Depending on the season, the Beaverhead might as well be two different rivers. In the late Spring and Summer the flows are up around 950 cfs to accommodate irrigation demands around Dillon, MT. During this time, most of the fishing is done from rafts and drift boats, and wading is only possible on side channels with extreme caution. However, starting October 1 the flows drop to 125 cfs, the crowds disappear, and big spawners move into the upper stretches of the river. Conveniently, the early Fall is also a great time to catch prolific BWO hatches on this amazing tailwater fishery. Honestly, the 'Beave' turns into one of the best kept secrets in Southwestern Montana.
Alina and I pulled into the walk-in access and an empty parking lot. The sun was already pushing temperatures into the high 40's by the time we rigged up and got onto the river. At first I didn't recognize this same stretch that we fished earlier in the year - In some places the water was easily 2-3 feet below its summer mark, and crystal clear too! From the start, it was clear that stealth and presentation would be vital to success. Using size 16-18 olive & brown Zebra midges dropped off soft hackles we started working upstream focusing on the faster-deeper stretches.
Almost immediately I looked downstream to see Alina's 5-weight Sage in full bend with a hefty fish on. I rush downstream and help her land a hefty rainbow. "Look's like we're in for a treat!", she said with a smile after releasing the fish. Excited to get into the action, I quickly return to the hole I'd been fishing. A couple floats later, my indicator dips ever so lightly and I set the hook on a nice brownie. Taking care to not break my 6x tippet I quickly land the fish and let it go.
We continued fishing upstream this way until around noon catching most of our fish on the Zebra midge. After a quick lunch we began to see Blue Winged Olives flying around. At first the fish seemed uninterested in the small mayfly, but as the hatch thickened the river came alive with rising fish. I focused my immediate attention on a small, but deep side channel where I saw many rises. I snuck up from below and crawled into casting range of the trout. After a couple casts I put my small parachute BWO over one of the fish and got a hit only to then miss the fish. Moving up the channel, I missed fish after fish hooking them only briefly before losing the connection.
After finally landing a nice brown in the channel, I moved upstream to find Alina working on another nice stretch of river. By this time, the surface was coated with BWO's and fish were rising everywhere. In the midst of the excitement I tried to target the bigger fish, but to little avail: it seemed as though my imitations were of little interest. In times like this persistence did eventually pay off, and by the time the hatch was over Alina and I had each landed a few nice browns.
After a little taste of dry-fly heaven Alina and I left the Beaverhead with a newfound appreciation. It was truly amazing to witness the such consistent, yet challenging fly fishing complete with an amazing hatch. Suffice it to say that the winter-flow version of the Beaverhead become one of our favorites in just one trip, and we knew that a return trip was in order.
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