Category: Fishing Reports

We fished from about 10:30 to 6:00PM near Three Dollar Bridge. It rained on and off all day. We tried different combos all involving a stonefly with either a Delektable Lil’ Spanker trailer or a worm pattern. We caught smaller fish in the beginning of the day. Drew caught the largest fish of the trip; it was a brown.

The water was much cleaner. The stone flies seemed to be working the best. We established fishing routines each of us liked: Drew likes to fish around islands and where slow water meets fast water where he seems to catch the most fish; Joe likes to fish behind boulders and log jams, also along the sides of the river.The island fishing requires much more wading which results in more falling in. Yikes! that water is cold!

The family of geese were still there following us along with the goose above with one leg. We couldn’t figure out how it was so balanced. This was our last day. We had a great time and will really miss Montana. We have our gear and knowledge to bring home with us to fish there. Until next time……

The Boys!

June 11, 2010 The Rookies Score in the Dirt on their own!

On our second trip to Three Dollar Bridge, we caught and landed five fish a piece, Yeah! On this outing we chose to cover a much larger area instead of focusing on any one specific area. It appears this was a better strategy for us because it resulted in a lot more bites.

Early in our fishing adventure, I caught a nice size Rainbow. While Joe was enthusiastic for me, he was also frustrated because he needed a fish fix. Luckily, Joe emerged today and caught some really nice fish, and our largest trout so far.

Our casting has greatly improved and is likely one of the major contributors to the day’s success. We had fewer tangles and more accurate placement. This allowed us to spend more time fishing and getting the bugs closer to the fish instead of de-tangling.

The picture of me in the fast water, screaming, shows me as I retrieved a fly from the fast moving current. I was calling for help. Instead of giving me a hand, Joe took my picture. Do not try this at home! I made it to shore OK, but what an experience! The flies of choice were the same. The scenery was terrific. We caught and landed trout. We were also followed by a large family of geese, as curious about us as we were of them.

What a great day!

Drew

We have enjoyed some entertaining experiences with family visiting and learning about fishing the dirt. In between it all, we shared in the celebration of a dear friend, Eric Shores’ 50th Birthday! Happy Birthday Eric!

Nancy’s nephew, Drew and his buddy Joe came to the wild west to learn how to fly fish and to see the sites of Montana.

Part of their adventure included a drive across country. This is the first time they experienced the wide-open spaces that are so dear to all of us living in the west. In between the moisture, they had some really beautiful weather. The mountains still have snow on the peaks and it is green and flowery on the plains. While fishing they were near a mother moose and her calf. We explained they were fortunate not to have been charged.

The water is now fast and dirty. It’s not for the faint at heart. Waders should use extreme caution.

But, you can really catch trout in the dirt. You need to experiment with dirt techniques.

The "master of the dirt" just loves and embraces it, and that be Dan the Man! The boys waded between Raynolds Pass and Pine Butte, using the raft for transportation. Of course Dan pulled a "Dan" on them at a wade spot before 3 Dollar Bridge,and caught 10 trout just showing the boys how. He caught three browns within 10 minutes at another spot. The boys had plenty of tugs. The challenge was how to land the trout, especially in the fast water.

Drew was very excited to land a Rainbow Trout near Three Dollar Bridge. The picture, and smile, tell the whole story.

The flies of choice included:Delektable Egg Head Black/Orange Stoner #6, Delektable Brown/Orange Stoner #6, Delektable Hurless Gray FB #6, Delektable Lil’ Spanker Red and Pheasant Tail #14 and assorted Delektable Worms #10: Delektable Flies Gallery. The boys were using a two-nymph rig on a 9-foot leader with the indicator all the way up top. About 18" of tippet for the second fly was tied to the eye of the first fly. The larger nymph was the top bug and the smaller was the trailer. They cast mostly upstream hard, walked the dog, or let it drift down waiting for the tug. Additional shot was added above the first fly for deeper spots.

It was a fun adventure and included some white-water riding, too!

…….The Boys!

“Oh, the weather outside is frightful …” But the fishing is AWESOME!

The weather was wet, very wet, on Friday, and very cold, with snowfall following on Saturday morning as I write this report. This meant bundling up for a guides-day-off trip down the Madison River with my buddies, Allen and Bern.

But, oh boy, was the fishing great!

The word for the day … STREAMERS! As is usually the case, the streamers weeded out the little guys, with only big fish biting our offerings … LOTS of big fish … Fishing was consistent throughout the float, punctuated with bent-rod doubles. Anytime there was a short lull, color selections were adjusted, and the bite was back on!

