Beaverhead River
The Beaverhead River is undoubtedly one of the finest trophy trout streams in Montana, if not the entire Lower 48. Beginning at the outflow of Clark Canyon Dam, located 20 miles south of Dillon, the Beaverhead River flows north 60 miles, right through Dillon, and towards the confluence with the Ruby and Big Hole River just downstream of the town of Twin Bridges. A tailwater fishery with a ton of Spring Creek influence, the Beaverhead's prolific hatches of caddisflies, mayflies, little yellow stones, midges, and craneflies create a tremendous food source and a great fishery for exceptionally large trout. As the summer moves along, fish will also begin to key in on terrestrials, small baitfish, and crayfish more actively.
In March, prolific hatches of Blue Wing Olives and midges kick off our dry fly fishing, followed by PMDs (pale morning duns) in June and July and Tricos in August, and the excellent dry fly fishing continues until we get the really cold weather towards the end of
November. With a good mixture of both Brown and Rainbow Trout in the upper Beaverhead River, anglers can expect to catch a number of fine trout on most any day of the fishing season.
One of our absolute favorite things about Dillon is our close proximity to both the Beaverhead and Big Hole Rivers, the two of which could not be any more different from each other. The Beaverhead River is narrow and winding, with willow lined banks and deep undercuts where the big girls and boys live. The water is a very clear blue-green color because of the vegetation and numerous springs that are common throughout the entire length of the Beaverhead River.
One of the neat things about the Beaverhead River is that even while the character of the river stays the same from Clark Canyon Dam all the way to Twin Bridges, the techniques and flies that work best change drastically over the course of the river. Closest to the dam, small bugs are usually the ticket with midges, small mayfly imitations, and scuds being the most productive flies in general. As you get a little further downstream, from High Bridge down to Barrett's, the hatches become a little more diverse and in certain situations, much more prolific. Caddisflies, a number of different mayflies, yellow sallies, golden stoneflies, craneflies, and more can all be found in this stretch of the river. Streamer also work very well in the upper stretches, especially in low-light conditions and on overcast or rainy days.
As you get about 20 miles downstream from Clark Canyon Dam, you get to the water around Dillon which is often overlooked by traveling anglers who have only heard or read about the famous upper stretches of the Beaverhead. Some of the heaviest Mother's Day Caddis and BWO hatches of the year occur within 2 or 3 miles of town, and there is a lot of public access to the water just upstream of town. When flows out of Clark Canyon Dam are high (600+ CFS) in the heat of summer and grasshopper fishing is really turning on, the Beaverhead River will often be running right around 200 CFS through town because of the amount of water diverted for irrigation. When this is the case, the wade fishing around town can be phenomenal. As you get downstream of Dillon, public access gets harder to come by and the number of fish per mile decreases significantly because of lower flows and warmer temperatures. That being said, there are some good fish in the stretch of the Beaverhead River between Dillon and Twin Bridges, but they are few and far between when compared with the water upstream of Dillon.
Popular fishing months are June, July, and September - but we highly recommend March, April, May, August, and October as there are fewer anglers and the fishing is fantastic. The fishing on the Beaverhead River is really special, even in the middle of winter when everything below Pipe Organ Bridge is still open to fishing. June, July, and September are popular with traveling anglers because of the big ticket hatches and superb weather that we can usually count on. However, if you're here to fish, it is tough to beat the shoulder seasons. April, May, October, and November can offer great fishing with less people on the water, and maybe weather that is a little less predictable. Don't hesitate to give us a ring at the shop if you have any questions about the Beaverhead River or would like some up-to-the-minute information on conditions and hatches.
In March, prolific hatches of Blue Wing Olives and midges kick off our dry fly fishing, followed by PMDs (pale morning duns) in June and July and Tricos in August, and the excellent dry fly fishing continues until we get the really cold weather towards the end of
November. With a good mixture of both Brown and Rainbow Trout in the upper Beaverhead River, anglers can expect to catch a number of fine trout on most any day of the fishing season. One of our absolute favorite things about Dillon is our close proximity to both the Beaverhead and Big Hole Rivers, the two of which could not be any more different from each other. The Beaverhead River is narrow and winding, with willow lined banks and deep undercuts where the big girls and boys live. The water is a very clear blue-green color because of the vegetation and numerous springs that are common throughout the entire length of the Beaverhead River.
One of the neat things about the Beaverhead River is that even while the character of the river stays the same from Clark Canyon Dam all the way to Twin Bridges, the techniques and flies that work best change drastically over the course of the river. Closest to the dam, small bugs are usually the ticket with midges, small mayfly imitations, and scuds being the most productive flies in general. As you get a little further downstream, from High Bridge down to Barrett's, the hatches become a little more diverse and in certain situations, much more prolific. Caddisflies, a number of different mayflies, yellow sallies, golden stoneflies, craneflies, and more can all be found in this stretch of the river. Streamer also work very well in the upper stretches, especially in low-light conditions and on overcast or rainy days.
As you get about 20 miles downstream from Clark Canyon Dam, you get to the water around Dillon which is often overlooked by traveling anglers who have only heard or read about the famous upper stretches of the Beaverhead. Some of the heaviest Mother's Day Caddis and BWO hatches of the year occur within 2 or 3 miles of town, and there is a lot of public access to the water just upstream of town. When flows out of Clark Canyon Dam are high (600+ CFS) in the heat of summer and grasshopper fishing is really turning on, the Beaverhead River will often be running right around 200 CFS through town because of the amount of water diverted for irrigation. When this is the case, the wade fishing around town can be phenomenal. As you get downstream of Dillon, public access gets harder to come by and the number of fish per mile decreases significantly because of lower flows and warmer temperatures. That being said, there are some good fish in the stretch of the Beaverhead River between Dillon and Twin Bridges, but they are few and far between when compared with the water upstream of Dillon.
Popular fishing months are June, July, and September - but we highly recommend March, April, May, August, and October as there are fewer anglers and the fishing is fantastic. The fishing on the Beaverhead River is really special, even in the middle of winter when everything below Pipe Organ Bridge is still open to fishing. June, July, and September are popular with traveling anglers because of the big ticket hatches and superb weather that we can usually count on. However, if you're here to fish, it is tough to beat the shoulder seasons. April, May, October, and November can offer great fishing with less people on the water, and maybe weather that is a little less predictable. Don't hesitate to give us a ring at the shop if you have any questions about the Beaverhead River or would like some up-to-the-minute information on conditions and hatches.