October 18th – 24th | Madison River

With the end of October in sight Fall temperatures and weather are taking hold here in the Valley. We’ve had a good amount of windy days this week. Some very windy of course making casting anything but a Streamer a bit of an adventure. The Nymph bite and Streamer bite remain good to excellent though. And when the wind is calm enough the hatches of BWO’s in the Upper Wade section have been very heavy. Fish have also been eager to rise to a well placed dry BWO in the slicks behind rocks and those calm soft pockets along the banks throughout the wade section.

There is plenty of good fishing to be had before the snow starts flying in earnest. The river isn’t crowded at all with hunting season being in full swing. It’s a great time to be out there for some solitude and some very solid fishing. Flows are right around the 800 cfs to 900 cfs mark river wide. If you’re bringing the hard boat for one or two last floats the Upper River from Lyon’s to Mac will still be your best bet. 

Dries: Delektable Sparkle Bug Light Olive, DarkOlive, Gray, #18. Delektable Lil’ Teaser BWO #18-#20. Delektable Lil’ Squeezer BWO #18-#20. Brook’s Sprout Emerger BWO #18-#22. Snowshoe Baetis #18-#22. Sparkle Dun BWO #18-#22. Parachute Adams #18-#22. Carlson’s Purple Craze #18-#20.

Nymphs: Delektable Mega Prince Standard and Flashback #8-#10. Pat’s Rubberlegs Black #10-#12. Splitback Baetis #18-#20. Delektable Lil Spanker Silver, Blue, Red, Pheasant Tail, #16-#20. Delektable Tungsten Jig Spanker Red, Silver, Pheasant Tail, Holo Black #18. Geppart’s Master and Mega Emerger #18. Geppart’s Skinny Dip Black, Brown #16-#18. Pheasant Tail Nymphs #16-#18. Copper John’s Copper, Red #16-#18. Lil’ Green Machine Pheasant Tail, Olive #18-#20. Shop Vac’s #16-#20. $3 Dollar Dips Brown, Red, Crystal #16-#18. Zebra Midge Black, Red #18-#2

Streamers: Delektable Single or Double Screamer Black, Olive, Olive/Black, Badger, White. Delektable SS Jointed Screamers Black/Olive, White, Olive. Galloups Dungeon and Mini Dungeons Black, Olive, Cream, White. Galloup’s Boogie Man Black, Olive, White. Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow #6. Zonkers Copper, Pearl, Olive. #6-#8. McCune’s Sculpin Olive #6-#8. Sculpzilla Olive, Black, White #4-#8.

October 11th – 17th | Madison River Fishing Report

We were greeted with a blast of winter at the beginning of the week. Lots of accumulating snow and high winds brought drifting snow and lots of shoveling to all of us here in the Madison Valley. We were grateful for a plow rescue from a friend. Thank you! The boat ramps at Varney and above were out of commission for a couple days but cleared up within a couple days. Now things are back to normal October conditions and we’ve had some pretty darn nice weather since Wednesday.

The front that moved through sure got the Big Browns of the Madison moving around and chasing quite well. Some very good streamer and nymph fishing was had the second half of the week. If you could find some spots shielded by the “W” there were trout sipping BWO’s in the soft pockets around rocks and near the banks.

Fall is here to stay and it won’t be long until we’ve all wondered where this season went so quickly. So get out on the water if you find a day to your liking and enjoy the last few weeks, before the snow is flying in earnest.

Flows still remain low so if you’re looking to squeeze in a last float or two before storing the boat for the season, your best bet will be up higher in the Lyon’s to Mac section. The water up top is just fine for floating without beating up your hard boat.

Dries: Delektable Sparkle Bug Olive, Dark Olive, Gray #18. Delektable BWO Teaser #18-#20. Delektable BWO Squeezer #18-#20. Brook’s BWO Sprout Emerger #18-#20. BWO Sparkle Duns #18-#20. Parachute Adams #18-#20. Carlson’s Purple Haze #18-#20.

