This year’s hopper bite has been epic to say the least. The hopper action has been the best we have seen in years. We have so many hoppers in the grass, on the banks and yes, even in the fly bins still. When the wind blows and the sun is out, the hopper bite is the best. It slows a little when the clouds are out. More-Or-Less hopper in the pink size 12 has been one of the better hoppers for us this season. The tan Panty-Dropper-Hopper in a size 12 or 14 is a great hopper pattern that we have here at the Beartooth. It has been dwindling a bit lately even though there are still copious amounts of hoppers. There are other bugs out there if the hopper is not working for you. The mahogany dun in a size 14 or 16 has started to fly around. You could throw a brown or marigold Adams size 14 for that and do well. The tan caddis size 16 is still out and about. We may even start seeing the BWO with the next bit of rain and weather that is in store for us in the next 10 days. Pseudo mayflies in a size 18 to 22 are flying around and you can get those little flies here at the shop too. Let’s not forget the nymph bite is always VERY SWITCHED ON here on the Madison River. So, if you cannot hookup on the dry, give the ‘ole dirty nymph a try, you should have some luck, it’s always been a sure thing. Prince nymph in a size 16 with white CDC (Delektable Prince Brandon) has been the ticket for a lot of our guides. The Delektable Lil’ Spanker series has been a go-to for years and is still a heavy hitter, especially in the Pheasant Tail or Silver colors. Also there have been some spotting on the mahogany duns, which will be out in full force here in a minute. If you would like some more intel or just great fly fishing conversation, come on in to the shop and say hey to all of us here!!! We would be more than happy let you in on what’s working for us!
Hoppers, Hoppers, and more Hoppers!!! It is hopper season on the Upper Madison River… RIGHT NOW!!! I have not seen this many hoppers in the valley since …. never. Big Dan might say over eight years since…If you want to catch fish on a hopper, now is the time for just that. They are only going to be getting more and more keyed in to them day by day. Double dries are working great right now including Hoppers with different Delektable Chubbyness behind or in front. Also, the Spruce Moths are just getting going and are a good second fly. This is also the time we like to call ‘Hopper Dropper’ time. If you are not getting them on the dry, then they will most likely be eating the dropper you hang under it. PMDs, Caddis and little stones (yellow sally) are all good choices for a dropper. We have been doing well on the Crystal Dip size #16 for the Caddis. People are doing well on the Standard Prince nymph as a Caddis dropper also. I could go through all the possible Droppers you could use, but ill only list a few of the heavy hitters we have seen here in the past week.
Some of the Hoppers we’ve seen go out the door and down the hatch are as follows
The flying ant is also out there and will be working more as the summer progresses on.
This past week we have been experiencing what a fixed damn can do for your river …just like last year, it is becoming quite the epic dry fly season! The water is still up and cold and the bugs are just going crazy. PMDs , Caddis, Sallies, tale end of the Goldens and Salmons, and even the start of the Hopper. Beetles and ants are starting to work as well. So, if you are into the dry fly action more than the subsurface, this is your time to shine my friends. I hope you are all getting a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. It has been stellar conditions everyday with a very consistent afternoon thunderstorm (3-5pm). After the rain it is on again with the evening hatch. The Mayflies and Spinners are thick like a blanket. The Caddis….wow! Streamer action is pretty good as well if you get bored of all the bugs and maybe during the storm and cloud cover. We have seen some pretty good fish give it up to the streamer. We have also seen the streamer get the attention and the little nymph on the back get all the action. Do what you will with it.
up yesterday morning and that was a blessing after such a dry couple of months. With predicted rain and highs in the mid 50s and low 60s the forecast is looking good for everyone’s favorite fall festivity, STREAMER FISHING! Flows are at 861 c.f.s. below Hebgen Lake and 970 c.f.s. down at Kirby.
pretty good as of late, best in the mornings and evenings but I expect it to be an all day affair with the upcoming weather. The fish are in their normal hiding places (undercuts, boulders, logjams, etc.) feeding on their usual prey (whitefish and sculpin). Some of the bigger flies are starting to get more attention like the Delektable Double-Screamer, Circus Peanuts, Silk Kitty, and Sundell’s Bad Boys as well as the go to smaller stuff like Double Bunnys, Delektable Single Screamers and Sheila’s Sculpins. 
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.
Well it’s late August, we’re flowing at about 1,000 c.f.s. below Hebgen and 1150 at Kirby. Fishing has been without much change over the past couple weeks with most fish being caught on terrestrial dries or nymphs. The forecast is calling for more warm and bright days coming up which is just fine to keep the hopper bite going.
We’ve experienced some good pseudo action hatches in the mornings and in the evenings of the same. Starting the day with a #18 or #20 parachute adams or purple craze would not be a bad idea. As it gets warmer later in the morning I’d recommend going back to the ants and hoppers. The purple Delektable Flying Ant, Dave’s Hopper, the White Cloud Hopper, Quigley’s Glitter Ant, Delektable Slammers and Fat Alberts have all been bringing fish up. There are still Spruce Moths in the early part of the day in the upper so think about trying variations of that including: Delektable Twisted Baby, Sister, or X in Tan Brown or try purple for whatever reason it is okay, purple is always a special trick color.
Our guides are catching fish on nymphs pretty consistently. Some of the top flies have been Pat’s Rubberlegs in olive/brown, Delektable pheasant tail Lil’ Spankers, Delektable prince Hammerheads, Wire Worms, Prince Nymphs and Rainbow Warriors. Any two of those under a bobber or under a streamer should produce something for you at any time of day.
Stop in the shop or give us a call for any more info you may need on how to have the best experience possible on the Upper Madison or any of our nearby waters. Enjoy the rest of the Summer!
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.
