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Thank you to all who joined us at our Montana Hope Project event. We had a great time eating good food, visiting with friends, relaxing, casting, and tying. We are excited to share that we exceeded last year’s totals and have more funds to help the Montana Hope Project Families.
This is our favorite weekend of the year at Beartooth Flyfishing and it will always be. Thank you everyone for being part of this special event.
The Delektable Crew
We’re so thankful for all who came this weekend in support of our annual Montana Hope Project Fundraiser, what an experience it is to spend a couple days with awesome people joining together for a great cause. The fishing is of course, still excellent with this big water year we’ve had. Flows are down to 1,300 c.f.s. below Hebgen Lake, 1,400 c.f.s. at the Kirby gauge and 1,600 c.f.s. down at Varney.
The fish are looking up throughout the day as PMDs emerge early, Hoppers and ants are keeping them going throughout the day and the spinners fall in the evening with the caddis. Some of our favorite flies have been Purple Hazes, PMD Comparaduns, Fat Alberts, White Cloud Hoppers, Delektable Chubbyness’, Delektable Flying Ants, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis and Bloom’s Parachute Caddis.
With the dry fly fishing being so good, less folks have been running the bead-heads but they’re certainly still working. Flies like Delektable Stonefly Candy and Pat’s Rubberlegs are doing a good job at imitating those nocturnal stoneflies that have been hatching while we sleep and Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Lightning Bugs, Tung Darts, Prince Nymphs and Caddis Pupas have all been doing well for the smaller bugs.
The streamer bite has still been pretty inconsistent but if you’re willing to get up real early and get after it your odds of getting a couple real nice fish are as good as any. Fly recommendations would be Delektable Double-Screamers, Sundell’s Bad Boy, Galloup’s Butt Monkey or Sparkle Minnows.
It continues to be an impressive year here on the Upper Madison with very healthy flows and bug hatches. We’re sitting at about 1,320 cubic feet per second of water flow below Hebgen Lake, at the Kirby gauge she’s running at 1,460 and down at Varney Bridge flows are at 1,690(about 400 c.f.s. above historic average).
The PMDs are coming off around 8 o’clock am, Caddis are hatching throughout the middle of the day and we’re still picking up plenty of fish on the attractors. Our favorite dry patterns have been Delektable Chubbyness’ in smaller sizes, Delektable Secret Stones in Dark Olive, Delektable Halos, Purple Crazes and lastly the Rusty Spinners have been killer as the sun goes down.
Lots of fish are being caught sub-surface as well. Weather under a dry fly or an indicator if you’re looking to get higher numbers of fish you’ll be best off fishing stuff like Green Machines, Delektable Lil’ Spankers in Olive or Pheasant Tail, smaller Pat’s Rubberlegs, Prince Nymphs, Lightning Bugs and Batwing Emergers.
Streamer fishing has brought us a mixed bag of reports but the best luck seems to be coming early in the morning or late in the evening. Recommended flies would be Delektable Single Screamers, Mini-Loop Sculpins, Trevor’s, Sparkle Minnows and Zonkers. You’re probably best off fishing low and slow in the deeper plunge-pools and around the rocks rather than pounding the banks.
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone this upcoming weekend for our Montana Hope Project Fundraiser. There will be lots of good food and treats as well as fly casting and tying demonstrations for a great cause. As always, feel free to call or stop by the shop for any other tips or info and keep an eye out for more reports!
Man, it’s tough to believe it’s already the middle of July. It’s almost as tough to believe that almost 3 weeks after the word got out about salmon flies and goldens hatching we are still getting them on the big dries on the upper end of the river. Flows are still way above historic average; in fact we saw an increase in flow out of Hebgen Dam just yesterday. She’s moving at about 1,400 cubic feet per second below Hebgen, just under 1,600 at Kirby and by the time you get to the Varney gauge we’re reading just under 2,000 c.f.s.
The dry fly fishing continues to impress as PMD’s, Caddis, Yellow Sallies and Flavilineas have been hatching consistently. It’s been best earlier and later in the days but if you work hard enough you can get some fish on top throughout the day. We’ve had good luck on a variety of the small Delektable Chubbyness’ as well as Delektable Twisted Babies, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis, Purple Hazes, Lil’Hotties, Trudes and Wulffs.
