Tag: Upper Madison River

May 27th – 31st | Madison River Fishing Report

 

The water is high and muddy, but the Mighty Madison River is fishing considerably well! These are the times where the big streamers and the big nymphs are working the best. The bigger flies and streamers push and move through the water better than all the smaller stuff and the fish pick that up with their lateral line. The water might seem high and fast but focus on the sides of the banks and the pockets of water closer to the bank. The fish feel a little more comfortable with this color of water not having to worry about the birds and people as much. As far as the little flies and beadheads go, the guides have been putting them to them! The March brown has been a heavy hitter in a few different sizes but mostly 14’s. The BWO still picks up a fish or two here and there. Even the Squalla has been getting them in the net still. Soon we will be experiencing some warming weather and the snow will all be coming down, so get ready for the higher water and a little more color.

The flies that have been working have been steady going.

Dries:

  • Delektable Royal Chubbyness (sz 10)
  • Adams (sz 14)
  • Purple Haze (sz 14)
  • Caddis (sz 14-16)
  • Brown Drake and spinners (sz 12-14)
  • Midges (sz 18-20)

Nymphs

  • Delektable Mega Prince Standard (sz 4-8)
  • Delektable Stonfly Candy (sz 8)
  • Delektable Pheasant Tail Lil’ Spanker (sz 16)
  • Delektable Prince Brandon (sz 16)
  • Wire Worm (all sizes)
  • Wooly Buggers (sz 6 and 8)
  • Nyphicator (sz 16)
  • Prince nymph (sz 16)

Streamers

  • Any and all sizes will do, they are on it. When the bite is on, its on
  • The Delektable Double Screamers in most of the colors have been hot
  • The Delektable Single Screamers in White, Black , Badger and Black/Olive
  • Wool Heads on single hooks
  • Deer hair heads

Hope to see you out there enjoying the Big Montana Sky! Happy Fishing!!! -Dang

 

May 13th – 19th | Madison River Fishing Report

It sure feels like spring time these days with this past week spending most of its time in the 70’s and the upcoming forecast showing mostly 40’s and low 50’s for daytime highs. The creeks are on the drop at the moment after a few days of kicking in some dirty water which should be good for the fishing.It’s been mostly nymphs and streamers that are doing the bulk of the catching. Delektable Double Screamers, Trevor’s Sculpins, Sparkle Minnows and Buggers have seen their share of success out there.We’ve been fishing a good variety of nymphs as the conditions are changing almost every day. Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Copper John’s and Pheasant Tails are good for the March Browns in size #10 or #12. Smaller bugs like Delektable Ranch BWOs, Lightning Bugs, Serendipities and Princes are the Baetis/BWO lineup. Pat’s Rubberlegs, Delektable Stonefly Candy and Worms are working for the other stuff.The drop in temp seems to be keeping the March Browns and Caddis under the surface once again. Shop Vacs and other Caddis Emergers will work. If you’re dying to get some dry fly fishing in you can still find some fish eating Midges and Baetis here and there. Sipper Midges and small Adams should be all you need or try a Purple Haze.

May 6th – 12th | Madison River Fishing Report

The Project Healing Waters group was in for the week and their trip was a great healing adventure! There were three different days of fishing and the group was with different people guiding them each day and at different places on the Madison. Thank you to those who helped them access the wade areas. Big Dan started the week with Brandon and Bob Frey guiding the boys. Gunnar, David Kern, and Marty helped during the rest of the week. Thank you to the guides for your help. All the boys caught fish and each had different and remarkable adventures! There were rainbows mostly, a few browns, and even a cutthroat and whitefish. They were great guys and a pleasure to be with. Our neighbor Michael donated his time as chef with his friend Mark. Thank you Michael. It was great eating and great added stories about the food and all kinds of adventures.

The water is at an all time color (a touch of murk) and VERY steady flow right around 2,100 cfs since the beginning of the month, so if you are thinking of going….you should. The west fork has just started to kick in a bit of dirty water. This is once again your chance to throw the big bugs and get funky, because the trout are just on a feeding frenzy in the spring. The weather has been cooperating and the snowpack is slowly coming down giving us a little bit of an idea as to how the outlook on the big bugs this summer is going to be. The March Browns and Caddis have started to work their way out of the depths down towards town and dry fly fishing has followed.

The bugs that have been in the queue all week are as follows:  Gray Paradrake Sz 10; Purple Haze Cripple Sz 10; Parachute Adams Sz 12; Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis Tan Sz 16; Goddard Caddis Sz 16; Delektable Mega Prince Olive Flash Back Sz 8; Delektable Mega Prince Standard Sz 8; Pat’s Rubber Legs in all the colors Sz 8-10 (Squalla still); Delektable Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail Sz 14 and 18 (BWO); Delektable Lil’ Spanker Silver Sz 14 and 18 (BWO); Delektable Prince Brandon Sz 14 and 16; Delektable Red Worm Sz 12; and Delektable Screamer Black/Olive.

