Tag: Mountain Whitefish

September 9th – 15th | Madison River Fishing Report

Here we are again at the end of another great week on the Madison River! The hoppers kinda took a backseat this week with the rain and colder weather we have been having. The streamer bite has been picking up with the colder weather, but it looks like we may have hoppers back today or tomorrow with this short little heat wave. The thing about hoppers is that they are still everywhere. The fish may or may not be keying into them like before, but they are STILL here. The streamer game is always fun and trout are starting to specifically seek those out a little more. The fall spawn for brown trout is just around the corner, so keep in mind that you will soon start seeing redds everywhere, please be careful and mindful of the redds. Check out the following link to know more about what to look for and avoid!! (https://coloradotu.org/blog/2016/06/trout-redds) It’s important as an angler to know what a trout redd is and spot one and know how to be cautious. This should go without saying, because it is the future of your next hawg! That being said, the trout fishing will be just swell in these parts as we move on into the fall months.

 

The nymphs you will be throwing will be getting smaller and smaller, except for the stone fly nymphs, they will still be about the same size (6-10). The fish tend to start keying in on the big stone fly again as fall comes. We like the Delektable Mega Prince Standard size 8 here at the shop, it just crushes. Some of the small nymphs we’ve been using here at the shop are the silver lightening bug in a bigger size (12), the electric caddis size 16, the Delektable Lil’ Spanker in the silver and pheasant tail size 16 and 18. We have also had folks do well right now on the Delektable Lil’ Spanker in Purple. The nymphicator size 16 and 18. Prince nymph on a jig head size 16. Batman size 16 and 18 should also be making an appearance if you haven’t thrown him yet. Another good fall small nymph pattern is the Delektable Sure Strike in the Purple size 14-18. If you don’t strip streamers much, don’t forget you can also put one under the bobber with a small nymph behind it. That will usually score well for you. Some small streamers to use for that technique would be the Bow River Bugger size 6 and 8, the Trevor’s Sculpin size 4 in the Olive. The Tan Trevor’s and the Black one work well, but the Olive one is usually the hot one. Once again, I would like to wish you a very happy rest of your summer and a splendid start to your fall!

Happy Fishing!!! -Dang 

        

 

September 2nd – 8th | Madison River Fishing Report

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!  

       

August 26th – September 1st | Madison River Fishing Report

So… it’s September… and it is still going on with the hoppers! I have never seen it like this in my whole short life. Hoppers everywhere. Holy hoppers. Hoppers. Wow. If you are trying to get your dry fly game going, throw a hopper. The ant has picked up a fish or two also, but for the most part… hoppers. We have seen some good days with the sun and heat and have been lucky with that, but when the clouds come out and they are not eating the hopper, they will eat the nymph and/or streamer. They are hungry. The river is in great condition and the fish are in top shape! It has just been soooo goooood this summer… ALLLL SUMMER LONGGG!!!

Flies that have been working for us here at the shop are as follows:

Hoppers:

More-Or-Less Hopper size 12 and 14 in the Pink, Peach, Tan or Yellow

White Cloud Hopper size 10, 12 and 14 in the Yellow or Green

Mongo Hopper size 10 and 12 in the Tan, Peach or Yellow

Panty-Dropper-Hopper size 12 and 14 in the Tan, Pink or Yellow

Yeti Hopper size 12 in Purple or Red

Fat Frank size 10 and 12 in Orange, Yellow or Purple

Fat Albert size 10, 12 and 14 in ALL the colors

Morrish Hopper size 12 and 14 in the Yellow, Pink and Tan

         

     

 

 

 

 

Dries:

                Parachute Adams size 10

                Circus Peanut 10 and 12 in the Yellow

                Delektable Twisted Baby size 12 and 14 in the Tan/Brown

                Delektable Twisted Sister size 12 and 14 in the Tan/Brown

                Delektable Chubbiness size 14 and 16 in the Cinnamon or Royal

                Tantrum size 12 in the Pink

                Purple Haze size 16

                Delektable Ant size 14 and 16 in the Cinnamon or Red

                Yeagers Ant size 12 and 14 in the Red

Nymphs:

