Bigfork Fly Fishing Report

Bill McStay with a nice winter lower Swan Bow

There is quite a bit of water coming out of the hills this last week. Unseasonably warm weather for February has our low level snow on the melt big time. Hopefully we get more snow so we don’t have to huff forest fire smoke all summer. Can’t worry too much about it…anything can happen, and usually does. If I was told 3 weeks ago (when I was thigh deep shoveling my driveway) that it was all going to melt and be 55 degrees for a week and a half, I would have laughed…you never know how the weather will play out for the season.

I talked to a few guide friends who fished over the last few days and they were able to catch a few fish despite the flows on the Flathead River being high. Visibility is decent but there isn’t nearly as much winter holding water at 12k cfs. As you can see from the graph, normal flows are usually around 4k, which we haven’t seen all winter. Colder night time temps this week should drop the flows to a more manageable level and open up the slow winter holding spots.

We have been busy remodeling the shop and haven’t had much time on the river. We’ll keep you posted as the river drops.

Uncle Brent has been hitting the Lower Swan and having some luck. Some healthy rainbows eating g-bugs and buggers, and that other fly…

Bigfork Anglers patron Bill McStay sent us this pic of a tank bow that he caught somewhere on the lower Swan on a sculpin pattern last week. Nice fish Bill! Anytime we get a push of water and a warm up a few fish seam to mosey in from the lake.