Our Shop Manager Ryan had the chance to bring fellow Beartooth employee RT along on an adventure at the Beaverhead River at the end of the opening week on the Upper River between Clark Canyon Dam and High Bridge. It was so good they had to go back a few more times to test if it was a fluke… it was not!
We were interested to see how the trout were doing after a milder winter with much more solid flows than the previous two winters. And we are happy to report the Trout in the Upper River are in very good shape. They most certainly had their feed bags on all winter and spring. Ryan and RT were both blessed with numerous trout in the 20 – 24 inch class and hooked up with two or three that were over that class but were lost due to straightened hooks or just by being outsmarted by our finny friends.
The Outflow at Clark Canyon Dam was at 489cfs making for a comfortable day of wade fishing the buckets and runs of the Upper River. Nymphing was the name of the game as it often is in this stretch of the Beaverhead. Sowbugs, Annelids, Small Baetis Nymphs and Emergers, and Midge patterns were all effective throughout the day. There’s just something special about showing a good friend a new stretch of river that they have never fished and seeing their delight as they began to unlock the keys to how to fish such a special piece of water.
Nymphs: Delektable Lil’ Spanker PT #16-#20, Delektable Big Spanker Warrior #18, Splitback BWO #18-#20, Hot Bead Soft Hackle Sow Bug Tan or Pink #16-#18, Ray Charles Tan or Pink #18-#20, Ninch’s Pill Popper #16-#18, Barr’s Emerger PMD or BWO #16-#18, Flossy Worm Red #12, Stocker’s Two Hot Baetis #18, Geppert’s Master Emerger #18, RS2 Olive #18, Delektable Worm Red or Pink #12, Delektable Ranch BWO #18.