Oh, and the blown-out conditions we keep hearing about; not true! The water has a stain, but it’s not muddy, the clarity is good and, oh yeah, the fish are biting … HARD!

And the fun and great fishing didn’t end when we got off the river. As we pulled back into Beartooth with boat in tow, Dan was loading his truck for a late afternoon of wade fishing. Just like us, he absolutely hammered one big fish after another. The only difference was his fly selection, with stonefly nymphs providing his multitude of strikes; specifically, the #6 and #8 Delektable™ Black/Orange Stoner, and the #8 Delektable™ Olive Mega Prince Flashback.

My apologies for the sparing amount of photos. The seasoned veterans weren’t that concerned about taking pics, and my hands were so cold, I stopped taking them out of the protection of my gloves. In fact, after fishing a short while in the morning, I volunteered to row the remainder of the float, so I wouldn’t have to take the gloves off, and to keep the “internal heater” cranked up. Heck, even the local boys were feeling the effects of the cold, but I was much colder than them. … What can I say? I’m a Southern boy … I did get some photos of an unexpected highlight of our trip. We made a right-hand turn in the river and were greeted by a small herd of elk crossing the river, complete with calves. What a treat! This river, and valley, never ceases to amaze me with the natural beauty that fills it.

So grab your gear; and don’t forget to bring spare warm clothes and rain gear … and go fishing!

Marty

“Oh, the weather outside is frightful …” But the fishing is AWESOME!

The weather was wet, very wet, on Friday, and very cold, with snowfall following on Saturday morning as I write this report. This meant bundling up for a guides-day-off trip down the Madison River with my buddies, Allen and Bern.

But, oh boy, was the fishing great!

The word for the day … STREAMERS! As is usually the case, the streamers weeded out the little guys, with only big fish biting our offerings … LOTS of big fish … Fishing was consistent throughout the float, punctuated with bent-rod doubles. Anytime there was a short lull, color selections were adjusted, and the bite was back on!

Oh, and the blown-out conditions we keep hearing about; not true! The water has a stain, but it’s not muddy, the clarity is good and, oh yeah, the fish are biting … HARD!

And the fun and great fishing didn’t end when we got off the river. As we pulled back into Beartooth with boat in tow, Dan was loading his truck for a late afternoon of wade fishing. Just like us, he absolutely hammered one big fish after another. The only difference was his fly selection, with stonefly nymphs providing his multitude of strikes; specifically, the #6 and #8 Delektable™ Black/Orange Stoner, and the #8 Delektable™ Olive Mega Prince Flashback.

My apologies for the sparing amount of photos. The seasoned veterans weren’t that concerned about taking pics, and my hands were so cold, I stopped taking them out of the protection of my gloves. In fact, after fishing a short while in the morning, I volunteered to row the remainder of the float, so I wouldn’t have to take the gloves off, and to keep the “internal heater” cranked up. Heck, even the local boys were feeling the effects of the cold, but I was much colder than them. … What can I say? I’m a Southern boy … I did get some photos of an unexpected highlight of our trip. We made a right-hand turn in the river and were greeted by a small herd of elk crossing the river, complete with calves. What a treat! This river, and valley, never ceases to amaze me with the natural beauty that fills it.

So grab your gear; and don’t forget to bring spare warm clothes and rain gear … and go fishing!

Marty

We received a great report back from friends and customers who stopped by for flies and fishing suggestions. Here are some pictures from their fishing on Friday.

"Hi my name is Jeff, I was in your shop yesterday with Marion from Helena. I just wanted to tell you that we had a great time on the river yesterday and thought that you have the best fly selection I’ve ever seen. Thanks for the selection you helped me with. (i’m the good lookin guy in the blue hat)"

Thanks for the great report Jeff.

Week of May 16-21

Despite reports to the contrary, the Madison River is NOT blown-out. The tail-end of the recent warm weather put some dirty water in the river, but it remained very fishable with only a ribbon of colored water on one edge. The cold temps of the last couple of nights cleared up the influx of the feeder creeks and the modest amount of "dirty" water has become only a stained tint in some areas. The vast majority of the river is clear and all of the river is very, very fishable.

Despite reports to the contrary, the Madison River is NOT blown-out. The tail-end of the recent warm weather put some dirty water in the river, but it remained very fishable with only a ribbon of colored water on one edge. The cold temps of the last couple of nights cleared up the influx of the feeder creeks and the modest amount of "dirty" water has become only a stained tint in some areas. The vast majority of the river is clear and all of the river is very, very fishable.

