Anglers Academy's Bighorn River Retreat
ANGLERS ACADEMY BIGHORN RIVER RETREAT - GENERAL OVERVIEW
Anglers Academy's Bighorn River Retreat is an educational fishing trip offered to alumni students. Students who've attended the "Signature" or "Women's" course in the past are invited to join the Anglers Academy staff on the Bighorn River in Fort Smith, Montana.
The Bighorn River is a tailwater fishery known for its consistent hatches of PMD's and Caddis during late-summer months. We've selected dates in mid-August as it's the most consistent time of the year to find large, selective trout feeding on aquatic insects in shallow, wade friendly water. The Bighorn Retreat is a next level offering for those interested in taking a much closer look at sight fishing to feeding trout both surface and subsurface. It's an ideal location and time of year to take what we've already learned and put those skills to the test!
The hatches on the Bighorn typically get going around 12 noon, after the water settles into optimal temperature triggering emerging insects. We'll have time in the mornings, before the hatches begin, to cover topics such as fly selection, leader preparation, in-depth study of the insects present, fish behavior, stalking fish, positioning for the cast, slack line presentations, and more.
The afternoons and bulk of the day will be spent on the Bighorn River with the Anglers Academy staff in search of feeding trout! On the water, there will be two anglers per instructor and we'll mix up the pairings each day. Though we may use boats to move around the river, we'll not be fishing from the boat. The focus will be on wading and stalking feeding trout. In some situations, we may sight nymph. A majority of the time, we will wade and stalk rising trout.
In the evenings, the group will reunite for drinks, apps and dinner. And, as always, the camaraderie around the fly tying vises and the dinner table should be nothing short then memorable.