The Big Hole River
This is the river that can bring angling excitement and raw adventure into focus almost simultaneously, because of the slow deep tail outs which break rather suddenly into fast, tumbling and heaving rapids! Picture, if you will, a huge, heavy shouldered brown trout smashing a dry salmon fly in the tail out in deep water right near the break. The drift boat and the oarsmen are now committed to the rapids-but the trout wants nothing to do with going down the chute. The angler’s reel now becomes a rotating blur as the angler and the trout become distant. The angler exerts heavy pressure on the rim of the reel, but the large trout refuses to honor. A2X leader now insignificant- the trout and fly are gone! It happens on the Big Hole!
The early trappers of the 1800’s knew this river by the huge valley that this river drains, and they called it the “Big Hole in the Mountains.” That “Big Hole” the trappers knew is located just east of the town of Wisdom and the river headwaters just south of that area.
From its headwaters in the Bitterroot mountain range to its confluence with the Beaverhead River just north of Twin Bridges, this river offers well over 100 miles of trout habitat. From Wisdom to Wise River, the Big Hole is basically a meadow meander- slow moving and gentle. Here, it is possible to find five species of fish- Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Brown trout, and Artic Grayling! The Big Hole River is the only river in the lower 48 to host a native species of Fluvial Grayling!
The valley floor here is huge. The hay meadows undulate in the wind like ocean waves, and distant peaks of the Bitterroot and Pioneer Mountains rim the “Big Hole!” You may even see some “Sunny Slope Slide Hay Stackers,” a device invented in this valley in the early 1900’s by local farmers and ranchers. These were used for stacking hay. The abundant natural grasses and the old, wooden hay slides are a testimony to the timeless quality of the valley. Serenity and solitude abound!
East of the Wise River, the Big Hole River begins to pick up velocity! The gradient gets steep as the river enters a canyoned area. Rapids, riffles, and pools must be navigated by your guide as you cast to pockets, slicks, and seams for rainbow trout. Before the takeout at Silver Bridge, a series of rapids and standing waves offer an exciting ride in addition to the fishing!
Just about 4 ˝ miles east of the Silver bridge Takeout, State Highway # 43 heads westerly from Interstate 15, and yourself, your fishing partner, and your guide are just passing the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and entering the small burg called Divide. On your right you notice the Blue Moon Saloon, where Big Hole Brown trout reach gigantic proportions and achieve great levels of ferocity! Just beyond the Saloon, and on the right, is LeFores Fly Shop, where the trout’s dimensions and mannerisms are treated more realistically. On the left side of the highway we pass by the Divide Post Office, which matches the size of the town it serves, and then we cross the Big Hole River at the Divide Bridge. Once across the river, we are at the Divide access area where we launch the boat and begin our float.
It is June 13th, the river is flowing 2,900 cubic feet per second, and the giant salmon flies are hatching. The weather is cloudy but calm, the valley is green with lush grass and wild hay, and the lofty peaks of mountains seem to be competing with the clouds for altitude. It is a very pretty place.
You are going to fish 2 flies at a time, a size 4 Lempke Stonefly and a size 6 Orange Stimulator. Because the water level is high and the velocity fast, you are using a 9 foot 6 weight rod. You will be casting very tightly to the bank, which in most cases will be lined with tree branches, and using leaders tapered to 2X.
After the boat is launched, your guide is very busy slipping the boat from side to side, maneuvering around rocks. Some of these rocks are protruding above the surface and visible; others are subsurface but shallow enough to grab the boat. The river is moving very fast, and you are casting close in under the branches. Just upstream from a flat sided rock, a large trout attacks your fly – you are startled by the splash-almost like a boulder being tossed into the river- but you instinctively respond and the fish is hooked. He is very heavy and does not want to yield, your line lengthens quickly as the boat moves down the stream and the trout moves across toward center of the river. You are palming the reel with very heavy pressure, and suddenly the throbbing stops and you feel dead weight. You know that the fish has wrapped the leader in an underwater snag, and you are forced to clamp the line and break off.
You are angry with yourself for losing the fish, but the guide is quick to advise you that you did everything correct. He reminds you that this is a very fast river at the present time, and that dropping anchors anywhere other than close to the bank in slow water could result in the boat being dragged under the water, that jumping out of the boat and holding fast is not an option. He explains that the basic reason for the 6 weight rod and the 2X tippet is because under the existing conditions, you must gain the advantage and take charge of the fish. You handled the fish correctly, but some will get away. That is just part of the game.
You continue downstream after your guide re-rigs with flies and checks your leader for frayed areas. The sun has eliminated most of the low hanging clouds, and the salmon flies are abundant. They are very visible as they fly over the water and the sunlight reflects from their wings. They compare in size to a hummingbird, but fly in a clumsy fashion. Some of the females are dropping egg sacks, and the trout are taking the flies that are on the water surface. The river is beginning to widen and slow down somewhat,, and you are still fishing toward the bank. Your partner has hooked and landed 2 medium sized browns. As you approach an irrigation diversion, your guide is moving farther from the bank and asks you to drop the flies about 16 to 20 feet from the bank. Here, the water is much slower and about 3 feet deep. As the flies drift, a sizable trout deftly ascends and takes the largest fly. You respond, the trout is hooked, and he races toward the bank. After a short series of give and take, he goes toward the bottom and upstream. You are palming the reel and the guide is back rowing to help you gain the advantage, the trout comes your way and is led to the net. He is a very handsome male brown with a kyped jaw, and is photographed and released. You fought the fish very well, the guide is pleased and you are elated! The fish was in the 21 inch class, a very good fish on any river, but inside you know that this river has even larger fish. As you continue down stream, other fish are caught and released. The river quickens and takes on more of a riffle pool effect, and the surrounding hills and mountains appear closer to the river. You pass by another boat launch area, and soon pass under an overhead steel bridge. The Union Pacific Railroad tracks are now adjacent to the left side of the river. You are now entering Maiden Rock Canyon.
