Category: Upper Madison River

Once again….the Fully Wild boys. 

Well, it seems to me that the fishing is getting better and better as the summer progresses along. These wildfires in the next valley over have put a perma-cloud over us making the trout “think” its overcast all the time. (Dan Greene theory) Whatever the case, it has just been really good and very consistent.                                                                                                                         

The Fully Wild group has gone out and put the hammer down on the fish! Thanks to our very good guides, these guys really did see alot of fish today. The average cookie cutter fish is climbing back up there compared to last week and the previous weeks. We have a number a bugs that are working out there on the Madison and are happy to share. The Best ones have been: Nymphs: size 8 and 10 black stone flies; size 16 and 18 Pheasant Tail; size 16 and 18 Prince; size 18 Delektable ‘Lil Spanker colors purple and pheasant tail; size 18 Hogan’s S&M olive; Dries: size 14 Delektable Twisted Sister olive and gold; size 16 Para Madaam X royal; size 16 Royal Wulff Cripple; size 14 Bloom’s Caddis dark olive and tan; size 16 and 18 Carlon’s Purple Craze; size 12 and 14 Fat Albert yellow and red.                                                                                                                                                         

Any of these bugs have been working great at almost all times of the day. The smoke can be thick at times, so be careful if you don’t do well in smoke. Get out there and get on the river while the gitt’n is good and have yourself a wonderful day!!! Happy Fishing!!!                -DanG

Captain Marty took Todd and Richard to the Yellowstone today and it was colllllld!!! They caught some very nice trout, however. The temperature was in the low 40’s when they put the boat in and it only dropped as they went down river. The bug of choice was a Girdle Bug Pat’s Rubber Legs size 6. They were hitting a few other bugs like small caddis and streamers but with no real results with commitment. The weather was an item today as it kept getting colder and colder, but the boys pulled through with some great fish and pics to show. Happy Fishing Everyone!!!  -DanG

The Girls Gone Wild group has landed and they had a great time again! Thanks to all the guides that took these ladies out! The bugs they used have been staying pretty much the same as the past week or so. Serendipities, soft hackles, original patterns and some brand new patterns are in the line-up for slaying fish right now. Sawer’s Pheasant Tail (the original) in a size 18 has been working very well lately. Dan’s new Delektable Hammerhead Pheasant Tail in size 18 is also a great one. Well, i have nothing else for you:) Enjoy your days on the river!!

-DanG

Mary Rose has had a great couple of days catching her fish. Marty and Dan took Mary out and they fished dries and it was good. Purple Haze and Royal Cripples in the bucket got them. Dan’s Delektable Mega Royal Chubbyness in a size 12 was reeeeaaally good too! There have been some olive and tan caddis on the rise lately and a size 14 to 16 will get you there. The fish were eating and Mary has a good stick, so…it was good! Happy Fishing!!!       -DanG

These days in August can be pretty tough sometimes and you might find yourself doing things you wouldn’t normally do to entice these slimy creatures to bite your fly. The Fully Wild group was out on the mighty Madison once again trying their hand at fly fishing. They did well for the conditions they had to work with. Oh wait, the conditions were perfect:)                                                                                                                                       

It has been nice and sunny with a tiny bit of wind each day lately. The heat has stayed consistently around the 75-80 degree mark with a few degrees on either side from day to day. Rain here and there has given the fish a chance against all the anglers as the barometer drops a bit each time and they shut off for a minute. The evening fishing has been the most productive for a lot of us here at the shop. There has been caddis, and the random PMD flying around still. The nocturnal stone will work for you if you fish the upper stretch of the Madison a they tend to hang out up there a little longer.                                                                                        

The flies that the Fully Wild group did the best on were as follows: Purple Haze size 14; Yeagers red 409 size 16; Delektable Chubbyness UV Cinnamon size 14; Delektable Chubbyness Olive/Brown size 14; small black ant patterns; Bloody Mary sixe 16; Pearl Lightning Bug size 14; Pheasant Tail Spanker size 18.         

Hopefully you all are making it to the river and enjoying the nice pre-fall weather we are getting. Swing on in and say hey if you have the time! Happy Fishing Everyone!!!

