Yesterday was opening day on the Yellowstone River above the falls inside the park and it did not disappoint. Drakes, Caddis, PMD's, and Stoneflies are all on the menu. The Yellowstone is currently flowing at 3230 cfs and is in great shape. You will want to have a good assortment of dry flies with you including #10-8 Sunken Stones, #16 Missing link Caddis, #16 PMD Sparkle duns, #12 Drake Foam Spinners, #16 Hi-Vis Rusty Spinners, #12 Drake Sparkle Duns, #10-12 Golden Stones and #8-10 Purple Chubby's. If you plan on going subsurface have #16-14 Sally Quills, #16-14 Split Case PMD's, #12-8 Pat's Rubbler Legs, #8-12 Prince nymphs, and #18-20 Micro Mayflies. If swinging is your game #4-6 Montana Intruders, #6 Lucky Bucky's, #6 Tan Super Bugger and #6 Gold/Copper Kreelex should do the trick.
The Madison River below Hebgen Lake and in the valley has fished like a champ over the past week, and we saw some amazing PMD and Drake fishing during the cool, cloudy, wet days. The PMD's poured off, and the fish were on them. With the weather changing back to bright and sunny conditions this week, you can still expect to see PMDs along with Caddis, Green Drakes, Yellow Sallies, and Salmonflies. The Madison is in its prime right now, so try to take advantage of the wonderful hatches happening at this time. The section between Hebgen and Quake got a bit Murky during our recent rains but is now running clear and fishing well. Have #16 PMD Sparkle Duns, #16 Missing Link Caddis, #12 Green Drake Sparkle Duns, #12 KGB, #16-14 Yellow Sallies, #10-6 Sunken Stones, #10-6 Water Walkers, and #16-14 Royal Wulff Cripples.
The Gallatin River is also experiencing the same hatches as the Madison right now, and all of the above apply here as well. The park stretches of the Gallatin are taking a little time to warm up, so you might not see much happening until at least mid-morning. Fishing the canyon section of the Gallatin in the morning hours, then moving upstream after lunch, is a great approach to this river.
We expect to start seeing Callibaetis return on Hebgen Lake in the next couple of days after our recent rains put a bit of a damper on this hatch. The Chironomid fishing has been the most productive method on Hebgen Lake over the past week, as my daughter Izzy and I experienced firsthand. We had a couple of unbelievable days on the lake, and they were the kind of days that neither of us will soon forget. If you're fishing subsurface, consider trying #16 red Copper Johns, #16 black Zebra Midges, #16 Olive Spanish Bullet, #14 Chan's or #10 Double Dipper Chironomids. Also be prepared with #14 Adams Parawulffs, # 16 Callibaetis Sparkle Duns, and have a few #16 Callibaetis foam or deer hair spinners.
Madison in the Valley: The hatch is on down in the valley! Around the walk and wade stretch and further down we are seeing PMD’s in the morning, Caddis throughout the day and afternoon, and even some fish looking up for the big bugs. Go down there armed with a variety of patterns to cover the smorgus board of insects you’ll find, and don't neglect fishing close to the banks either. We suggest bringing Mayfly patterns like a Cripple PMD or Hackle Stacker PMD, some Caddis like Keller’s Center Stage Caddis and X2 Caddis in tan, and for the big bugs we recommend the FlutterBug Salmonfly or Chubby Chernobyl. Dry dropper will also work well during the hotter parts of the day, nymphs like the Spanish Bullet Olive or Hot Vac have been working well.
Madison in the park/Firehole/Gibbon: These rivers are starting to get too hot to fish throughout the entire day. The Firehole in particular was nearly 80 degrees a few days ago, while the Madison seems to consistently hit the mid 70’s in the afternoons. If you are planning on fishing these rivers, we suggest getting an early start to take advantage of the cooler water temps for as long as possible, and then as the sun warms things up move above Midway Geyser Basin on the Firehole or Norris Geyser Basin on the Gibbon to lose a few degrees of water temp. There are tons of PMD’s in the early morning and Caddis in the afternoon, but we have had a tough time finding rising fish in these waters so swinging soft hackles or using a dry dropper has been the most effective way to find fish. Bring some Sparkle Dun Firehole PMD’s, as well as some spinners like the Guide Winna Spinna or Rusty Spinner. Patridge and Floss Orange or Peacock and Starling Soft Hackles are some great swinging flies to bring with you as well to cover fish keyed in on emergers.
Gallatin: The Gallatin is blowing up right now with Caddis, PMD's, Salmonflies, Golden Stones and a few Green Drakes. We've had good fishing in both the canyon and park sections of the river. Watch the water clarity below the Taylor's Fork over the next few days as we have rain forecasted for the next 4 or 5 days. Have with you Water Walkers, Flutterbugs, Golden Stones, Center Stage or X-Caddis, Cripple PMD's, PMD Sparkle Dun and Green Drake Patterns.
