Flyfishing Archives - Page 11 of 12

June 26th – July 2nd|Madison River Fishing Report

Well, the big bug bite is on!! Salmon flies have made their way up to and past the shop here and the cooler temps have been slowing them down for us all to enjoy a little longer. Evening caddis hatches have also been KILLER, we definitely recommend an early dinner and getting right back out on the water to experience it. Also expect to see PMD’s, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stoneflies and a few Drake’s out there.

Dry fly fishing has continued keep a smile on everyone’s faces throughout the river. Whether its caddis, mayflies or the salmons and golden stones the fish have been looking up. We recommend having some Delektable Peacock Halo’s in a #16, Olive Delektable C.D.C. Elk Hair Caddis in either a #14 or #16 and earlier in the day it’ll be nice to have a Smoke Jumper PMD emerger or two on a #16 hook. As for the big foamy stuff we’ve been fishing the Delektable Secret Salmon (#6 or #8) and Secret Golden Stone (#10 and #12). They’ve also been liking a small (#14 and #16) Delektable Chubbyness off the back of those big dries as well, either purple or royal for the color.

Streamer fishing has continued to be put on the back burner due to the all you can eat insect buffet out there. If you’re one of those people that can’t help but to strip the meaty stuff off the banks I’d recommend starting small, something like a Sheila’s Sculpin or a Delektable Single Screamer in white or badger.

Nymphing has been good as well with all the bugs being so active. The One Man Party and the Shop Vac are doing great for the caddis, sizes #14 and #16 for both. As for the mayfly nymphs we’ve been having good results on Purple Psycho Prince’s, Delektable Pheasant Tail Lil’ Spanker’s in #16, and Red Thread Prince Nymphs in either a #14 or #16.

As always call or stop by the shop for an up to the minute report and HAVE FUN out there!!!

October 10th-15th |Madison River Fishing Report

Well, well, well, fall is rolling right along and we have had the privilege of having some real fun groups come in and we’ve made some new friends along the way! Thanks to all the people who make it possible every year for us to exist. (for you!) The groups this week have had to deal with some extreeeme weather (50-60 mph winds) due to the tailing storm patterns going on over on the west coast. We have received another healthy dose of rain and also some more snow in the mountains. Well folks, today’s weather is brought to you by …………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………SHARK WEEEEK!!!! Episode #3…………………………

These brown/black/yellow/orange sharks are being pulled out of the Madison River on the regs lately and are acting like vicious, sculpin-blood-thirsty predators. If you are out early in the early morning you will have the best luck (because it’s fall), but with the clouds and the weather the way that it has been all day long, it will be good…all day long. Our clients and guides have been reporting that the streamer bite is really crazy right now and that small children should keeps their hands and feet inside the boats at all times. Children have been known to lose fingers just by sticking them in the water around this time of year.

These toothy brown trout will stop at nothing to get a quick taste of a squirmy little fingers. After all, it will give those little sculpins a little break. The Sculpin is a small tapered olive fish with a big head, and browns and rainbows alike just love the little guy. It’s usually an easy snack any time of day, but it’s especially good in the morning. Breakfast to go with a side of…..SET THE HOOOOK!!!!!!!

I hope you are taking full advantage of the fall fishing as I and my friends at the shop here are. The rain has stopped for a bit now and the cloud cover is at a sick point sick on the sickter scale. (100% full send). So, please do yourself a favor and get out there!!!

If you need any pointers on what to use, here ya go, try something like these: Dan Delekta’s Delektable Screamers and Delektable Double Screamers in all the colors; Bern Sundell’s Bad Boy in all of his colors; Bern Sundell’s Silver Fire; Sculpzilla size 4 and 8 in black, olive and white, Trevor in black, olive, and white; Silvies Woolhead in white and silver; Kelly Galloup’s Sex Dungeons and Silky Kittys in whites, blacks and olives; The Zonker in pearl, copper, natural and white. And last but not least for my recommendations is the Bow River Bugger in a size 6 or 8.

We still have had a good bite on the 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.”

In the guide world, the little nymphs that just catch fish are working just fine, as usual. The Lightening Bug size 14 behind a Pat’s Rubber Legs black size 8 is a sure combo to get fish in the boat. The Delektable Mega Prince Standard size 8 is a great nymph to put up top and get yer little guys down in the fish’s faces. Working here at the shop, I have been seeing a lot of small olive and darker guys in the #16-18 range going out the door. Also, the caddis right now are gray and in a size #14, maybe #15. A prince nymph in a size #12-14 is a sure catch most of the day. Tungsten beaded nymphs will help it get down even faster if you are having trouble tagging the bottom every now and then. The October Caddis has been flying around and he’s about a size 10 dry. Any orange or brown stone nymph in that size too will work for him too. We have a series of Delektable stones and nymphs that will work for the Octobers if you come in and are looking for some new guys to try.

