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The Bighorn Angler
Fly fishing and Hunting Lodge
PO Box 7578
Fort Smith, MT 59035
(406)666-2233 (Lodge)
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The construction of Yellowtail Dam near Fort Smith in 1965 created a "classic tailwater fishery." Biologists call the Bighorn the most productive trout stream in the United States. The Bighorn's high flows (normally in excess of 2,000 cubic feet per second), along with an extremely rich food base and excellent trout reproductive and growth rates explain why there is such a phenomenal population of large trout despite heavy fishing pressure.
Since the river springs from penstocks 150 feet below the surface of Bighorn Reservoir, the water is always cold and clear. When spring runoff causes other rivers to be high and roily, the Bighorn is flowing clear and well within its banks.
 The river, which flows through the Crow Indian Reservation, was closed to the general public in 1975. But in 1981, it was reopened by a Supreme Court decision. Public access is limited to three points on the upper 13 miles of the river: Afterbay, 3 Mile (Lind Ranch) and 13 mile (Bighorn Access). The river must be floated or waded since fishermen are required to stay below the high-water mark. We use our boats primarily as transportation to the best fishing spots on the river, then we disembark and wade fish.
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