Flows are holding steady at 930 c.f.s. below Hebgen, 1020 at Kirby and 1140 c.f.s. down at Varney. The fly selection has been a little untypical for this time of year but if you can crack the code the fishing has been good. It’s looking like a mild week for this time of year coming up with daytime highs well into the 60’s so get out there and enjoy it!
Under the surface fish are eating things like Zebra Midges, RS2’s, Pat’s Rubberlegs in smaller sizes, small Delektable Big Spankers, Copper Johns and Princes. They’ll take those under a bobber or with a tight line which can be a little better for hooking them in some of the boulder pools.
Streamers are fishing well throughout the upper river. Make sure to swing some flies in front of the boulders as well as behind, we’ve seen a lot of fish holding in front of the rocks. Olive/black and white Delektable Screamers have been great flies as well as Circus Peanuts, McCune’s sculpins, Morrish sculpins and Sculpzillas.
Dry fly fishing has been pretty consistent with the last report, Baetis and BWOs with a few October caddis being eaten as well. Size #18 Purple Craze have been the ticket for the BWOs and a #16 Parachute Adams should see some attention as well. A big Elk hair or Goddard caddis should do a good job of imitating the Octobers in the evenings.
Get out there and enjoy the river before old man winter blows into the valley!
Well I can’t believe it’s already October, we will be changing our store hours with the seasons to 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Flows have been steady at 880 c.f.s. below Hebgen, about 960 at Kirby and 1090 c.f.s. down at Varney. Although flows have been consistent the weather has not and due to that we had a couple days we had to work for some fish. The good news is things are on the upswing again.
The river is flowing at 1,140 c.f.s. at Varney Bridge, 971 c.f.s. at Kirby and 880 c.f.s. below Hebgen Lake. The weather has been a bit on the chilly side but it looks like that will be changing over the next few days. Forecasted daytime highs are in the upper 50s and will climb into the upper 60s by the end of the week, let’s hope the fishing heats up too.
up yesterday morning and that was a blessing after such a dry couple of months. With predicted rain and highs in the mid 50s and low 60s the forecast is looking good for everyone’s favorite fall festivity, STREAMER FISHING! Flows are at 861 c.f.s. below Hebgen Lake and 970 c.f.s. down at Kirby.
pretty good as of late, best in the mornings and evenings but I expect it to be an all day affair with the upcoming weather. The fish are in their normal hiding places (undercuts, boulders, logjams, etc.) feeding on their usual prey (whitefish and sculpin). Some of the bigger flies are starting to get more attention like the Delektable Double-Screamer, Circus Peanuts, Silk Kitty, and Sundell’s Bad Boys as well as the go to smaller stuff like Double Bunnys, Delektable Single Screamers and Sheila’s Sculpins. 
As we work our way into September day time temps are scheduled to drop into the 60s by the end of the week and some rain here and there will be a nice change from the smoky skies we’ve had. The Madison is flowing at 985 c.f.s. below Hebgen and 1130 c.f.s. down at Kirby.
Fishing has been good below the surface with streamers and nymphs. Let’s start with the nymphs; lightning bugs are still killing it and Delektable Big Spankers and Hammerheads, Two Bit Hookers, Shop Vacs and small Rubberlegs are all doing their job as well.
Streamer fishing has been pretty good as the sun comes up and as it goes down. A few of our top flies have been black/olive or white Delektable Screamers, Sculpzillas, olive Mini Loops and Trevor’s Sculpins. The Browns are sitting behind the rocks waiting all night for something meaty to swim by so take advantage!
We’ve had some good action on the surface in the middle and end of the day as well. Small black caddis and some bigger caddis are starting to hatch in the evenings and the hoppers and small chubby patterns are still getting action during the day. Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis and other small elk hairs are good in the evening along the banks. Yeti Hoppers, Sheila’s Hoppers, Delektable Slammers and Chubbyness in UV cinnamon or royal are all good options during the middle of the day.
experienced the Solar Eclipse on the river and Kevin provided shots from Idaho. We had a mixture of fun fishing experiences including us and many friends and new friends. We had special surprise guests for Dan’s 60th birthday. And…we shared an incredible birthday cake Elle made totally in honor of Dan and “Scar Tissue”. It was quite the week of incredible experiences, fun fishing, great reunions, fabulous cake and terrific food too. Life at Beartooth can be so much fun. Thank you for sharing.
hasn’t changed too much throughout the month of August. The biggest change we’ve seen over the past week is that bigger fish are eating a little more readily, let’s hope that lasts. Flows are up slightly from last week below the dam to 1,040 c.f.s. and 1,190 c.f.s. at Kirby Ranch. 
good even though sometimes we end up with a totally Tyke bite for a day then bigger fish the next day. Big swarms of flying ants can be seen from Storey Ditch down past Varney Bridge later in the afternoon but they’ll eat them almost all day. The Delektable flying ant in Purple or Cinnamon has consistently been our best pattern. Quigley’s glitter ant and the smaller Yeager’s 409’s in red are doing the trick as well. Early in the day a small Adams or Purple Craze has brought success while pseudos are about and hoppers are still producing as well. For those, the cast and location is important. The Delektable Chubbyness in #14’s and #16’s is still a good pattern with best results in UV Purple, UV Cinnamon, and Royal this week. Hoppers in pink, yellow, and cream underneath are still working.
small princes, small Delektable pheasant tail Lil’ Spankers, tan/brown or olive/brown Rubberlegs, bigger Delektable Hammerheads, Hare’s Ears and Delektable Big Spanker Warriors. Lightning Bugs in Silver and Pearl are still good. These flies have all been pretty good all day but best During the late morning and early afternoon.
continue to improve. We’ve seen some good action into the hottest part of the day the last couple days. Some of our best bugs are the Delektable Single Screamer in white, the Sculpzilla in White or Tan, Mini Loops, Silvey’s sculpin leech and the Conehead Bow River Bugger. Using a sinking leader has helped with Slow strips and dead drifts around the boulders. You could even add a trailing small nymph from the list above. The smoke remains in the mountains and less so on the river.