The canyon walls are very steep and the rock formations interesting. Your guide mentions that there are Bighorn Sheep present in this canyon and if one wants to watch for them you might see some. You feel a measure of reward in knowing that you are in a wild and very scenic area, but opt to watch dry flies rather than sheep.
You now begin to notice that the riffles are becoming more like rapids, and some of the drops have sizeable standing waves. Your guide asks you to be seated as you go through a couple of these areas, for safety reasons, and makes sure the pfds are easily reached. You now know that this river is going to have its own way, and you will conform, to it. You are now going down a very fast and surging chute, and as you look downstream the river appears to disappear completely! As the boat nears the bottom of the run, your guide is back rowing vigorously and moving the stern of the boat to the left. You can now see that the river is making a very sharp 90 degree turn to the left, and your guide has handled the situation very well. It’s just another interesting feature in Maidenrock Canyon!
Your guide is now pointing out some interesting changes in the river that should-and will- be of great interest to you and your angling partner. He asks you to notice the very huge rock formations and ledge rock near the bottom of the deep pools below each set of rapids. You notice that these areas have holding water that is very deep and secure. It is obvious that these places are hard to fish, but is also obvious that some very large trout could be lurking there! To the left side of the boat and along the east bank of the river, your guide highlights a very deep cut with ledge rock coming close to the surface. The fish holding possibilities here are quite apparent, and you place your sofa pillow exactly where it will drift over the holding area. A fish ascends from the depths of that run and smacks the fly like a Polaris missile released from a submarine! It dives and holds deep, and to prevent a cut leader on the edge of the sharp rock, you apply heavy pressure upward. The fish rapidly leaves the backside of the ledge rock and heads upstream, your reel buzzing as fly line disappears into dark water. The fish is now at least 60 feet upstream from the boat and wanting more line, but you skillfully palm and release pressure on the reel as necessary, your guide is back rowing earnestly to help you gain advantage. You begin to regain line on your reel, but the fish vigorously swims for the center of the river and takes back more line. You are able to turn him, after a series of short give and take; the fish is netted and unpinned. This is a female rainbow about 17 inches long, but has a remarkable girth. The fish looks like a football and your guide rows into the bank and secures the boat. The fish is carefully transferred from the net to the shoreline gravel, and your rod and landing net are placed next to the fish for photos. As you pick up the fish to place her back into the water, she regurgitates about a dozen partially digested salmon flies! You also feel a sense of respect for the fish and the river which yielded the trout. You and your partner have had a great day!
You have taken notice that Maidenrock Canyon is very unique. There are no buildings or dwellings in the canyon. There are no visible roads, and today, there are no bank fishermen who had walked in from the lower end of the canyon, probably because the canyon is difficult to wade when the water is high. The scenery is spectacular!
As you leave the canyon, the river begins to widen. The riffle areas become shallower and the water velocity decreases. These types of riffles do hold trout, and your guide stops the boat right below Merriwether Bridge, and more trout are caught on Sofa Pillows and Orange Stimulators from 12 to 30 feet from the bank. The sky to the southwest has blackened, and the rumble of thunder foretells of a weather change. The hour is late, so we board the boat and push off. Soon we round the last bend, and the new bridge above the Salmon fly access area is drawing near. Below the bridge, your guide takes the right hand channel around the island, and as the boat launch appears, he drops anchor and jumps out of the boat. He pulls both the boat and anchor toward the bank, and secures moorage. When the river is running 2,900 cfs, this launch comes very quickly, and is easily missed!
Lightning is now flashing all around us, the wind is gusting quickly, and the sky is getting darker. Rain is beginning to fall and your guide is quickly winching up the boat. In concert, everyone is grabbing gear and putting it under the camper shell. You jump into the truck as the guide gets the last of his equipment put away. It is now raining hard!
As you ride home, the rain continues and the thunderstorm is fierce. You reflect on the diverse character of the Big Hole River. The shallow riffles, the slower deep riffles, the deep cuts, rapids and undercut banks. The mysterious ledge rock holes, deep and dark in Maidenrock Canyon. What types and sizes of trout would lurk there?
The conversation touches on the good things of the day- the fellowship, the shore line lunch. Suddenly, the last of the black-bottomed cupcakes are retrieved from the cooler and quickly consumed! We talk about the hatch and the surface feeding trout. Sure, we missed some, but we also caught some very nice trout. And we learned a lot about the Big Hole River!
But, what is really known about the trout at Maidenrock Canyon? Has anything really huge been caught there and when? Your guide tells you some angling history about the river. He knows that every year, there will be a few trout caught that exceed 8 pounds, both rainbows and browns. He also tells you that each season, the Fish and Game folks do population surveys on the river. As a matter of record, the very largest trout captured and weighed by the survey team was located in the very last hole in Maidenrock Canyon. It was a brown trout that weighed in at 22 pounds!!
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