The streamer bite has been on for some people who are addicted to it but for the most part they have been lethargic with the weather being a little chilly but it has been warming up and should stay in the 70’s for most of the upcoming week so hopefully we’ll be able to start speeding up the retrieves and seeing fish be more aggressive.

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

October 1st – 21st | Madison River Fishing Report

Well it’s the same old song and dance here on the Upper Madison as fly selections, water flows and even the weather has been pretty consistent over the past few weeks. That consistency may not make for a very exciting latest fishing report but it’s kind of nice to not have to dig through the fly boxes trying to figure out what they’re eating every other day.

Under the surface we’re still mostly running size #18 and #20 mayfly nymphs like Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Delektable Big Spankers, Delektable Ranch BWOs, RS2’s, WD-40s, Zebra Midges and Lightning Bugs. Smaller (#8 or #10) stonefly nymphs are picking up fish here and there as well as Worms and October Caddis Nymphs.

Streamer fishing has picked up some and word on the street is fish are starting to chase after bigger flies a little more aggressively. Delektable Double Screamers, Sex Dungeons, Sundell’s Bad Boy, Zuddlers, Mini Loops and Trevors Sculpins are all good choices. Colors of choice can vary with the weather so make sure you’ve got a bit of a variety.

Dry fly fishing is still pretty good in the later part of the day. Purple Crazes, Olive Comparaduns or a Parachute Adams should get the job done for the BWOs and Baetis. October Caddis dries can bring some nice fish to the surface as well; a larger Goddard Caddis or Delektable Twisted X in orange will suffice for that hatch.

September 24th – 30th | Madison River Fishing Report

Flows and fishing have been pretty consistent with our last report with tiny bugs catching most fish and streamers and dry flies doing well in the right places at the right times.

 

BWO and Baetis nymphs have been responsible for most of our success around these parts. Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Rs2’s, Hogan’s S&Ms, Micro Mayflies, and Copper Johns in sizes #18 and #20 are all good flies to trail behind a large Prince Nymph, Delektable CDC Halloween or a Pat’s Rubberleg.

Dry fly fishing has been best on the upper wade section of the river. It’ll be tough to beat a well placed #18 or #20 Parachute Adams or Purple Craze. Fish seem to be looking up from about 3:00 until Dark.

 

The streamer fishing has been inconsistent but rewarding when you commit to it. Sparkle Minnows, Bow River Buggers, Zonkers, Delektable Screamers and Sundell’s Bad Boy have all produced some quality fish.

May 16th – May 30th | Madison River Fishing Report

We’ve seen a lot of change on the Upper Madison over the last couple weeks as the river came up for the long awaited “flushing flow”.  Beginning on May 20th we saw the river rise a couple hundred cubic feet per second every other day for about a week until the goal of 3,500 c.f.s. at Kirby was met and we’ve been hanging on at that flow for the past few days. What does this mean for the fishing? Just that you’ll want to stay above the West Fork and concentrate on getting flies down deep in the slower water.

 

There hasn’t been a whole lot of dry fly fishing to be had as of late but from time to time you may find a nose poke up for a BWO or Midge. If you so happen to find some fish that are willing to eat on top your best bet would probably be a smaller Adams, Purple Craze or a Midge Cluster.

With all that being said, the sub-surface fishing has been stellar. You’re best off anywhere upstream of the West Fork as it’s pumping in muddy water. Three Dollar Bridge, Raynold’s Pass, Pine Butte and the upper stretch of Between the Lakes have all been fishing well. Pat’s Rubberlegs, Worms, Delektable Mega Princes, Delektable Hurless Stones, Shop Vacs and Serendipities have all been doing a good job picking up fish. Focus on slower water along the edges and don’t forget your split shot!

Streamer fishing has also been really good. Again, you won’t have to do much wading as they’re all along the banks. Delektable Screamers and Double Screamers have been picking them up in Olive/Yellow and Olive/Black along with Trevor’s Sculpins, Sparkle Minnows and Double-Bunnys.

We’re very excited for another awesome season of fishing on the Madison and as always keep an eye out for up to date reports! And of special note, it’s never too early to start fly fishing.

April 16th- May 1st | Madison River Fishing Report


 

 

 

What a time of year to fish the Upper Madison, the valley is coming to life with bugs, birds, green grass and hungry trout. The river is flowing at 2,100 c.f.s. below Hebgen lake, 2,180 c.f.s. at Kirby Ranch and 2,460 c.f.s. at Varney Bridge and we expect those numbers to keep climbing as Northwestern Energy plans on running a flushing flow at their maximum allowed 3,500 c.f.s. at Kirby for 3 days sometime within the next couple of weeks.

The forecast is showing daytime highs in the upper 60’s and low 70’s for the next ten days with some scattered thunderstorms and night time low temps in the lower 40’s which should make for some awesome days on the water. As always for this time of year look for fish to be spreading out throughout the river as water temps come up.

