Day Two: Bighorn River with Dave...It gets better

Our second day on the Bighorn unfolded as an even better day than our first.

We were guided again by Dave Dill, who retired as a Captain with 30 years service with the Montana State Highway Patrol.  Dave is an excellent guide who knows the Bighorn like the back of his hand and has a smooth and gentle style that was perfect for Jon's introduction to fly fishing here.  We really enjoyed spending time with Dave and he has earned a spot on my "A" list of guides.

The morning greeted us with cooler temps and overcast skies.  The weatherman was calling for about a 40% chance of rain...so chose to pack our raincoats in the dry bag.  Our plan was to fish the river in the same pattern as yesterday (cover Three Mile to Bighorn Access first, then cover the Afterbay to Three Mile section late in the day).

At the Three Mile section we fished the same section as yesterday and had some dry fly action right off the bat- fishing size 18-20 black caddis and took several fish with these.  From there we drifted down using small nymphs and covering the many shelves and drop-offs.  By late morning the cloud cover had blown out and we switched over to a Hopper/dropper rig and continued to pick up fish with these.  I think the highlight of the first part of the day was watching Jon fish a shallow run accross from Mike Craigs place (a run that I have never been able to get into).  Jon cast beautifully and threw big mends to get perfect drifts through this run.  He was rewarded with 4-5 fish ion about 20 minutes...masterful!!!

 We finished up at Bighorn Access by about 3:30 and hauled back into town to arrange a shuttle and then quickly made our way to the Afterbay and put back in.  With the skies darkening we prepared to get dumped on and broke out the raincoats.  Soon the rain came..along with some pretty intense thunder and lightning.  Dave decided to get us off the main channel and we took shelter along the side of the river. 

After a pretty good shower the sky began to breakup and we went looking for "snouts".  Dave had us on a pod of rising fish and we succeeded in picking off several of these fish...casting size 20-22 black caddis and a tiny mayfly imitation.

Mather nature put on a real show for us at the end of the day...the skies were unbelievable- double rainbow, huge cloud formations, unreal lighting.  After a great meal at the Trout Shop, Jon and I got ourselves packed up and ready for our last day on the Bighorn and a long drive to Cody, Wyoming.

A final thought about Dave Dill.  Jon and I agreed that Dave did an outstanding job guiding us.  He was very helpful with Jon's technique...especially in mending (a really critical technique in fly fishing).  But most of all, Dave is one of the nicest, most genuine guys I've ever had the pleasure of spending time with.  If you ever have a chance to fish with his, both Jon and I would highly recommend him.  Thanks Dave!!!