Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afterbay boat ramp, Fort Smith Below the Yellowtail Afterbay | Access / boat ramp | 45.31690, -107.92075 | The put-in for the upper river. Unnamed in OpenStreetMap; it sits just below the afterbay at Fort Smith. |
| 2 | USGS 06287000 - Bighorn River below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam USGS monitoring location | USGS gauge | 45.31690, -107.91889 | The release gauge for the whole tailwater - the number every guide quotes. Read it before you launch. |
| 3 | MT 313 bridge, Fort Smith Tagged Route 12 in OSM | Bridge crossing | 45.31615, -107.92141 | The road bridge at Fort Smith, right beside the ramp. |
| 4 | Bighorn Canyon NRA visitor contact station National Park Service · Fort Smith | Agency / conservation office | 45.31746, -107.92150 | Park information at Fort Smith; the dam and the afterbay are NPS ground. |
| 5 | Boat ramp at river mile 3.8 Unnamed in OpenStreetMap | Access / boat ramp | 45.34413, -107.87758 | Concrete ramp about 3.8 river miles below the Afterbay. No name recorded in OSM - read the sign at the top of the ramp. |
| 6 | Boat ramp at river mile 6.4 Unnamed in OpenStreetMap | Access / boat ramp | 45.35405, -107.83702 | Second mapped ramp, about 6.4 river miles down. |
| 7 | Bighorn Fishing Access Site Montana FWP · Hwy 313 | Access / boat ramp | 45.41460, -107.78648 | The standard take-out for the upper river, about 12 river miles below the Afterbay. 5.7 mi south of St. Xavier on Hwy 313. |
| 8 | USGS gauge at the St. Xavier bridge USGS monitoring location | USGS gauge | 45.46073, -107.74809 | Second USGS station on the reach, about 16 river miles down. |
| 9 | St. Xavier bridge Pryor-St. Xavier Cut Across | Bridge crossing | 45.46111, -107.74899 | River crossing at St. Xavier, about 16 river miles below the Afterbay. |
| 10 | Mallard's Landing Fishing Access Site Montana FWP | Access / boat ramp | 45.52148, -107.72427 | About 21 river miles down. 5.5 mi north of St. Xavier on Hwy 313, then 1.8 mi west. |
| 11 | Two Leggins Fishing Access Site Montana FWP · Crow Reservation | Access / boat ramp | 45.64534, -107.65865 | About 32 river miles down, 6.5 mi south of Hardin on Hwy 313. |
| 12 | Arapooish Fishing Access Site Montana FWP · near Hardin | Access / boat ramp | 45.75382, -107.56795 | Lowest mapped access on this sheet: 0.5 mi north of Hardin on Hwy 47, then 2 mi east. |
Gauge: USGS 06287000 — Bighorn R bl Yellowtail Afterbay Dam nr St. Xavier. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout
Regulations: fwp.mt.gov/fish/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Afterbay Dam, Fort Smith: the top of the tailwater and the busiest boat ramp in Montana.
Lind Ranch: mid-river access on the famous upper thirteen miles.
Bighorn Access (Three Mile): the standard takeout for the upper float.
Mallards Landing: the bottom of the second, quieter float.
Two Leggins and Grant Marsh: lower river access toward Hardin.
The river crosses the Crow Reservation; use designated public access sites and respect tribal land.
Year-round tailwater; winter fishing here is genuinely productive.
March through May: baetis hatches and moderate flows, the first big season.
Late June and July: black caddis, then heavy summer flows and heavy boat traffic.
August through October: tricos, terrestrials and the best combination of fish and weather all year.