Fishing Reports

 Might as well update the Bighorn fishing, as well.  Flow is 1,900 but water temp is very cold for this time of year (let's say 48 as an average), but the warmer weather is finally catching up.  Upper 13 is getting PMD's in the afternoon, with some Yellow Sallies, and tan caddis mixed in.  Black Caddis are showing up, as well.  

Personally, I've been nymphing in the morning (worm and something pink), then looking to dry fly fish.  Most of the time a Yellow Sally will do the trick, but those fish will get picky at times.  The river's busy, as it's defitnitely one of the best places to be with many of the other rivers warming up at their low levels.

Tight Lines,
Jeremy 

 What a nice thing it is to finally report that we had a fishing day (yesterday) that wasn't constantly windy.  Sure it was windy in the morning, but the nymphing was pretty good, and when the Baetis came off in the afternoon it seemed like every fish in the river was up.  It was the kind of day that you wait all winter for.

Nymphing has involved sowbugs and midges in the mornings, with the Baetis nymphs becoming active in the middle of the day.  I've pumped some worms out of fish, which is a good sign for their growth.

Streamer fishing has been spotty, but I have had more success lately on the the cloudy days.  It's hard to beat a good black bugger.

The flow is still pretty low (1,750 cfs), and the water temp is hovering just above or below 40.  It has been mossy, so that's just going to be a factor until we get some sort of a bump in flow.  I don't yet have any insight as to what's going to happen there, but I'll keep you posted.

Tight Lines,
Jeremy

This is a report!

It looks like they're holding the flow steady at 1,833 cfs (cubic feet per second).  Nymphing (which had been red hot all winter) is finally slowing down as the water cools just a bit more, and the post-spawn blues take over.  

Streamer fishing has remained good, and some midges are starting to pop.  Keep an eye out for good dry fly fishing starting to pick up in the next month.

Fish numbers are bound to be a little lower this year, as the river level remains low, but this isn't necessarily bad news for those who enjoy sight fishing, and wouldn't mind seeing the average fish size increase a little.

I'll keep you posted as things develop, but there's never a bad time to get out there.

Tight Lines!
Jeremy 

 Not a report, but a quick update.  Thanks to everyone who came out to East Rosebud Fly and Tackle for my fly tying demo last weekend.   Good crowd, and a good time.

It's the time of year that I start to keep an eye on the snow pack numbers, and lake levels to start to form an idea of how the river levels may shape up for the year.  Please be aware that the next 2 months are probably the most significant of the year in making any determination, so I look at the numbers as simply a starting point.

These numbers are taken off of the Wyoming NRCS snotel site:
http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/snowprec/snowprec.html

In terms of snow water equivalent, the Bighorn Mountains are sitting at 94% of normal, and the Wind River's are at 88%.

The Yellowstone drainage is at 97% of normal, while the Madison/Gallatin is at 95% (all numbers as of 2/14/13).

Bighorn Lake is 87% full at present, and isn't likely to be caught off guard if a drought event happens.

I'll keep you updated, but as always feel free to give me a call with any questions!

(406)690-4752

Tight Lines!
Jeremy

 *Important Note* The Billings airport will be closed to weekend flights between the 4th of July, and Labor Day, 2013.  People who need to to fly in or out of the area on the weekends are encouraged to think about extending stays, or possibly redirecting to Bozeman, MT, or Cody, WY.

O.K., I'm not very good at keeping up on these, but please feel free to give me a call if you have a question.

I'm on the Bighorn until I'll hit the Missouri in late September/October, then back to the Bighorn.

I've been fishing the lower river a lot (as usual), and have been getting a little bit of trico fishing in the mornings.  Later in the day, it seems like I can get fish to eat a hopper drifting from hole to hole, then the PMD's come off.  That pretty much sums up my typical sunny day, but if we get a little bit of cloud cover, then the streamer rods come out.  It's been very good, with fish on the move.  There are lots of little trout out there, and lots of predator fish looking for them.

By all accounts, the upper river PMD hatch has been as good as anyone can remember.  All in all, some pretty good fishing to be had.

Hey David, hope the Yellowstone treated you well!

Tight Lines,
Jeremy