Share your catch

Bighorn Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The canyon behind the famous tailwater: 70 miles of Bighorn Canyon walls hiding walleye, ling and the West's most dramatic ice fishing.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
86 / 89 F
Wind
SW 15 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Bighorn Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 15 mph, rising pressure near 1003 hPa and a high of 89. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchFair

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 89 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp86 F
High / Low89 / 61 F
WindSW 15-25 mph
Pressure1002.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:38 / 19:44
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Clear, 89/61 F, wind 17 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 17 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Bighorn Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Bighorn Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Bighorn Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 82 F, wind to 17 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 22 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 15 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Montana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

MT or WY license (check NRA reciprocity rules by zone). Walleye limits by state: verify both.

Access

Ok-A-Beh (MT), Horseshoe Bend, Barry's Landing (WY): NPS ramps, services minimal.

About this water

70 canyon miles behind Yellowtail Dam, MT/WY. Bighorn Canyon NRA's hidden fishery.

Fishing Bighorn Lake: the full guide

The other Bighorn

Everyone knows the river below Yellowtail Dam: the lake behind it hides in plain sight: 70 miles of flooded canyon spanning the Montana-Wyoming line through Bighorn Canyon NRA. A thousand-foot walls, bighorn sheep on the rims, and a fishery: walleye, smallmouth, ling, the odd trout: that sees astonishingly little pressure for its scale.

Walleye in the canyon

The Ok-A-Beh and Barry's Landing basins hold the walleye program: jigs on the talus points at ice-out, bottom bouncers along the old river channel in summer, blades on the wind-blown structure come fall. The lake's fertility (Bighorn River silt) grows fish fat: Montana's quiet 10-pound potential swims here.

Ling nights and bronze days

Winter's ling (burbot) fishery is the local cult: glow jigs after dark through canyon ice for the freshwater cod that chowders built. Summer smallmouth own every rockslide: and the sheer novelty: casting to canyon walls that dwarf the boat: makes even slow days photographic.

Two-state logistics

Montana's end (Fort Smith side: Ok-A-Beh ramp) and Wyoming's (Lovell: Horseshoe Bend, Barry's Landing) barely connect by road: pick your state and stay: licenses follow the water's line (reciprocity on the lake: check both). NPS runs the ramps: services are Fort Smith's fly shops or Lovell's basics: fuel and self-reliance rules apply canyon-wide.

Common questions

Is Bighorn Lake worth fishing versus the river?

Different universes: the river is trout fame, the lake is walleye solitude in cathedral scenery. If you have a boat and a day, the canyon repays the detour.

What is ling fishing at Bighorn?

Winter burbot through the ice: glow lures after dark for the canyon's freshwater cod. A Montana-Wyoming border tradition with chowder as the trophy.

Is fishing good at Bighorn Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Bighorn Lake16 miBighorn River77 miBoulder River98 miYellowstone River123 miBoysen Reservoir125 miOcean Lake136 mi
Share your catch