FISH BIG SPRING CREEK

My name is Karl Gies and I have been fishing Big Spring Creek for sixty years.

Big Spring Creek originates six miles south of Lewistown and runs almost twenty-six miles to where it joins the Judith River. It is a stream of extraordinary beauty and it is a superb fishery. I grew up fishing this stream and moved back to Lewistown in 1970. Big Spring Creek was a major factor in making this decision.

This is one of the few towns of some size (population approximately 6500) that you can often catch a lot of fish right in the city limits.  There are eight state fish and game public access sites within ten miles of town and very generous private access. 

Big Spring Creek is a wade and walk stream and it is not a float and fish stream. It is open to year round fishing and is fishable when many other streams are blown out from runoff. It is easily wadable but I recommend chest waders. If you wade wet, shorts are not recommended due to brush, thorns and sun reflection. 

This is a great nymph and dry fly stream but wet flies also work well although they are not in vogue. I recommend a nine foot rod, 4 to 6 weight for all around fishing. If I only had one rod it would be a nine foot, five weight for this stream. If you just fish dry flies, shorter rods from seven to eight feet work well. The best dry fly rods are still bamboo and fiberglass. I use leaders ranging from seven feet to twelve feet depending on what type of flies and setups I am using. Recommended tippets are 4x to 7x. A most productive setup is a nine foot leader with a 5x tippet and a dry fly with a dropper nymph tied off  the bend of the hook on the dry fly. Gauge how far the nymph trails the dry fly  or indicator by the stream depth where you are fishing. A good rule of thumb is about twice the stream depth. I often use a dry fly indicator rather than a strike indicator and double my  luck.   

The most prevalent hatches are caddis species, pale morning duns and blue wing olives. When it is a grasshopper year that is as good as it gets on the lower creek. 

I mostly use flies in sizes 14 to 18. Have a good variety of caddis, pale morning duns, blue wing olives, adams and light cahills for dry fly fishing. Parachute flies are very effective on this stream. Effective nymph patterns, both regular and bead head are pheasant tail, hare’s ear, prince, copper john and zug bugs. Flashbacks and gold ribbing make these patterns often more effective. In the faster and deeper waters tungsten head bead head flies are often the way to go. The tung beads weigh about four times as much as a regular bead. If you use a sinker to get the nymph down place it about 8 to 12 inches above the nymph. Small streamers such as muddler minnows often work well. If there is not a hatch use attractor patterns such as royal wulffs, humpys etc. for an indicator fly.  Hopper patterns and other terrestrials often work well either alone or as an indicator. I like terrestrials or dry flies that ride low in the water such as a parachute hopper or an adams parachute. 

Do not forget to have and use small emergers, sizes 18 and smaller. I often use these with a small indicator fly such as an Adams parachute because of visibility problems. I trail them a short distance from the dry fly, say eight to twelve inches.

Locally, Dr. Patrick Schelle ties and sells flies that are very effective and available at both Don’s Store and the Sport Center. He calls his line “Flatlanders” and I will never be without some of his little LBF bead heads. This is a great line of flies tailored to Big Spring Creek.  

Some tips on fishing Big Spring Creek: 

Approach is not everything but it is the first thing. This a spring stream with gin clear water much of the time so be very careful in your approach. Stand back and use polarized sun glasses to look things over before marching right up to the creek. Do not wear clothes that reflect a lot of light. Think about how to tactically fish an area before starting to cast. A lot of times the place that looks to be the best is not the first place to cast unless you want to scare the heck out of a lot of other fish. This is not a long cast stream - watch your drift and do the appropriate mending. When the leader and fly start to drag you are all done. Why is fishing close often better than fishing far? It is important to keep in mind that accuracy, delicacy, reading water, fish spotting and setting the hook are easier at short distances. If you want to fish close, the last rod you want to use is one designed for long casting. 

I only fish Big Spring Creek locally but there a lot of ponds, reservoirs, other streams and rivers close-by. Here are some sources of information and supplies: 

Don’s Sports and Western Store, 120 2nd Ave. South, 406-538-9408 or toll free, 800-879-8194.
The Sports Center, 320 W. Main Street, 406-535-9308

Guides: David Stuver, Stuver Outfitting, a local guide and fishing instructor. 406-535-5708, e-mail, dstuver@midrivers.com

Karl Gies, local fisherman, 406-538-8503, e-mail, skyland@midrivers.com