Most days the nymph bite is of course, fantastic. Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Delektable Sure Strikes, Serendipities, Prince Nymphs, Two-Bit Hookers, Lemon Drops, Pat’s Rubberlegs and Psycho Princes have all caught their fair share of fish as of late. Fish any of those in tandem under a bobber, on a tight line or under a dry fly and you’re bound to get into a few fish.
We’ve had some success on streamers, especially first thing in the morning when the water is nice and cold. Our favorite flies have been Zonkers, McCune’s Sculpins, Sheila’s, and Delektable Screamers. The fish are hanging out around the boulders waiting for a good meal, just make sure you’re ready to set the hook!
Our annual Montana Hope Project fundraiser is less than two weeks away and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone come out. As always, Captain Marty will be making his famous Gumbo and Dan will have his Elk Chili along with all the snacks and deserts you could ask for. Mark your calendars now for July 28th and 29th to have a good time for a great cause.
Flows are still well above average and the bugs just keep coming. We’re sitting at about 1,230 c.f.s. below Hebgen and 1,460 c.f.s. at Kirby. The Upper Madison has certainly been living up to her reputation lately as our friends and clients have had great success with several different strategies. Air temps have been coming up over the last couple days and the forecast predicts that warm clear days are going to be the trend for a while, looks like summer is finally here to stay.
The big dries have continued to bring in some really nice fish. PMDs are starting to really fall into their rhythm with some bigger and more consistent hatches and of course the caddis are still all over. Our top patterns have been Delektable Secret Stones, Delektable Mega 2-Tone or standard Chubbyness’, True-Wing Salmonflies, Bloom’s Barely Kickin Stone, Missing Link Caddis, Delektable Halos, Delektable Sparkle Bugs, Rusty Spinners and Comparaduns.
The bead-heads are still carrying most of the weight out there, especially in the heat of the day. Bugs like Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Delektable Hammerheads in both jig and regular, Tung Darts, Lightning Bugs, Prince Nymphs, Jackson’s Sallies and Split-Case PMDs have been picking up fish pretty regularly.
We have had a couple good reports on streamers from those who were willing to forget about the little bugs and commit to the meaty stuff. Delektable Screamers have been good especially in the spawning color, as well as gray Trevor’s Sculpins and Sparkle Minnows. We have all been enjoying the bite, come share the bite!
We saw a 1,000 c.f.s. increase in flow out of
Hebgen on the 19th which made things tough for a few days but the bite only improved from then till now. We’re down to about 1,200 c.f.s. below Hebgen and 1,500 c.f.s. down at Kirby. It looks like we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with all the wet weather and Summer should be setting in any day now.
SALMON FLIES are here and the fish have been eatin’ ‘em pretty well. Along with the big bugs came the Yellow Sallies, PMDs, Golden Stones, and the Caddis are still all over the place. Dry Fly fishing has been better and better as the days go by. Our favorite patterns have been Delektable Secret Stones in Royal, UV Salmon and UV Goldenstone, Delektable Mega 2-Tone Chubbyness and Delektable Twisted X’s in yellow have been great for the Sallies. Half-Down Stones have also been fishing well along with Stimulators, Bloom’s Parachute Caddis and Lil’ Hotties. It’s shaping up to be a dry fly season for the books so take advantage!
The nymph fishing has been outstanding. We’ve had lots of success on soft hackle stuff lately like Delektable Hammerheads, Soft Hackle Hare’s Ears and Soft Hackle Copper Johns. Along with those the standard Mayfly and Caddis patterns have been successful. Things like the Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Lightning Bugs, Prince Nymphs and Psycho Princes are good bets. Any of them can be fished under a big dry or in tandem under an indicator. Some folks have scored with two small nymphs while others have used a larger Stonefly Nymph up top and a small nymph behind. Depending on the flows, a B or BB shot might be needed above the first fly.
The streamer bite has been a bit more inconsistent as of late but with other techniques being so productive I guess we’ll have to be okay with that. With that being said we have picked up a fish here and there on smaller sculpin patterns.
What a great time to be out on the Upper Madison, we hope you’re all enjoying the excellent fishing and if there are any other tips we may have to offer don’t be afraid to call or stop by the shop to ask 406-682-7525.
The river has continued to drop throughout the week, it’s down from 1,650 to 1,240 c.f.s. below Hebgen and at the Kirby gauge she’s running at about 1,600 c.f.s. Night time low temperatures have been pretty darn cold so there’s no reason to rush out too early in the morning as the fish have been waiting for water temps to come up a bit later in the morning to start biting.
