Tag: dry flies
May 14th -24th|Madison River Fishing Report
Hopefully you were lucky 
enough to get out on the river this weekend and earlier this week while the entire upper river was clean and clear. After the past couple days of warmer temps the West Fork is back to dumping in the dirty water, but the good news is the wade section above should continue to fish well. We’ve still got about a foot or so of visibility at Varney, and better clarity higher up but the water is haulin’ and high. Take serious CAUTION when floating becau
se Sun West and Wolf Creek bridges will be tough to get under so choose your floats wisely.
We’ve been having good luck on Delektable Lil’ Spankers in pheasant tail or silver on either a #14 or #16 hook, the One Man Party caddis nymph in a #16 and red worms of course. Stoneflies are still working well in a lot of varieties(all working best in sizes #8 and #10) such as the Delektable Mr. Rubberlegs Hare’s Ear, the Delektable Bug in the 
Halloween color, and the Pat’s Rubberlegs in black or black/brown. The good side of the high water is that the fish will be concentrated on the banks and in the slow water behind boulders and logs. SEEK THE SLOW WATER! You shouldn’t have to venture far off the banks to find it.
Streamer fishing has been good on the upper 
river as well, we got into a few fish yesterday on the Eric’s Jealousy in the “Big Horn” color but anything nice and meaty in that variegated yellow should do the trick. The Delektable Black and Olive Double screamer has been getting it done out there as well.
The surface action has been 
hit or miss with the ever changing spring time weather but if you’re out there on a nice cloudy day make sure you’ve got a few Delektable Peacock Halo’s in a #16 and some Split Winged March Browns in a #14 or a Parachute Adams either #14 or #16.
Best of Luck out there and as always, stop by the shop for
info and ammo!
May 1st -8th|Madison River Fishing Report
Well Spring has sprung here on the Madison
and we’re very sorry we haven’t got a report out to you in a while as we’ve had our hands full getting the season started and getting ready for our Project Healing Waters Guests. The good news is the fishing hasn’t ceased to amaze. Very typical spring conditions means the fish are EATING after a long winter. What’s on the menu? Sculpin, BWO’s, Caddis and March browns. The streamer bite has picked up big time since our last report with Trevor’s sculpin in olive or natural, The Delektable Double Screamer in olive/black or badger, Sculpzilla’s and anything else that imitates 
those mottled little trout snacks that swim around..
The water has been starting to come up and as of this writing the CFS is about 2,450 but don’t let that scare you, with less than a foot of visibility out back (increasing as you go up river) we’re experiencing some epic days on the water but it requires different techniques. You’re going to want to tread carefully with lots of fish being tight to the banks they’ll be easy to spook from careless wading.
Nymphs are going to be producing the numbers as usual, Delektable Stoners in black or brown especially the Egghead ones in a size #8 hook, Delektable Lil’ Spankers in sizes #14 or #16 of the Pheasant Tail variety, size#14 Lightning Bugs and of course the worms, bigger and redder the better. The color redhead is also good in Delektable Big Spankers that have tungsten beads.
On the top side we’ve been getting 
them on size #14 Adams flies, Delektable Halo’s in peacock #16, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis in a #16 and Pheasant Tail cripple’s in #14. Evenings have been best for dry fly fishing so don’t be afraid to stick around till the sun isn’t!! This does require choosing special spots where you can tease them up to the fly and hopefully where you find a bucket with a bit of clarity.
As always call or stop by the shop for an up to the minute report and all the bugs you’ll need to stick ‘em!
April 21st-30th|Madison River Fishing Report
Early spring conditions means bring ALL your 
gear out on any given day because you never know what momma nature will throw at ya this time of year. Despite the weather, our guides have been getting some great fish. Streamer fishing has been picking up big time which has been long awaited.. The olive/black Delektable single screamer has been the fly to beat and Sheila’s sculpins are working well too.
Nymph fishing has been a stonefly and 
worm game and they’re WORKING. Delektable Megaprince’s have been on fire on a size #8 hook in either standard or olive with or without the flashback. Delektable Hurless Stone’s have had a tough time staying out of mouths as well especially in olive sizes #8 or #10. Pats Rubberlegs have been producing some fish as well, specifically in the olive/brown color combo on a #8 hook. Last but not least the pink flossy worm has been bring’n em in.
Dry fly fishing has still been mostly a midge
game but if you’re out in the evening you can certainly come across a bucket full of blue wing slerpers. So come prepared with some Griffiths Gnats in #18 and #20 along with Brook’s Midge Sprouts in olive on a #18 hook. The BWO Split Wing Parachute has been one of our favorites as well.
As always, be sure to stop in the shop and load up on all these tasty bugs on your way to the fish!
April 2nd-20th|Madison River Fishing Report
As of a little over a week ago all fishing access sites on the Upper Madison are good to go, other than Ennis bridge of course which will need some repairs after this winter’s river gorge through town. The current forecast on repairs at the Ennis Access is around April 18th. Spring is knocking on the door throughout southwest Montana and now is your chance to 
take advantage of some truly great fishing conditions. We’re seeing fish responding to smaller streamers and they’re spreading out throughout the river, no more winter style slow and low fishing but we still aren’t seeing much success stripping the big stuff. Delektable Single Screamers and Sculpzillas in olive and natural colors have been working best for me but th ere are plenty of patterns out there that’ll work, just keep it in that size and color zone.
