Bighorn River Guided Trips

We concentrate on the upper two sections of the Bighorn, focusing on the stretches between Afterbay, 3-Mile, and Bighorn Access. These reaches offer the most consistent early-season conditions, clean wading structure, and steady production.

Most days are float trips with time to step out and work productive seams on foot. The pace is steady and relaxed, with clear instruction on depth, drift, mending, and reading the subtle changes in speed and water color that matter on a tailwater like this.

Rates

• Full Day: $700 for one or two anglers
• Half Day: $600 for one or two anglers

What’s Included

• Guided float trip on the Bighorn River
• Boat, life jackets, and safety gear
• Rods, reels, terminal tackle, and flies if needed
• Cold drinks; full-day trips include shore lunch
• On-the-water instruction throughout the day

What to Bring

• Montana fishing license
• Layered clothing for spring weather, plus a rain jacket, hat, polarized sunglasses, and sunscreen
• Wading boots or shoes you can comfortably wade in

How & When The Bighorn Fishes

Because it is a tailwater, the Bighorn is driven by dam releases instead of direct runoff. That means clearer water, more stable temperatures, and reliable fishing when freestones around Livingston and Bozeman are still unsettled.

March–May: Prime Window

March through May is the core season for our Bighorn program. Midges and blue-winged olives drive much of the early action. On overcast days, pods of trout set up on mayflies in slow, shallow flats that are hard to match anywhere else that time of year.

Summer & Fall

As runoff fades and summer progresses, the Bighorn continues to fish with a mix of nymphing, dry flies, and some terrestrials. Pressure can be heavier in mid-summer, so we pick our windows carefully and talk honestly about traffic, weeds, and flows.

Winter

Some winters, the upper Bighorn offers short windows of fishable conditions when ice pushes anglers off other rivers. Those days are evaluated case by case and only recommended when we feel the drive and conditions line up.

River Character

The upper river is built around long runs, slow riffles, and broad flats. It rewards clean drifts, good presentations, and the patience to let a piece of water develop. You do not have to wade fast pocket water here; you focus on depth, angle, and where fish slide in and out of seams.

Beginners To Advanced Anglers

Beginners

The Bighorn is a great place to learn. Stable flows, plenty of fish, and forgiving structure let beginners focus on casting, line control, and hook sets without dealing with heavy currents or tricky wading.

Intermediate Anglers

Intermediates can sharpen drift, mending, and indicator work here, and get a lot out of reading subtle changes in depth and speed. Dry-fly days during BWO or midge hatches help connect the dots between nymphing and rising fish.

Advanced Anglers

For advanced anglers, the Bighorn becomes a technical tailwater classroom. Long leaders, light tippets, and small adjustments in angle and depth can make a big difference, especially when you are working pods of rising fish.

Part Of A Year-Round Program

The Bighorn is one piece of a broader, year-round program based out of Livingston. Because we are not tied to a single river, we can recommend or skip the Bighorn based on what is actually happening that season instead of forcing it into every plan.

Most guests fish the Bighorn as a dedicated day or two at the front or back end of a trip, since it sits a long distance from our Livingston waters. We will talk through whether it makes sense for your dates, goals, and travel plans before adding it to the schedule.

Or call or text (406) 224-0456 to talk through Bighorn options in plain terms.