May 16-17, 2010

I had the pleasure of guiding Matt and Pam on the Madison River, and the mild weather, along with crystal-clear, perfect water, accented two wonderful days on the river. .. And, oh yeah … The fishing was great! Both anglers said it was some of the best fishing they ever had.

The first morning of fishing started a bit slow, with very few bugs in the air and only a handful of fish caught before lunch. But after our lunch break, we saw more and more bugs, with the occasional thick swarm of caddis filling the air, and a mix of mayflies thrown in for good measure. The bugs, like the weather, were off and on. There was a back-and-forth mix of sun and threatening rain, with fisherman putting on jackets, taking off jackets, putting on jackets, taking off jackets, etc. …But no matter; when the sun was out, and the air was warm enough for short sleeves, the fish turned on! And along with the great numbers of fish, the big fish were eating flies hard, with multiple runs into backings and high, majestic leaps out of the water. The anglers were whoopin’ and hollerin’ down the river, and grinning from ear-to-ear for pictures. What a great day!

Our second day again saw a good number of quality fish, just not as many of the photo fish. It was also a flip-flop of the previous day, with the morning fishing hot right from the start, then becoming slower but steady though the middle of the day, and a very slow bite in the afternoon.

The couple left with huge smiles and a camera full of great memories.
Thanks guys for two fun, wonderful days on the river.

The bugs that worked were the #6 Delektable Egghead Brown Stoner, #6 and
#8 Pat’s Brown Rubberlegs, #18 Delektable Lil’ Spanker in Silver, Pheasant Tail and Red, #16 Beadhead Pheasant Tail Tungsten Soft Hackle, and #18 Olive Micro Mayflies.

Tight Lines!

Marty

The proof is in the pudding!

We received a great report back from friends and customers who stopped by for flies and fishing suggestions. Here are some pictures from their fishing on Friday.

"Hi my name is Jeff, I was in your shop yesterday with Marion from Helena. I just wanted to tell you that we had a great time on the river yesterday and thought that you have the best fly selection I’ve ever seen. Thanks for the selection you helped me with. (i’m the good lookin guy in the blue hat)"

Thanks for the great report Jeff.

I had the pleasure of guiding Matt and Pam on the Madison River, and the mild weather, along with crystal-clear, perfect water, accented two wonderful days on the river. .. And, oh yeah … The fishing was great! Both anglers said it was some of the best fishing they ever had.

The first morning of fishing started a bit slow, with very few bugs in the air and only a handful of fish caught before lunch. But after our lunch break, we saw more and more bugs, with the occasional thick swarm of caddis filling the air, and a mix of mayflies thrown in for good measure. The bugs, like the weather, were off and on. There was a back-and-forth mix of sun and threatening rain, with fisherman putting on jackets, taking off jackets, putting on jackets, taking off jackets, etc. …But no matter; when the sun was out, and the air was warm enough for short sleeves, the fish turned on! And along with the great numbers of fish, the big fish were eating flies hard, with multiple runs into backings and high, majestic leaps out of the water. The anglers were whoopin’ and hollerin’ down the river, and grinning from ear-to-ear for pictures. What a great day!

Our second day again saw a good number of quality fish, just not as many of the photo fish. It was also a flip-flop of the previous day, with the morning fishing hot right from the start, then becoming slower but steady though the middle of the day, and a very slow bite in the afternoon.

The couple left with huge smiles and a camera full of great memories.
Thanks guys for two fun, wonderful days on the river.

The bugs that worked were the #6 Delektable Egghead Brown Stoner, #6 and
#8 Pat’s Brown Rubberlegs, #18 Delektable Lil’ Spanker in Silver, Pheasant Tail and Red, #16 Beadhead Pheasant Tail Tungsten Soft Hackle, and #18 Olive Micro Mayflies.

Tight Lines!

Marty

Opening Day on the Upper Madison….

Dan, Grandpa, and Nancy had a great opening day. It was a warm day with beautiful scenary. Tthe mountains had more snow on them and the sun was in and out. The valley is starting to show signs of green. There was a small amount of the "W" factor. Nancy started off catching more pretty large whitefish and Grandpa was getting jealous. He loves those native whitefish. We floated from Ruby to Storey Ditch because we had to be finished in time for a social outing in Virginia City in the early evening. Not too long after we started, the trout started to feed and we were all catching trout, both Rainbows and Browns and nice sizes.

The flies of choice included the Delektable™ Olive Mega Prince, Delektable Brown/Orange Stoner, and the Delektable EH Twisted Wire Brown/Amber.

For Grandpa and Dan this has been a tradition for many, many years. Grandpa will be 88 this year and still really loves to fish. The boys and I had lots of fun and smiles. Thanks for rowing Dan.

Nancy