Big Lost River

Enjoy a fun day on the Lower Lost with the spectacular Lost River Range as your backdrop.

The Big Lost River is absolutely one of our favorite places to fish. This is why Scott named his shop Lost River Outfitters! Its headwaters begin on the east side of the Pioneer Mountains at over 10,000 feet. The many meadow streams and tributaries that feed the Big Lost River are home to rainbow, cutthroat, brook trout, and occasional grayling. The hatches are frequent, and the dry fly fishing is consistent all season long. The Copper Basin scenery is as varied and spectacular as anywhere we visit. It is not unusual to see antelope, deer, elk, moose, or even black bears on this trip. In the summer and early fall, you can see large groups of sage grouse. The summer wildflowers are stunning, and nothing beats the view when the aspens turn golden beneath the jagged peaks of the Pioneer Mountains and White Knobs. Between the Tailwater Section of the Lower Lost and the Freestone Portion of its Tributaries, the Big Lost River is home to sizable rainbows and cutthroat.

The Big Lost tailwater fishery below Mackay Reservoir boasts some of the largest and healthiest rainbows in the area. It flows beneath the 12,000-foot peaks of the Lost River Range and through a cottonwood and aspen forest that dazzles the eye with its fall foliage. The hatches of stoneflies, caddis, pale morning duns, blue-winged olives, crane flies, and tricos make this one of the most exciting fisheries you can visit. We are fortunate to lease a special piece of private water below the dam. There is a rod fee to access this 2-mile-long beat, and you must hire a guide to take you there.