Montana Tailwater
Bighorn River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
A tailwater below Yellowtail Dam that runs cold and clear while Montana's freestones blow out, packed with thousands of wild trout per mile. Its dawn Trico spinnerfall in late summer is the stuff of legend.
Tailwater
Montana
3,030 ft
Gauge 06287800
Right now
Live conditions
An expert read, in your pocket
Rivus knows your river right now. Live conditions, what’s hatching, and what to tie on, the moment you open it.
When the day turns and nothing’s working, ask Eddy and change the plan.
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The hatch chart
Bighorn River hatch chart
The emergences that come off the Bighorn by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #18-22 | ||||||||||||
Small Baetis Mayfly, #20-24 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #14-20 | ||||||||||||
Pale Morning Dun Mayfly, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Little Yellow Sally Stonefly, #16-18 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #16-22 | ||||||||||||
Trico Mayfly, #18-22 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #8-12 | ||||||||||||
Pale Evening Dun Mayfly, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
October Caddis Caddis, #10-12 |
How it fishes
A Montana tailwater
A tailwater runs out of the bottom of a dam, so the water comes out cold and steady all year. That stable temperature is why the bugs stay small and the hatches run like clockwork, and it is why the fish grow picky and well fed. The flip side is that the dam sets the flow, not the weather, so a release can change the river overnight. You read the gauge, not the sky.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The Bighorn is metered at USGS gauge 06287800. Because a dam sets the flow, the number can change overnight with a release, so it is worth a look before you load the truck.
Low
under 2,500 cfs
Optimal
2,500 to 4,500 cfs
High
above 5,000 cfs
Access and regulations
Before you fish
Access and the right to fish are the angler’s responsibility, every time. Public access, private water, and seasonal closures vary along the river, so confirm where you can legally stand and wade before you go. We do not point you to a specific spot.
Read the current rules, license requirements, and any special-regulation water before you go. Regulations change season to season, so check them fresh.
Flow and water temperature from USGS, weather from NWS and NOAA, refreshed hourly. Real-time USGS readings are provisional and subject to revision. The hatch chart and river read are Rivus model output.