Tag: ennis montana

March 18th & 19th | Madison River Fishing Report

The weather conditions looked favorably and my daughter Allie was available to help Dan row. So, 2 days in a row we floated Lyons to Palisades. We haven’t been able to fish together since before the pandemic. Since she had Covid and survived and I received my first Moderna shot, we said let’s go. The pictures tell the story.

The afternoon bite was the best both days for Rainbows and Browns. Stonefly Nymphs were the ticket; Delektable Balanced Flashback Hurless Stones #10 and Delektable Balanced Flashback Mega Princes #10; Delektable Olive Mega Prince Flashback #8; and one of my new Black Stonefly Nymphs under development size#8.

Yes, the second day we fished streamers. For about 20 minutes, one flash, two hook ups. The second being a Monster Brown that ate one of my new articulated 6” long streamers called a Delektable Snakehead.

Have Fun Fishing! Dan

Thursday March 5, 2021 | Madison River Fishing Report

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.      

It was so good to get out and exercise and to see so many out there enjoying a break in the weather. The bonus of this time of the year is the thousands of elk that can be photographed just by driving up the highway along with the deer, antelope, and other wildlife.

Enjoy Fishing! Dan Delekta

September 20th – October 3rd | Madison River Fishing Report

What weather we’ve been having late this season! Some may wish for the weather to get nasty and fish streamers but the rest of us are enjoying the hopper fishing into October! Flows have been steady at about 1,000 C.F.S. at Kirby. We’ve seen some more insect hatches lately which does suggest fall is here regardless of the daytime high temperatures indicating otherwise. Baetis, BWOs, Caddis and Midges can all be found throughout the river.

Dry fly fishing has been pretty decent especially with terrestrials in the afternoon but don’t be afraid to trail a little Purple Haze, Elk Hair Caddis or Adams behind some of your favorite terrestrial or attractor patterns. We’ve caught fish on Delektable Secret Stones, Delektable Chubbyness, Micro Water Walkers, More-Or-Less Hoppers, and Ants.

Nymph fishing has been just what you’d expect from the Madison, productive. Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Serendipities, Prince Nymphs, Lightning Bugs, Wire Worms, RS2s, Green Machines and Zebra Midges have all been getting it done.

The streamer bite has been a little tough but showing big rewards to those who commit. Mornings are usually best and our best luck has been on darker sculpin imitations. Delektable Screamers, Sheila’s Sculpins, Bow River Buggers, Bond’s Dragons and Zonkers are some good options.

August 23rd – 29th | Madison River Fishing Report

A fun part of this past week was all the youngsters we had the privilege of taking fishing. We had several trips that consisted of grandparents, parents, and grandkids fishing together which is always great to see and be a part of. As for the fishing, not a lot has changed but we expect the incoming weather to mix things up a bit. We’re expecting a significant drop in air temperature for tomorrow along with some rain.

Flows are down some from last week, 890 C.F.S. below Hebgen, 1,010 C.F.S. at Kirby and 1,030 down at Varney. Keep an eye out for those gravel bars that have become more exposed over the last few days.

Streamers and nymphs will be coming into play a bit more with the inconsistent weather but we expect the hardcore dry fly guys to continue to get it done with Hoppers, Ants and smaller Chubbies. The patterns haven’t changed much with flies like Dornan’s Water Walkers, Delektable Chubbyness, Delektable Secret Stones, Delektable Flying Ants and all your favorite Grasshopper flies doing the job. Dan has added a new Delektable Fly Design called the Delektable Lil’ Chubby which has a wide gap hook and is tied in sizes #14-#18. They are Sweet and the shop will need to order more because they are working.

Under the Bobber you should be fishing Pat’s Rubberlegs, Jig Lightning Bugs, Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Copper Johns, Serendipities, Formerly Known as Princes or anything comparable to those patterns.

Streamer fishing has improved a bit but maybe that’s just because more people are fishing them. Flies like Bow River Buggers, Delektable Screamers, Zonkers, Mini Dungeons and Trevor’s Sculpins have all been good options. 

July 26th – August 8th | Madison River Fishing Report

Well it’s officially August and that means one thing around here: Grasshopper Season!! We talked about Grasshoppers last week and you can expect to hear it again next week so get used to Hopper talk around the valley. There are a few Caddis and Mayflies still kicking around along with some Nocturnal Stoneflies so keep that in mind in the mornings and evenings.

