Bighorn River Summer Peak: Browns and Rainbows in the 14-20 Inch Range

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Big Horn, Montana fishing report. We’ll start with the conditions. Around Fort Smith on the Bighorn River, Weather.gov shows a cool, clear early morning in the low 50s, climbing into the 70s by afternoon with light winds under 10 mph and only a slight chance of showers. Sunrise is right around a quarter after five, with sunset close to 9 p.m., so you’ve got a long, generous window to work that water. Being an inland river system, we don’t have true tides here, but flows out of Yellowtail Dam act like a man‑made tide: stable, cool releases and clear water, ideal for trout. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and recent local shop chatter out of Fort Smith both report consistent action on the upper 13 miles below the dam. Anglers have been putting good numbers of **brown** and **rainbow trout** in the net, with many fish in the 14–18 inch class and enough 20‑inchers to keep everyone honest. No big spikes in flows lately, so the fish are settled into their summer seams. Fish activity has been best right at first light and again toward evening. Midday is still productive if you get down and precise. According to local guides’ updates, nymphing is out‑producing everything, but dry‑fly windows are opening when the clouds move in or the evening calm sets up. On the fly side, the top producers have been: - **Lures and flies:** small **Pheasant Tails**, **Two‑Bit Hookers**, and **Ray Charles** in tan or gray, size 16–18; **Zebra Midges** and other midge patterns in 18–20; and for streamers, smaller **olive or black buggers** and articulated patterns stripped slow along the shelves. - **Dries:** when heads are up, think **PMD** and **baetis** patterns, plus small caddis in the evening. A size 16–18 parachute PMD or CDC comparadun will carry you a long way. For bait anglers where it’s allowed on side waters or below special‑reg stretch, locals have been doing well with: - **Nightcrawlers** drifted under a small float along softer seams. - **Salmon eggs** and small **PowerBait nuggets** in natural trout colors, used sparingly so you don’t over‑chum the hole. Spin fishermen are scoring with: - 1/8‑ounce **gold or copper spoons**, - small **Panther Martin** or **Mepps spinners** in gold/black, - and slim **minnow plugs** in rainbow or brown trout patterns worked across current breaks. As for hot spots, a couple of local favorites: - The classic stretch **from Afterbay boat ramp down through 3‑Mile**: cold, clear, and packed with structure—shelves, inside bends, and mid‑river gravel bars. Work nymph rigs 6–8 feet deep under an indicator, ticking just above the rocks. - The **Bighorn Access to Bighorn Fishing Access Site** run farther downstream: a bit more color, a touch warmer, but the browns here have shoulders. Streamers along the cutbanks early and late can move some real meat. If you’re wading, pick your crossings carefully; flows from the dam can change and slick cobble will put you on your back in a hurry. Light fluorocarbon tippet, 5X to 6X on the nymphs and dries, is making a difference in this clear water. Give other boats and wade anglers some room—these fish see plenty of pressure, and a little courtesy helps everyone catch more. That’s the latest from in and around Big Horn, Montana. Thanks for tuning in and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn