Fishing Reports Archives - Page 26 of 56

June 24th-26th 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

This weekend has been some of the best fishing we have seen so far this summer. The fish were hungry, feisty and waiting to be caught. Multiple accounts of screaming reels have echoed through the valley, which is always exciting to hear.

To start off the weekend, Emmett, his Dad, and Dan G got out on the river for a float from Lyons to McAtee. The “W” factor was relentless, but the fish were hungry. Salmon flies were all over the banks halfway between Palisades and Ruby. Fish were eating the dry but overall were gravitating towards the nymphs. Big fish poundings occurred predominantly near Palisades. HOT flies that day were: Olive and brown pat’s rubber legs and a size 16 Delektable Lil’ Spanker, Delektable Secret Salmonfly and a Delektable Screamer.

The following day, Dan G and friends hit the water running and or floating. Windy Point to Storey ditch was the play of the day. They fished an assortment of nymphs to start, most notably a lemon drop, and bomber caddis. Get yourself a larger Delektable Pheasant Tail Lil’ Spanker for the Bomber nymph, preferably a size 10. As it heated up throughout the day, a change of scenery was in order and away went the nymphs and out came the DRIES! Salmon flies and Golden Stones are what got the fish on the end of the line. Note: There were Salmon flies out, but the fish were not extremely willing to eat them.

We had the pleasure of welcoming long time friends and fishaholics Tim and Brian to the Beartooth. Big floats and swarms of fish was the name of the game, with Dan D at the helm guiding. The “small ball” game was extremely effective throughout the day with a change of dries later in the afternoon. HOT flies for the day were: Lemon Drops, Delektable Hammerheads, Delektabel Lil” Spankers, Delektable Sure Strikes, Secret Golden’s and Delektable Salmon Flies.

Keefer “The Hog Machine” floated with Dave and owned up to his name putting the hammer down on some big trout on dry flies, yeah! The Heini Group, on their final day of fishing, kept their great streak going and landed several great fish. To wrap the week up, Brandon Dan and Ian all guided the “Sunday Funday” with beautiful weather, great company, and of course LOTS of fish!!

Overall, it was a great week with a killer finish. Some notes to leave you on for next’s weeks fishing is we predict Salmon Flies will be around for another week (give or take). Salmon and Golden stone dries will continue to work but with “pitch’n and twitch’n” technique and of course, patience. Upcoming weather in the valley is predicted to be mostly sunny with highs around 84 degrees with CFS levels around 1,050 near Varney. Don’t stop fishing hard and smart!!

Emmett and Will

June 23rd-24th 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

Good fishing reports keep on coming in as the week goes on. No matter the weather factor or other variable conditions, our guides and anglers keep producing great results. The “W” factor was a BIG player these pasts two days, with gusts up to 40 mph!! If you thought that kept our anglers off the water, you are mistaken. We had both the Hienie group and the Wild Adventure ladies out on the water.

HOT flies for these days stayed very consistent with the start of the week. Lightning Bugs (Silver), Delektable Hammerhead Prince, Pat’s Rubber Legs (pictured below) and Delektable Secret Stone UV Gold (pictured below) all worked.

The Hienie train keeps on rolling with another EPIC day of fishing!! Just like the ladies they got themselves involved in fish, and a bunch of them. It’s hard to beat five consecutive days of fishing with superb results. Thanks Brandon, Gunner, Ian and Marty for a great two Days! Dan had a big fish catch with his two anglers as well to top off the day.

We had the pleasure of welcoming eight Wild Adventure ladies who showed up ready to pound some fish. Let’s just say that the ladies kicked some serious butt and caught a ton of fish with the help of our awesome guides Max, Marty, John, and Dan M. It was such a great day of fishing on the river for all the ladies and to catch fish, and a lot of them, really puts a smile on everyone’s face.

The weather for the remainder of the week looks great with the “W” factor dying down. Salmon Flies are creeping their way up the river. Man what an exciting time to be on the Madison River!!

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

June 21st-22nd 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

This was quite a week with a number of guide trips and groups coming through Beartooth Flyfishing. A variety of bugs and weather was the theme of the week, with the big “W” factor in play. We had Salmon Flies start moving their way up from Ennis and by Saturday had made it to the backyard. As the Salmon flies moved up, the crowd followed to chase the big bug hatch. This week we had the friends of Hienie Group and Wild Adventure Groups, both guys and girls, join us and some great friends and clients fishing. A lot of great fish were caught and as always some great memories.

Reports coming in this week have been consistent with nymph fishing and small dries producing the best results. As stated earlier reports prove that the Salmon flies slowly worked their way up the river and are now here at the shop. We expect the hatch to continue biting for the next week to ten days which means the fishing should be HOT!! Popular patterns for the week include: Parachute Caddis Olive, Delektable Chubbyness Olive/Brown, Pat’s Rubber Legs (Brown/Black), Lightning Bug (Silver), Delektable Hammerhead Prince, Sure Strikes, Lil’ Spankers (Silver), Green Shop Vac and Ranch PMD’s. With rising water temperatures “small ball” nymphing is now a good choice.
The Wild Adventure crew is back in town and wilder then ever at fishing!! We had the pleasure of welcoming this group of anglers guided by Marty, John, Ian, David, Dan D and Dan M. The boys stopped in the shop before the float, loaded up and prepared for a big fish day. Weather was just about ideal, with good water clarity and temperatures.

The Hienie Group got back on the water with their third consecutive day. The trend remained consistent with great fishing and lots of fish in the boat with Ian and Marty at the helm.

Its so great to hear positive reports and warms the Beartooth family when anglers come back after finishing grinning from ear to ear and telling us all about how great their day was. But don’t just take my word for it because these pictures paint the day. Happy fishing to all!

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

June 16th-20th 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

This weeks guide report is fueled by a number of guide trips and a diversity of anglers. The big talk this past week in the valley has, yes you guessed it, been the Salmon Fly hatch. There have been several rumors floating around that the salmon flies have been scattered throughout the Madison. You know what they say; “A rumor can run round the world before the truth has time to put its boots on”. In light of these rumors we did some scouting on the riverbanks and found that the Salmon flies earlier in the week were closer to Ennis, with scattered adults emerging along the grassy banks and by the tail end of the week (June 20^th) closer to Varney. Also in the mix of things has been a steady caddis hatch with a variety of sizes and colors throughout the day. Also present have been PMD’s, Yellow Sallies and Golden Stones all at once. What Dan anticipated early on as a “Smorgasbord” of hatches is now happening, requiring fisherman to pay more attention and experiment with different bugs. The hatch is definitely coming faster than average from past years due to high temperatures and other variable factors, so it’s time to baton down the hatches and get ready.

We have been getting reports in all week covering each section of the river from guides, customers, and small talk around town. The trend has stayed relatively consistent with better results above and below the big bug hatch. Water clarity has been great in many sections. Water temperature has been warming up with temperatures reaching up to 60 degrees in late afternoon at Kirby. There have been reports that nymph fishing in the morning and dry in the afternoon, when the water warms up, have produced the best results.

The hot patterns for this week have been Purple haze, and Delektable Chubbyness Royal, all size #14 and #16. Delektable Lil’ Spankers and Sure Strikes, Lightning Bugs, Prince Nymphs, Pats Rubber Legs, Golden Stones and Delektable Hammerheads have all been on fire! With anticipated water temperatures expected to be in the high 60’s by next week, a “small ball” combo will likely be a good choice. But then again if you choose the right dries they will work.

With the warm weather settling in and anticipated outside temperatures remaining in the mid 80’s with CFS levels slowly dropping, expect the Salmon Fly hatch to reach the backyard by the end of this week.

Some words of advice to leave you with for this week: Fish nymphs in the morning and dries in the afternoon, don’t be afraid to fish the small stuff, experiment with different flies, fish hard and as always get out there and have yourself a day on the river!

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

June 15-17 2016| Yellowstone Park Fishing Report

Emmett took his days off to go to Yellowstone to catch fish. Among the chaos of the many people from all parts of the world, there was an abundance of fish to be caught. Emmett fished both the Gibbon and Firehole rivers, in multiple locations on each. There were plentiful hatches of Mayflies, Caddis, and Mosquitoes, with the fish eating all of the above. The best of the fishing was on the Gibbon River. The water on the Gibbon is slow, soft, and clear in the locations that were fished. The fish can be picky, but with the right fly, a good presentation, and a careful approach, the fish can be caught. The best of the fishing was on a small Parachute Adams, although a very small Humpy could catch fish too. There was an abundance of Brown Trout, and Brook Trout, with each living in its particular stretch of river.

The fishing on the Firehole was good, but not as good as the fishing on the Gibbon. The fish were on average larger, but they were pickier, and harder to catch. The fish on the Firehole were eating caddis emergers right at the surface. If you could find the right emerger, you could get the fish to devour it, Emmett did not succeed in finding the right emerger, but did have luck on the Bomber Caddis dry fly. As the old saying goes “Trout don’t live in ugly places”, and it is definitely true in Yellowstone. It is always amazing to get to fish in one of the most beautiful locations on planet Earth, and it is even better when fish will eat a dry fly.

June 12th-15th 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

The theme for this week’s fishing is “The hatches are coming” with fishing really picking up. What we have observed is that water clarity is improving, especially below the Westfork, with a few feet of visibility in some spots. CFS levels are around 1100 near Kirby and have been on a downward spiral for the past week, finally leveling off today. Helpful hint: Make sure to bring your bug spray and layers because the mosquitoes are out and hunting due to the higher than normal moisture levels.

To start of this week, Marty, Jesse and Will fished after work in the backyard. The first order of business was to layer up and apply bug repellent for mosquitoes. Water clarity and conditions were good with around 2 feet of visibility. A lot of small caddis (light winged colored) were flying, as well as a few mayfly sightings. Marty rigged up two dry flies; A Delektable Chubbyness Rootbeer and Royal #16 and #14. Jesse was throwing a dry with a small Lil’ spanker trailing and Will a Delektable Chubbyness Royal with a #16 Delektable Hammerhead Pheasant tail. Fish definitely hit the dries but were not fully taking the fly or we could have reacted too quickly. Persistence was key and about one out of five were successfully landed.

Will put on the waders and fished after work up above Kirby’s. Like the day before the clarity and CFS levels were consistent with a good cloud cover above. The flies of choice hadn’t changed from the night before; A Delektable Chubbyness Royal #14 and Delektable Hammerhead Pheasant tail #16 as a trailer. Letting that dry float down stream and giving it some twitching action worked best. Fishing behind the buckets and along the pools is where the majority of bites occurred. This enabled them to see the dry and to think the nymph was emerging. Some very respectable browns and rainbows were landed making for a great evening.

We have also been getting some great reports in from our crew and folks coming by the shop. There have been positive results on nymph fishing as well as streamers. Lightning bugs and Pat’s rubber legs have been working as well as black/tan streamers. With the warmer weather expected to arrive later this week, the mega hatch could be soon to come. No clear sightings of Salmon Fly Adults in our neighborhood and questionable still on the Lower Madison.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

June 7th 2016| Big Hole River Fishing Report

This week called for a change of scenery as Dan, Marty, Will and Emmett headed up to the Big Hole to fish the Salmon Fly hatch and Golden Stones. Fishing on the Big Hole the past two weeks has been great. Clarity and river flow have been ideal for the hatch and those fishing have had big trout to show for it.

Will and local guide Nick Argyrakis with his sister Lia floated the 11-mile drift from East bank to Jerry Creek. It was Will’s 21^st birthday so a celebratory drink or two was in order to start of the day. Weather conditions were just about perfect. Since the salmon fly hatch was on, it only made sense to start with a Delektable Mega2Tone Chubbyness UVSalmon Fly #8 with a Goldenstone Tungsten Bead #8 following. It was important to find the willows and fish your dry right under and beside the grassy banks. Other recommended flies that worked that day were; Delektable Secret Stone Royal size #8, Delektable Chubbyness Little Yellow Stone size #16, Delektable Hammerhead GTBH Pheasantail #16 and Delektable Hammerhead GTBH Hare’s Ear #16. Overall it’s hard to beat cold beer on the river, great conditions and fish in the boat.

Dan, Marty, and Emmett got away on the same day to the Big Hole to fish the big dries. They did a double float from East Bank down to Divide. Everything was hatching, but there was only an occasional rise for a natural dry. Remember you can cast blindly with a dry, and get a rise by teasing the fish with a fly. There were some, but not too many big bugs out on the upper part of the float. We did not see any in the canyon. The fish were mostly eating the Delektable Secret Stone, and the Mega 2Tone Chubbyness. It took time and effort to get the fish to bite, but it was totally possible to do. Some of the group were twitching their flies, while others were just dead-drifting them. Most of the fish were biting in the slow water near the banks, and in the buckets. They caught many different species of fish including Rainbows, Whitefish, Cutthroats, Brown Trout, and Brookies.

Emmett & Will

June 1st- 5th 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

The pattern for this week is “Fluctuating River Color” with conditions persisting to change. What we have noticed is water temperatures are cooler than average and flows have been going up a bit. Water is still green and dirty green out back with dirtier water closer to Ennis. There is still a seam in the river but the majority dirty green. Overall, fishing continues to be good with fly patterns and new hatches coming although most people fishing are working for their fish. Flies that worked this week included; Power Worms, Delektable Lil’ Spankers Pheasant Tail, Tungsten Redemption BWO’s, Green Caddis Emergers of various types with some brighter green colors of choice, Caddis of various types, and Phsyco Princes. With the salmon fly and golden stone hatch on the big hole right now the excitement begins to build.

To start off the week, Will drove up to Raynold’s bridge where previous reports had been that the wade only section was fishing well. Sometimes a personal day out on the river is exactly what is needed. The fish are bigger and the stories are always better with no witnesses. Fishing the buckets and side pools, Delektable double screamers (Olive and Black), Midges, and Tungsten Copper John’s #14 were all working. Fishing streamers slow and letting the fish catch up was still important with the water temperatures low. Overall, it’s never a bad day when you’re out on the river and a bonus when you’re catching.

Emmett fished between Lyons Bridge and Windy Point. The fishing was good even though the weather was extremely warm and sunny. The river was slightly off color, especially on the left, west side of the river due to the West Fork. Most bites were happening in the clearer side of the river or near the seam; however the dirty side was productive too. Most bites were happening on small #16 nymphs. They were taking them as emergers with a gentle upward pull. Streamers were used too, but with no avail.

Saturday was a beautiful day for fishing with a group of boats out guiding from Lyons to Palisades. With no new big runoffs, CFS levels were consistent and water clarity green/dirty green; dirty water on the left (West) from the West fork and clearer water on the right (East). As always fishing buckets and giving the fish time to catch up with water temperatures in the 40’s was important.

Ian took Dave and Kevin, on a half day float from Lyons to Pal. The water clarity was good, clear east and dirty west. The flies of choice for the day were power worm’s #8/#10 and small baetis nymphs.

John kept with similar trend with Norbert and Omar, having success on wine colored worms as well as small red wire worms. To compliment that, Tungsten Redemption BWO #16/#18 and green Caddis Emergers were catching. So, something of color with the smaller nymph trailer seemed to work.

Brandon, with Mark and Rob, had most of their luck throughout the day on a Psycho Prince GB Caddis Green #14.

Joe on the other hand, with Gary and Harry, used Delektable Lil’ Spankers Pheasant Tail #18 and Delektable Lil’ Spanker olive green and Pat’s Rubberlegs in Black like the Stone Flies underneath you see in the boat.

Overall all guides had action throughout the day and a variety of different fly patterns were used, all with varying success. A day spent floating with friends and having a laugh are great memories that are never forgotten. Warmer weather is ahead so wear your sunscreen and dip in the river to cool off.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

May 22-31 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

You never truly know the beauties of Montana and the Madison River until you have the chance to experience it first hand and gaze upon its charm. The motif for this week’s fishing has been “keep on keeping on”, with the river continuing to change every few days. We have gone through two runoffs over the past three weeks, with dirtier water staying closer to Ennis and clear water steady above the Westfork this week. The backyard is green today. The Upper Madison continues to fish well in all sections as CFS levels between Lyons and Varney remain between 1200-2000 CFS. Overall, fishing has been good, some have had to work harder at it than others. Finding the right patterns for the bite is continuously changing with Caddis still about in various sizes; BWO’s later in the day, and Midges. With a big weekend ahead of us it’s time to gear up for that big day.

To start off this week of trips we greeted our new shop employee Will (me) who drove from Virginia to work with us for the summer. Dan and Will’s father Bill have had the pleasure of spanking some bonefish together in the Bahamas. They both have shared varying stories.

On May 26^th, Dan, Bill and Will launched from Lyons to McAtee. The day began with a few minor penalty box events as the Madison River proved to be one of experience. They soon found success landing several commendable trout with Delektable double screamers (Black and Olive), stonefly nymphs, and Delektable Mega Chubbyness Royal. The Highlight of the trip came when Will landed his first big Madison brown on a Delektable Hammerhead Hare’s Ear #14 and was able to show it off later to his buddies back home.

On May 26^th, Marty took Tony on a float from Lyons to Ruby; fishing streamers, stone fly nymphs, Delektable Mega Princes, Pats Rubber Legs, Delektable Lil’ Spankers, and Delektable Sure Strikes. They had modest results on the Delektable Black and Olive Screamer, Pats Rubber legs and stone fly Nymphs but managed to find the bite with smaller nymphs including: Red Headed Step Child; Delektable Lil’ Spanker Red; and the Delektable sure strike. Overall it was a great day with good conditions and fish in the boat.

The Next trip began on May 28^th with Brandon guiding Jim and Keefer from Lyons to Ruby. Delektable Mega princes, Pats Rubber legs and Delektable lil’ Spankers Pheasant Tail were all on. With the water temp still in the mid 40’s the key was to fish the buckets with persistence and allow the slow moving fish to see the fly.

What better way for Dan and Nancy to let off some steam and get away from the shop then to head to the Upper Madison to fish the wade only sections. On May 31^st they decided to fish Raynolds to Pine Butte being a scenic section of the river with very few people this time of year. The “W” factor was strong with chilly conditions in play. The water was low, fast, and clear requiring wade fishers using boats to float rafts instead of hard sides. The fly of choice was Delektable Mega Prince Olive or a Delektable Screamer with a Mega Prince behind it in either Olive or Standard colors. Dan beat up the buckets below the boulders and was casting up into the buckets as he walked the dog down toward him. He had great success with this keeping the line tight as it flowed down stream. It’s hard to beat a day like this when all you see is two fisherman, one boat, and lots of memories.

To put this past week into summary there was a lot of great fish caught and of course some lost. Due to colder water conditions some had to slow down and cast to spots more than once, continuously working the buckets. Fish were less willing to chase, so a near dead drift with twitches continued to work instead of stripping streamers quickly. We will find out this weekend if the majority of runoff we have been experiencing will be done.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

May 13-21 2016| Madison River Fishing Report

“The only constant is change” has been the theme for fishing the last week or so, with rising and falling river flows, drastic temperature changes, and varying degrees of water clarity. Overall, fishing has been quite good, but that too has had its variances.

The latest stretch of trips began on May 13 with Gunnar Folsom guiding his client, Steve, into some nice trout. They found success with streamers and Stonefly nymphs. An interesting highlight of the day was the discovery of a large Salmonfly nymph under the rocks; a precursor of the next evolution of the season.

On May 14, Dan and Marty snuck away from the shop for a day, with local artist and streamer designer extraordinaire Bern Sundell. A cold North wind blew stiff all day, and the water was quick and cloudy from a partial runoff, which kept fisherman away in droves. The trio didn’t care about the conditions, and neither did the fish. It was a great day for streamer fishing, and while they met a handful of friends at the launch, they floated 17 miles without another boat in sight.

The day produced many nice fish; mostly Browns, with a few Rainbows caught mostly toward the end of the float. Some strikes were hard, but most were softer due to the water temp in the low 40s. The cold water also made the fish less willing to chase, so a near dead-drift with twitches worked as opposed to stripping the streamers. The key to finding the fish in the quick, colored water was simple; find slower water. Fish were stacked in the expected spots; against the bank, behind the rocks, etc.

Multiple streamers were thrown, but the fish were particular on colors, striking only olive or olive/black. The far-and-away best streamer of the day was the Delektable Double Screamer, Black/Olive, Gold Belly.

On May 21, the day started with Dan and Capt. Marty working on a project together in the fly shop. The electricity “magically” went down and the job was finished with flashlights. Then the lightbulb in Dan’s head went off; no power, no work – casting break!

Off he went behind the shop in the 2,900 CFS flow, and a couple nice fish slammed the Delektable Double Screamer in Black/Olive as he field-tested the shop’s new 9-foot, 6/7-weight Presidential rod.

He jumped back into his rig and drove above Windy Point and fished a 9-foot, 5/6-weight Rocket Launcher with a double nymph rig of Delektable Flashback Hurless Stone and Delektable Flashback Mega Prince. The combo caught Browns, Rainbows and Grandpa’s favorite; lunker Whitefish.

The trip was on the third Saturday of May, which made it very special; Dan and his late dad, “Grandpa” to everyone, would always fish the upper Madison on the third Saturday in May. And thanks to the power shortage and the cooperative lunker Whiteys, Dan could hear Grandpa saying, “I need the net now!”

Also on May 21, new shop worker Emmett and his dad hoped to avoid the dirt, so they decided to head up river to just below Hebgen Lake. The previous evening the fish were rising, but thunder ended the trip.

Above Cabin Creek, the water was nice and clear, even though the rain was torrential. Emmett fished streamers while his dad was fished nymphs. In the continued rain, the rises of the previous evening weren’t to be found, except for the occasional leap. Lots of people were fishing the only 300 yards of river that wasn’t off-color in the vicinity, so the fishing was challenging.