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Montana · Rivers & Fly

The Bighorn

The Bighorn below Yellowtail Dam near Fort Smith is a tailwater, which means it operates by different rules than the freestone rivers most western anglers know. Dam-regulated temperatures that rarely exceed 65 degrees in summer and rarely drop below 35 in winter create a near-perfect year-round environment — and the trout densities that result, reaching several thousand fish per mile in the best sections, are the kind of numbers that require a moment to process.

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When to go

The Bighorn fishes year-round without a true dead season, which is one of its defining characteristics. Most visiting anglers target June through September for the peak of the PMD, Trico, and caddis hatches — the most user-friendly and visually rewarding dry fly windows on the river. April and May offer excellent spring BWO and midge dry fly action with noticeably fewer anglers than the summer peak. The fall BWO window from mid-September through October brings technical, rewarding fishing as conditions cool. Winter produces midge hatches every day and the kind of uncrowded pools that demand a return visit from anyone who experiences them.

The water

The Bighorn is, at its core, a scud and sowbug river — crustaceans that live in the substrate year-round and constitute the primary food source for trout that grow large and numerous because of them. The hatch calendar runs on top of that foundation. Spring BWOs begin in March and run through May in the first of two annual windows; the fish key on them in long, slow runs and the tailouts of flats. PMDs emerge in mid-June and peak through July and August, hatching in riffles and longer runs when water temperatures reach 58 degrees — the most accessible dry fly hatch of the year on this river. Trico hatches begin in mid-July and run through October, producing spectacular spinner falls on the slow, flat water that define the upper sections. Caddis arrive later than on most Montana rivers — tan caddis in July and August, black caddis through September — because the Bighorn withholds that particular magic until summer. The upper 13 miles below the Afterbay Dam is the prime fishing water, with trout densities and hatch activity that diminish further downstream.

The crew logistics

Fort Smith is a small community built almost entirely around the fishery, with outfitters, guide services, and basic accommodations within minutes of the best water. Billings, roughly an hour north, offers the full range of lodging and airport access for crews traveling in. Drift boats are the dominant fishing platform here — the long, flat reaches are made for floating — though wading anglers who work the riffles and wade the prime flat sections find exceptional access during lower flow periods.

Pro tips

Scud and sowbug imitations are always in the water whether or not something is hatching — fish them year-round alongside whatever else is on the menu.
The PMD hatch is the most beginner-friendly dry fly event on the river: bigger bugs, riffled water, and fish that feed aggressively.
The Trico spinner fall peaks around mid-morning and requires small flies and long, light leaders — technical but rewarding for anglers who've prepared.
Spring BWO fishing in April and May delivers excellent dry fly action with noticeably fewer anglers than the summer window.
The Bighorn has no Mother's Day caddis hatch; don't plan a May trip around caddis expectations.

Guide checked against [object Object]. Editorial content — real places are referenced factually; Front Nine Press is affiliated with no course, resort, or park service.