Waters · Rivers · MT · Fri, Oct 30

Bighorn River fishing report today Biting — save your energy for the evening.

Worth a cast.

6/10
Biting

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
4:00 AM–6:00 AM
Moon overhead
Minor
12:53 PM–1:53 PM
Moonset
Major
4:31 PM–6:31 PM
Moon underfoot
Minor
9:14 PM–10:14 PM
Moonrise

Sunrise 7:47 AM · sunset 6:00 PM · tomorrow's first major 5:01 AM–7:01 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 8:40 AM

Conditions right now

Water temp
50°F
USGS 06287800 updated 7:30 AM
Water level
6.02ft
-0.01 ft in 24h
USGS 06287800 updated 7:30 AM
Flow
1700cfs
USGS 06287800 updated 7:30 AM
Pressure
30.05inHg
rising fast · +3.05 hPa/12h
NOAA K00U updated 12:25 AM
Wind
5mph SW
NOAA K00U updated 12:25 AM
Moon
73% waning
Solunar · computed updated 8:40 AM

Nearby gauges

These sit on connected water, not on Bighorn River itself.

  • Release below the dam — 1790 cfs
    USGS 06287000 updated 8:15 AM

What this means

Trout
50°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.

Bighorn River water level today

6.02 ft down 0.01 ft in 24 hours

That sits 19% of the way up the band it has held over the last 8 days, between 5.99 and 6.15 ft. Over the week it is down0.09ft.

10-22 5.99–6.15 ft 10-30
USGS 06287800 updated 7:30 AM

The week ahead

Sat 8 On fire
Sun 7 Biting
Mon 7 Biting
Tue 7 Biting
Wed 6 Biting
Thu 7 Biting
Fri 7 Biting

Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.

Before you go

A Montana fishing license covers this water — $21 a year for residents. FWP sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What it costs, and who is exempt →

Nearby waters today

Questions people ask about Bighorn River

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Bighorn River.

Is it worth fishing Bighorn River today?
6 out of 10 — biting. Worth a cast. The strongest stretch is 4:00 AM–6:00 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.
What time should you fish Bighorn River?
Today's major windows run 4:00 AM–6:00 AM and 4:31 PM–6:31 PM, with minor windows at 12:53 PM–1:53 PM and 9:14 PM–10:14 PM. Sunrise is 7:47 AM and sunset 6:00 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at Bighorn River?
50°F, read at 7:30 AM from USGS station 06287800. That is 0.7 degrees warmer than 24 hours ago.
What is the water level at Bighorn River right now?
6.02 ft, read at 7:30 AM from USGS station 06287800. Over 24 hours it is down 0.01 ft.
Are water levels rising or falling at Bighorn River?
Falling. The lake is down 0.01 ft in 24 hours and down 0.09 ft over the week. Over the last 8 days it has held between 5.99 and 6.15 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.
Can you eat the fish you catch in Bighorn River?
That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, with the health and environmental departments publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where issued as one statewide document rather than a searchable database, with 21 new or revised PFAS advisories in 2026. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.
Do you need a licence to fish Bighorn River?
Yes. A Montana fishing license covers this water, required from age 12. FWP sets the rules and is the one that counts.
What size fish can you keep in Montana?
It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: combined trout (brown, rainbow, golden, cutthroat and grayling), largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Where these numbers come from

The release at Yellowtail Afterbay Dam drives the entire tailwater stretch.

No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.