We have had a number of boats out on the Madison over the last week. Fishing overall has been solid. Some days have been tougher than others. But overall it’s been good to great for most of our outings. Nymphing remains the best strategy for getting into the most consistent fishing. Delektable Mega Princes, Delektable Hurless Stones, and Delektable Balanced Stones in sizes #8-#10 are a great choice for your lead fly. Delektable Lil’ Spankers in Silver, Red, Blue, and Pheasant Tail. Shop Vacs, Psycho Princes, Serendipities, Egg Patterns, and Worms have also been strong choices for trailer patterns which will produce.
The Mother’s Day Caddis hatch had been strong on the Lower Madison as well as the lower stretches of the Upper River from Varney downstream to Valley Garden and the lake channels. The cool batch of weather that rolled in last weekend put this hatch on hold for a couple of days. We should see this hatch back in action as the weather warms mid week. Dan was able to get out and fish this hatch on Friday the 7th and had excellent success. Delektable CDC Holographic Elk Hair Caddis, Delektable Little Chubbies, and Delektable Sparkle Bugs, in Olive in sizes #14 and #16 have fished well during this hatch. The Upper Wade Section as always is providing action on top with Blue Winged Olives in sizes #18 – #22. And Midge Adults and Clusters in sizes #18 – #22. If you catch the right day with some cloud cover, calm winds, the fishing can as always be outstanding.
The streamer action is still heating up. And will do so as spring flows continue to increase. Tactics have varied daily. Fast Retrieves, Slow Retrieves, and Dead Drifting are all possibilities. Black, Olive, White, and Natural colored patterns seem to be the hot colors right now. It just takes some time and patience to figure out how they want them presented each day. Streamer bite has definitely been more active on overcast days without the bright sunlight.
The season is coming on quickly with the last of our closed waters such as the Upper Beaverhead opening this coming Saturday the 15th of May. As always please stop by and pick up some Bugs, Leaders, Suncscreen, and any other tying materials you may need on your way to the River. Be safe out there and remember it’s all about fun out there.
After you get bored with that set up and you really want a challenge for a fish it is time to go to Streamers. Kevin used his own creations, but they resemble something along the lines of a Silk Kitty and Sex Dungeon. While he was there, he used only two colors Olive and White. Olive had a few looks but never any commitment from the fish. He was frustrated by this lack of commitment from the fish, so he went to White to trigger more promising strikes. It worked but the strikes were still far and few between. Other people were around Kevin at the start of The Smith River journey that were fishing streamers as well. The color they informed him with was Black and Olive. He never got a fly, but Streamers are never about the fly as they are about the color or colors of the day.
The weather finally co-operated with warm temperatures and no wind. I stopped to wade 3 different sections of the upper Madison. First was McAtee bridge, then Ruby Creek and lastly the picnic area at Palisades. Hooked and landed browns and rainbows on one of my new stonefly nymphs at all 3 fishing spots. I drove all the way up to Hebgen dam to check out all the fly fishers.
They were enjoying the day like I was. All the sites and access points had anglers. As far as boat launches that were being used: Lyons you had to slide your boat or raft down slope from the road or drag it a ways from the parking lot to the river; Windy Point needed a few more days to melt and open up; Palisades was open as was Ruby Creek and McAtee. There were a handful of boats and rafts from Lyons to McAtee. 
Some days are good… some days are not as good. When you have a bad day on the river, is it really that bad? Does it ever make you want to quit fishing? Maybe, but probably not. For there to be good days, you must have the “bad” days to make the good days seem “good”. Some people come into the shop and remind me that even the bad days need to be put in the “great days” category, because really, you are still on the river. Now is it really that bad?
The nymph game is picking up to another level with this weather, the fish are eating the larger size Stoneflies that are starting to move more with this weather. They have also been keying in on the shiny patterns. The Lightning Bugs and shiny Nymphs such as the Silvie’s lightning bug, the Silver Lightning Bug and the Delektable Lil’ Spanker Silver are all good little shiny bugs that have been working well with the cloudy weather. Most of those would be in a size 14 or 16. That Crystal Dip in a size 16 on that curved hook are working well. The Pat’s Rubber legs is a tried and true pattern that will get fish in the net for you, but if you wanted to wonder off the beaten path of big nymphs, we have a variety to choose from here. The Delektable Mega Prince Standard in a size 6 or 8 has been a go-to of mine for years and years and years in the fall months. That pattern has fooled so many fish over the years. The Delektable Hurless Stone in the Gray size 6 and 8 is a great pattern for the fall times with the water being lower and a little colder. I would also check out the Delektable Stonefly Candy patterns that work in a number of colors. The Twenty Incher is also a great Stonefly pattern that works well in the size 6 or 8. Mostly, try and get a drag free drift with any big black/brown/olive Stonefly and you will have pretty good luck here on the ole’ Madison with the stones.