Nymphs: Delektable Mega Prince Standard and Flashback #10. Delektable Guide Stones Black #10. Pat’s Rubberlegs Black #10-#12. Formerly Known as Prince #16-#18. Delektable Prince Brandon #16-#18. Delektable Lil’ Spanker Silver, Pheasant Tail, Blue #18-#20. Lightning Bugs #16-#20. Pheasant Tail Nymph #16-#20. Geppert’s Master BWO Emerger, Geppert’s Mega BWO Emerger.

Streamers: Delelektable Single and Double Screamer Olive, Black, White, Olive/Black. Zonkers Natural, Copper, Olive. Galloup’s Dungeon and Mini Dungeon Black, Olive, Olive/Black Barred, Cream. Galloup’s Boogie Man Black, Olive. Mini Loop Sculpin Olive and Natural. McCune’s Sculpin Olive. Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow #6. 

October 3rd – 9th | Madison River Fishing Report

Welcome back Autumn. The weather has turned and Fall conditions look like they are here to stay now. We are in the midst of our first weather system of the season here in the Madison Valley. Cool temperatures, and a good dose of much needed rain has been falling over the last couple of days. Snow capping the tops of the Madison and Gravelly Ranges again and we might even see a bit in the valley in the next couple of days. And heck yeah we are excited about it.

The weather has the Big Browns moving and chasing Streamers. It’s days like these when the BWO hatches come off thick and heavy especially on the Upper portion of the river. If the wind is down and you have some clouds, add some light rain, or snow and you can have some incredible dry fly fishing in the boulder fields of the Madison. There are plenty of very nice fish being landed throughout the length of the river right now. With that being said as you get below Varney a couple miles the river is very skinny in a number of areas. And you should use caution and know the path well if you’re floating. Since it’s never fun scraping your entire float. The Varney boat ramp itself is incredibly low and you will need to be wadered up to put in or take out there. The Upper Section from Storey Ditch upstream to Lyon’s Bridge is by far the best suited for float trips at the current flows. 

The Streamer bite is good and will continue that way throughout the month especially when we have clouds. Small patterns to large are all possibilities. Keep in mind with Streamers to be adaptable and change things up. Slow retrieves, Fast retrieves, Dead Drifting, Swinging, Trailing the Streamer with a Nymph. These are all possibilities out there and each day can be different. Be willing to change up your patterns and presentations and you will find success.

BWO’s have been active for a couple of weeks. But with the cool stormy weather beginning this will make the hatches much heavier and the fishing much more consistent. BWO’s tend to fish best in those softer pockets along the banks and along rocks, and the Trout of the Madison will move into these slots. When it’s good you can find multiple good fish sipping these small Mayflies in each pool.

Nymphing as always remains a great option. As smaller Stonefly Nymphs, Attractor Nymphs, Baetis Nymphs, and various Prince variants all continue to fish very well.
Soft Hackles are a great way to experience the Madison this time of year. Especially as the Blue Winged Olive hatches heat up. Find yourself a nice riffle that’s mid depth to somewhat shallow with some moderate to slower currents and swing a bigger Fall Soft Hackle or BWO Soft Hackle through there and hold on. You’ll love the results. It’s a very addictive way of fishing and you’ll be surprised how some of the larger Migratory fish will just hammer a well presented Softie.

 

 

 

 

 

The YNP section of the Madison should start to heat up much more during this batch of stormy weather. This should bring more of the big Runner’s out of Hebgen. And with clouds they should be willing to chase a swung Streamer or Soft Hackle throughout the day, rather than just at dawn or before sunset. I had a chance to fish the Park last Wednesday. The resident trout were plenty willing to eat a Dry, chase a Streamer or munch a Nymph. But the Big Migratory Trout were definitely laying very low except in the lowest light conditions. We have a few weeks left of the Park Season and then it will close at sunset on the first Sunday of November.

 

 

 

 

 

As the weather cools remember to take some extra time to prepare for your adventures. Pack extra layers and extra clothes just in case you take a dunking. Hypothermia becomes a real threat on the cooler Autumn and Winter Days. Hand Warmers can make or break an enjoyable Fall Day on the River. The crowds are down. The weather is crisp and it’s Fall in Montana. What more could you ask for. Stop by for some bugs, and some hot coffee before your journey. We are here to help and love to do just that.

