Angling The Big Hole
The Big Hole river has been a destination for serious trout fisherman since the late 1880s when The Angler's Guide, an Eastern angling journal advertised the Big Hole as a national destination fishery for grayling and trout while promising daily 40 lb (18 kg) catches. Although the river still holds some native Cutthroat trout, their populations are almost non-existent. Instead, the river holds healthy wild populations of Brook, Rainbow and Brown trout which were first introduced into the Big Hole in late 1880s as hatchery operations began in Butte and Bozeman, MT. Native Mountain Whitefish are also prevalent in the river. In the 1980s, the state of Montana began stopping general stocking of all Montana rivers. The last hatchery fish were stocked in the Big Hole in 1990. Dozens of guides, outfitters and fishing lodges offer guided fishing on the Big Hole and its tributaries.
| Section | Description | Prevalent Species |
|---|---|---|
| Skinner Lake (Headwaters), Wisdom, MT to Fish Trap (River Mile 81) | This is the slow moving, high meadow stretch of the Big Hole. It ends at the last public access site on the river: Fish Trap. | The meadow stretch is home to a few remaining native Fluvial Arctic Grayling and a good population of exotic Brook trout. Rainbows and browns are few in this section. |
| Fish Trap to Melrose | This section is characterized by bouldered pocket water as it flows through a narrow canyon. This is excellent stone fly water. This section has 5 public access sites: Sportsman Park (Mile 78), Dewey (Mile 57), Greenwood Bottoms (Mile 57), Powerhouse (Mile 52) and Maidenrock (Mile 48). | Rainbows dominate brown trout in this stretch 2:1 with approximately 3000 fish per mile. |
| Melrose to Twin Bridges, MT | This section is characterized by cottonwood bottoms with braided channels and long, slow pools. This is also excellent stone fly water. There are public access sites at Salmon Fly (Mile 38), Brownes Bridge (Mile 32), Kalsta Bridge (Mile 30), Glen (Mile 25), Notch Bottom (Mile 18), Pennington Bridge (Mile 9), High Road (Mile 2). | Browns dominate rainbow trout in this stretch 2:1 with approximately 3000 fish per mile. |
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