Category: Upper Madison River

The weather ended up much friendlier than expected and the fishing was very friendly. The original forecast was going to be rain. Jim fished with Brandon and had a really good day.

They stopped taking pictures at less than 17 inches. Then they just stopped taking pictures and enjoyed the catching which was regular. The later part of the day did slow down for no particular reason.

The trout were eating stone flies, mostly size #8’s and #10’s and they also ate a smaller #14 CDC Prince pattern.

Enjoy!

Nancy

Hienie, our newly settled in neighbor, and Brandon had a great day on the river.

The weather warmed up and the fish were biting all day. The “W” was calm that day.  The flies included: Delektable Mega Prince in #6 and #8, Delektable Hurless Gray Stone in #6 and #8, Pat’s Rubberlegs in Black #8, and they tried some Micro May Flies and some Caddis Emergers. Other boats have scored on similar bugs and tried the Shop Vac and a variety of Midges. This week we heard success stories on the Delektable Hurless Purple Stone and the Delektable Mega Prince in Olive.

This is the time of year when there are Skwalla stones below the surface, Caddis Emergers are there, and some Midges and Baetis are out. McAtee, Storey Ditch, Varney, 8 Mile, and Burnt Tree Hole are clear for boat launching. The Ennis take out is closed. Early season is a great time of year to get out and fish.

Enjoy!

Nancy

It is about time we posted a new Madison River fishing report. For the past two weeks we have heard of some excellent fishing on the Madison.

Last week friends launched at Varney but the launch was still snow and ice. Don’t try this if you are not experienced. Most of that ice and snow on the Varney ramp is melted by now. 

McAtee Bridge, 8 Mile Ford and Burnt Tree Hole are accessible. The gate at Valley Garden is open so you can use the access to get your boat out but fishing is still closed there. The Ennis access is closed.

Remember that Quake to McAtee is closed to fishing until the third Saturday in May and the same for Ennis Bridge to Ennis Lake and the tributaries. Check your reg books to be sure.

I waded below McAtee Bridge and tied on two of my favorite springtime stonefly nymphs, a #8 Delektable Hurless Stone Gray with Flashback and a #8 Delektable Mega Prince Olive with Flashback. I didn’t need to change flies as Browns and Rainbows from 15″ to 17″ chomped it.

The views were spectacular and the fishing was really fun.

This is one of my favorite times to fish in Montana.

Dan

As we are truly seeing the season winding down, we have had some great fall trips. After our early big snow storm, we continued to have some cool weather but not cold enough to ice up the guides and the bite has continued to be strong. Water levels have remained about the same for the past two weeks with slight changes.

The choice flies have remained similar for about two weeks now including: Delektable Screamers in White or Black/Olive, Sculpzilla in Black or White, Flash Fry in Olive/White, BH Copper Bob in Purple or Red, Delektable Big Spanker in Red, Delektable Surestrike in Purple, Delektable Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail, Pat’s Rubberleg in Black, BH Lightning Bug Pearl, Epoxyback Tungsten Copper Red, and BH Batman Nymph in Purple.

We had some true beginners and folks with fishing experience all having fun and catching. One group  was awarded this great fishing trip for succeeding in selling products for their company. They also succeeded in catching. Great Job!

The same week we had visitors to Beartooth Flyfishing, a Mother Moose and her baby hung out in the yard for a couple hours and took a few bites out of our Canada Cherry Tree.

Nancy

What a great day for two brothers, Jim and Brian, finishing their season with lots of catching. They had such a good day, they stopped taking pictures. The temps started pretty cool in the morning and warmed up a bit later, then cooled down again in the late afternoon. The day was pretty clear with less “W”. The flies of choice remained pretty consistent with the week before and the bite was really on. It was great to see such happy brothers, Yeah! Thanks Joe, Jim, and Brian!