Hebgen: Hebgen has been fishing well in the morning before the winds have picked up in the afternoons! Callibaetis have been out in force, and the fish are eating both duns and emergers. The most effective way to fish the lake has been to use a dry dropper. Try tying on either a Chubby Chernobyl or size #10 Royal Wulff as your top fly, and running either a Red Copper John or Prince Nymph off the back as a dropper nymph. Dry fly fishing alone has also been good, we suggest using either a Deer Hair Spinner Callibaetis or Film Critic Callibaetis.
Northeast Corner: Soda Butte and Slough Creek are starting to come into shape, however we think it may be best to give this one another week or so before planning a trip out that way. The Lamar River has had some hatches, but water levels are still very high (Nearly 1800 CFS as of Tuesday). Both Drakes and Salmonflies have been spotted up this way, and watch for Gray Drakes to start showing up soon.
I fished Hebgen Lake over the past couple of days and the early season Callibaetis have shown up in good numbers which has made for some great dry fly fishing. The fish were eating duns and a #14 Adams Para-Wulff and a #16-14 Callabaetis Sparkle dun worked very well. #16 Callibaetis Nymphs, #16 Split Case and #14-16 Pheasant tails were great droppers. Not only is the dry fly fishing taking off on Hebgen, but the Chironomid fishing has also been very good. #12 Traffic Light Black Nuggets, #14 Chans Chironomid Bomber, # 12 3D Red Diawl Bach and #14 Ice Cream Cones have been effective under an indicator.
Water levels on the Madison River below Hebgen lake have been up and down over the past week and the fishing has followed suit. The bite was a little tough for a couple of days but water levels have stabilized and the fishing is back on track. The dry fly fishing has been good with PMDs, Caddis and we are getting a few to also eat a Salmon Fly. We are quickly coming into prime time on the Madison so be prepared with #16-14 X-Caddis, #16-14 Missing Links, #16 PMD Sparkle Duns, #16 Stealth Link PMDs, #4-8 Water Walkers, #14 Micro Chubby and #16 Tan Iris Caddis. Also keep an eye out for Green Drakes as they should be showing up in the near future.
The Gallatin River is in great shape and the bug activity is cranking up! Yellow Sallies, PMDs, Caddis and Stoneflies are all present now and the Salmon Flies are just making their way into the Gallatin Canyon. Have with you #16 Mangler Sally, #16 Missing Link Yellow Sally, #16 PMD Sparkle Dun, #16-14 X-Caddis and also make sure you have Salmon and Golden Stone patterns in your arsenal. Nymphing has also been good with #10 rubberlegs, #16 Split Case PMDs, #16 Princes, #16 $3 dips, #16-18 Red Necks and #16 Hare's ear Blowtorch.
The Firehole is getting warm now. Temperatures have exceed the 70 degree mark over the past few days. So, if you are planning on fishing the Firehole you may want to head upstream above Midway Geyser Basin to get into some cooler water conditions. The cooler weather this weekend should help a bit but it may be wise to look to a different option.
Conditions are still a little high, cool and a bit murky over in the Northeast corner of the park (Slough, Lamar, Soda Butte)
It will probably be at least another 10 days or so before these waters start fish.
The Firehole is still hanging in there with good water temps thanks to the cold front that's been hanging around the last couple of days. Cloudy days have been offering up some great PMD hatches and when the sun pops out look out for the caddis! We've had good success swinging a #16 White Miller Soft Hackle or #16 PMD Soft Hackle pre hatch and switching to a #16 White Miller X-Caddis or #16 DOA Cripple PMD or #16 PMD Sparkle Dun when the fish start looking up. The river is fishing well from top to bottom so don't be scared to spread out and fish some different water. As we heat up over the next week, keep your eye on the water temps especially below Midway geyser basin.
Hebgen Lake is fishing quite well for those willing to brave the wind. Mornings have been good with #12 Chironomid Bombers and #16 BH Callibaetis Nymphs. Swimming a leech or Damsel nymph of your favorite variety around probably isn't a bad idea either as we start to warm up. We've been seeing quite a few Callibaetis on Hebgen, watch for these emergences to get stronger as we push further into June.