Well, I hope to hear about your wild fishing stories here at the shop when you stop by! But for now, if you are feeling the skunk while chuck’n the junk, keep on keeping on, cause those brown punks will eventually get outta their bunks ta bust yer funk. But if they won’t…….. I guess go get drunk! 🙂

Happy Fishing!!! -DanG

September 20-27, 2016 | Madison River Fishing Report

The Mighty Madison has a couple of weeks every year where it has the potential to be …. Shark Week! …and it’s now. Brown sharks… Sharks… Sharking. Sharks attacking streamers…

This past week has been really quite awesome in regards to the streamer bite. All the leaves are in full bloom and raging yellows and reds and oranges. In corrilation, all the streamer colors are working. All of them. White has always been my favorite, but lately its been the olive/gold combo. This river is just full of streamer-eating, carnivorous, slimey, fattened up monsters now. The lakes (Ennis and Quake) are literally putting out, I mean puuuutting out right now.

The float sections down near town have been really good this past week and seem to get better by the day. But then again, some of the big fish you see in theses pictures came from higher up. Some of us have been throwing only streamers and doing verrrry well. This is the time to do that if it’s not really been a strong point for you. Your chances are looking pretty good right now, just throw it in the water in the morning and you might be surprised. But do take a second to look at the colors on the trout before you slip them back in the water, they are just gorgeous!!! Also, take a look at a few of these photos and the colors they have been displaying!

The streamers that have been hurled out here involve multiple articulations and/or stinger hooks. Trevor has been catching fish, Sheila has been catching fish, the Zonker has been catching fish, Mini Loop has been doing well and of course Dan Delekta’s Double Screamer in all the colors. Bow River Bugger has also been getting stripped outta the bins here at the shop. they are still eating the nymph really well too if stripping streamers is just not your thing. Some dries are even working yet. The Ant and even the Hopper are out in this late September weather. If your are a dry or die kinda guy or gal, you will still be matching up with BWO’s, Caddis and Midges in the 18-22 size range. The nymphs that most of the guides are going out the door with are getting back to the larger size.Try some bigger prince nymphs and bigger lightening bugs. It is about that time of year again where you are going to see the size 14 mayfly patterns working again. Well, there is the polished version. If you need more info and you just want to talk to us here at the shop, call us! If you are more lost than a Salmonfly in September (which does happen occasionally) call us and any one of us will be happy to point you in the right direction. Happy Fishing!!! -DanG

September 7th-12th, 2016|Madison River Fishing Report

It’s early morning and nice weather is in the forecast for Bill later today. The “W” is almost nonexistent. He gets out of his truck all bundled up head to toe in his newly purchased gear. The cold crisp fog is rising from the upper Madison River in what seems to be slow motion. He takes a look around and sees an eagle barely visible through the fog flying majestically, looking for an easy target to scoop up for breakfast. Bill is fully equipped and ready for action. He starts walking toward the river from his rig. He immediately spooks a brown right off the bank. He smiles. Bill has been waiting for this all year….the fall run. The leaves are turning yellow quickly and the valley is changing in color day by day. Bill is in his element. He is free, the air is clean and he is alone. This moment is all about him in his favorite Montana surroundings. His soul needs this……it craves it. The best part about this story is that Bill IS actually here now. He is NOT daydreaming about monster brown trout while he butters his toast at home. He has built a getaway that is healthy for him away from work, and now he is here. He has set himself up for success not only mentally and therapeutically, but for the fishing too. He is fully prepared.

The cold weather snap here in Southwest Montana has given the trout a little indication that it is time. It is time to get serious about fattening up, and time to get serious about getting serious in a fishy relationship. It is spawning season soon and the bite is on!! I hope you all will take advantage of these ferocious browns with their vicious takes on the streamer!

We are seeing some nice fish enter and exit the boat safely taken on single hooked streamers, articulated streamers and well, you get it. It’s on!

