Montana Flyfishing Archives - Page 14 of 15

September 20, 2016 | Missouri River Fishing Report

Dan Delekta, Bernie Sundell and Mike Mach went to the Missouri river this past week and it was good for them. They caught rainbows, browns, carp and walley. Long days on the river with your buddies in the Clacka is the best way to spend the fall out here. Articulated streamers in white, black and black and olive were the hottest flies of the day. Dan’s Delektable Double Screamers in white were the best while black and back and olive were good towards the end of the day.

the Delektable Chubbyness and other dries were working in the film in the back-eddies, but you know how ya get when the fall comes around…force feeding of the streamer! The weather was perfect for banging walley too. They hit streamers hard and would keep you occupied if you were not catching trout. The limit for walley is 4 each, so they came back with some white meat that Captain Marty deep-fried in his special Cajun ways that tasted soooo good (just take my word for it). As for the carp, Mike caught that on a white Delektable Double Screamer (I know, wierd)

So, heres to fishing and drinkin with buddies on your day off!

Happy Fishing!!! -DanG and Danny D

August 28-September 4, 2016 | Madison River Report

Change is good; especially when it comes in the form of an early fall front bringing chilly temps, welcome and needed rain, and snow on the mountain peaks. The change in the air also means fall fishing (streamers!) is just around the corner.

The transition into fall continued last week, with change also being the theme. Fish were/are being caught, including some true trophies, but during the transitional season, change means being willing to get out of one’s comfort zone, and try different, sometimes multiple patterns. What worked one day often didn’t work the next. So to catch fish, change was very good.

Fly selection the last week has been quite varied, with catches coming on dries, nymphs and streamers. On the dry side, the Delektable Chubbyness, in all colors, has continued to be the go-to fly of the season, with other winning selections including Delektable Teasers, Purple Haze and still some hopper and ant action.

Most of the normal players have worked on the nymph side; Girdle Bugs, Lightning Bugs, Delektable Spankers, along with various Pseudo and BWO patterns. And, of course, worm patterns have been the ticket some days.

Delektable Double Screamers, Zonkers, wooly buggers and other streamer patterns have worked, mostly in white, black or olive/black. If you are doing poorly catching or moving fish on the streamer, then try changing up the color. If that doesn’t yield any results, then try changing up the silhouette also. Treat it the same as switching up your nymphs or dries. Fear not, for they will eat the streamer! Try all the little bank undercuts and log jams in the shallows along with the deep runs in the middle of the river in the middle of the day.

Well, that’s it for now. Stay tuned for more epic weather brought to you by the great state of Montana and the letter F! (for fly-fishing of course 🙂 ) Happy Fishing!!!

-DanG and Marty

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

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

April 27th-30th 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

We hosted a great group of Project Healing Waters veterans at the lodge this week. Bob Frey was the also the host and helped out. Tom, Ed, Brian, and Caleb spent four days with us staying at the lodge and fishing the Upper Madison. They experienced a variety of weather and conditions. Bob took Brian and Caleb on an adventure hike. The hike was a true workout but they did get into some nice trout action. Considering these are wounded vets, they did great doing the hiking. We will need to inquire with Simms to help them with more customized waders and boots to make hikes like that easier.
Tom and Ed fished with Dan out of the boat the first day, and with Brandon the second. Brian and Caleb hiked two days and went with Dan in the boat the third day. Tom was with Ian on the third day. Thanks to the guides for helping out.

The river was evolving with the cool weather. The first day it was a bit dirty, then more

green, then more clear and green. The cooler weather really made a difference and cleared up the river quite a bit. They fished a variety of bugs including Mega Princes which worked well, Pat’s Rubberlegs in Black, some used different worms, Delektable Lil’ Spankers in PT and other colors. Streamers were also a good choice on the weathery days. The later part of the trip March Browns started to show along with BWO’s. Some caught on dries when the hatches started to pick up but mostly on wet flies.

It was a great experience for us to help these guys and spend time with them. They were really nice people and became a part of the Beartooth family. We look forward to seeing them again on their next adventure.

Dan and Nancy

April 28-30 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

What can we say about this day but Keefer really figured something out. Jim and Keefer

were fishing with Brandon. Both days were Lyons Bridge to Ruby Creek. After such a good first day, they had to do it again. The fun part was Keefer is using new photo equipment so we get the advantage of “Fish Eye”. The “Vana White” trout pose is more profound in these pictures. The river was off color. There was some weather. They used the usual spring combinations we have been using the past two weeks with some variations and some of Brandon’s secrets which may have included his own CDC Prince. The bugs included: Delektable Single Screamer Black/Olive; Delekable Mega Prince Flashback Standard; Delektable Flashback Hurless Stone; Pat’s Rubberlegs Black or Brown/Tan; Delektable Lil’ Spankers in PT,and Red; BH Worms; and Shop Vacs.

How do you follow a day like that? Our friend Kim and Mark fished with Joe and had a great day too. Remember this is the well known “Big Fish Kim”. There are actually two Big Fish Kims. Kim may be a lucky fishing name but this day, Mark was the big fish guy too. Sometimes the weather and the dirt can help. The river was off color but still green and it was cloudy. These can be ideal conditions.

Ian and Hienie went out earlier in the week and then Joe with Hienie on Saturday. Again, they were fishing streamers or big nymphs and trailers. Thursday was more productive than Saturday for them. It was fun both days. As you can see Hienie was sporting a very warm hat. It was cooler out both days.

April 25th 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

Our new Shop employee Emmett started off the week with a nice trout.
Emmett is an avid fly tyer and rod builder at a young age and is a serious fisherman and skier. We are happy to have him join the Delektable team.

Dan and Nancy