-DanG

Today  Captain Marty took Roger Shott (Roger Dodger) out on the mighty Madison river from McAtee Bridge to Varney Bridge. Roger threw dries out of the boat all day. The first part of the morning was exceptionally better than the rest of the day, but it did pick up a little bit more towards the end down by the cottonwood trees. Roger hooked most of his fish on Dan Delekta’s Delektable Royal Chubbyness size 16. The size 14 did catch the bigger fish of the day but the 16 proved to be the one to bring them to the surface more. They threw Purple Haze, Adam’s, the Ant and other dries, but they seemed to only want the Delektable Royal Chubbyness. Roger is a dry or die kinda guy, so the dry fly was flying high in the sky! Fish did come to the surface all day long for the dry, and even tho they didn’t get the biggest of fish, they caught fish most of the day:) Either way you look at it, the sun did come up and Roger and Marty got to breath the fresh Montana air all day long! I hope to see you and YOUR fish pictures, so come on in and share your day with US! Happy Fishing Everybody!!!            -DanG

The Fully Wild group was out again this week and though they had to keep dodging the rain to stay dry, the fish were still cooperative. Bug selection is going to be across the board and a little scarce these days as we start into the first week of August.                         

The boys threw streamers, nocturnal stones, spruce moth patterns and of course the fabled girdle bug. the Streamers that worked the best in the stormy weather today was the size 8 Copper Zonker. Some nice fish were on the streamer bite with no surprise. The nocturnal stone pattern that was working was a Golden Chubby in a size 12. A few good fish did come up and look it too, but were a little wary of the bug on top. The fish are really getting used to seeing the big bug and might need a little twitching incentive to get them to commit. Spruce moth patterns have been doing good too. The spuce moth pattern we have been doing good on is Dan’s Delektable Twisted Baby in tan/brn size 14.                                                                      

Also the Pat’s Rubber Legs in the black/brown and brown/olive size 10 was a bug of choice as usual, imitating the sub-surface nocturnal stone. there was lots of rain around but they didnt get hit to bad and managed to steer pretty clear of the bulk of it. I hope you are out there enjoying our beautiful Madison River for yourself! Although the weather says the temps are going to climb, the water will keep falling from the sky whenever it wants, so bring your rain gear and be well prepared. Happy Fishing Everyone!!!

-DanG

The end of July has been interesting for some. The word ‘inconsistent’ comes to mind for a lot of the regulars around here. There have been excellent days for high quantities of smaller fish and excellent days for lower quantities of large fish. The best news of all is that the dry fly action seemed to take over take the sub-surface regime we all seemed to be stuck in during the middle of the month.                                                       

With that said, there were a few days of relatively slow fishing compared to what we are used to during July. By  no means was the fishing bad, but it took a lot of work to get them hooked.  Presentation was more important than fly selection. Nocturnal stoneflies, caddis, PMDs, ants and some baetis during cloudy and cooler afternoons were common. Chubby Chernobyls, flying ants, small Purple craze/haze,  Yeager Never-sink Trudes and the Delektable Twisted Sister were top producers for dry flies. Sub-surface flies were all over the board. Anything small and flashy produced fish with silver being a top color. Also, slender bodied sculpin patterns produced some solid fish on overcast days.                                                                                           

July 25^th and 26^th were exciting for us at Beartooth. We hosted the annual Montana Hope Project fundraiser at our shop with Captain Marty cooking up his finest batch of authentic Louisiana gumbo. He did not disappoint and neither did our generous customers who showed up to support this wonderful cause. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Montana Hope Project, please take a look at their website, here. Their efforts go towards something that is truly special for critically ill children and it is never too late to support them.
Happy Fishing and enjoy the rest of your summer!!!!                      -Parker                                                           

When you catch a fish that is almost the size of you…you need to take a nap! Conrad Morrill hangs out with his dad, Dan Morrill, one of our great guides here on the Madison River. It is that time of year where to weather is perfect to go out and play on 0the river with yer family! Hope you all are enjoying the sun and nice warmth like Conrad and Dan! Happy Fishing!!! -DanG                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

A day with Captain Cain-garoo!

Reva and Alan went out with one of our very great guides here on the Madison, Randy Cain. They had a very successful day you might say! The fish were eating and the hammer was brought down! Great job guys! Its cloudy right now and the weather is perfect for throwing bunny with a dropper. Get it while its good!                                                                       

DanG