Big Hole

Water Conditions:  No Generation to one unit, up to one foot up........

Layout:  Above the Big Hole and below the Rebar Hole is a narrow stretch we'll name the Narrows.  It starts out shallow- about 2 to 4 feet deep and becomes even shallower before deepening into the Big Hole.  The Narrows always has current.  The bottom is a combination of gravel, bed rock and chunk rock.  The Big Hole is fairly deep - 5 to 7 feet in places.  At the point where the Narrows ends, the hole opens up creating a gravel point that drops off fairly fast.  The north bank is shallow and drops off gradually into the hole.  The hole itself extend about 200 yards downstream to the old boat ramp where is shallows back up into a riffle.

What to look for:  Trout will midge this area almost all the time.  The gravel holds midge larva, sow bugs and other aquatic life and are very abundant in the Narrows.  Midge hatches occur generally in the mornings and evenings, but trout take emergers anytime during the day.  Rainbows and browns are thick in the narrows and down in the Big Hole.  During mid-day, trout will hold down in deeper water and come up to the shallows if there's cloud cover or in the morning and evenings.  Look for trout actively feeding on the surface or rooting in the moss and gravel bottom.

How to:

Fly Fishing...... Use medium to light tippet, 5x to 7x (4.5 to 2.5 pound), and long leader- 12 to 14 feet.  Size of tippet depends on light and water clarity.  Very light tippet is needed if there's no wind and the sun is bright.  Start at the top of the shallow area and work down.  Use #12 to #16 size emergers (red, yellow, white or black) or #6 to #12 woolies and cast at a 45 degree angle downstream.  Strip fast and very short, stopping every 5 strips or let the fly swing in the current.  You will see the strike most of the time, depending how high the fly stays in the current.  Strip very slowly if at all.  Hold when directly downstream for a few seconds.  Strikes will be generally hard so hold rod to absorb the hit.  Lift the rod sharply but gently if using light tippet.

Dead drift beaded nymphs such as sow bugs, scuds, prince, pheasant tail or beaded midge from a 45 degree cast swinging downstream.  Use an indicator, setting the depth at 1.5 times the depth of the water.  Drift them either on the flats or in the deeper channel.  Use a small indicator so as not to spook fish in such shallow water.  It's also important to use plenty of leader and tippet.... try not to float your fly line over feed trout but keep you leader long enough that the fly line is kept back away from your presentation.   Use 5x to 7x tippet and a long leader.  During fall, winter and spring months when trout spawn, egg patterns are deadly as well.  Dead drift them the same way you would nymphs but target feeding trout behind spawning fish.

           Spin Fishing......  Use 2-pound line, green and small lures. Jigsin small sizes- 1/32 to 1/64 casted straight without a float and worked back medium.  Good colors are ginger, olive, sculpin, brown, black, black/yellow, white, pink or gray.  Then using a float, fish small jigs - 1/80 - 1/100th oz - 2 to 4 feet deep (depending on the depth of water you're fishing).  Micro jigs are fairly new on the scene and are working great on our trout.  White seems to be the universal color, no matter what time of year.  Small, in-line spinnerslike Mepps and Panther Martins worked close to the surface in choppy water will draw a strike.  Also small crank baits such as rebels or rapalas worked irratically close to the surface are good.  Use rainbow, gold or silver colors in floating size 3, 5 or 7.

Best Conditions:  Low light and a slight to medium wind.

Worse Conditions:  Bright sun and no wind.

Copyright:  Dec. 2003  Lilleys' Landing Resort
Phil Lilley, Jim Turner, BIMS