The Madison has offered up some really good morning dry fly opportunities. A #16 Rusty Spinner has been a great choice for the last week or so. We are also seeing more and more fish look up for smaller hopper patterns like a #14 Thunder Thighs in pink or yellow. Don't discount attractor patterns this time of year as many of our guides have been finding success with #14/#16 Royal Wulff Cripples and Adam's Cripples.
Hebgen Lake is doing it's best to remind us of it's dry fly glory days of late. While most will say it's not easy or long lasting, there have been some periods of great Callibaetis activity this week. #16 Callibaetis Sparkle Duns, Cdc Para-Spinners and Last Chance Cripples have been our go-to's. Once the hatch tapers off late morning stripping #10 Seal Buggers or Balanced Leeches has been quite effective.
The Yellowstone has offered up a little tougher bite this week but is still a wonderful option for those looking to do a little head hunting. The big trick can be deciphering what that huge cutthroat is actually coming up to eat. I don't know the answer to that question but I do know I would definitely try a #14 Gulp Beetle before heading off to find a friendlier fish. Be sure to keep an eye out for pmd's and caddis and have a good selection of all stages.
The Northeast Corner is under hoot owl restrictions starting tomorrow. Hit the water at sun up and enjoy some great fishing until 2pm. There are still pmd's and caddis around but most folks are finding more success with small hoppers like a #14 Morrish Hopper and #10 Longhorn Beetles. Since you'll be there early it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a few Rusty Spinners for those fish sipping in the eddies.
The Madison is starting to see afternoon temps creep up a bit high in the afternoons, especially on the lower reaches. It is in "Hoot Owl" from Ennis FAS down to Ennis Reservoir and then from warm Springs to the confluence with the Jefferson. Meaning you have to be done fishing at 2pm until midnight through those sections of river. Even outside of the lower river it isn't a bad idea to use a thermometer to check the water temperature during the hotter parts of the day. We're still seeing pmd's, caddis and yellow sallies in good numbers, but the bite has gotten tougher. Look for spinners in the morning, a #16 Guide Winna Spinner Brindle has been a good choice. It can be a good idea to fish some of the deeper more oxygenated water in the afternoons with a #10 Coffee Rubberlegs trailed by a #18 $3 Dip.
Hebgen Lake is looking better by the day right now. We've had some ideal weather for hatches and the bugs and fish have begun to respond. There are Callibaetis, Tricos and even a few caddis. You should be able to find some fish feeding in any of the arms and parts of the main lake. Chasing fish normally doesn't pan out so get in position with a #16 Last Chance Cripple Callibaetis or Foam Spinner and get ready to have some fun. For droppers we have really been liking a #16 Spanish Bullets and Driscoll's BH Callibaetis Nymph.
The Gallatin has basically gone through all of it's big bug hatches and is on to a main course of pmd's, caddis and yellow sallies. We aren't too far away from seeing spruce moth's if they decide to make an appearance this year. A selection of #16 Pmd Sparkle Duns, #18 Missing Link Caddis and Jake's Yellow Sally should have most of your bases covered. Nymphing has also been good with #16 Montana Bullets and Sally Quills.
The Yellowstone is fishing quite well and there are still plenty of bugs! Green drakes have been pulling fish to the surface and at times it can be really tough to beat a #12 Foam Spinner Green Drake. There are even a few stoneflies around but if you're looking to prospect with foam we would aim small with a Chili Stone. Most days will have some pmd's and caddis around as well so be prepared with a selection of each.
The Northeast Corner has pmd's hatching almost daily, rain or shine. We've been using a lot of #16 Pmd Sparkle Duns and #20 Cream Almost There Baetis. Longhorn Beetles are moving some fish as are #14 Gulp Beetles. Most days the hatches are starting around 10am and we've been moving to attractors and terrestrials once the hatch peters out. There have been a lot of bison in the valley and they can sometimes dictate where we are able to fish but it's a cool part of the overall experience fishing in the park.