The Madison below Quake is shaping up nicely with Caddis, PMDs and we've been catching a few fish on larger stone fly imitations. As we mentioned it may take a day or two for the fish to adjust to their higher water surroundings. Have #8-10 Rubber Legs, #16 Red Necks, #16 Hare's Ear Blow Torch, #16-14 $3 Dips, #16 Spanish Bullets and #16-14 FKA Prince nymphs. Dry fly wise have #16 X-Caddis, #16 Stealth Link PMDs, #16 Royal Wulff Cripples, #16-14 Purple Haze along with a few Salmon Fly patterns like a #8-6 Sunken Stone or #8-6 Water Walker.
The Gallatin is a little murky from the recent rains but should still fish well with Nymphs. Have #10-12 Rubber Legs, #16-14 FKA Princes, #16 Blow Torch and #16 Spanish Bullets. The park section of the Gallatin is running a bit cold right now, so if you do fish this section do so in the afternoon and let things warm up a bit.
The Firehole has fished very well this past week. The PMD emergences the past couple of days have started around 9:30-10:00am and have lasted until about 1:00pm on sunny days. Have #18-16 Stealth Link PMDs, #16 PMD Sparkle Duns and #16 White Miller Caddis. You will also want to make sure you have #16 Hot Spot Mints, #16 Micro Beeleys and #16-14 P.T. Soft Hackles.
Madison below Quake Lake: As we mentioned earlier the river is really coming in to nice shape right now. The dry fly fishing has fairly decent over the past couple days and with some great weather in the forecast it should get better and better. Prospecting with a medium sized attractor dry has been a lot of fun. Think like a #14 Hi-Vis Micro Chubby or #14 Royal PMX. Spanish Bullets in olive or natural quill have also been producing in both #16 and #18. The river is a bit low right now but again these levels will be on the rise soon. Make sure you have #16 Missing Link Caddis, #16 Center Stage Caddis and also a few #6-8 Sunken Stones just in case!
Hebgen Lake: We're heading into the middle of prime chironomid fishing right now. A #14 Chironomid Bomber or #12 Ice Cream Cone should be in everyone's box right now. We are also still finding success with #12 Pine Squirrel Leech either stripped or hanging under a indicator. Watch for Callibaetis while your out on Hebgen, we've seen quite a few over the past few days and the fish are just now starting to look for them.
As the temperatures warm up be sure to keep an eye on the Gallatin River. We are seeing Caddis but the river is still a bit murky. As this clears we expect to see PMDs, Yellow Sallies and in not too long Golden Stones and Salmonflies. Nymphing has remained to be the best bet this past week with #10-12 Rubber Legs, #10-12 San Juans, #16 FKA Prince, #16 Split Case PMDs and #16 OCD Caddis.
There has been decent hatches of both PMD's and Caddis on the Firehole lately and with the cool, wet weather coming in this weekend we should see some great dry fly activity. Soft hackles remain to be your best bet with #16 White Miller soft hackles, #16 Hot Spot Mints, #16-14 Partridge and Pheasant and #16 Micro Beeleys. On the dry fly side of things make sure to have #16 Stealth Link PMD's, #18-20 Missing Link Baetis, #16 White Miller X-caddis and #16 Firehole Sparkle Dun PMD's.
The Gibbon has been good both above and below the falls. A dry/dropper rig has been effective with #16 Royal Wulff Cripple, #16-14 Elk Hair Caddis and #16-14 Parachute Adams followed by #16-18 Red Neck, #16-18 Micro Mayfly or #18-16 Prince Nymph. The upper meadows of the Gibbon have been better on cloudy days stripping #8-10 black or olive buggers, #8 Kreelex or #8 Montana Mini Intruders.
The Yellowstone below the falls is also in play now with Caddis and some PMDs. Have #16 Stealth Link PMD's, #16-14 X-Caddis and also some larger dry fly patterns like #14 brown or Peach Micro Chubby. For droppers have #16 Red Necks, #10-12 Rubber Legs, #16 Spanish Bullets and #16-14 Prince Nymphs. Streamer fishing is also an option here with #8 Montana Mini Intruders, #8 Kreelex or #8 black Sculpzillas.
While the Northeast Corner of the park is open to fishing these waters are still running high and off color. Most likely we've got another couple weeks before these rivers start to fish.
The Madison below Quake has fished well and the dry fly fishing in both the wade and float sections has turned on over the past couple of days. There has been a mixture of bugs on the Madison, including March Browns, Caddis, Baetis and Midges. Larger attractor patterns like #12 Royal Wulff Cripples, #12-14 PMX, #12 Ausable Cripple and #16 Guide Winna Spinner have been our guides choices for the past few days. Underneath the surface #8-10 black Rubber Legs, #16-18 Red Necks, #18 Darth Baetis, #16 Green Machines and #Jig Duracells have done the trick.
The Madison between Hebgen and Quake, for the most part remains closed due to bear activity as we mentioned last week, but we think this should open back up in the near future.
