is not stopping the browns from being aggressive. The bugs bugs that have been working up there have been hoppers and tan zonkers. I traveled to the Madison two days ago with my raft, the only one that I saw on the entire river that day. I had two women that were beginners so my options were limited. I put on a single dry fly and attempted to float the shallow channels that drift boats are unable to float at this level and had a great day. We might not have landed many fish but finished the day with 25-30 eats on top.
The Big Hole has been turning on in a strong way. I went out yesterday and we had a fantastic fish. The streamers have been moving both browns and rainbows in the shallows. The clouds and cooler water have been keeping the fish happy and aggressive. I fished streamers all day and there was not a single dull moment. There were also plenty of BWO’s on top for the dries but we were happy throwing meat all day. If you like to streamer fish or want to learn and don’t mind the weather, this is a great time to get out, avoid the crowds, and catch some great trout! Here are a couple of the fish that we teased out yesterday.