Nancy

The snow has stopped for a minute for us to thaw out and the fish are still eating really good! This fall there has been some excellent streamer and bigger nymph fishing. With a little bit warmer spell in the weather in the close future we can still expect to be using those rigs and the fishing should remain fantastic! If you need a combo, try the Copper Zonker or the Bow River Bugger with a small nymph like the Olive Micro Mayfly or the Shop Vac behind it. They are looking for the meat now, but the streamer also lures them into the unsuspecting small  nymph that can sometimes be just plain irresistible (especially purple). The Purple Copper Bob, the Delektable Purple Lil’ or Big Spanker and the purple Prince have all been good these past couple of days. Well, that’s all for now, enjoy all the pictures and Happy Fishing!!!

Dang

After getting 4-6 inches of snow two nights ago and yesterday morning, Gunnar took Chris 
and Bill out for an adventure. Bill is Chris’ Father at 82 years old and in great shape: the pair are from Florida and didn’t know what was in store for them! Hello to Winter and snow which had not been seen by them for many years, being from Florida. Everyone bundled up to stay warm. After getting stuck in one of the boat launches while just inspecting the scene, then getting pulled out by Rod and Pam King, our friends and owners of the Bozeman Angler (Thank you Rod!!) and just about freezing, they decided they would be troopers and still go brave the cold cold morning. It actually ended up a really nice day in the middle of the afternoon. With Gunnar being the Stellar guide that he is, they were into fish soon after the snow shovels!

On day two, Jim had better snow conditions and a tad warmer weather to help Bill and Chris
get into some fish. On both days, it was either the double nymph rig or streamers and nymphs including the Sculpzilla in Black, Copper Zonker, The Mini-Loop Sculpin, and a variety of nymphs using Delektable Lil’ Spankers in PT and Silver and similar patterns with soft hackle or purple worked. Both days proved to be quite the adventure for father and son and the guides.

DanG and Nancy

These past few days the streamer/nymph bite was on! Blue Wing Olive nymphs, Mahogany nymphs, Prince nymphs and cold temps dominated both days. Smaller streamers like the Mini Loop (natural size 6), Sheila #4, the Copper Zonker, Sculpzilla, Delektable Screamers, The Big Gulps Natural and Olive and the Bow River

    Bugger (black size 6 er 8) caught and brought fish to the nymphs. Some of the larger stonefly nymphs that have been working are the Trout Retriever Chocolate Stone, the Delektable Mega Prince and other patterns like the Pat’s  Rubberlegs all in size 8 for the most part. The weather was a pre -winter scare and was cold, but the fishing was choice, the guys knew how to fish and did really well!! The smiling faces tell how it really went! There were so many beautiful fish that we had to put almost all of them up, so enjoy the photos and as always, Happy Fishing!!!  DanG

The Beartooth crew has taken advantage of the nasty weather this past week with the streamers. We have had good reports and some bad reports from people coming in the shop with feedback on how the streamer bite has been. Fact is they are moving and they are coloring up real nice. These big boys took big meat by way of sneaking up river in the shallow water (best in the morning and evening). When you are out there, don’t pass up any good looking water that cuts under the bank, or any structure without hitting it first. The fish have been used to the pressure all season and have found some pretty sneaky places to hide! They have been laying in the skinny, low water just chillin’ by the banks, and if you are quiet and stealthy, you may be rewarded well! The full overcast days have been the best for us, but they still ate in the middle of a sun-storm (my new word for bluebird sunny day). The streamers we were using are a bit heavier and not for the weak of arm, and we have been throwing them ALL day, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get anything after an hour or more, just keep on throw’n ’em, keep moving and cover lots of water. We do not recommend this technique for the less experienced fishermen because it requires experienced casting, the flies are heavy, and you could hook yourself. Ouch! If you miss a fish or accidentally burn one with a bad cast, just keep moving, there are plenty of fish in the river. And if you just plain can’t get ’em, swing on in the shop here and we will try ta help you and maybe give you our dirty little streamer throw’n secrets. That’s the streamer report from us here at the Tooth! Happy Fishing!!!

DanG

Beyond being an extremely windy day, we did boat a nice rainbow on the black Girdle Bug size 8. The guys worked really hard! It does tend to be quite a challenge on the Madison when the wind picks up. When I say it was blowing, I mean it was about 30-40 mph wind gusts all day! Good job boys!

Marty