Well, it’s not just streamers that are working. There is also still quite an extensive list of “normal” flies that will be working. Let’s start with the stone flies that are moving around with the colder temps. Pats Rubber Legs in a size 8-12 are working just fine for those little guys. Colors that are strong ones will be brown, black, brown/olive and black/olive (for the Nocturnals still), black/brown and orange/tan. A red headed prince with a tungsten bead on a size 14-16 hook in combination with any of those stones would be good. Small princes, small pheasant tails and small serendipities (size 18-20 on curved hook) have been working lately. Baetis…start looking for ‘em and start throwin ‘em. A wire worm size 8. Delektable Lil’ Spankers in silver, red and pheasant tail have been good. Lightning bugs silver, pearl and purple are working just fine. We have also had some good reports on the little red copper john size 20. That could be for the pseudo mayflies we have had lately, but trout just love the little red copper john….always. There is a 14-16 gray caddis that has been flying around and we have been using the Delektable Rose/Pink Twisted Sister dry size 16 for that lil’ guy. One might want to try that one in the brown color too. It could be time for the Delektable Mega Prince and relatives.

As for the weather and the bite during the day, it has been real good in the early morning, a little slower by mid-day, and then it has been picking up a little bit more later in the afternoon.

Back to streamer talk now. Early mornings have been borderline epic on the strip. As for colors, white is right. Olive articulated streamers have been reeeally good along with black here and there. There has been some good nipping going on without the full commitment, but have no fear, it will happen. Personally I would rather strip a streamer than dunk it under a bobber, but dunk’n stinger-hooked streamers with a nymph trailing has been a killer combo for numbers in the boat. They may look at the streamer and hopefully take it, but if not, they usually take the small nymph behind it. Anywho, please get out there and get some fishing time in for yourself with this epic weather. The bite is just simply better with this colder weather. You may have to bundle up a bit more but it usually well worth the effort. To each their own, but I prefer fishing in the snow and blizzard conditions with the way the trout react. Plus, there are a lot less people out there in “your spot” 🙂

Happy Fishing!!! -DanG

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.

June 7th 2016| Big Hole River Fishing Report

This week called for a change of scenery as Dan, Marty, Will and Emmett headed up to the Big Hole to fish the Salmon Fly hatch and Golden Stones. Fishing on the Big Hole the past two weeks has been great. Clarity and river flow have been ideal for the hatch and those fishing have had big trout to show for it.

Will and local guide Nick Argyrakis with his sister Lia floated the 11-mile drift from East bank to Jerry Creek. It was Will’s 21^st birthday so a celebratory drink or two was in order to start of the day. Weather conditions were just about perfect. Since the salmon fly hatch was on, it only made sense to start with a Delektable Mega2Tone Chubbyness UVSalmon Fly #8 with a Goldenstone Tungsten Bead #8 following. It was important to find the willows and fish your dry right under and beside the grassy banks. Other recommended flies that worked that day were; Delektable Secret Stone Royal size #8, Delektable Chubbyness Little Yellow Stone size #16, Delektable Hammerhead GTBH Pheasantail #16 and Delektable Hammerhead GTBH Hare’s Ear #16. Overall it’s hard to beat cold beer on the river, great conditions and fish in the boat.

Dan, Marty, and Emmett got away on the same day to the Big Hole to fish the big dries. They did a double float from East Bank down to Divide. Everything was hatching, but there was only an occasional rise for a natural dry. Remember you can cast blindly with a dry, and get a rise by teasing the fish with a fly. There were some, but not too many big bugs out on the upper part of the float. We did not see any in the canyon. The fish were mostly eating the Delektable Secret Stone, and the Mega 2Tone Chubbyness. It took time and effort to get the fish to bite, but it was totally possible to do. Some of the group were twitching their flies, while others were just dead-drifting them. Most of the fish were biting in the slow water near the banks, and in the buckets. They caught many different species of fish including Rainbows, Whitefish, Cutthroats, Brown Trout, and Brookies.

Emmett & Will

June 1st- 5th 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

The pattern for this week is “Fluctuating River Color” with conditions persisting to change. What we have noticed is water temperatures are cooler than average and flows have been going up a bit. Water is still green and dirty green out back with dirtier water closer to Ennis. There is still a seam in the river but the majority dirty green. Overall, fishing continues to be good with fly patterns and new hatches coming although most people fishing are working for their fish. Flies that worked this week included; Power Worms, Delektable Lil’ Spankers Pheasant Tail, Tungsten Redemption BWO’s, Green Caddis Emergers of various types with some brighter green colors of choice, Caddis of various types, and Phsyco Princes. With the salmon fly and golden stone hatch on the big hole right now the excitement begins to build.

To start off the week, Will drove up to Raynold’s bridge where previous reports had been that the wade only section was fishing well. Sometimes a personal day out on the river is exactly what is needed. The fish are bigger and the stories are always better with no witnesses. Fishing the buckets and side pools, Delektable double screamers (Olive and Black), Midges, and Tungsten Copper John’s #14 were all working. Fishing streamers slow and letting the fish catch up was still important with the water temperatures low. Overall, it’s never a bad day when you’re out on the river and a bonus when you’re catching.

