Waters · United States
Big Hole River (Melrose) fishing report
Updated Tuesday, 25 August 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
The last river in the lower 48 holding a native fluvial grayling population, and a brown-trout river that genuinely gets too warm by August — hoot-owl restrictions are routine, so the temperature reading matters.
Today's report: fair (59/100)
Grayling is the most promising species on Big Hole River (Melrose) today. Water temperature at the gauge is 16.1°C (61°F) and barometric pressure is rising. Gauge Big Hole River near Melrose MT shows the water level falling (1 cm/24h).
Big Hole River (Melrose) water temperature and flow
- Water temperature: 16.1°C (61°F)
- Discharge: 5.9 m³/s (208 cfs) — down 7% over 24 hours
- Level trend: falling (1 cm/24h)
Measured at gauge Big Hole River near Melrose MT · reading 52 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 07:00–09:00 local time — score 51/100
- 11:00–13:00 local time — score 53/100
- 19:00–21:00 local time — score 50/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Tuesday 25 Aug | Wednesday 26 Aug | Thursday 27 Aug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Trout | 47 — fair | 42 — fair | 43 — fair |
| Rainbow Trout | 49 — fair | 43 — fair | 42 — fair |
| Grayling | 59 — fair | 54 — fair | 53 — fair |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Big Hole River (Melrose) rating:
- river flow: helping (+0.99)
- cloud cover: helping (+0.95)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
- light: helping (+0.85)
- pressure trend: helping (+0.8)
- wind: helping (+0.75)
Forecast computed Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:07:03 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge Big Hole River near Melrose MT · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
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This page rates a representative point on Big Hole River (Melrose). Bays, river mouths and depth changes can fish very differently — open the scanner, drop a pin on your exact swim and get a spot-specific forecast with tactics. Free, in the browser, no signup.
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Nearby waters
- Madison River (Ennis) — Montana, USA (79 km away)
- Gallatin River (Logan) — Montana, USA (106 km away)
- Yellowstone River (Livingston) — Montana, USA (166 km away)
- Missouri River (Craig) — Montana, USA (172 km away)