Category: Upper Madison River

Ladies and fly fishing bums (gentlemen), we have water!! This is now. Realize it. Get out and fish, because next week we are going to see much warmer temperatures resulting in a bunch of hoot owl closures around the area. But as for the very moment, these days are the days that you all have been waiting for! This is the type of flyfishing therapy that you NEED to survive the rest of this summer! The big bug fishing continues!!! Hoppers and nocturnal stones are out and about keeping a well rounded good ole constant with the big dries!

With the river keeping at a steady level, there have been large assortments of flies that have blown up and been good this week. The insect assortment we have in and around the river right now has been between the stones, hoppers, pmds, pmd rusty spinners, tricos, and a variety of caddis, so diligence with experimentation is definitely your best tactic to put fish in the net. If you’re a dry fly person, then a good fly to experiment with would be the Fat Albert or the Delektable Slammer. Colors of choice lately are with Fat Albert: the Tan Foam and Yellow or Red Thread or with The Delektable Slammer: Yellow or Red. These have been very productive in sizes 12-14. Some other dry flies to experiment with are the Delektable Chubbynesses in UV Cinnamon, 2Tone Royal, and Rootbeer, all in sizes 14-16. Most of your Caddis, Mayfly, and PMD Dries are very effective, but if you prefer to fish with nymphs, try a Psycho Prince in sizes 14-16 below an Olive/Brown, or Brown/Black variegated Pat’s Rubber Legs in sizes 10-12. That would be a worthwhile endeavor. Most small Mayfly or PMD Nymphs have been effective in sizes 14-18, therefore they would be worth trying too.

The fire in the picture is one we can see from the lodge that we believe is now under control but scared a bunch of friends who experienced a close call as they were almost evacuated. Thank you to our local fire fighters. Remember if you’re having trouble out there and need any assistance at all or just want to talk to a few fishing nuts come by the shop for your local fix. Happy fishing to all!!

-DanG/Emmett/Will

Another BUSY day at the Beartooth with a nice group of fishermen. We had the pleasure once again to host the Wild Adventure Group who are always a joy to have. The weather was good, the bugs out, the fisherman eager, the dinner bell ringing and the rods insisting to be bent to the breaking point.

HOT flies for the day included: Pats Rubber Legs (Olive/Brown), Beadhead Shop Vac, Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, Lightning Bug (Silver), Delektable Chubbyness Royal, Delektable 2Tone Chubbyness UV Dark Olive and Delektable Chubbyness UV Purple.

We had Brandon, Gunnar, Ian, David, Willie, and John guiding the Wild Adventure Crew. The “W” factor did take over part of the evening, thus less photos, and better rowing. Like Jim Rohn once said “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.” That’s just what happened and the Wild Adventure crew consistently throughout the day caught fish.

Not only did we have the Wild Adventure Group but also Randy, Tim, Dan M and Marty guiding clients. The groups were spread out in different locations on the river with the timing of the groups being half morning and half evening. There was floating, wading and of course fish to be caught. Smiling faces and great stories tagged along all the way back to the shop at the end of the day.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

Well hello hello hello! I hope you all are thoroughly enjoying this epic weather as much as we are here at the Beartooth. This warmer weather has been putting out hoppers on the Madison flats faster than Frank Abagnale Jr. could put out fake checks. I mean, it’s happening. Check out the Varney Road and see for yourself. We have had multiple reports of big hopper eats from McAtee down river. And with the nocturnal bugs starting to pop, the guides are still finding fish on the big bugs. The fishing this week has been great! The fish have been eating all sorts of food! Some popular food for the fish this week has been Hoppers, Nocturnal stones, Mayfly dries, Caddis dries, and most small beadhead nymphs.

During the first half of the week we had Dan M, John and Ian guiding. From reports coming back into the shop in seems that there is some bad news………The fishing’s GREAT!! There has been reports of sore arms, bug overloads, and strained eyes from watching fish eat flies over and over. Now would be a good time to call your friend who needs a good fish catching experience.

During the later part of the week John K, Dan M, Ian and Terry were out on the water. We have some great pics to share with you from their adventure on the Madison.