                Prince

               Pheasant Tail

                Delektable Lil’ Spanker size 16 in the Pheasant tail and silver

                Silver or Pearl Lightening Bug size 12 and 14

                Golden Stone Tungsten size 8 and 10

                Shop Vac size 14 and 16 in the Olive and Pheasant tail

                Tung Dart Green 16         

Well, there are a few choices for you if you were having any trouble selecting a bug or two to throw at those wily trout. If you have any questions please feel free to stop by or give us a call! We hope you are having the best summer ever, now get ready for faaaaaall!!!

Happy Fishing!!! -Dang  

August 19th – 25th | Madison River Fishing Report

The thing about hoppers… is that … they are still here.

And they are going to be here for more than a minute, so you best get used to them and best come in and buy your favorite ones before they are gone! They go real fast here at the Beartooth. The guides and clients eating more hopper flies than the fish do, so stay on top of it and get armored up! The bins have been restocked over and over again and still there are not enough to supply the valley somehow. The bite has been predicted to last a week or two more. The weather looks good for the rest of the week for throwing hoppers. Pitch and twitch! Thanks to all the rain this summer early on, and all the green grass, we have seen one of the most prolific hatches of grasshoppers of all time. Swarms of hoppers have taken over the valley. There are hoppers everywhere. Ants and beetles are in the mix too, but the hopper game is strongest. If you are having a little trouble hooking up on the hopper, try a different size, a little bit different silhouette or try changing colors. Keep changing it up until you find the one that they like for you. People come in the shop everyday telling us that “this is the only one they will eat”. It’s funny, every time I hear “the only hopper they will eat” …it is a different hopper each time I hear it. What works for one person is not always the same fly for another person. So, keep mixing it up. We are progressing ourselves in this sport when we stay in the water and keep switching it up until something starts working. If one bug is not catching, then try another. Another thing about the hopper fishing is that the hopper bite may die down with clouds present.

                       

Some flies that have worked for us and the guides here this week are as follows:

Morrish Hopper Pink or Yellow size 10 and 12

More-Or-Less Hopper Pink size 10 and 12

Yeti Hopper Red size 12

Yeager’s 409 Red size 12

Delektable Ant Cinnamon or Red size 12 and 14

Delektable Prince Brandon any size but especially 16

Lightning Bug Silver size 16

Softhackle pheasant tail size 16 or Delektable Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail

Green Machine size 14 and 16

3 Dollar Dip Red size 16

Bat wing BWO size 16

Delektable Purple Lil’ Spanker size 16

 

 

 

 

August 5th – 11th | Madison River Fishing Report

August 5th-11th, 2019

Can you guess the fly of the week? Good job! Hoppers! They are flooding the valley. It is getting ridiculous. The fly bins of hoppers in the fly shops are getting low everywhere but the Beartooth! If you are wondering what the best hopper pattern is… look no further, we have the answer; it is the one on the end of your line! We have Yetis, White Clouds, Tony the Tigers, Fat Alberts, Fat Franks, Hippie Stompers, Mongos, Slammers, Yeagers, Triple Deckers, Super Dave’s, even a Joe or two and a slough of parachute hoppers to beat all. The colors vary as to what is really being eaten though; yellow, green, pink, brown, purple, red, tan, black, cream….you know, all of them. I would just ‘hop’ around from pattern to pattern if I were you. But, turns out I’m not you, so do what you will. As far as the timing goes for when they are eating them the best, the hopper bite seems to be most of the early to mid-day and really good on into the afternoon. That’s seems kind of broad as far as time goes, but every guide that is coming back in the shop is saying it has been lights out on the dry from put-in to take-out. And like I have said already this year, if you are the dry or die guy, then this is your time to shine. Some folks who are just learning are experiencing plenty of visual action, drive by trout, missed takes, and and plenty of bites. Make sure you take the time and watch what is going on to see the take. The action is fun! Enjoy!          
 

