Montana Archives - Page 11 of 13 - Beartooth Flyfishing

June 12th -18th|Madison River Fishing Report

It’s the middle of June and the river is getting ready to jump into high gear. She is steadily and slowly regaining her glorious shine and clarity. As of today the visibility is in about a 3 foot range and getting better with each passing day. The flows are still a little high with below Hebgen Dam at 1610 CFS and at Kirby 2180. The river is slowly tapering down towards those July flows. With the water at the level it is right now it has been making for exceptionally great bank fishing with no need to jump into our crazy swift slippery river just yet. Also, be cautious still at the bridges with your boat and getting under safely.

Attention! Attention! To all who love the flies above the water and not below the water, the dry fly action is in second gear and really trying to pick up speed. As we are getting warmer weather the water flows are beginning to taper down and we will be getting into those hatching connditions. As a result the first to arrive is the Bomber Caddis between Palisades and Storey Ditch. These Caddis are special with their bigger Caddis bug size #12-14 and you can cast them and see them more easily while nice varieties of trout will prey on them. The best ways to imitate these wonderful bugs is with Delektable Twisted X or Twisted Sister size #12 in Purple or Tan/Brown, Bloom’s Parachute Caddis sizes #14-16 olive, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis sizes #14-16 Holographic Olive, or try different colors, and the Delektable Twisted Baby sizes #14-16 in purple, tan/brown, or Brown. With these flies you can surely open the season of dry fly fishing right and enjoy a jumping trout from your fly and have a grin across your face and eventually a fish in the net.

As for the down and dark under water approach also known as the nymphing world it is holding a steady pace of ripping lips and catching fish. The flies I would use include the Delektable Sure Strike in sizes #14 and #12, Yellow Psycho Prince in a size #14 or #16, red threaded Prince Size #12, Delektable Hammerhead prince #12 or #14, and Delektable CDC baby size #14. The fish have been really hot for these flies.

If you think it is going to get cold and you’re holding off on that plane ticket for that last frost to pass. I’m Here to say it is time you must come as all the frost has past this week and the fish are getting very hungry and aggressive. Call us at the shop if you need fly advice and current conditions. Get out there and fish.

May 1st -8th|Madison River Fishing Report

Well Spring has sprung here on the Madison and we’re very sorry we haven’t got a report out to you in a while as we’ve had our hands full getting the season started and getting ready for our Project Healing Waters Guests. The good news is the fishing hasn’t ceased to amaze. Very typical spring conditions means the fish are EATING after a long winter. What’s on the menu? Sculpin, BWO’s, Caddis and March browns. The streamer bite has picked up big time since our last report with Trevor’s sculpin in olive or natural, The Delektable Double Screamer in olive/black or badger, Sculpzilla’s and anything else that imitates those mottled little trout snacks that swim around..

The water has been starting to come up and as of this writing the CFS is about 2,450 but don’t let that scare you, with less than a foot of visibility out back (increasing as you go up river) we’re experiencing some epic days on the water but it requires different techniques. You’re going to want to tread carefully with lots of fish being tight to the banks they’ll be easy to spook from careless wading.

Nymphs are going to be producing the numbers as usual, Delektable Stoners in black or brown especially the Egghead ones in a size #8 hook, Delektable Lil’ Spankers in sizes #14 or #16 of the Pheasant Tail variety, size#14 Lightning Bugs and of course the worms, bigger and redder the better. The color redhead is also good in Delektable Big Spankers that have tungsten beads.

On the top side we’ve been getting them on size #14 Adams flies, Delektable Halo’s in peacock #16, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis in a #16 and Pheasant Tail cripple’s in #14. Evenings have been best for dry fly fishing so don’t be afraid to stick around till the sun isn’t!! This does require choosing special spots where you can tease them up to the fly and hopefully where you find a bucket with a bit of clarity.

As always call or stop by the shop for an up to the minute report and all the bugs you’ll need to stick ‘em!

April 21st-30th|Madison River Fishing Report

Early spring conditions means bring ALL your gear out on any given day because you never know what momma nature will throw at ya this time of year. Despite the weather, our guides have been getting some great fish. Streamer fishing has been picking up big time which has been long awaited.. The olive/black Delektable single screamer has been the fly to beat and Sheila’s sculpins are working well too.

Nymph fishing has been a stonefly and worm game and they’re WORKING. Delektable Megaprince’s have been on fire on a size #8 hook in either standard or olive with or without the flashback. Delektable Hurless Stone’s have had a tough time staying out of mouths as well especially in olive sizes #8 or #10. Pats Rubberlegs have been producing some fish as well, specifically in the olive/brown color combo on a #8 hook. Last but not least the pink flossy worm has been bring’n em in.

Dry fly fishing has still been mostly a midge

game but if you’re out in the evening you can certainly come across a bucket full of blue wing slerpers. So come prepared with some Griffiths Gnats in #18 and #20 along with Brook’s Midge Sprouts in olive on a #18 hook. The BWO Split Wing Parachute has been one of our favorites as well.

As always, be sure to stop in the shop and load up on all these tasty bugs on your way to the fish!

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 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

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