Hebgen Lake has given us quite a wild variety of reports, both from our guides and from some of you. I would say it's well worth fishing especially during the calm of the morning and staying until the wind says it's time to go. For flies a #12 Chironomid Bomber or Ice Cream Cone along with a #16 BH Callibaetis Nymph or even a #14 Split Case PMD will be good choices. There's been a handful of the big early season Callibaetis starting to hatch so fishing one of the previously mentioned nymphs underneath a #14 Adam's Parawulff might be a fun way to go.
Hebgen Lake has produced some great midge hatches lately, unfortunately the wind has said "absolutely not" to being calm enough to find fish rising. Chironomid and leech fishing has been productive in the chop thankfully. Our best advice is to get an early start in order to beat the wind for awhile. Set up an indicator rig with a #12 Ice Cream Cone or Chironomid Bomber with a #10 Balanced Leech underneath. If it's calm retrieve as painstakingly slow as you can manage and if it's choppy just let the waves do the work.
Hebgen Lake is currently sitting at just over 93% of capacity and is starting to see a pickup in fish activity. Fishing subsurface with #14 Ice Cream Cones and #10 Balanced Leeches has been the best bet, but reports of fish on the surface feeding have ramped up. While we don't sell a specific dry pattern for the big spring midges we are big fans of a #14 Royal Wulff Cripple and #14 Adam's Cripples. Dropping your favorite chironomid pattern underneath a dry can also be very productive this time of year as fish are starting to cruise higher in the water column.
The Madison should continue to ramp up with this classic spring weather. #10 Black or Coffee Rubberlegs followed by a #18 Zebra Midge or #18 Spanish Bullet should get you through the morning and early afternoon hours. After that keep an eye out for fish working the softer water eating midges or Baetis. An Upright Baetis in a #18 or Griffith's Gnat in the same size should fool plenty of fish over the next few weeks.
The Gallatin River continues to be another good option, although a bit finicky with water color. We've continued to see good success with double nymph rigs consisting of a point fly of a #10 Black Rubberlegs or #10 Pink San Juan Worm followed by a #16 Silver or Gold SH Lightning Bug. Baetis nymphs like #18 Spanish Bullet or Lightsaber Jig have also been good choices.
The Madison in the valley was quite windy over the weekend but there were a few brave souls fishing. Not much has changed as far as flies. Streamers and nymphs will be your go-to's and maybe a few fish up on midges during the afternoon hours if you're lucky. #16 Cream Montana Bullets and #18 Crystal Dips underneath a small indicator would be my first choice. You could also pick your favorite flavor of Zebra Midge with a lot of confidence as well. Saturday looks like an absolute sweetheart of a day to be down there if you're going to give it a shot.
The Madison in between the Lakes all the nice weather has definitely brought the crowds out in this section. Don't expect to be alone if you swing in and as always please be mindful of spawning fish by leaving them be. It wouldn't surprise us to see some fish rising to midges on the lower end towards Quake. A #18 Scotty's Midge or #20 Improved Zelon Midge could help make for a memorable day!
The Gallatin Canyon down below Big Sky will be another great option for folks looking to get out. Like we said last week it's mainly a nymph fishery during the colder months but it can offer up some great fishing this way. A big attractor nymph like a #10 Black Rubberlegs or #12 Pink San Juan Worm followed by a smaller nymph like #18 Crystal Dip is a great place to start. Try and focus on the deeper slower water but keep an eye on the tailouts just in case some fish start looking up for midges.
The Madison in the valley will continue to be a great option until the cold shuts it down for the winter. We're generally nymphing at $3 Bridge or Raynold's this time of year but streamers can also be fun during the afternoon hours. We wouldn't be down there super early but showing up sometime around 11:00am or Noon should have you in good shape. Small #20 Black Zebra Midges and #18 $3 Serendipities are staples for us. For streamers try a #4 JJ Sparkle Minnow or #8 Olive Sparkle Yummy with our sunny forecast.