So that is enough about the hopper and his 6 little springy legs. We have other little multi-legged creatures of the grass that are out and about…the flying ant, the bee, the beetles and spiders. The flying ant is a little bit bigger than your average ant and well, has wings. We have plenty of choices when it comes to ants also! One of the house favorites is Dan’s Delektable Flying Ant in the cinnamon and red. We have black ants, purple ants, red ants, rootbeer ants, brown ants, red and black ants, pink ants, plastic ants, epoxy ants, balsa wood ants, and even real ants in the shop We have the bugs and now the back orders are starting to come in and help out the ever so dwindling bin population situation. We recently had a nice guy in the shop just a few days ago grabbing all the bees he could get his hands on, he gave me this little smirk and said, “that’s all I need, thank you”. So, whatever your drug to get the tug is, be sure to check us out up here on Hwy 287 south of the post office about 10 minutes. We have got the flies and the means to fix your fly dis-function. And you just can’t find the right bug you are looking for, then why not give it your try at the vice? We have all the natural materials and synthetics to get the job done! We are your one stop shop! Anyways, I hope you are having a great summer out there on the river or wherever you may be spending it. Happy Fishing!!!

July 22nd – July 28th | Madison River Fishing Report

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.

We have had several groups in this week including the Wild Adventure group. We have really enjoyed these guys and the spirit they bring to the water. With the help of our guides they have roped in some pretty descent trout this week! Speaking of the trout, these fish in the Madison are absolute torpedoes right now! I have seen some good years, but this year??….whoa, its on fire! Also, be careful not to underestimate the water speed here, she is moving at a steady rate still (1,620 cfs behind the shop). We have seen a few boats flip and sink over the past couple of weeks, so please be careful, the water can still be fast and hard to read in places.

Now when we talk about flies it can be very long, involved and exaggerating. So, I wont get to in depth with all the verbiage, but instead I will just tell you some of the hottest patterns we and the guides have been using to get those fish in the net.

The PMD has us all zoomed in on the Mayfly patterns out there. Some of the very best ones are of course going to be some kind of variation of the Adams or the Purple Haze.

The Caddis is a heavy hitter also. He (or she) is going to be Tan, Olive and/or Black. The Caddis has a size varying from 18 to 12 right now. I have also seen some 10’s out there still with a light olive body shade. But the most common one right now is going to be the tan #16.                                   

The Yellow Sally is here and there and almost done, but still throw that smaller Yellow Stimulator at the water with high hopes.

Goldens and Salmon Flies up higher on the upper river are most definitely still working. I would stay in your Dornan’s Water Walker silhouette  and/or the Delektable Secret Stone patterns if I were you. Great patterns for those big guys.

The Hopper is coming but still a little on the slow side of things. Do not worry because just in about a week or so that little bugger is going to come out in force with all the troops of all colors and sizes! Trust me, it IS going to be crazy! So, get your hopper game tight!

As far as the Streamer bite goes…all you streamer gooroos out there already know what you are doing. But for you who would like to be throwing streamers but haven’t quite thrown in the towel on the nymphs yet, start with your local Beartooth Flyfishing Flyshop and give us a call or swing on in and we will set you right up!

Thanks for checking in with us, I hope you all can get out there and get yourselves a piece of the mighty Madison and its great fish and beautiful scenery!!! Happy Fishing!!!

