On May 14, fourteen CCTU members descended on Ft. Smith, Montana. Their destination was the triple wide trailer complex affectionately known as “The Condo”. Their goal was to erase the disappointment of last year when the normal 2200 cfs spring time flow of the Bighorn River was eclipsed by flows over 14,000 cfs. Last year made this annual Cutthroat Chapter pilgrimage too dangerous for even the most experienced river guides, let alone manageable by serious amateur rowers from our chapter. This year the snow pack was still 260% above normal in that drainage, but a different flow management philosophy made the river about half of last year’s volume. The Cutthroat anglers decided it was worth a try and that triple typical spring time flows might still be manageable. The daytime highs were in the low eighties the first three days making it a very pleasant time to be on the water, but the fish weren’t buying it and the catch rate was less than optimal. The higher flows made it difficult to approach the usually wade-accessible spots, and the fish normally confined to those holes had the freedom of movement to spread out thinly across the swollen river. Fortunately on the fourth day a cold front moved in and drizzle and cold brought the blue winged olives out to play.Swallows filled the air over the water like clouds of locust, and the productive Isle of Rich brought some love into the lonely nets of those anglers. It was a good way to end a trip that was filled with lots of joking and camaraderie, if not filled with more than a handful of big fish stories as well as few stories of the ones that got away.
Bighorn Trip Recap