The Madison in between the Lakes if you're heading this way be sure to avoid any fish on redds. Fishing the lower end can be a great way to do this. Look for small streamers and nymphs to be good options most days. We'll fish a #20 Black Zebra Midges, #18 Spanish Bullets and #18 Crystal Dips behind a bigger fly like a #12 San Juan Worm or #14 Hot Butt Hare Jig.
The Gallatin Canyon can be another great afternoon option this time of year. You could potentially find some late season blue wings or midges bringing fish up but most days you will have to go sub-surface for the best action. We're generally fans of flashy flies during the cold months with #16 Purple Perdigons and #16 Gold Lightning Bugs being great choices. We'll normally trail these behind a Pat's Rubberlegs or San Juan Worm.
The Firehole will probably be our best option for the last few days of fishing the park. The warmer water will be beneficial with the extremely cold temperatures we are forecast to see. If we get the high cold sun look for small soft hackles like a #16 Spider Hare and Partridge or #16 Snipe and Purple to fish well. You can also do well swinging small Pheasant Tail Flashbacks during Baetis season. An olive #8 Super Squirrel could also be a good idea.
The Madison in the valley We wouldn't recommend arriving early with the cold temps as a bunch of iced up guides is never fun. Once the early afternoon hours hit there should be some good nymphing and streamer fishing. If you're lucky maybe some fish will be up on midges. For flies we would have #18 Crystal Serendipities, #22 Improved Zelon Midges, #16 Shop Vacs and #8 Sparkle Yummies in olive.
The Madison in the park picked up at the end of last week and has started to become a bit more consistent. This weather may slow down the morning bite but it should still offer good fishing. It may be beneficial to fish closer to the junction to take advantage of the warmer water coming out of the Firehole. Nymphing the slower runs will be the most productive option with flies like #10 Black Rubberlegs, #16 Guide Dips and #18 Zebra Midges being mainstays. For soft hackles look at trying a #6 Lucky Bucky or maybe one of the new #10 Shakey Variants. On the streamer front we are still liking #6 Montana Intruders and #4 Goblins.
The Firehole has really been showing off this fall. We've had consistent reports for about the last month. It's a great place to head for swinging soft hackle or trying to fool a trout into taking a dry fly. It's tough to beat a fall morning spent in the fog between the banks swinging a small soft hackle. We've had a lot of fish fooled by a #16 Spider Hare and Partridge or #18 Olive Remote Control Soft Hackle lately. For the late morning/early afternoon blue wings try a #22 Baetis Sparkle Dun or #20 Bwo Cdc Biot Emerger. If the weather shows up on Monday we could see some really good dry fly fishing here in the afternoons!
The Madison in the valley has been super consistent with nymphs and has even offered some solid dry fly opportunities when the weather allows. Look for small Baetis nymphs and Zebra Midges to be the main course with size #16/18 Crystal Serendipities being solid choices as well. Throwing a streamer can also be productive this time of year with flies like #4/6 Sparkle Minnows or #4 Sheila Sculpin fooling some fish. If you find yourself on the river early next week when the weather hits be sure to have some #22 Baetis Sparkle Duns.
The Madison in the park fished pretty well lately with most of the action coming on nymphs. We've been fishing a lot of two nymph rigs with something heavy like a #10 Rubberlegs or San Juan to get down trailed by a smaller fly like a #16 Peacock Perdichingon or #18 Shot Glass Baetis. We've seen an uptick in fish eating a swung fly, some of our favorites lately have been a #8 Blew on Blue or #6 Grandmaster Flash in Black/Copper.
Northeast Corner We're still seeing some good dry fly action on Slough, Lamar and Soda Butte. However, it is just during a short window in the afternoon from about 1-4pm. Baetis Sparkle Duns in #22 or Improved Zelon Midges in #22 will have you covered for the smaller bugs, there's a chance you'll run into a remnant hatch of Drake Mackerels and in that case you would want some #12 Sparkle Dun Drake Mackerels. Fishing nymphs and streamers can also be productive and we wouldn't be without #20 Red Zebra Midges or #6 Sculpin Sparkle Minnows.
