montana - july 9-17

Where will you be fishing? I've had some really great experiences on the
following:

Clarks Fork
Bitter Root
Henry's Fork
Madison
Black Foot

All are awesome rivers. My next stop will be the Big Horn. My friends
keep telling me BIG FISH ALL DAY!!! Maybe next year!

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You will catch big fish all day on the Bighorn. The problem with the
warm water is...those big fish fight like old rubber boots. It is fun
to catch these monsters, but it's almost too easy and they act so
sluggish and unhealthy. You'll see what I mean.

Many locals here in MT consider the Bighorn in the same way they'd
consider a well-stocked kids fishing pond.....training wheels for other
rivers, maybe. The ease of catching these over-stocked monsters has
somewhat of an unnatural feel to it...but that's easy for me to say
since as a Montanan, I'm spoiled when it comes to the outdoors. And the
Bighorn does bring in the tourist dollars, I suppose. But that goes
back to the unnatural, over-stocked thing...

Anyway....you will have fun regardless of what I think. But bring
along a case of sunscreen to fish this river, as it will be between 90
and 110 degrees.

On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:41:43 -0600, (Dave S) wrote:

You will catch big fish all day on the Bighorn. The problem with the
warm water is...those big fish fight like old rubber boots.

Warm water? The Bighorn is a tail water. The water temp was 53
degrees when I fished it. Air temp was a very warm 104. The big
browns, bows and cuttbows I hooked on dries and nymphs faught like
hell. I was there in the middle of the week, so there were very few
people on the river, best fished by drift boat.

The Little BH is a warm water stream.

Yes, it is a tailwater, and much cooler than the LBH. But "cold
water" must be used carefully, especially in relation to other Montana
cold water streams.

From MT FWP:

"Prior to 1965, the Bighorn was a warm, silty stream that flowed out
of the Bighorn Canyon into the Montana prairie. With the completion of
Yellowtail Dam, it transformed into a cooler tailwater ideal for trout.
It can be called a coldwater fishery, though not in the way some of
colder, crisper streams in the central and western parts of the state
can. A species list shows the middle-ground diversity of the Bighorn
River:

Bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, burbot, channel cat, carp, emerald
shiner, flathead minnow, flathead chub, freshwater drum, goldeye, green
sunfish, longnose sucker, whitefish, river carpsucker, sauger, shorthead
redhorse, smallmouth bass, smallmouth buffalo, walleye, white sucker,
yellow perch.

The river meets the Yellowstone near Custer, the Yellowstone turning
into a warmwater fishery east of Billings"


Our definitions of warmwater are just different due to our geographic
location. If you are from the Heartland or other areas of the midwest,
I'm sure the Bighorn seems like coldwater heaven. But when you live in
a state that has some of the highest, cleanest, coldest, and most pure
water left on the planet....the Bighorn seems, well, pretty warmwater.

Anywhere I can catch a trout, a ling (burbot), and a catfish in the
same day......warm water.

Not trying to stir things up. I just figure that if you come to MT,
which is known for it's mountains, fishing, and some of the purest
waters left on earth, why fish a river that probably looks like a river
near you. The Bighorn is a man-made fishery...and it looks and feels
like one.

You will catch big fish all day long, yes. But you are comparing
their fight to a fish caught in a river near you, not a river near me.
A wild 12 inch trout caught in the cold waters of 10,000ft will fight
harder than a man-planted 22 incher in the warmer waters of the Bighorn.

If you ever get the chance to eat a trout caught at 10,000 ft and
compare it to a Bighorn trout, or a trout near you...you will know what
I mean. There is an actual physical difference in the flesh due to
water temp and comparative inactivity of fish on the man-made fishery
that is the Bighorn.

On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:10:32 -0600, (Dave S) wrote:

warm water.

And if I cannot wade above my thighs because the water is 53 degrees,
it is cold water. I am sure those species you mentioned are in the BH
lower down the river, even before it gets to where the LBH flows in.
It looks like a warm water stream near Hardin. But below the dam and
the next mile or so, it is 53 degrees and chock full of big wary
trout. I spent a week on the river and hope to return again, but not
in mid-summer when the temp is a warm 104 degrees. d;o)

Dave LaCourse wrote:
On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:10:32 -0600, (Dave S) wrote:

warm water.

And if I cannot wade above my thighs because the water is 53 degrees,
it is cold water. I am sure those species you mentioned are in the BH
lower down the river, even before it gets to where the LBH flows in.
It looks like a warm water stream near Hardin. But below the dam and
the next mile or so, it is 53 degrees and chock full of big wary
trout. I spent a week on the river and hope to return again, but not
in mid-summer when the temp is a warm 104 degrees. d;o)

Hi Dave,

I've been cold on the 'horn but that's probably because I only used to go in
the winter. Way to crowded in the summer. Any time you can walk across the
river on drift boats, it can't be good.

I've fished the river 50-75 times and it's always been fun even though it's a
pain to "pop ice". It's really bad if you fall in. I always pack a towel and
change of clothes but have never used them for myself. My fishing buddy, Rich
(pictured holding a good Bighorn fish in the link), used them once, though, and
they literally are a life saver if you take a dunkin in the winter.

