Wade · Best fit3/100
Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.
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Fly fishing report · Southwest
Lower Mountain Fork
A Lower Mountain Fork report for Broken Bow generation, Beavers Bend access, stocked trout, barbless-hook rules, hatches, and wading safety.
Check flow & weatherToday's river scoreHigh source confidence
38
Poor
Best option: Wade.
Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.
Updated Jul 13, 11:17 PM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes
Recommended approachWade
Mode scores adjust the river-wide score for the risks of wading, bank fishing, or floating.
Bank / edgeCheck
This report does not describe this as a primary mode. Verify legal access, depth, launches, and retreat options before planning around it.
FloatCheck
This report does not describe this as a primary mode. Verify legal access, depth, launches, and retreat options before planning around it.
Water temperature above salmonid stress threshold
Confirm before you leave
Flow and weather right now.
Use the flow trend to confirm the score before you leave. Weather can change the safest and most productive fishing window.
Loading current flow and weather.
River strategy
Generation schedule first, fly choice second.
The Lower Mountain Fork is a southern cold tailwater below Broken Bow Dam. It is a year-round trout fishery, but safe wading depends on generation and release timing more than a normal freestone flow number.
- Check SWPA generation schedules, the USGS gauge, and ODWC trout-area rules before stepping in.
- Use the USGS Eagletown gauge as broad downstream context, not the only release signal.
- ODWC lists regular trout stocking and area-specific trout rules.
- Clean gear to reduce the risk of spreading Didymo and other aquatic hitchhikers.
Why this score moved
Water temperatureLowers score
USGS water temperature is about 78F. Do not pressure trout or salmonids in warm water.
Best mode nowLowers score
Wade: Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.
FlowUse caution
USGS shows 210 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. same-date USGS history (1970-2025, 56 readings) puts normal around 722 cfs and the lower quartile near 372 cfs; today's flow is below normal for the date. This is below normal, so edge depth, temperature, and pressure matter.
Short-term weatherUse caution
The forecast has storm or heavy-precipitation risk, so timing and access matter more than the score alone.
SeasonHelps score
Summer: Generation and heat drive the plan; fish early and handle trout quickly.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
Fish the Lower Mountain Fork when generation leaves safe wade windows, weather is stable, and ODWC rules match your planned reach. If water is rising or release timing is unclear, stay out.
No or low generation
Best wading window; fish small nymphs, dry-dropper rigs, and soft seams.
Generation starting
Leave the river or move to safe bank water before levels rise.
Clear and pressured
Use small flies, light tippet, and careful presentations.
Hot weather
Fish early, watch trout stress, and avoid overhandling fish.
Field plan
Fish it with intention.
Best flows
Use SWPA generation schedules as the first safety check and USGS 07339000 as broad downstream context. Do not treat the Eagletown gauge as the only dam-release signal.
When to skip
Skip wading when generation timing is unclear, water is rising, storms are building, trout handling is poor in heat, or the area-specific ODWC rule is not understood.
Local plan
Check SWPA generation, ODWC trout-area rules, the USGS broad trend, and weather first. Pick a low-generation reach, carry small trout flies, and clean gear after fishing.
Backup water
If generation blocks safe wading, compare the White River, Little Red River, or Norfork Tailwater before forcing a rising tailwater.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
WinterMidges, small caddis, BWO windows, and stocked trout holding in soft seamsZebra midge, Griffith's gnat, BWO emerger, pheasant tail, small egg
Reviewed pattern · report says “Zebra midge”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Reviewed pattern · report says “Griffith's gnat”Griffith's GnatLook for a peacock-herl body wrapped end to end with grizzly hackle and finished with a compact thread head. The classic has no separate tail, wing, upright post, bead, or trailing shuck. A high-visibility post, parachute build, or Antron shuck is a separate labeled variation or pattern—not the photographed classic.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box SpringCaddis, mayflies, March Brown-style nymphs, and generation-edge streamer windowsElk hair caddis, caddis pupa, hare's ear, pheasant tail, olive bugger
Reviewed pattern · report says “Elk hair caddis”Elk Hair CaddisLook for a tented elk- or deer-hair wing, clipped hair head, dubbed body, rib, and hackle palmered along the body. The body color should be labeled because tiers often match different natural caddis colors.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Reviewed family · report says “caddis pupa”Caddis Pupa PatternsCaddis pupa is a life-stage family. Curved bodies, wing pads, legs, beads, and soft-hackle collars differ among exact patterns and must be labeled.See family guide ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box SummerMidges, caddis, ants, beetles, and deep shade when trout are stressed by heatMidge pupa, caddis, ant, beetle, small jig streamer
Reviewed family · report says “Midge pupa”Midge Patterns by StageMidge wording can mean a threadlike larva, wing-padded pupa, film emerger, tiny adult, or visible cluster. Those profiles fish at different depths.See family guide ↗
Reviewed family · report says “caddis”Caddis Patterns by StageCaddis is not one fly. Larvae live below, pupae and emergers rise through the column, tent-wing adults ride or move on top, and spent forms create other silhouettes.See family guide ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box FallCaddis, BWOs, midges, and better streamer windows after cool nightsBWO emerger, caddis pupa, zebra midge, sculpin, black leech
Reviewed family · report says “BWO emerger”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗Reviewed family · report says “caddis pupa”Caddis Pupa PatternsCaddis pupa is a life-stage family. Curved bodies, wing pads, legs, beads, and soft-hackle collars differ among exact patterns and must be labeled.See family guide ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box 01
Read the generation schedule before choosing the reach.
02
Nymph soft seams, pocket edges, and deeper slots when fish are not rising.
03
Use small dries or dry-droppers in calm clear water.
04
Strip a small streamer along generation edges only from safe footing.
05
Clean boots, waders, and nets after fishing to reduce Didymo risk.
Access & responsibility
Know the entry. Know the exit.
ODWC trout-area rules include method, harvest, and area-specific details. Confirm the current trout regulations before fishing.
Beavers Bend State Park
Primary trip base and public recreation anchor.
Spillway and Zone 1 context
Generation-aware trout water near the dam.
Presbyterian Falls and lower trout area
A common planning reference downstream in the managed area.
Transparent sources
Check the facts behind the plan.
Last material review: 2026-07-06
flowUSGS Mountain Fork near Eagletown 07339000flowSWPA generation schedulesregulationODWC Lower Mountain Fork River Trout ArearegulationODWC trout area informationregulationODWC trout regulationsbackgroundODWC trout informationsafetyNational Weather Service point forecastaccessODWC Lower Mountain Fork trout access information
Common questions
Before you leave.
What should I check first before fishing the Lower Mountain Fork?+
Check SWPA generation, the USGS gauge, ODWC trout rules, and weather before wading.
Where should a first-time visitor start on the Lower Mountain Fork?+
Start with Beavers Bend State Park and ODWC trout-area information, then match your reach to generation.
Can I wade the Lower Mountain Fork?+
Yes during safe low-generation windows. Do not wade when release timing is uncertain or water is rising.
What flies should I bring for the Lower Mountain Fork?+
Bring the seasonal fly box, a few backup nymphs or streamers, and enough tippet to change tactics when flow, clarity, temperature, or crowds change.