The Firehole saw some great Baetis activity early in the week and I imagine we'll see some of that continue through the weekend. Swinging soft hackles like a #18 Olive Remote Control or #16 Spider Hare and Patridge should continue to be effective. For dry flies we've been fishing #20 Baetis Improved Sparkle Duns, #20 Baetis Mimic Mays and #22 Upright Baetis. It may not be a bad idea to have a few caddis dries just in case, a #18 Missing Link Caddis would be a good choice.
The Madison in the valley has continued to fish well in both the float and wade section, especially with nymphs. The upcoming forecast looks like it may provide some good dry fly fishing with blue wings though. For nymphs it is still hard to beat a #8 Black Rubberlegs with your favorite caddis or blue wing nymph behind it. A #16 Crystal Serendipity and #16 Montana Bullet have fished well. If you're down there in the afternoon look for fish up on Baetis, a #22 Baetis Sparkle Dun will work nicely if you find them.
The Madison in the park seems to have picked up some this week and is worth poking around. We had some good reports Wednesday from both the swing crowd and the nymphers. #6 Montana Intruders and #6 Grandmaster Flash in Black/Copper. Some of our go-to nymphs have been #16 Guide Serendipities and #16 Quill Rib Perdigons. Fish are in the system from top to bottom so there should be plenty of room to go explore.
Northeast Corner received a good bit of water from the rain the past few days, so be sure to check the gauge before heading over. There are still a few drakes on Slough Creek but look for Baetis and midges to be the main course most days. #20 Baetis Missing Links and #22 Baetis Sparkle Duns will cover your Blue Wings and a #20 Improved Zelon Midge should cover any midges. We Still like a #18 or #20 Zebra Midge as a dropper.
The Firehole had some great hatches the last couple days with all the clouds and rain. Folks found success swinging soft hackles like #16 Pheasant Tail Soft Hackles and Spider Hare and Partridge #16. The stars of the show the past few days have been fish rising to little fall Baetis. The fish have been keyed in on little #22/#24's making it a fairly difficult drift to track. One thing we like to do is run a tandem dry fly rig with a #20 Baetis Klinkhammer in front and a #22 Upright Baetis or #22 Baetis Sparkle Dun about 18-24" behind.
The Madison in the valley has been fishing very well and offers anglers a chance to experience great access with little pressure this time of year. A two nymph rig has been the most productive and hasn't changed much over the last couple weeks. We are still using a big attractor nymph like a #10 Black Rubberlegs or #12 San Juan Worm followed by a small blue wing or caddis nymph. We've used #16 or #18 Crystal Serendipities, #20 JuJu Baetis and #18 Olive Two Bit Hookers with good success as droppers.
The Madison in the park has been a little spotty with lake runs but they are in the system from top to bottom. Nymphing has been pretty good in the deeper holes and runs especially later in the day. Morning has been the time for swinging your favorite soft hackle or streamer as the fish have been much more willing to chase during the early hours. Some of our favorite flies have been #10 Shakey Beeley's, #6 Soft Hackle Streamers, #16 Guide Serendipities and #18 Radiation Baetis.
Northeast Corner Soda Butte and Slough Creek have continued to see some consistent hatches of little Baetis and even a few Drake Mackerels that have hung around. #20 Red Zebra Midges have been the ticket early and I wouldn't hesitate to try a #12 Pink San Juan Worm either. If the bugs get going a #22 Upright Beatis or Baetis Sparkle Dun will treat you well. Another thing to try would be a #10 Longhorn Beetle, even though our terrestrial season is essentially over I would bet there's a few fish willing to come up and eat a big bug.
