"Big Horn Fishing Report: Browns, Walleye, and More Biting in Crisp Fall Conditions"

Good morning, folks, this is Artificial Lure bringing you your Big Horn, Montana fishing report for Sunday, September 28, 2025, bright and early. Local anglers, you know it’s that fleeting, magical window: crisp fall mornings, mist rising off the water, and fish shifting with the season. **Sunrise hit at 7:02 AM this morning, with sunset to follow at 6:49 PM**—plenty of daylight for an all-day session. The weather’s on our side: expect a partly cloudy sky, temps climbing to the high 60s by afternoon, and just a mild southern breeze. No risk of storms. With Big Horn Lake and the river both running clear to slightly stained, conditions are prime for actively feeding fish. Now, let’s get to what you’re really here for: fish activity and what’s biting. According to Montana Outdoor’s September 27th report, **late September is money time for brown trout. Streamer action is on fire as these fish get aggressive right before the spawn.** Tossing large patterns—think olive, black, or yellow buggers, preferably with a bit of flash—has been deadly just off drop-offs and near overhanging banks. Fish aren’t shy about chasing today, especially with the water cooling overnight and the overcast spurring them to move. The optimal window has been early and late, but don’t sleep on those mid-morning flurries. Nymphing stays solid as ever—run a two-fly rig with a beadhead pheasant tail or baetis imitation and drop a smaller midge or sowbug below. **Best results have come in deeper runs and hole edges, with fish holding low but feeding up as those baetis hatches pop with cloud cover** (as Montana Outdoor notes). Afternoon risers do key on those dry fly baetis if you want to finesse smaller tippets and light rods. Out on Big Horn Lake, walleye are sliding to deeper breaks and humps. Folks trolling crankbaits—especially firetiger or perch patterns—along the main lake points are hauling in solid stringers, typically 15-22 inchers. Smallmouth bass are still feisty in the shallows during sunny stretches; try tubes or Ned rigs near rocky points and submerged wood. Nearby, anglers at Canyon Ferry and Fort Peck are also cashing in on deep-water walleye and schools of perch, especially along weedbed edges and submerged structure, a trend you’ll notice in our own Bighorn reservoir as well. **Bait choice:** Browns and rainbows are crushing live nightcrawlers and leeches on the drift for the old-schoolers, but many locals swear by plastics or marabou jigs when the bite gets trickier. For walleye, nothing beats a fathead minnow or plain jig-n-minnow combo slow-rolled over structure. Bass guys, stick with crayfish imitations and watermelon plastics. Hot spots around Big Horn this weekend: - **Afterbay Dam tailwater**—always a magnet for big browns and bows, especially near the cable hole and side channels. - **Mallards Landing down to Soap Creek**—good mix of deep pools (for nymphing) and faster riffles (perfect for streamer swings). - On the reservoir, target the **Cottonwo This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.