I took my last trip to the Bighorn this last winter. It gets boring seeing
the same thing year after year and I'm tired of being cold. Wading for hours
fell off my list of "things to do" due to osteoarthritis in my toes and a bum
shoulder that makes rowing a pain.

Anyway, here's a link with some Bighorn fish in it. Some roffians may remember
Kevin from Billings shown holding a good fish. There some other guys pictured
in this link I'll be some of you know.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ishing%20Page/

Snoop

On Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:50:42 -0600, Snoop
wrote:

Anyway, here's a link with some Bighorn fish in it. Some roffians may remember
Kevin from Billings shown holding a good fish. There some other guys pictured
in this link I'll be some of you know.

That looks like the *same* stoggie from the last time I saw you.
Kevin remarked that you were a Hollywood star, a dog, and with the
stoggie you looked like a dog taking a poop! Laughed my fat ass off!

When I fished the Bighorn, it was very hot. We had a guide for five
days and he worked very hard rowing that drift boat up-river so that
we could fish the same run again. Caught some beautiful fish, many
looked like rainbows with a little bit of cutt in them around the
mouth.

I sight fished for an 18 incher for 10 minutes before he finally took
what I offered. Great fun. I will long remember the Whirl Pool.
Took some nice fish out of it, but to this day I don't know how.
Never saw or felt the take. I lifted the rod when Adrian, the guide,
told me to. Strange.

Saw three dudes doing the San Juan Shuffle on a sand/gravel bar in the
middle of the river. The guy in the middle would do the shuffle while
the other two caught fish. Then they would swap positions. Sad way
to catch a fish.

Dave

go there and have a blast. you only need three flies.
grey soft hackle sow bug sz 18
grey ray charles sz 18
two tone san juan worm sz 14

also of you are going to do some driving make sure to go to the
madison, if you dont have a boat to use the walk and wade section by
reynolds pass should be awesome when you are there. also try to float
the yellowstone below livingston. also for a day of catching tons of
nice fish... try the ruby!


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"Dave S" wrote in message
...
Yes, it is a tailwater, and much cooler than the LBH. But "cold
water" must be used carefully, especially in relation to other Montana
cold water streams.

From MT FWP:

"Prior to 1965, the Bighorn was a warm, silty stream that flowed out
of the Bighorn Canyon into the Montana prairie. With the completion of
Yellowtail Dam, it transformed into a cooler tailwater ideal for trout.
It can be called a coldwater fishery, though not in the way some of
colder, crisper streams in the central and western parts of the state
can. A species list shows the middle-ground diversity of the Bighorn
River:

Bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, burbot, channel cat, carp, emerald
shiner, flathead minnow, flathead chub, freshwater drum, goldeye, green
sunfish, longnose sucker, whitefish, river carpsucker, sauger, shorthead
redhorse, smallmouth bass, smallmouth buffalo, walleye, white sucker,
yellow perch.

The river meets the Yellowstone near Custer, the Yellowstone turning
into a warmwater fishery east of Billings"


Our definitions of warmwater are just different due to our geographic
location.

I think not. However, it appears that our perceptions of differences due to
geographic differences are different.

If you are from the Heartland or other areas of the midwest,

Which I, for one, may or may not be depending on how one chooses to parse
the continent....

I'm sure the Bighorn seems like coldwater heaven.

Not to me.....nor to any number of people here in the tropical Heartland who
can show you any number of spring fed waters that'll freeze your nuts off on
a hot August day.

But when you live in
a state that has some of the highest, cleanest, coldest, and most pure
water left on the planet....the Bighorn seems, well, pretty warmwater.

When you live in a state that has some of the hioghest, cleanest, coldest
and most pure water left on the planet.......you definitely need to get out
more......maybe read a book or something in the meantime.

Anywhere I can catch a trout, a ling (burbot), and a catfish in the
same day......warm water.

Interesting that water temperature doesn't enter into the equation.

Not trying to stir things up.

No, of course not.

I just figure that if you come to MT,
which is known for it's mountains, fishing, and some of the purest
waters left on earth, why fish a river that probably looks like a river
near you.

You don't figure real well.

The Bighorn is a man-made fishery...and it looks and feels
like one.

Unlike all the alpine lakes in Montana chock full of iced native trout, huh?


You will catch big fish all day long, yes.

Yeah, that part is pretty distressing.

But you are comparing
their fight to a fish caught in a river near you, not a river near me.

Let's assume, since the person you are ostensibly replying to lives and does
most of his fishing in a geographic region that no sane person could
conceivably think of as the "Heartland" or other area of "the midwest," that
you mean a river near "me".....or someone like me. So, which one would that
be?

A wild 12 inch trout caught in the cold waters of 10,000ft will fight
harder than a man-planted 22 incher in the warmer waters of the Bighorn.

Startling revelation! Just WAIT till word of this gets out!

If you ever get the chance to eat a trout caught at 10,000 ft and
compare it to a Bighorn trout, or a trout near you...you will know what
I mean.

Anyone who knows what you mean (and you may rest assured that there are
numerous competent readers here who do) will be a large step ahead of you.

There is an actual physical difference in the flesh due to
water temp and comparative inactivity of fish on the man-made fishery
that is the Bighorn.

One is reminded of the (quite possibly apocryphal) story of Huxley's comment
on Darwin's theory.

Wolfgang