The Firehole White Millers and Baetis are flying and bringing fish to the surface. The millers will probably take a back seat to the blue wings once the weather hits this weekend. Swinging a soft hackle like #22 Baetis Soft Hackles and #16 Hot Spot Soft Hackles in Mint should be good choices. When the rain and clouds hit a #20 Rs2 Grey, #20 Improved Sparkle Dun Baetis or #20 Klinkhammer Baetis will fool them.
The Madison in the valley was dealt a windy hand the past few days but has continued to fish well. Most of our best fishing has been with nymphs but there have been a few fish still looking up for ants. I imagine you could also throw some streamers with a high level of confidence down there right now. A #10 Black Rubberlegs with a #16 Crystal Dip or #18 Green Machine underneath an indicator would be a solid choice. A #10 Space Invader or #6 Sparkle Minnow Sculpin stripped along should help move some fish as well. If the rain hits this weekend be sure to have a few #20 Improved Sparkle Dun Baetis!
The Madison in the park has some fish in the system right now and most days folks are able to find a fish or two. Big soft hackles like #10 Shakey Beeley's or #6 Lucky Bucky's have been favorites. Two nymph rigs have been productive mid day and we have been liking a #10 Rubberlegs in Coffee with a #16 Hot Vac or #18 Radiation Baetis behind the stonefly nymph. If streamers are more your speed a #6 Copper Zonker has done well as have #6 Soft Hackle Streamers in a variety of colors.
Northeast Corner if you're not set on the fishing the Lamar you will be in good shape. The weekly rains have kept the main river off color for the last while but both Slough Creek and Soda Butte have remained clear and fishable. Fish are still looking up for #10 Longhorn Beetles on occasion but small blue wings have fished better lately. We have had good success with #20 Improved Sparkle Dun Baetis, #20 Mimic May's and #20 Upright Baetis. Dropping a small nymph like a #20 Zebra Midge in red or a #20 Juju Baetis can help with a few more fish when they aren't looking up consistently.
The Firehole should be a great option the next couple days with all the rain in the forecast. If we had to take a guess there will be some good blue wing fishing. Look for #20 Baetis Soft Hackles and #17 Peacock and Starling to be good choices for swinging. On the surface a #20 or #22 Upright Baetis or #20 Improved Sparkle Dun Baetis will do the trick. If you're fishing below the falls try a #10 Black Rubberlegs followed up with a #16 Guide Dip or #18 Radiation Baetis. There will probably be quite a bit of traffic on the river this weekend so be sure to give one another space and watch what direction people are fishing before hopping in.
The Madison in the valley had some good hopper fishing before the rain. Better late than never, maybe it picks up again after this front works its way through? If you're heading down this weekend go prepared with Baetis and midge nymphs along with a selection of streamers. We would start with a #10 Black Rubberlegs followed by a #18 $3 Serendipity or Crystal Dip. If they aren't chewing on that switch up to a #20 JuJu Baetis or #16 Montana Bullet. If you feel like throwing some bigger bugs try a #8 Black Bouface or #10 Space Invader stripped along your favorite bucket or drop off. When this weather clears we'll give an update on the terrestrial fishing.
The Madison in between the lakes can be a busy place this time of year but can offer up some good fishing. It's mainly a nymph fishery for us but don't be surprised if you see some fish rising to blue wings this weekend. Start with a #10 Red San Juan Worm trailed by a #16 Poudre Pupa or #18 Radiation Baetis. If you see fish up on the surface a #20 Klinkhammer Baetis oughta do the trick. Streamers can also be productive in this stretch and a #8 Sheila Sculpin or #10 Super Bugger can help move some fish.
Northeast Corner had some spotty fishing this past week but overall is still fishing well. We will probably see Lamar go dirty once again this week but Slough and Soda Butte should be fishable for a majority of it. #10 Longhorn Beetles have been helping us hold on to the terrestrial bite but #12 Drake Mackerel Sparkle Duns or #20 Improved Sparkle Dun Baetis have been more productive day in and day out. As always Zebra Midges of various sizes and colors are tough to beat subsurface and we'll probably see that trend continue as we cool down.