Dry fly fishing is picking up as we’re starting to see March Browns hatching closer to town along with the Blue Wing Olives that have been around in good numbers for a couple weeks now. After looking at water temps I don’t think it’ll take more than a week or so before we see big Caddis hatches. Our favorite patterns have been the BWO Para-Sipper, Batwing Emergers, and the Split-Wing Adams.

Streamer fishing has also been on the upswing with some days displaying some serious action. Our best bugs have been Black/Olive Delektable Double Screamers, Trevor’s Sculpin, Mini Loops and Sparkle Minnows. I’ve had better luck with a slower retrieve with lots of little jerks and pops on the way in.

You’ll all be surprised to hear that nymphs still catch ‘em too. With the flows being up a bit you won’t want to forget the split shot at home and if you’re wondering how you didn’t get a take in that perfect bucket you may want to try some more weight before changing up flies. The best flies have been the Olive Delektable Mega Prince, Delektable Hurless Stone, Delektable Hammerhead Jig-Hook Prince, Lightning Bugs, Worms and smaller Pat’s Rubberlegs.

 

 

 

April 1st-15th | Madison River Fishing Report

One of these days winter will end but until then remember to pack the warm gloves on those trips down to the river. The upper river is flowing at 1250 c.f.s. below Hebgen and she’s up to 1310 c.f.s. by the time you get down to Kirby. Remember to keep an eye out for spawning reds when you’re wading out there this time of year. Be mindful of the future generations by making sure you don’t walk on or behind the spawning areas as they hold many, many rainbow trout eggs. All the boat ramps on the upper Madison are good to go, it’s finally time to pull the covers off the boats and get to fishing after a big snow season.

Nymph fishing has been killer the last couple of weeks and we’re all hopeful it keeps up. Stonefly nymphs are the ticket in sizes #8 and #10. Delektable Mega Princes, Delektable Hurless in Gray or Olive, Delektable Mr. Rubberlegs in Goldenstone or Hare’s ear as well as Pat’s Rubberlegs in black or olive/brown have been doing the trick daily. Worms have been picking up fish from time to time and with the rainbows spawning egg patterns are also fishing well.

Dry fly fishing has been pretty good on the days with less wind. The fish are still eating midges pretty regularly and on the warmer days you’ll even find some mayflies but not in big numbers yet. For the Baetis and BWO’s it can be tough to beat the old Parachute Adams or Purple Craze in sizes #16 and #18. As far as the midges, not much has changed since the last report so make sure you’ve got a couple midge cluster imitations like a Griffith’s Gnat and some single midge patterns for the earlier part of the cycle. I’d recommend the Sipper Midge.

Streamer fishing is on the upswing and we only expect it to improve as water temps rise. You’ll still want to use winter tactics for the most part, fishing small flies slowly. Mini loops, Delektable Single Screamers and Zonkers have been some of our favorites. Keep an eye out for more reports as we’re very excited to be starting the season at well over historical average snowpack throughout the western half of the state for the first time in a few years!! 

 

Madison River Fishing Report February 22nd

It’s been a bit of a strange winter thus far in regards to the weather but the fish haven’t really seemed to notice as they’re doing their typical winter things. The snow pack continues to look good with the Madison River Basin currently at 122% of average and those surrounding are all above average as well. Hopefully these numbers will remain healthy through spring and we can enjoy all of our trout streams throughout the season. The Madison is flowing at about 1,100 c.f.s. below Hebgen Lake and by the time she makes it down to the Kirby Ranch there’s about another 50 c.f.s.

 

Nymphing is the way to get them out there. As usual for this time of year seek the slow and deep water and a couple of stoneflies should do the trick. Some of our favorite patterns lately have been the Delektable Mega Prince, Delektable Hurless Stone, Pat’s Rubberlegs and the always trusty Prince Nymph. All these patterns have been working best in sizes #8 or #10. If you’re fishing the upper wade section you may find midges to be a better option, in which case I’d recommend black or red Zebra Midges, small Pheasant Tails or a Delektable Twinkle in sizes #18 or #20.

Dry fly fishing has been pretty spotty with this last cold snap putting a damper on things. Once things start to warm up a bit you can expect pods of risers to be pretty well spread out throughout the river and when you come across them you’ll need a couple Sipper Midges, CDC midges, Griffith’s Gnats and a good presentation.

Streamer fishing has been pretty much status quo for this time of year a.k.a. pretty tough with some big exceptions. Something small such as Zonkers, Mini-Loops, Delektable Single Screamers and Trevor’s Sculpins are best off being fished low and slow. As always if you’re just out there looking for one big fish it’s always worth fishing something big. We’re looking forward to that spring time streamer bite that we always love to take advantage of.

For any more info, call or stop by the shop. We’re here from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. 7 days a week.