July 15th – July 21st | Madison River Fishing Report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week has been a very busy one with the Summer Vacationers starting to flow through and the bigger bugs crawlin’ to the banks. Guide season is now full tilt on the Madison and there have been some nice fish being seen, caught and posed with. The Wild Adventure group has been here as well and they showed up with some guys that had never even held a flyrod….and they caught really nice fish! The river is just on right now! Our shop employees have been going out after work and doing well, gaining that shop intel you might need, so come in and pick their brains. The water is about 1,600 cfs at the West Fork and 2,640 cfs at the Cameron water gauge, and it is clearing up a little. It Is Prime Time! Helloooo! Be careful though, the water is still moving at a decent pace and we have those nice round slippery rocks to deal with. The bugs are looking good right now with big bomber Caddis on the rise as we approach the end of June. That is a bigger size Caddis than usual and they come off every year right before salmon fly season (which is a myth). There are stones moving around getting ready for the big exodus in July. The PMD nymphs are also starting to pick up a fish here and there. We have had a little cooler weather (I had ice on my guides this morning) lately but it makes for feistier, more aggressive trout, which we all like. It has been good to see a lot of you as you move through your spring into summer, swinging in and saying hello here and there. Please keep coming in and saying hello!!! Hopefully we can even send you in the right direction to lock in that fish that’s been haunting you in your dreams. …We all have that one…

Fly report:

Dries:

  • Big Chocolate Caddis (bombers) size 10 and 12’s
  • Adams size 12
  • Purple Haze size 12 through 16
  • Delektable Royal Chubbyness size 10 and 12
  • Brown Elk hair Cadddis size 16 and even 18
  • Stone Fly dries here and there in size 8 and 10

Nymphs

  • Delektable Mega Prince Standard and Flashback size 4-8
  • Delektable Stonefly Candy black and orange size 8 (balanced)
  • Delektable Prince Brandon size 14
  • Delektable Pheasant Tail Lil’ Spanker size 10 (bomber)
  • Case Caddis patterns
  • Any ol’ Nymph will do really because they are all just the same sad bug                               begging you and telling you to use dry flies

The Straum Bomb

  • Delektable Double Screamer Spawner
  • Delektable Double Screamer White
  • Delektable Stainless Steel Jointed Screamer Olive with Rainbow dub
  • Delektable Double Screamer Olive/Black with Silver dub
  • Sculpzilla White size 6
  • Silky Kitty White
  • Sex Dungeon Yellow
  • Delektable Single Screamer Yellow
  • Double Boogieman Black
  • Double Boogieman Grey/Tan
  • Big streamers
  • Bigger Streamers
  • Homespun streamers

 

As you can see, the streamer bite has been on with this colder weather the last day or two, but the dry game is about to bump it up a notch here quick! One rule of thumb here on the Madison is that these fish will eat the dry even when there is no hatch going on or any rises to naturals. Throw them anyway and tease them up. The fish have been taking the Delektable Royal Chubbyness #14 and #16 for the Bomber Caddis….and that’s a very good sign! More dries please! Well, I hope to NOT see you out on the river do hope to hear that you were out there in another part of the river, haha. Anyways, please come in and say hey! Happy Fishing!!! -DanG

 

 

July 8th – July 14th | Madison River Fishing Report

Now turn to Psaaaaaaaalms 4:20 in your Bibles please,

July 8th -14th, 2019

The Madison River is on fire! The big bug is getting eaten and people are getting nice healthy fish. Not only are the bigger bugs out but all the food groups are out and flying above the river! There are the Salmon Fly, the Golden Stone, the Yellow Sally, the Caddis, the PMD, the PED, the Epeorus, and soon the Hoppers and the Nocturnals. There is historically a people hatch at the same time as the bug hatch on the Madison so please remember to be polite and use good river etiquette. I hope you are all enjoying the river as much as we are and getting a healthy dose of the outdoors! The flows are very steady now with lower 1,400 cfs at the Kirby gage and just under 2,000 cfs at the Cameron site. That is what we would consider EPIC flows! Here are some flies that have been working for us here at Beartooth Flyfishing!