SUMMARY: If you take anything from this report it would be that hoppers, yes hoppers, are here. Drive down Varney Road and see for yourself. HOPPERS, that is all.

-Dan G/Will

The 13th of July was a busy day at the Beartooth, with fourteen guides and thirty clients passing through the shop. One could say it was a little CRAZY and we got to witness something never seen at the Beartooth before… A stage coach bus pulling into the parking lot and unloading clients. We had both the Sun Ranch Partner Group and a group of nine veterans hosted by Wild Adventures join us. The day started off with lots of licenses being purchased, waders being fitted and flies getting ready to be tested. From the feedback we received at the end of the day, both groups had a blast and the day was all around a great success. Oh ya and LOTS of fish were caught. 

HOT flies for the day: Crackpack PMD, Lemon drop, Hogans S&M PMD, Mahogany Soft Tackle and Nocturnal Chubby. Hint: Tight lining two BH nymphs about 24-30 inches apart, letting it swing and feeling the bite has been working. Don’t be afraid to try new techniques and tricks because if you don’t test out new waters then you’ll never know what fish live there.
We want to thank all our guides for their continued hard work. We would also like to thank and recognize the nine veterans who we had the privileged of meeting, as well as all the other men and women in the armed forces. Your service to this country makes it possible for others to enjoy the things most loved in life, like fishing. We hope your experience was memorable. God Bless.

 
Will

The past two days was filled with Dan Morrill guiding Red and the Sun Ranch. His 20 plus years of experience provided surplus knowledge, lots of behind the scenes work and of course ACTION!! Dan and clients hooked into some great fish, both wading and floating. The weather was good and the “W” factor was hardly present. The HOT flies included: Physco Prince Purple, Delektable Hammerhead Pheaseantail, Delektable Lil’ Spanker, Davies Evil Weevil, Partridge and a Hare’s Ear, Delektable Sure Strikes, Delektable Elk Hair Caddis Tan and Dancing Caddis Tan. As always you can’t catch fish unless you get out there and get the fly wet.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

The Upper Madison is without a doubt a pretty cool place to fish. If you look around and take in the beauties of the surrounding mountains hugging the river, it can put many other things aside. If fished right and with the right flies, you have the ability to hammer fish. Colin, a long time friend and college roommate of mine, booked a plan ticket on a Tuesday and flew up that Thursday from Virginia to experience the Maddy. A highlight of the trip was a thorough wading afternoon session above the Westfork. The key was to take our time moving up the river fishing the buckets, banks, seams and slower moving water. HOT FLIES included: Lightning Bugs, Delektable Hammerhead Hares Ear’s, Lime Juice, Delektable Mr Rubber Legs Wire Chartreuse, BH Prince Nymph, Partridge and Hares Ear, San Juan Worms, Delektable Chubbyness Royal, Delektable Halo Tan, Parachute Caddis Olive and Purple Haze. Besides a small incident that involved me breaking Colin’s rod in half it turned out to be a great day and let’s just say we caught a LOT of fish!! Time spent with friends on the river build memories that will last a lifetime, so get out there and explore the river. It really takes time, persistence and hard fishing to figure out how the river fishes, where the fish are and last but not least how to catch them.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

Streamflow screamflow, the bugs have been constant, they don’t care. You will see an abundance of caddis, mayflies and even the big boys still out. The Caddis, PMD and Salmon Fly hatch is what I would like to call, ON!!! We had groups come and fish with us, the Ansell family and Red and Sissy. Dan D and Nancy even got out for a guided trip with Brandon, which we love to see. Some great fish were caught and what we observed worked the best for these groups was a “small ball” combo of two small nymphs and small PMD and various dries and an occasional hit on the big dry. Check Check Check it out!

HOT FLIES: Salmon Fly size 6, Golden Stone size 8-10, Bomber Caddis size 10-12, Tan Caddis size 14-16, Delektable Halo tan size 16-18, PMD patterns size 14-18, Delektable Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail, Formally Known as Prince size 14-16, Lightning Bug (Silver), Delektable Sure Strike (Yellow/Peacock), Brandon’s secret ties with the CDC Prince and other secrets, and BH Prince Nymph Flashback. 