We have had some early guide trips go fishing 
with really good results. Brandon and Gunnar got folks into some nice trout. With these trips and other reports, Nymphing has still been the way to get ‘em with stoneflies still seeing the most action. I wouldn’t recommend going to the river without a few Delektable Hurless or Mega Prince Stones in Olive, sizes #8 and #10 for those skwalas that are starting to move around. Keep in mind our Skwalas remain underneath while on some other rivers like the 
Bitterroot they emerge to the surface. Under the larger bug, you’ll want a small and flashy mayfly nymph or even a caddis nymph. Something like a Lightning Bug or a Delektable Lil’ Spanker, silver, olive or purple in a #14, #16 or #18. And as always, if all that stuff somehow fails ya tie on a goo d ol’ worm. Worms are working well. We have heard some killer reports on them below Varney Bridge. We have also had reports of results on Trico’s and Midges which are 
popping in the middle of the afternoon. Most have had better action on the wet versions compared to dry.
For those of you that want to stick to the surface stuff the best reports of dry fly action have been coming from the three dollar and raynold’s pass area. Midges are still the name of the game but bwo’s are just around the corner! If you get sick of trying to locate your size 22 dry fly while its
drifting it’s never a bad idea to try to tease a couple up with a dry skwala imitation.
We’re starting to get reports of some rainbows starting to spawn in certain sections so keep an eye out and keep clear of any redds! Be sure to stop by the shop and share some fish stories and enjoy the spring weather!! Brian and Kevin
.
June 15-17 2016| Yellowstone Park Fishing Report
Emmett took his days off to go to Yellowstone to catch fish. Among the chaos of the many people from all parts of the world, there was an abundance of fish to be caught. Emmett fished both the Gibbon and Firehole rivers, in multiple locations on each. There were plentiful hatches of Mayflies, Caddis, and Mosquitoes, with the fish eating all of the above.
The best of the fishing was on the Gibbon River. The water on the Gibbon is slow, soft, and clear in the locations that were fished. The fish can be picky, but with the right fly, a good presentation, and a careful approach, the fish can be caught. The best of the fishing was on a small Parachute Adams, although a very small Humpy could catch fish too. There was an abundance of Brown Trout, and Brook Trout, with each living in its particular stretch of river.
The fishing on the Firehole was good, but not as good as the fishing on the Gibbon. The fish were on average larger, but they were pickier, and harder to catch. The fish on the Firehole were eating caddis emergers right at the surface. If you could find the right emerger, you could get the fish to devour it, Emmett did not succeed in finding the right emerger, but did have luck on the Bomber Caddis dry fly. As the old saying goes “Trout don’t live in ugly places”, and it is definitely true in Yellowstone. It is always amazing to get to fish in one of the most beautiful locations on planet Earth, and it is even better when fish will eat a dry fly.
April 2nd-9th 2016| Madison River Fishing Report
Dan took our friends Chip and Bill on a float. Big Nymphs in combination rocked!
Springtime in the Rockies with weather conditions either hot and sunny or cloudy and cold. The bite was on with my favorite stonefly nymphs: all size #6 and #8 Delektable Flashback Mega Prince; Delektable Flashback Hurless Stones in Gray and Olive.
Dan and Nancy had a great day for Dan to take Mrs. Delektable floating. 
It’s incredible that the Upper Madison is open from Quake Lake to McAtee again year round. There were spots in the calm where the trout were sipping like crazy in pods. Those fish were fussy about the dry but not about the Delektable nymphs. Dan’s favorite spring flies were great that day. Later on we did try the small Delektable Chubbyness and it worked too. What a fun day.
Dan fished with Mike and Catalina. They floated from Windy Point to McAtee. 
They just killed it on the Delektable Flashback Mega Prince in Standard and Olive and the Delektable Flashback Hurless Stone in Gray and Olive. Catalina caught a massive Rainbow and rocked all day. Way to go Cat! Mike helped with the rowing and Dan was able to enjoy some rod bending.
Multiple fun days, early season!
Dan and Nancy
March 20 & 21, 2016| Madison River Fishing Report
Our friends, Zac and Kim had a great time on the Upper Madison catching really nice trout
despite the “W” factor which prevailed. They had the two really nice weather days in between some winter conditions on the front and back end of their trip. Kim has a reputation for catching the big fish, not to be confused with another Kim we know who also catches big fish, and this time Zac was right in the competition with his sweetheart. Brandon took great care of them floating two different sections of the upper in his new boat which he loves.
The flies that worked were stone flies including the Pat’s Rubberlegs in Black, Delektable Mega Prince Olive Flashback, Delektable Hurless Gray Flashback, and an assortment of worms and Caddis Emerger patterns. It was a great time and a nice birthday celebration for Kim with Zac. Happy Birthday! Kim!
Nancy