We saw a 1,000 c.f.s. increase in flow out of
Hebgen on the 19th which made things tough for a few days but the bite only improved from then till now. We’re down to about 1,200 c.f.s. below Hebgen and 1,500 c.f.s. down at Kirby. It looks like we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with all the wet weather and Summer should be setting in any day now.
SALMON FLIES are here and the fish have been eatin’ ‘em pretty well. Along with the big bugs came the Yellow Sallies, PMDs, Golden Stones, and the Caddis are still all over the place. Dry Fly fishing has been better and better as the days go by. Our favorite patterns have been Delektable Secret Stones in Royal, UV Salmon and UV Goldenstone, Delektable Mega 2-Tone Chubbyness and Delektable Twisted X’s in yellow have been great for the Sallies. Half-Down Stones have also been fishing well along with Stimulators, Bloom’s Parachute Caddis and Lil’ Hotties. It’s shaping up to be a dry fly season for the books so take advantage!
The nymph fishing has been outstanding. We’ve had lots of success on soft hackle stuff lately like Delektable Hammerheads, Soft Hackle Hare’s Ears and Soft Hackle Copper Johns. Along with those the standard Mayfly and Caddis patterns have been successful. Things like the Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Lightning Bugs, Prince Nymphs and Psycho Princes are good bets. Any of them can be fished under a big dry or in tandem under an indicator. Some folks have scored with two small nymphs while others have used a larger Stonefly Nymph up top and a small nymph behind. Depending on the flows, a B or BB shot might be needed above the first fly.
The streamer bite has been a bit more inconsistent as of late but with other techniques being so productive I guess we’ll have to be okay with that. With that being said we have picked up a fish here and there on smaller sculpin patterns.
What a great time to be out on the Upper Madison, we hope you’re all enjoying the excellent fishing and if there are any other tips we may have to offer don’t be afraid to call or stop by the shop to ask 406-682-7525.
We expect some real good streamer fishing as long as flows stay somewhat consistent. A number of different flies worked these two weeks including Stonefly Nymphs, some streamers, and Eggs. Experimenting with amounts of weight helped. Some specific patterns were Delektable Mega Princes, Delektable Hurless, Pat’s Rubberlegs, and the Roe Egg and the Glow Bug Egg in Orange and Tangerine. We have enjoyed the company of Project Healing Waters Vets at our lodge this week. Thank you to Bob Frey and Michael Gerhart for all the extra help with the planning and cooking. 
experienced the Solar Eclipse on the river and Kevin provided shots from Idaho. We had a mixture of fun fishing experiences including us and many friends and new friends. We had special surprise guests for Dan’s 60th birthday. And…we shared an incredible birthday cake Elle made totally in honor of Dan and “Scar Tissue”. It was quite the week of incredible experiences, fun fishing, great reunions, fabulous cake and terrific food too. Life at Beartooth can be so much fun. Thank you for sharing.
hasn’t changed too much throughout the month of August. The biggest change we’ve seen over the past week is that bigger fish are eating a little more readily, let’s hope that lasts. Flows are up slightly from last week below the dam to 1,040 c.f.s. and 1,190 c.f.s. at Kirby Ranch. 
good even though sometimes we end up with a totally Tyke bite for a day then bigger fish the next day. Big swarms of flying ants can be seen from Storey Ditch down past Varney Bridge later in the afternoon but they’ll eat them almost all day. The Delektable flying ant in Purple or Cinnamon has consistently been our best pattern. Quigley’s glitter ant and the smaller Yeager’s 409’s in red are doing the trick as well. Early in the day a small Adams or Purple Craze has brought success while pseudos are about and hoppers are still producing as well. For those, the cast and location is important. The Delektable Chubbyness in #14’s and #16’s is still a good pattern with best results in UV Purple, UV Cinnamon, and Royal this week. Hoppers in pink, yellow, and cream underneath are still working.
small princes, small Delektable pheasant tail Lil’ Spankers, tan/brown or olive/brown Rubberlegs, bigger Delektable Hammerheads, Hare’s Ears and Delektable Big Spanker Warriors. Lightning Bugs in Silver and Pearl are still good. These flies have all been pretty good all day but best During the late morning and early afternoon.
continue to improve. We’ve seen some good action into the hottest part of the day the last couple days. Some of our best bugs are the Delektable Single Screamer in white, the Sculpzilla in White or Tan, Mini Loops, Silvey’s sculpin leech and the Conehead Bow River Bugger. Using a sinking leader has helped with Slow strips and dead drifts around the boulders. You could even add a trailing small nymph from the list above. The smoke remains in the mountains and less so on the river.
Thanks to everyone who
came out to the shop to support the children for our Montana Hope Project fundraiser, we had a very successful turn out and donations are still rolling in already exceeding last year’s totals! It was incredible to see so many of our friends come together for such a great cause. And the food was great! Also, thanks to Elle from Elles Belles for providing some incredible desserts. Yumm!
As we transition into August the fishing is 
doing exactly what you’d expect with terrestrials really starting to come into play. Fish are showing a serious interest in flies like the red Delektable Flying Ant, Yeager’s 409, Grillo’s royal Hippie Stomper and the Hi-Vis Foam Beetle. There are still some PMDs kickin’ around up river as well, fishing the spinners in the evening has produced some quality fish. Spruce Moths have also been picking up fish in the shape of Delektable Twisted X tan/brown or bigger tan Elk Hairs.
the Madison, bead heads work. Some of our most productive flies have been the Delektable C.D.C. Baby, flashback Hare’s Ears, Prince’s, Delektable Silver Lil’ Spankers, Lightning Bugs and smaller Olive/Brown Pat’s Rubberlegs. The tail end of the ten day forecast looks like it’s going to be cooling off a bit with highs in the upper 70’s and lower 80’s which will be a pleasant change of pace.
overall but is still best during the cooler starts and ends of the day with dead drifting being the way to go during the afternoon. My best pattern is still the Olive/Black Delektable Screamer but Mini Loops, Trevor’s Sculpins and McCune’s are getting the job done as well.
Things have been heating up on the Upper Madison over the past week, (mid-day temps well into the 90’s) which sped the big bug hatch right up and pretty much out the door. You may still be able to find a couple salmon flies way up top but hopefully you got to enjoy the hatch in its entirety. In other news, gin-clear water has been steadily flowing out of Hebgen at 1,220 c.f.s. and 1,610 c.f.s. at Kirby Ranch. The heat has kind of put a damper on the mid-day dry fly bite but the mornings and evenings have still been great and nymphing is producing throughout the day. 
big nymph as I said last week, as it is still going on under there in the dark world. The small BWO’s and Calibaetis #18’s and #20’s are out and about providing little scrumptious meals for the eager hard-working brightly spotted teenagers out there. You won’t need to be throwing anything small unless you are imitating those little guys right there. Also the midges are black and grayish and are about a size #20-24 and everywhere this time of year. Those tiny guys are verrrry effective if you are up to the challenge. I have a friend who is in his 70’s that has been knocking them down one by one with the 22’s and 24’s. “The cast must be a perfect cast, every time, on the first cast. Then you see the swirl in the film.”
