Beaverhead River Overview Below Map
See also...
Access to the Beaverhead River
Regional Fly Shops and Guide Service
Prior to the
completion of the Clark Canyon Dam in 1964, the Beaverhead River struggled to
survive on low water years when entire sections would dry up. From the dam to Three Forks, where the
Beaverhead, the Big Hole and the Ruby River meet to form the Jefferson River,
the river stretches 69 miles.
Fifty of these miles the river winds its way through an agricultural
valley. Since the dam's completion,
the Beaverhead has achieved worldwide fame as one of the best tail-water
fisheries in the country. And for
the record, this paradise is verifiably evident with biologists proclaiming
record populations and record size browns from their shocking studies. Even to
this day upper river rainbows average 17 inches with a sizable population of
20+ inch fish. Biologists report
as many as 1900 fish per mile over 16 inches, along with 700 fish per mile in
the 20+ range.
In the days when
Blue Ribbon was bantered around so lightly, the Beaverhead studies reported
astonishing numbers of trout per mile with browns waiting to enter the record
books. Today the numbers are only slightly down due to Whirling Disease, and
anglers truly have the opportunity to catch "Five-Pounders". No other river between Glacier and
Yellowstone holds such promise for a catch-of-a-lifetime as this national
treasure.
The Beaverhead
hosts abundant insect life, half-submerged willows and a tailwater rich in
nutrients. But by all standards this narrow river holds challenges for seasoned
veterans. Yet each passing season innocents from abroad proudly photograph
their rewards. From the Clark Canyon Reservoir to Dillon provides approximately
20 river miles of water racing past a double-wall barrier of thick willow,
submerged obstacles, sweepers and undercut banks. Dangling willow arms greedily
reach out to snatch your offerings, and weighted nymph patterns and buggers
stumble through underwater deadfalls. Shooting past a target, he who hesitates
is lost, and lost flies mount up as the day progresses. Typical flows in
mid-summer on a high water year reach in excess of 1,000 cfs making it tough on
both guides and clients.
The upper
section from the dam to Barrett's Dam is the most famous stretch of water. Here
wade fishers are even more challenged during high water releases. Optimum flows
for floating this upper section are from 600 to 800 cfs. Compounding the
aforementioned physical conditions is the simple fact that heightened pressure
has produced some very educated browns.
In recent years studies have shown an increase in angler days on the
river in excess of 28,000 per season.
With increased traffic on the river, new restrictions on outfitters and
out-of-state float fishing parties have been instituted. Whereas in the past heavily weighted
buggers with incredibly short and stout leaders was the preferred method,
realistic nymph patterns properly presented prevail today.
Rather than be
intimidated, however, relish the prospect of fishing over 300 trophy size
browns per mile, but before you shove off in your kickboat, take a teaspoon of lowered
expectations. If you can afford it, by all means hire a guide. During my last
visit to the Beaverhead, I sat in my truck outside a shop in Dillon arranging
notes and brochures. I heard two out-of-state visitors debating the merits of
hiring a guide. Money wasn't even a consideration. The men had pulled a drift
boat behind them from another state and felt sheepish about hiring a guide on
that basis alone. Sitting in my truck, I couldn't pretend to be oblivious to
their dilemma so I hopped out and approached them. Within 60 seconds they
returned to the shop to book a trip. Here is an almost word-for-word argument I
gave them.
"Excuse
me. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I am a former guide from
out of the area, and I can tell you without hesitation I dearly wish I could
afford to higher a guide. If money isn't the issue consider this. Only one of
you will be able to fish at a time while the other person is on the oars.
That's half the day watching your buddy fish. You are going to be speeding down
the river 5 to 6 miles per hour not knowing what lies around the next bend.
Before you can even react, your going to blow through a good pocket that you
could have got out of the boat and fished. Even if you are an experienced
oarsman, you are going to miss a lot of prime water, and hopefully you will
miss rapping the top of that boat of yours on a low bridge. Lastly, you will
probably doggedly cling to a non-productive pattern in the absence of a "voice
of authority."
The opener
begins May 17, and the preferred fly patterns are small mayflies, small yellow
stoneflies and caddis. Keep in mind that the first stretch down to Grasshopper
Creek Access remains clear coming out of the dam. Grasshopper Creek muddies the
water during run-off and during heavy rains, but this section above provides
clear opportunities, albeit a short distance of a little over ten miles. Early
summer brings PMDs and then later tricos, but these hatches tend to be early
and late in the day. The upper section lacks green pastureland for hoppers
gradually working their way to the water's edge, but instead crane flies fill
the void, and late summer and early fall find scattered hatches of Baetis.
Throughout the river drainage, the Beaverhead is primarily known for fishing
down and ugly versus sitting high and pretty. Floaters fishing below Dillon to
Anderson Road will find conditions much better for dry fly fishing along with
far fewer boats, and from Barrett's Bridge to the town of Dillon, wade fishers
delight in catching smaller trout but in greater numbers.
Most voices of authority will concur that nymph fishing is the best tactic year round, unless you find yourself in the middle of a hatch. However, in the fall, anglers switch to streamer patterns. From late summer into the fall, the browns are staging to spawn, and the water level, often dropping to 300 cfs, affords more opportunity to slow drift and really target the best water. Browns aggressively defend their beds. Anglers must court disaster in casting next to undercut banks and then ripping the streamers across submerged entanglements. But it is not just the browns that are targeted. Rainbows stack up at the tail out of runs and pools waiting for floating eggs drifting up from a depression or run. Egg patterns and streamers work well for these opportunistic rainbows, as do Girdle Bugs and Yuk Bugs.