I think its safe to say that Dan G and Dave got themselves deep into the mix of things and absolutely crushed trout all day long below Reynolds Bridge. We’ve been hinting that Salmon Flies are ON above Pine Butt and the flies of choice for the two were a Salmon Fly size 6 and Golden Stone size 10. There’s nothing better than when you figure it out and have a big numbers day. 

This summer the wind has been blowing, crazy huh? That’s what wind does. Take your 6, 7, or 8 weight rod for these days (everyday on the Maddy). If you can get it out there in the water, they will eat it. Set yourself up for success and use the right tools for the right job. If you are having any difficulty and problems that seem relentless and insurmountable in that you just can’t seem to catch fish…come in and get your local flyshop fix!

Happy Fishing!!! -Dan G/Will

This summer has been a real buggy one for us here in the Madison Valley. With the water on the rise from progressing outflow release of the Hebgen Dam, the fish have been eating and eating and eating. No hook has been too sharp, no net not slippery enough, and no dirtbag has been too scary looking to persuade these fish to stop eating over and over and over again. Even if you look the fish in the eye and tell them, “you need to be more careful with how you select your food, it’s a dangerous world out there”….you will still see them in the net the next day. As for the river, it sits at 1420 CFS at the very moment and has been holding near there for the past couple of days. Northwest Energy has upped the flows since July 1^st after attaining their goals and required capacity, and now they will be letting a higher flow out for the rest of the summer to comply with the Reservoir/River regulated permit that exists. On that note, go fishing now, because it’s epic.

This week we had the pleasure of welcoming several groups, including the Rush and Filance families. Like mentioned previously, the fishing was HOT!! Getting the opportunity to set up trips for big families and groups like these really get the Beartooth Family excited, especially seeing them after a day of fishing with great stories. Dave joined in on the fun and guided two days with success. Check out some of these great pictures. 

Please throw the bugs as follows; Dry: Salmon Fly size 6, Golden Stone size 8-10, Bomber Caddis size 10-12, Tan Caddis size 14-16, Delektable Halo tan size 16-18, PMD patterns both dry and nymph size 14-18 and various midge patterns on the lakes have been good as well. Nymphs: Brown/Tan variegated Pat’s size 8, Olive/Brown variegated Pat’s size 8, Brown Pat’s size 8, Trout Retriever Golden size 8, Delektable Mr. Rubber Legs , Caddis Case with red glass bead on a curved hook size 10 (self tie), Lightning Bug (every color) size 16-18, Delektable Pheasant Tail Spanker size 16, Silvey’s Primetime Puppa olive size 16, Beadhead Prince size 14, Psycho Prince Purple size 14-18 Hare’s Ear Soft Hackle size 14-16, Rs2: PMD and Olive size 16-18 and last but not least the blood midge on a size 8 curved hook (San Juan). 

Happy Fishing!!! –DanG

Just another epic week of fishing on the renown Madison River!! We are coming off a very hot weekend of fishing, where the big bugs and salmon flies were in full swing. Conditions for this week were great, with water clarity, CFS level and temperatures all good. Toward the tail end of the week (Friday) water was released from Quake Lake to circulate fresh water to help the Lower Madison, in hopes of cooling down water temperatures. They have continued to release water daily since Friday and the River is looking GREAT!  The up trend in the flows did not seem to impact the fishing so far. Not only are the fishermen enjoying these new water levels but so are the fish. Things are looking just ideal on the Madison. HOT FLIES for the week: Pats Rubber Legs (Olive/Brown), Delektable Mr. Rubber Legs Hares Ear, BH Prince Nymph, Lemon Drop, Delektable Lil’ Spanker Silver, Lightning Bug Silver, Delektable TGBH Sure Strike (Yellow/Peacock), Blooms Parachute Caddis (Dark Olive), Lil’ Hottie, Delektable Chubbyness Royal, Delektable Secret Stone UV Golden and Delektable Secret Stone UV Salmon Fly.

To start off the week long time friends and fisherman Tim and Brian continued their week-long trip with Dan on the Madison. Being brothers, Tim and Brian had a little spark in them, fueled by their friendly sibling big fish rivalry. We’re glad for it because they really “brought their A game” and produced some great fish. Marty followed Dan’s trend out on the river and had a big numbers day with his clients. Overall the weather was good, the “W” factor was not an issue, and everyone was happy.