 

Dries:

  • Salmon Flies

Dornan’s Water Walker size 6 and 8 in the red

Delektable Secret Stone Salmon Fly UV Orange size 6 and 8

The Stimulator size 6 and 8

Sofa Pillows size 6 and 8

Delektable Secret Stone Royal size 6 and 8

Delektable Twisted Sister and Twisted X in Orange in #8

Delektable Mega Chubbyness and other Chubbies in salmon fly colors size 6, 8 and 10

 

  • Golden Stones

Dornan’s Water Walker size 10 and 12

Delektable Secret Stone UV Golden Stone size 10 and 12

The Stimulator size 10 and 12

Delektable Mega Chubbyness and other Chubbies in the Golden Stone colors size 8, 10 and 12

Dornan’s Peanut Walker Golden size 10 and 12

 

  • PMD size 16

Purple Haze sz 16

Adams sz 16.5

Light Cahill sz 16

Quigley’s PMD Cripple

PED

 

  • Caddis

Delektable CDC Caddis in corresponding sizes

Elk Hair Caddis size 16

X Caddis  or Delektable Sparkle Bug sz 16

Lil’ Hottie size 14 and 16

Delektable Halo Tan, Peacock or Royal #14 or #16

Amber Half down size 14 and 16

Bloom’s Caddis Amber size 14 and 16

                                                   

 

  • Yellow Sally

Delektable Chubbyness Olive Brown size 14 and 16

Delektable Chubbyness Royal size 14 and 16

Half Down amber size 12 and 14

Nymphs:

  • Pat’s Rubber legs Black size 6-8
  • The Trout Retriever sz 8
  • Prince nymph size 14
  • Lemon Drop size 16
  • Delektable Prince Brandon size 14 and 16
  • Delektable Pheasant Tail lil’ Spanker size 16
  • Golden Stone Tungsten sz 8
  • Psycho Prince Yellow and Purple sz 16
  • BH Soft Hackle Hares Ear 14-16
  • Rainbow Serendipity sz 16
  • $3 Dip sz 16
  • Silver Lightning Bug sz 14-18

Streamers:

  • Delektable Double Screamer
    • White
    • Olive and Black
    • Badger
    • Spawner
  • Sheila
  • Zonker Natural and Olive
  • Trevor Olive

 

 

The next section of the report will be fun trout photos, so hang on, its a lot!

July 1st – July 7th | Madison River Fishing Report

 

The big bugs have taken over. If you were here this week, you would have no doubt seen the Salmon flies and the Golden Stones that are out. They are still out and about making the whole river a bug manifesto!!! The fish have been doing trout things such as, not eating when the people are out, eating bugs until they are too gorged from eating real bugs to even eat YOUR fly, and eating small stuff when you want them to eat the big bugs. Well, that’s Salmon fly season my friends. But if you were lucky enough to get in on the action before they got too smart to eat your fly, you may have gotten lucky this week!  
There are so many different choices of flies for the fish to be eating right now. The Salmon Fly, the Golden Stone, the PMD, the many different Caddis, the Callibaetis, the Yellow Sally and yes, even the little midges are out and about on the river and lakes this week. That is a lot of choices, so arm up and equip yourselves for battle. Just when you think that brown or shamebow is going to give it up to the Salmon Fly, it doesn’t. It may want just a little Caddis, or a PMD…. or nothing at all because it is full. We all love throwing the big bugs, but if they aren’t eating it, they just are not going to eat it, so don’t get discouraged, they will eat it tomorrow. Because of the big bug hatch, there are more than average people about, during this time try going out a little earlier or a little later in the evening. Either way, the fish will eventually eat. Try variety in your schedule to experiment with the timing of the bite and the people.                                                                                                                                           

Anyways, the trout will be trout and you can’t help but be you, so come on in the shop and get those big bugs you need. The flies I am going to recommend this week are flies that we at the shop have used, the guides have used, and your mom has used…. along with the combination of intel from others that have come in the shop. Everyone has their favorite Salmon Fly, so I will not elaborate on the patterns too much there.

