Eagle Nest Lodge

Special Report
Fishing is good to excellent, with some days slow than usual, and other days on fire! Water is clear!
Hot Fly Patterns
Midges patterns on top have really been working well the last week. Flashy Streamer patterns such as Bighorn Buggers, Pumpkin Buggers and Leech patterns in sizes 2-6. Also the usual Ray Charles (plain and soft hackle) in pink or gray (16-18), orange, tan, grey, or pink soft hackle sowbugs in (14 16 and 18) scuds in orange or pink (14-16). Egg patterns in Chartreuse or Orange (6-8).
River Flows
2,000 cfs

Water Temperature
40 degrees at 3 Mile 42 degrees at St. Xavier

A great day on the Bighorn River for Betsy Bialon.  Great Job Betsy.  And 7 1/2 months pregnant too!

Reservoir Data

Pool Elevation is 3629.6 Feet
Pool Elevation to Fill 10.4 Feet
Reservoir Storage is 955410. Acre-Feet
Reservoir Storage to Fill 114619.0 Acre-Feet
Reservoir Inflow is 2020.9 CFS
Reservoir Outflow is 2020.9 CFS
Reservoir is 89.3 % Full*
Reservoir Flood Control Pool is filled 0.0 %
Mean Daily Flow Below Afterbay Flow is 2002.6 CFS
Mean Daily Canal Diversion is 0.0 CFS
Mean Daily Total Flow at Afterbay is 2002.6 CFS
Current Flow Below Afterbay is 2009.2 CFS
Current Canal Diversion is 0.0 CFS
Current total Flow at Afterbay is 2009.2 CFS

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2009 proved to be one of the best years of fly fishing we’ve had in a long time. The season started off with good mayfly hatches in the spring from mid April to late May. June we saw flows as high as 14,000 CFS which in turn made the nymph fishing outstanding! About mid July after the flows dropped, the hopper fishing started and lasted into the first week of October. 2009 Hopper fishing was out of this world. None of us have ever seen it as good. Fall fishing on the Bighorn was surprisingly good considering all the algae that had grown in the river over the season. The grass or algae didn’t seem to be a big problem this year. So far the snow pack and reservoir levels as of right now seem to mirror last winter. We expect to have similar flows in the river for 2010. Fish numbers continue to rise. Rainbow and brown trout numbers have increased per mile over the past three years. With the amount of water stored in the reservoir and snow on the mountains, 2010 should be another stellar year for the Bighorn River. With another flushing flow this spring, we should see an increase in caddis and stonefly hatches this summer!

Citing the water supply outlook for November, and despite the current lake elevation being the third highest on record and only 8 inches below the top of the conservation pool, Reclamation will reduce flows on the Bighorn River from 3,000cfs to 2,775cfs on Thursday.