The Bighorn You Don’t Know

If you are floating, this is a fairly easy river to maneuver with the exception of a few basic rapids and obstacles that can take you by surprise. These include bridge abutments, diversion dams, big boulders, and eroded banks where barbed-wire fence is stretched across bends of the river.

There are three full-day floats near Thermopolis. The first is from the Wedding of the Waters downstream 7 miles to the Eighth Street Bridge boat ramp in Thermopolis. If you want to add another couple of miles to your trip, continue to the Broadway Bridge ramp or a little farther to the Rainbow Terrace boat ramp in Hot Springs State Park. Be aware that in high water, you will not be able to float under a couple of low-hanging bridges downstream of the Eighth Street boat ramp.

The second stretch begins at Rainbow Terrace boat ramp in Hot Springs State Park and ends at the Wakely Farm ramp. This is not a popular float with visitors as you must portage around two diversion dams.

The third stretch begins at the Wakely Farm ramp and goes to the Country Campground or Longwell ramp. If you decide to go farther, you may go on to the Black Mountain Road ramp, 8 miles downstream just off Highway 172.

When to Come

The Bighorn is open year-round and you can catch fish anytime, but some time periods are definitely better than others. The worst times to visit are in the hottest days of late summer when the hatches are sparse and the river is cluttered with weeds, and in midwinter.

The spring and early summer months of March through July have the heaviest hatches and usually provide the best dry-fly action. The pre-runoff fishing in April, before the rainbows get on their spawning beds, can be excellent if you get the right weather and witness the river’s incredible Baetis hatches. The nymph and streamer fishing is always good when the weeds are absent. The fall fishing turns on again in September and can be great until the bitter cold settles in December. The big browns aggressively chase streamers around spawning time in November, and rainbows can be suckers for egg patterns at this time of year.

Hatches and Tactics

The Bighorn is a prolific midge fishery and these tiny insects hatch every month except August. Early spring and late fall are the best months to witness intense hatches. Trout rarely rise to midge adults on this river, but actively take pupae imitations when adults are on the surface. The Disco Midge, Brassie, WD-40, and RS2 are all great patterns for this hatch.

The first important spring mayfly hatch is the Baetis. Called Blue-winged Olives by most Wyoming anglers, these small (#18-20) insects usually start coming off around the end of March or beginning of April. Overcast, miserable days should provide you with memories of incredible surface action.