Emmett fished between Lyons Bridge and Windy Point. The fishing was good even though the weather was extremely warm and sunny. The river was slightly off color, especially on the left, west side of the river due to the West Fork. Most bites were happening in the clearer side of the river or near the seam; however the dirty side was productive too. Most bites were happening on small #16 nymphs. They were taking them as emergers with a gentle upward pull. Streamers were used too, but with no avail.

Saturday was a beautiful day for fishing with a group of boats out guiding from Lyons to Palisades. With no new big runoffs, CFS levels were consistent and water clarity green/dirty green; dirty water on the left (West) from the West fork and clearer water on the right (East). As always fishing buckets and giving the fish time to catch up with water temperatures in the 40’s was important.

Ian took Dave and Kevin, on a half day float from Lyons to Pal. The water clarity was good, clear east and dirty west. The flies of choice for the day were power worm’s #8/#10 and small baetis nymphs.

John kept with similar trend with Norbert and Omar, having success on wine colored worms as well as small red wire worms. To compliment that, Tungsten Redemption BWO #16/#18 and green Caddis Emergers were catching. So, something of color with the smaller nymph trailer seemed to work.

Brandon, with Mark and Rob, had most of their luck throughout the day on a Psycho Prince GB Caddis Green #14.

Joe on the other hand, with Gary and Harry, used Delektable Lil’ Spankers Pheasant Tail #18 and Delektable Lil’ Spanker olive green and Pat’s Rubberlegs in Black like the Stone Flies underneath you see in the boat.

Overall all guides had action throughout the day and a variety of different fly patterns were used, all with varying success. A day spent floating with friends and having a laugh are great memories that are never forgotten. Warmer weather is ahead so wear your sunscreen and dip in the river to cool off.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

May 22-31 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

You never truly know the beauties of Montana and the Madison River until you have the chance to experience it first hand and gaze upon its charm. The motif for this week’s fishing has been “keep on keeping on”, with the river continuing to change every few days. We have gone through two runoffs over the past three weeks, with dirtier water staying closer to Ennis and clear water steady above the Westfork this week. The backyard is green today. The Upper Madison continues to fish well in all sections as CFS levels between Lyons and Varney remain between 1200-2000 CFS. Overall, fishing has been good, some have had to work harder at it than others. Finding the right patterns for the bite is continuously changing with Caddis still about in various sizes; BWO’s later in the day, and Midges. With a big weekend ahead of us it’s time to gear up for that big day.

To start off this week of trips we greeted our new shop employee Will (me) who drove from Virginia to work with us for the summer. Dan and Will’s father Bill have had the pleasure of spanking some bonefish together in the Bahamas. They both have shared varying stories.

On May 26^th, Dan, Bill and Will launched from Lyons to McAtee. The day began with a few minor penalty box events as the Madison River proved to be one of experience. They soon found success landing several commendable trout with Delektable double screamers (Black and Olive), stonefly nymphs, and Delektable Mega Chubbyness Royal. The Highlight of the trip came when Will landed his first big Madison brown on a Delektable Hammerhead Hare’s Ear #14 and was able to show it off later to his buddies back home.

On May 26^th, Marty took Tony on a float from Lyons to Ruby; fishing streamers, stone fly nymphs, Delektable Mega Princes, Pats Rubber Legs, Delektable Lil’ Spankers, and Delektable Sure Strikes. They had modest results on the Delektable Black and Olive Screamer, Pats Rubber legs and stone fly Nymphs but managed to find the bite with smaller nymphs including: Red Headed Step Child; Delektable Lil’ Spanker Red; and the Delektable sure strike. Overall it was a great day with good conditions and fish in the boat.

The Next trip began on May 28^th with Brandon guiding Jim and Keefer from Lyons to Ruby. Delektable Mega princes, Pats Rubber legs and Delektable lil’ Spankers Pheasant Tail were all on. With the water temp still in the mid 40’s the key was to fish the buckets with persistence and allow the slow moving fish to see the fly.

What better way for Dan and Nancy to let off some steam and get away from the shop then to head to the Upper Madison to fish the wade only sections. On May 31^st they decided to fish Raynolds to Pine Butte being a scenic section of the river with very few people this time of year. The “W” factor was strong with chilly conditions in play. The water was low, fast, and clear requiring wade fishers using boats to float rafts instead of hard sides. The fly of choice was Delektable Mega Prince Olive or a Delektable Screamer with a Mega Prince behind it in either Olive or Standard colors. Dan beat up the buckets below the boulders and was casting up into the buckets as he walked the dog down toward him. He had great success with this keeping the line tight as it flowed down stream. It’s hard to beat a day like this when all you see is two fisherman, one boat, and lots of memories.