 

 

 

 

 

Dries: Delektable BWO Teaser #18-#20. Delektable BWO Squeezer #18-#20. Delektable Sparkle Bug Olive and Dark Olive #18. Snowshoe BWO #18-#20. Delektable Ranch BWO #18. Parachute Adams #18-#20. Carlson’s Purple Craze #18-#20. Purple Haze #18-#20. Brook’s Sprout Emerger BWO #20-#22. BWO Sparkle Dun #18-#20.

Nymphs: Delektable Mega Prince Standard and Flashback #8-#10. Pat’s Rubberlegs Black, Olive/Black, Brown, Brown/Black #8-#12. Delektable Guide Stones Black, Olive/Black, Brown/Black #8-#10.Delektable Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail, Red, Blue, Silver #16-#20. Pheasant Tail Nymphs #16-#20. Lightning Bugs Silver, Gold #16-#18. Delektable Prince Brandon #16-#18. Prince Nymph #16-#18. Formerly Known as Prince #16-#18. Shop Vac’s #16-#18. $3 Dollar Dips Brown, Red, Crystal #16-#18. Little Green Machine Pheasant Tail, Olive #18-#20. Splitback Baetis #18-#20. Delektable Tungsten Jig Spanker Holo Black, Holo Olive #18. Delektable Root Beer Float #18 Baetis Gray. Geppert’s Skinny Dip Black, Brown #14-#18. Geppert’s Master BWO Emerger #18. Geppert’s Mega Emerger #18. RS2’s Gray and Olive #18-#20.

Streamers: Delektable Single and Double Screamer Black, Olive, White, Olive/Black, Brown/Yellow, Badger. Delektable SS Jointed Screamer Black, Olive, White, Olive/Black, Brown/Yellow. Sparkle Minnow’s #6. Zonkers Copper, Natural, Olive #6-#8. Mini Loop Sculpin Natural and Olive. Sculpzilla Olive, Natural, Black #4-#6. Galloup’s Dungeon Standard, Mini, Olive, Black, White, Cream/White, Olive/Black. Galloup’s Boogie Man Black, Olive, White. Galloup’s Silk Kitty Olive, White. Bow River Buggers White, Olive, Black, Black Olive #6-#8.

 

 

 

 

 

Soft Hackles: Full Dressed Red, Partridge and Orange, Partridge and Olive, Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, Soft Hackle Hare’s Ear. Partridge and Purple. Soft Hackle BWO.

September 26th – October 2nd | Madison River Fishing Report

We were greeted with cool to downright chilly morning temperatures this week here in the Madison Valley. High winds in the early part of the week turned to some absolutely beautiful calm days in the latter half. The future forecast looks good until next weekend when some cool and cloudier days will return.

Very good to excellent Streamer activity continues in the early to mid mornings and again in the late afternoons and evenings. There are a good number of large Brown Trout running up into the system out of Ennis Lake. Some pigs are being landed from Varney down to the lake but that is the skinniest water. Just keep in mind if you’re floating at these lower flows keep your eyes downstream as it gets pretty skinny in some areas. Especially for those of you in the hard boats. Olive, Black, Black/Olive, Yellow, White, Brown/Yellow Streamer colors are all effective. Adding a small attractor nymph trailing the Streamer has also been very effective.

The Dry Fly bite has slowed over the last week. If you are a Dry or Die Angler you still have opportunities out there.There are BWO’s hatching daily. With some cloud cover the hatches have been heavy especially on the Upper Wade section. Next weekend there is some scuzzy weather moving in that should be an excellent window for some strong BWO activity. Hoppers never really materialized this year and the action on those has slowed even more now with the colder nighttime temperatures. You can still find a good fish or two to come up and inspect a well placed ant, beetle, or smaller Chubby though. October Caddis and the Fall Sedge Caddis are out on the water as well.

