Big Horn River Fishing Update: Early Summer Hatches, Steady Flows, and Hungry Trout

Artificial Lure here with your June 18, 2025, Big Horn, Montana area fishing report. We woke up to classic early summer weather—bluebird skies, breezy highs around 75°F, and a touch of that famous Montana dry air. According to Weather Underground, sunrise hit at 7:05 AM, and you can expect it to set at 7:28 PM. No tidal concerns on our inland tailwaters, but the Bighorn River’s flows are running steady, clear, and a touch low—prime for sight fishing. Fishing’s been on fire all week, and the river crowds are lighter than you’d think for mid-June. Reports from Bighorn Angler and North Fork Anglers say fish are hungry and active, coming out of their spring slumber, with subsurface action still leading the way. Water temps remain cool but are rising, and fish are starting to move from deep runs into shallower riffles, especially as the sun warms things up. Nymphing continues to produce the bulk of the action. Effective patterns reported by both shops and guides this week include UV Scuds, Cotton Candies, Red Bead Carpet Bugs, Tailwater Sows, Green Weenies, Pill Poppers, Zirdles, Perdignons, and just about any worm pattern you have in pink, red, or natural. If you’re grabbing only a few, make Cotton Candies and Sow Bugs your first picks. Streamer junkies are having a field day too. Sparkle Minnows, Skiddish Smolts, black Peanut Envy, Sculpzilla, and Thin Mints have all fooled some bigger browns lurking deep—just remember to let those streamers sink and keep your retrieve slow if you want to tempt a trophy out of cover. Dry fly action is just over the horizon. The Baetis hatch is reported to be days away, so keep those BWO and PMD dries handy. Midges are still popping for the diehards working the slicks at dawn and dusk, but nymphs remain king. When the hatch does kick off, expect some world-class topwater opportunities. For the best results, focus your efforts around Afterbay to Three Mile and the slow riffles just below Soap Creek. These sections have been consistent, producing nice numbers of fat rainbows and healthy browns, with some days seeing double-digit catches per rod. The grass is starting to show up, especially downstream, so keep your flies clean and be ready to adjust your rig as needed. That’s your Big Horn report for June 18. Get out early, pack your bug spray, and don’t sleep on the evening streamer bite. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a hatch or hot bite. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.