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Trip Report - Giant Orifice River

Trip Report 
843 views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  Mike.Cline 
#1 ·
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For fear that flows may fall precipitously in the next few weeks, I made an early trip to the lower Giant Orifice River. I say early because I've never fished this river in June. It's always been mid-July into August before I found the river in suitable condition for my style of angling. A 4AM wake up and out the door by 4:20. It's an hour twenty minute drive so I timed by departure to arrive about sunrise. The setting full moon provided a beacon as I headed SW to the Giant Orifice.
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I was pleasantly surprised upon arrival that flows were much better than expected, the water cool and crystal clear. Even at sunrise, caddis were everywhere and the whitefish were popping everywhere. By 8AM the real fun began. Brown Drakes started coming off everywhere ( I say Brown Drakes, but I may be wrong as I am certainly not a "match the hatch" kind of angler.) And, if you don't match the hatch and you catch fish on whatever is handy, who cares what kind of may fly it was. Today it was humpys and bi-visibles. I am drafting an article on bi-visibles so I had a few with me and needed some photos of fish having taken one. They worked. As the day wore on the hatches never stopped but streamers produced in the deep runs. I caught a lot of fish, mostly browns but a fair number of rainbows and whitefish all morning.
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The Giant Orifice River didn't change much during runoff this year. A few stumps and snags got pushed aside and some channels widened while others narrowed. A refreshing sign was the amount of trout fry in backwaters and yearling trout available. Hopefully the flows will stabilize for the next month so I can get back there and pester more fish. Got off the river by 11:30 after a bounty of trout. Stopped for a quick lunch in Twin Bridges at The Shack. Great small town eatery.
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