We love it when the Beartooth Family takes a day off and gets out on the river. What’s even better is when Nancy gets to let loose from the shop and go after BIG fish with her girlfriend Kim, or better known as one of the BFK’s (Big Fish Kim’s). Nancy and Kim floated with Brandon on a big float from Lyons to Mac. Kim, like her name precedes her, killed it all day long on nymphs and the “small ball” setup. She was even seen casting while eating lunch with a sandwich in her mouth and chips scattered about because you can’t catch fish if your lines not in the water. She caught HUGE whitefish and nice trout all day long. Nancy on the other hand started the day with dries but with minimal takes switched over to a nymph (Psycho Purple) under a Salmon Fly. After Pal she switched back to dries with good luck on a double caddis set up. Dan, Tim and Brian were back at it again with fish to show for. Note: Caddis hatches were seen all day long as well as PMD’s, Sallies and Stones. Salmon Flies were spread out but not to the extent of the caddis.

To finish off the week Ty fished with a father and son and Marty with Hienie and Dee. Both groups did great and a mix of different flies, both dries and nymphs, were used and successful. Hienie and friends, thanks for being so much fun and sharing fishing stories and adventures with us this past week.

A few key points to leave you on for this coming week: The Salmon Fly hatch is making its way up towards Three Dollar Bridge and will continue to move towards the park as the week moves on. Nymphs and “small ball technique” have had great success for many anglers but of course the right dries with the right presentation will work. CFS levels will continue to rise as they slowly continue letting water out of Quake Lake. Fishing continues to look up on the Madison River!

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

This weekend has been some of the best fishing we have seen so far this summer. The fish were hungry, feisty and waiting to be caught. Multiple accounts of screaming reels have echoed through the valley, which is always exciting to hear.

To start off the weekend, Emmett, his Dad, and Dan G got out on the river for a float from Lyons to McAtee. The “W” factor was relentless, but the fish were hungry. Salmon flies were all over the banks halfway between Palisades and Ruby. Fish were eating the dry but overall were gravitating towards the nymphs. Big fish poundings occurred predominantly near Palisades. HOT flies that day were: Olive and brown pat’s rubber legs and a size 16 Delektable Lil’ Spanker, Delektable Secret Salmonfly and a Delektable Screamer.

The following day, Dan G and friends hit the water running and or floating. Windy Point to Storey ditch was the play of the day. They fished an assortment of nymphs to start, most notably a lemon drop, and bomber caddis. Get yourself a larger Delektable Pheasant Tail Lil’ Spanker for the Bomber nymph, preferably a size 10. As it heated up throughout the day, a change of scenery was in order and away went the nymphs and out came the DRIES! Salmon flies and Golden Stones are what got the fish on the end of the line. Note: There were Salmon flies out, but the fish were not extremely willing to eat them.

We had the pleasure of welcoming long time friends and fishaholics Tim and Brian to the Beartooth. Big floats and swarms of fish was the name of the game, with Dan D at the helm guiding. The “small ball” game was extremely effective throughout the day with a change of dries later in the afternoon. HOT flies for the day were: Lemon Drops, Delektable Hammerheads, Delektabel Lil” Spankers, Delektable Sure Strikes, Secret Golden’s and Delektable Salmon Flies.

Keefer “The Hog Machine” floated with Dave and owned up to his name putting the hammer down on some big trout on dry flies, yeah! The Heini Group, on their final day of fishing, kept their great streak going and landed several great fish. To wrap the week up, Brandon Dan and Ian all guided the “Sunday Funday” with beautiful weather, great company, and of course LOTS of fish!!

Overall, it was a great week with a killer finish. Some notes to leave you on for next’s weeks fishing is we predict Salmon Flies will be around for another week (give or take). Salmon and Golden stone dries will continue to work but with “pitch’n and twitch’n” technique and of course, patience. Upcoming weather in the valley is predicted to be mostly sunny with highs around 84 degrees with CFS levels around 1,050 near Varney. Don’t stop fishing hard and smart!!

Emmett and Will