Dries:

  • Salmon Flies

Dornan’s Water Walker size 6 and 8 in the red

Delektable Secret Stone Salmon Fly UV Orange size 6 and 8

The Stimulator size 6 and 8

Sofa Pillows size 6 and 8

Delektable Secret Stone Royal size 6 and 8

Delektable Mega Chubbyness in Salmon fly colors size 6, 8 and 10

 

  • Golden Stones

Dornan’s Water Walker size 10 and 12

Delektable Secret Stone Golden size 10 and 12

The Stimulator size 10 and 12

Delektable Chubbyness in the Golden Stone colors size 8, 10 and 12

Dornan’s Peanut Walker Golden size 10 and 12

 

 

  • PMD size 16

Purple Haze

Adams

Light Cahill

Quigley’s PMD Cripple

 

  • Caddis

Delektable CDC Caddis in corresponding sizes

Elk Hair Caddis

Lil’ Hottie size 14 and 16

Half down size 14 and 16

Bloom’s Caddis Amber size 14 and 16

 

  • Yellow Sally

Delektable Chubbyness Olive Brown size 14 and 16

Delektable Chubbyness Royal size 14 and 16

Half Down Amber size 12 and 14

 

 

 

                          

 

                                                                                  

 

April 29th – May 5th | Madison River Fishing Report

Your Madison River fishing report today is brought to you by the Beartooth Flyshop boys and the letter W. If you have been out lately you have been playing in some fun weather involving the dub, clouds, cold, rain and snow. The rainbows are in full swing with the spawn, so be careful out there not to be walking on reds. That also makes for really good fishing in the spring! Right now you will find the fish you catch will be all kinds of colored up. The upper river is fishing well, the middle stretches of the river are fishing well and the lower is also fishing very well. Wherever you go, be sure to realize while you are out there, that you are alive and in it and it’s not really the fish we are all after, it is the life and opportunities the river and fish give us.              So, the bugs…                                                

 

The Stoneflies that are working: (Squalla Stones and Regular Salmon Stones)

                        Delektable Stonefly Candy UV Black and the UV Black/Rust Sz 6

                        Delektable Mega Prince Olive Flashback and Standard Sz 6-10

                        Pats Rubber Legs Black or Brown/Black Variegated Sz 8 and 10

                        Pats Rubber Legs Olive/Black Variegated Sz 10 and 12

            The Mayflies that are out: (March Brown and BWO)

                        Delektable Lil’ Spanker Pheasant tail Sz 14 and 18

                        Delektable Lil’ Spanker Silver Sz 12 and 14

                        Pheasant tail Sz 14

                        Olive Pheasant tail Sz 14

                        Prince Nymphs Sz 12-16

            The Caddis Hatch: (Mothers Day Caddis coming up)

                        Delektable Prince Brandon Sz 16

                        Delektable CDC Prince (CH) Sz 14-16

                        Prince Nymphs Sz 14-18

                        Pheasant Tails Sz 14-18

            The Worm hatch:

                        Red Wire Worm

                        Red/Orange Wire Worm

                        Delektable Worm Red Sz 12

            The Streamer bite:

                        Trevor’s Sculpin Black

                        Trevor’s Scuplin Olive

                        Delektable Single Screamer Black/Olive

                        The One Sculpin Black

                        Sheila Sculpin

So as far as the future goes, we can expect the Mother’s Day Caddis about to pop starting on the lower working their way up. So get your dry game ready, because when its on it is really on. If you have any bug questions or questions about the Upper Madison, stop in at the Beartooth Flyshop and see us! We are OPEN 8am-6pm now and will be open later as the season starts to pick up. Feel free to give the shop a call anytime for anything!

Well, that’s it for now, get out there!

Happy Fishing!!!

-Dang