The best fishing has been sub-surface over the past week. Nymphs have been doing the most work out there with Shop-Vacs, Rubberlegs, Princes, Delektable Hurless Stones, Psycho Princes, and Wire Worms being some of our top picks.
We have continued to have a pretty good dry fly bite in the evenings with the caddis and expect salmon flies and PMDs to be playing a part in the surface action any day now. For the time being we’ll continue to fish stuff like Goddard Caddis, Delektable Twisted Babies, Delektable Halos or Bloom’s Parachute Caddis.
Streamer fishing has been a bit inconsistent but persistency pays when the timing is right. We’ve been able to pick a few good fish up on some smaller tan or olive sculpin patterns including Sculpzillas, Delektable Screamers, McCune’s and Sparkle Minnows.
If there are any other tips we might be able to give call or stop by the shop, we’ll be here from 7am till 7pm every day.
It’s finally June and the river is coming right into shape! Flows have dropped substantially over the past week and we expect that to be a continuing trend for at least another week or so ‘till things really stabilize. We’re currently sitting at about 1,700 c.f.s. below Hebgen Lake, 2,400 at the Kirby gauge and 3,750 down at Varney.
We’ve started to see some pretty awesome Caddis hatches in the evenings, especially up above the West Fork. Dry fly fishing has been killer as the sun sets. Our favorite dries have been Bloom’s Parachute Caddis in tan or light olive, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis, Delektable Halos and the classic Elk Hair.
During the day you’ll be better off with a couple of bead heads under an indicator. Stonefly nymphs are still getting plenty of attention so make sure you’ve got a few Pat’s Rubberlegs and Delektable Mega Princes in the ol fly box but of course all those Caddis are getting eaten under the surface throughout the day. We’d recommend keeping a few Shop Vacs, Delektable Sure Strikes and Serendipities with you as well.
The streamer bite has also been producing some quality fish. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to throw a Trevor’s Sculpin, Delektable Screamer or a Sparkle Minnow behind the big rocks and along the banks.
We’ve seen a lot of change on the Upper Madison over the last couple weeks as the river came up for the long awaited “flushing flow”. Beginning on May 20th we saw the river rise a couple hundred cubic feet per second every other day for about a week until the goal of 3,500 c.f.s. at Kirby was met and we’ve been hanging on at that flow for the past few days. What does this mean for the fishing? Just that you’ll want to stay above the West Fork and concentrate on getting flies down deep in the slower water.
There hasn’t been a whole lot of dry fly fishing to be had as of late but from time to time you may find a nose poke up for a BWO or Midge. If you so happen to find some fish that are willing to eat on top your best bet would probably be a smaller Adams, Purple Craze or a Midge Cluster.
With all that being said, the sub-surface fishing has been stellar. You’re best off anywhere upstream of the West Fork as it’s pumping in muddy water. Three Dollar Bridge, Raynold’s Pass, Pine Butte and the upper stretch of Between the Lakes have all been fishing well. Pat’s Rubberlegs, Worms, Delektable Mega Princes, Delektable Hurless Stones, Shop Vacs and Serendipities have all been doing a good job picking up fish. Focus on slower water along the edges and don’t forget your split shot!
Streamer fishing has also been really good. Again, you won’t have to do much wading as they’re all along the banks. Delektable Screamers and Double Screamers have been picking them up in Olive/Yellow and Olive/Black along with Trevor’s Sculpins, Sparkle Minnows and Double-Bunnys.
We’re very excited for another awesome season of fishing on the Madison and as always keep an eye out for up to date reports! And of special note, it’s never too early to start fly fishing.
Flows have come down a bit with these last few days of cooler weather and a decrease in discharge out of Hebgen Lake which leads me to believe the next few days will be real good for fishing. Current flow below Hebgen is about 1,500 c.f.s. and it’s up to 1,870 at Kirby. Current forecast is showing highs in the low 60s and upper 50s for the next few days.
We expect some real good streamer fishing as long as flows stay somewhat consistent. A number of different flies worked these two weeks including Stonefly Nymphs, some streamers, and Eggs. Experimenting with amounts of weight helped. Some specific patterns were Delektable Mega Princes, Delektable Hurless, Pat’s Rubberlegs, and the Roe Egg and the Glow Bug Egg in Orange and Tangerine. We have enjoyed the company of Project Healing Waters Vets at our lodge this week. Thank you to Bob Frey and Michael Gerhart for all the extra help with the planning and cooking.