To put this past week into summary there was a lot of great fish caught and of course some lost. Due to colder water conditions some had to slow down and cast to spots more than once, continuously working the buckets. Fish were less willing to chase, so a near dead drift with twitches continued to work instead of stripping streamers quickly. We will find out this weekend if the majority of runoff we have been experiencing will be done.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

May 13-21 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

“The only constant is change” has been the theme for fishing the last week or so, with rising and falling river flows, drastic temperature changes, and varying degrees of water clarity. Overall, fishing has been quite good, but that too has had its variances.

The latest stretch of trips began on May 13 with Gunnar Folsom guiding his client, Steve, into some nice trout. They found success with streamers and Stonefly nymphs. An interesting highlight of the day was the discovery of a large Salmonfly nymph under the rocks; a precursor of the next evolution of the season.

On May 14, Dan and Marty snuck away from the shop for a day, with local artist and streamer designer extraordinaire Bern Sundell. A cold North wind blew stiff all day, and the water was quick and cloudy from a partial runoff, which kept fisherman away in droves. The trio didn’t care about the conditions, and neither did the fish. It was a great day for streamer fishing, and while they met a handful of friends at the launch, they floated 17 miles without another boat in sight.

The day produced many nice fish; mostly Browns, with a few Rainbows caught mostly toward the end of the float. Some strikes were hard, but most were softer due to the water temp in the low 40s. The cold water also made the fish less willing to chase, so a near dead-drift with twitches worked as opposed to stripping the streamers. The key to finding the fish in the quick, colored water was simple; find slower water. Fish were stacked in the expected spots; against the bank, behind the rocks, etc.

Multiple streamers were thrown, but the fish were particular on colors, striking only olive or olive/black. The far-and-away best streamer of the day was the Delektable Double Screamer, Black/Olive, Gold Belly.

On May 21, the day started with Dan and Capt. Marty working on a project together in the fly shop. The electricity “magically” went down and the job was finished with flashlights. Then the lightbulb in Dan’s head went off; no power, no work – casting break!

Off he went behind the shop in the 2,900 CFS flow, and a couple nice fish slammed the Delektable Double Screamer in Black/Olive as he field-tested the shop’s new 9-foot, 6/7-weight Presidential rod.

He jumped back into his rig and drove above Windy Point and fished a 9-foot, 5/6-weight Rocket Launcher with a double nymph rig of Delektable Flashback Hurless Stone and Delektable Flashback Mega Prince. The combo caught Browns, Rainbows and Grandpa’s favorite; lunker Whitefish.

The trip was on the third Saturday of May, which made it very special; Dan and his late dad, “Grandpa” to everyone, would always fish the upper Madison on the third Saturday in May. And thanks to the power shortage and the cooperative lunker Whiteys, Dan could hear Grandpa saying, “I need the net now!”

Also on May 21, new shop worker Emmett and his dad hoped to avoid the dirt, so they decided to head up river to just below Hebgen Lake. The previous evening the fish were rising, but thunder ended the trip.

Above Cabin Creek, the water was nice and clear, even though the rain was torrential. Emmett fished streamers while his dad was fished nymphs. In the continued rain, the rises of the previous evening weren’t to be found, except for the occasional leap. Lots of people were fishing the only 300 yards of river that wasn’t off-color in the vicinity, so the fishing was challenging.

May 3-8 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

Mother’s Day Bite!

One of our neighbors, Michael, got back into town and it was time for a float: McAtee to Varney; floating, wading, nymphing, streamers, and killed it on the start of the Mother’s Day Caddis Dry Fly Bite. March Browns were also present but the Delektable Royal Chubbyness in size #16 was the fly of the day. There was also story of a monster fish almost landed on a Delektable Double Screamer Black/Olive, but the evidence got away. It was a really fun day!

We are experiencing a mixture of conditions this week. If you know how to fish the dirt, it is happening but if not, it will be tougher fishing. Above the West Fork is more clear. Between the lakes is fifty fifty. Below the West Fork goes from full dirt to fifty fifty to full dirt. We are expecting some cooler nights this week which could stall the dirt and clear it up some again. Call us for the most current information. Out back is dirty today. That’s the Ruby Creek kicking in some dirt.

Elle made one of her most realistic Brown Trout creations this week, we had to share it with you. Enjoy! Happy Birthday Elle!

Game On! Dan