Nymphing has still been good despite all the surface action. Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Pat’s Rubberlegs, Lightning Bugs, Formerly Known as Prince, Shop Vacs, $3 Dips, Little Green Machines and Other Nymphs are all good choices. Best bet is to fish these under the hopper in the afternoon or in tandem under a bobber in the mornings and evenings. And it works without a Bobber with two Small Nymphs and a bit of weight with a tight line.

As far as Dry fly fishing goes it’s all about Terrestrials. Hoppers, Ants and Beetles have all been getting some attention from the trout. Thunder Thighs Hoppers, Panty Dropper Hoppers, Dave’s Hoppers, Parachute Hoppers, Streambank Hoppers, Morrish Hoppers, and any other Hopper pattern you believe in should do the trick. Delektable Flying Ants, Bloom’s Stealth Ant, Hippie Stompers and the Yeager’s 409 are good for the Beetles and Ants.

Streamers aren’t Grasshoppers. You’ll probably just want to fish hoppers but if you’re the kind of fella that needs to throw the big stuff I’d recommend getting up early and throwing things like Delektable Screamers, John Bond’s Dragon, Galloup’s Dungeon, Bow River Buggers or Zonkers.

                       

July 19th – 25th | Madison River Fishing Report

The Hoppers are coming! The Hoppers are coming! Get those boxes of foam ready and stock up on floatant now. We’re seeing signs that suggest another great terrestrial season. The Grasshopper bite was just getting started towards the end of this first of two weeks and if it’s anything like last year’s Hopper action, there’s no end in sight. With all that being said, the Hopper fishing isn’t red hot quite yet but the early signs are promising and it is so much fun. We are hopeful! The leaps, drive by’s, bites, and near bite misses are great fishing entertainment fun because you can see the fish go for it. Be patient and let them bite it. A little twitching can help attract them too. The action can be on the edge but also in the middle of the river and near boulders and a variety of places. Experiment!

A few nice ones have been caught on the dries these two weeks. Although we’re all very excited about Grasshoppers don’t forget about some of the other smaller Attractor Dry Flies like the Purple Haze and Purple Craze, Delektable Chubbyness, Stimulators, Dornan’s Water walkers, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis, Delektable Sparkle Bugs and “X” Caddis, and the Delektable Twisted Baby. In addition PMD’s and Sallies were still on this past first week. As far as the terrestrials go the More-Or-Less hopper, Thunder Thighs, Panty Dropper Hopper, Yeagers 409, Delektable Flying Ant and Bloom’s Stealth Ant are all good choices.

The Nymphs have been and likely always will be the most effective way to catch fish. Size #16 has become more frequent on the smaller nymphs. Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Delektable Hammerhead Jig Hooks, Delektable Lime and Lemon Juice, Formerly Known as Prince, Various Prince Patterns, Psycho Princes in a variety of colors, Shop Vacs, Pat’s Rubberlegs, Lightning Bugs, $3 Dips and Lemon Drops have all been successful on the bead head side of things.

The Streamer bite has been sort of hit or miss but there’s plenty of carnivorous little Brown Trout swimming around out there. Sculpin patterns are your best bet, smaller darker flies like Mini Loop Sculpins, Delektable Screamers, Zonkers, JR’s Conehead and John Bond’s Dragon should move some nice trout.

                       

July 12th – 18th | Madison River Fishing Report

Well, well, well… what a difference a week can make. The fishing has been a bit less consistent as the stonefly hatches have tapered off. There have been plenty of good fish caught they are just making you work for them a bit more.

Dry fly fishing has been a bit tougher during the day but the early and late hatches have still been good with the PMDs and Caddis. Hoppers and Ants have been just starting to pick up a fish here and there and we only expect that to get better as time goes on. Delektable Halos, Bloom’s Parachute Caddis, Purple Hazes, Thunder Thighs and Delektable Flying Ants are all good dry flies.

The nymphs have been doing all the heavy lifting out there this week. We’ve mostly been running 2 small nymphs under the bobber to get the most action. Delektable Ranch PMDs, Delektable Lil Spankers,  Lightning Bugs, Psycho Princes, Princes, $3 Dips, Shop Vacs and Bloom’s Weight Fly have all been doing well out there.

Streamer fishing has been improving with some nice fish being caught on sculpin imitations, mostly in the mornings. Delektable Screamers, Trevor’s Sculpins, McCune’s Sculpins and Zonkers have been the winners of the week.

For anyone who hasn’t heard Montana has issued a mandatory mask mandate for all public spaces and businesses so when you come to the fly shop please be prepared to follow the rules with us. Wearing masks or facial cloth covers is also required when doing outdoor activities if less than 6 Foot distancing occurs and also while riding with others in automobiles. Thanks in advance for helping.