Big Hole River, Montana (excerpted from Flywater Interactive) "Dry fly fishing on a dramatic mountain freestone river is, to our way of thinking, the very definition of western fly fishing." Fly fishing the Big Hole. The Big Hole River originates high in the Bitterroots of southwestern Montana. The river runs north through the dramatic Big Hole valley past the towns of Jackson and Wisdom. Turning to the east, it hits Wise River and Divide. Then it runs south, as if trying to complete a circle, to Melrose and Glen. Below Glen it heads northeast to form, along with the Beaverhead, the Jefferson at Twin Bridges. Picture a classic Montana freestone, a river bubbling out of the mountains, sweeping past boulders in canyons, forming riffles, runs, and pools -- picture this calendar freestone and you have the Big Hole. For a freestone river, the runoff on the Big Hole is remarkably benign. The water may discolor slightly from time to time and certainly get high during the spring, but it will not likely go out for extended periods. Even when perfectly clear, the Big Hole maintains a tea stain color. By the end of June or early July the river should be in prime form. The Big Hole River offers both excellent wading and floating. The upper stretch, above Wise River, is probably best approached on foot. From the Wise River down, floating becomes the preferred method of fishing the river, although wading opportunities abound and access from the highway is excellent down to Divide Bridge. A competent oarsman is a must for floating the middle and bottom Big Hole -- both for safety and better fishing. Your chances of a successful day will be greatly increased if you are being rowed by a good guide (or a good friend) who can place the raft in the right spot for casting as you go downriver. A little floating combined with a little wading provides the best of both worlds. The upper, meadow section of the river below Jackson runs through private land. Landowner permission is required to fish this stretch. Here the angler has the opportunity to fish for Arctic grayling -- an opportunity quite rare in the lower 48. These fish (along with brookies, rainbows and cutthroat) will be small and nonselective. Royal Humpies and light tackle can provide some exciting fly fishing in this upper section -- just don't expect anything over 12 inches. The 33-mile run from Wise River (put-in at Jerry Creek) to Glen is considered prime flywater on the Big Hole. Both Melrose (20 miles downriver from Jerry Creek) and Wise River have fly shops and offer support for the Big Hole angler. The canyon stretch from Divide to Melrose is probably the most popular on the river. This 13-mile piece of river is thought to hold the best concentration of larger fish. You will find a fairly even mix of browns and rainbows here, with the rainbows averaging 12 inches and the browns somewhat larger. Fish of 15 inches are expected, a fish approaching 20 inches is a trophy. Below Glen the river begins to slow somewhat into pools and longer runs. The insect life is less abundant here and that, combined with higher water temperatures in late summer, makes the fishing slow at times. This is a fertile valley and irrigation demands can be extreme. In the drought year of 1994 the river was closed due to low water. However, flood irrigation replenishes the aquifer, and the river seems to regain its strength quickly as fall arrives. This stretch is brown trout water and comes into its own in September when streamer fishing can be very good. The Big Hole puts on a series of impressive hatches, making it one of the classic dry fly freestones of the West. Oddly, perhaps the most important mayfly comes during pre-runoff in April. The large (#12-#14) March Brown can be expected on cloudy days in April in great numbers. Following in May, the Mother's Day caddis swarms the river. Again, look for the heaviest hatch on cloudy days. This hatch reveals the gluttonous nature of trout as they take mouthfuls of caddis from the surface. The noteworthy salmonfly hatch will be moving sporadically (but at times heavily) upriver from mid-June to early July. This is a large salmonfly (aren't they all?), at times needing a #2 or at least #4. The Sofa Pillow is a river standard. The local boys (and there will be plenty of them joining the sports) like to go down and dirty with a Bitch Creek or a Kauffman Stone. Caddisflies remain important through the summer. Pale Morning Duns fish well in July and August. The Rusty Spinner seems to be a very effective PMD spinner imitation on this river. In August and into September, the Trico will appear -- no larger than #22. During morning periods, the fish will want these Tricos and nothing else. Callibaetis in #14 and #16 are good in late summer and early fall. During this same period, you may see the spruce moth emerge. Use either a home tie or a white #16 Elk Hair Caddis. As the weather cools, the dependable Baetis will be the principal mayfly on the water. And if you cannot find rising fish, the fall is a great time for streamers. Dry fly fishing on a dramatic mountain freestone river is, to our way of thinking, the very definition of western fly fishing. The tailwaters have bigger and more fish and the spring creeks certainly have their own charm, but these great freestones, like the Big Hole, are so imbued with the active presence of nature that when you are on them, the difference between a 14-inch fish and an 18-inch fish seems a trivial matter indeed. The Big Hole is one of 50 rivers covered in the CD-ROM Flywater Interactive. In addition to the River Profiles on each of those 50 rivers, you will find maps, photographs, hatch information, fly charts, support services, regulations and more. The Flywater Interactive CD-ROM sells for $59.95 and can be ordered by telephoning 800-692-6292. Two coffee table books, Watermark and Flywater by Grant McClintock and Mike Crockett , are also available. Or visit Flywater Interactive at www.flywater.com. Copyright © 1996 Flywater Publishing. All rights reserved.