Fort Smith, Montana

Best Flies For Bighorn River

Bighorn River | Fort Smith, Montana | Updated Apr 24, 2026, 7:36 AM MDT | Station: Bighorn River at Bighorn, Montana

Stay with a precise nymph rig built around sowbugs, scuds, and small baetis, then be ready for pods of risers if the river gets a quiet overcast window.

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Today's Read

Bighorn River is fishing around blue-winged olives and midges. Start with the patterns below and adjust only after fish show you something different.

Bugs & Best Matches

What's active
Fish this
Blue-winged olives, size 18-20, midday under clouds
BWO Soft Hackle, size 18-20, emerger; CDC BWO, size 18-20, dry
Midges, size 18-22, morning and slower evening slicks
Zebra Midge, size 18-20, nymph; Griffith's Gnat, size 18-20, dry
Scuds and sowbugs, size 14-18, all day subsurface
Pink Scud, size 14-18, nymph
General subsurface
Ray Charles, size 16-18, nymph

How To Fish These Flies

  • Use a shallow indicator rig unless releases are up. Most fish eat better on short, controlled drifts than on a deep bobber setup.
  • Concentrate on slick shelves, tailouts, and the slow center seam of broad runs.
  • If fish start rising, switch to an emerger or cripple first. Trout here often prefer bugs in or just under the film.

Current Conditions

FlowTailwater flows can shift with dam releases, but trout usually stay in defined seams and shelves until flows move hard.
Water TempStable spring temperatures keep fish willing, but they still slide into softer edges when releases bump up.
WeatherEven modest cloud cover can turn on better olive activity here.
Rating8/10