With the cooler Autumn temps the Nymph bite has returned to a much more consistent level. Smaller to Mid Size Stonefly Nymphs trailed with any of the Prince Variants, Bright Attractor Nymphs, or Perdigons is a good go to rig right now. We’ve been seeing some big fish come to the net nymphing as well over the last several days.

The crowds have thinned out for sure and there is plenty of water and the Rainbows and Browns of the Madison are getting on the feed ahead of the long winter ahead. With clear air quality again the views in the valley this time of year are simply stunning. Especially at Sunrise or near Sunset. The Alpenglow on the sides of the Gravelly and Madison Ranges are so beautiful this time of year. The snow will be flying before we know it so get out there and enjoy the last bit of nice weather remaining.

Dries: Delektable Flying Ant Red, Cinnamon #14-#16. Delektable Twisted Sister Orange/Brown #12 – #14. Delektable Twisted X Orange/Brown #12-#14. Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis Tan, Purple #14-#16. BWO Sparkle Dun #18-#20. Delektable Ranch BWO #18. Delektable BWO Teaser #18-#20. Parachute Adams #18. Carlson’s Purple Craze #16-#18. Purple Haze #16-#20.

Nymphs: Delektable Mega Prince Standard and Flashback #8-#10. Pat’s Rubberlegs Black, Olive/Black, Brown/Black, Brown #8-#12. Delektable Lil’ Spanker Silver, Gold, Red, Blue, Purple, Pheasant Tail #14-#18. Delektable Jighead Tungsten Spanker Holo Red, Holo Silver, Holo Black #14-#18. Formerly Known as Prince #16-#18. Delektable Prince Brandon #14-#18. $3Dollar Dips Brown, Red, Crystal #16-#18. Splitback BWO #18-#20. Pheasant Tail Nymphs #16-#20. Copper Johns Red #14-#18. Shop Vac’s #16-#18. Little Green Machine Green, Black, Pheasant Tail #16-#20.

Streamers: Delektable Single and Double Screamers Black, Olive, White, Olive/Black, Brown/Yellow, Badger. Delektable SS Jointed Screamer Black, Olive, White, Olive/Black, Brown/Yellow, Chartreuse/White, Olive/Yellow. Zonkers Natural, Copper, Pearl #6-#8. Mini Loop Sculpin Natural and Olive #6. Sculpzilla Olive, Natural, Black #8. Galloup’s Dungeons Regular or Mini Black, Olive, Cream. Galloup’s Silk Kitty Olive, White.

October 1st | Missouri River

Dan and Nancy had a wonderful opportunity to head up to Craig for a couple days and visit with some friends and sneak in a couple of floats on The Mighty Mo. The photos speak for themselves. The fishing was great and they had a great time. The Delektable Lil’ Spanker in Blue #18 behind a Delektable Screamer Single Black and Olive  strikes again!!!!

September 12th – 18th | Madison River Fishing Report

Another week has come and gone here in the Madison Valley. October is approaching quickly. Shorter days lie ahead in the very near future. It’s been a mixed bag this week with the fishing action on the Upper Madison. We’ve seen some very tough days out there with the fish being finicky and selective and some good solid consistent days as well. We’ve had some pretty heavy wind as well for about the last four days making rowing a boat down the boulder field that is the Madison a bit of an adventure. Flows remain low and I would expect this to remain the same for the foreseeable future. With that said just know the River gets a bit boney down below 8 mile through the town stretch and down to Valley Garden. So those of you with the hard boats might get some new scrapes in the paint.

Streamers, Nymphs, and Dries when the wind is calmer are all in play on the Upper currently. We have some cool wet weather forecast for Sunday and Monday so that could get some BWO’s up on the surface especially in the Upper Wade Section around $3 Dollar and Raynold’s. Streamers are for sure the name of the game if you’re out early. And you can definitely throw them all day now if you have the stamina for it. Zonkers and Sculpin Patterns are fishing best. Olive, Black, White, Olive/White colors seem to be the most consistent. It seems we will not be seeing that consistent good Hopper fishing we were spoiled with the last couple years. Definitely still have them as on some days they do turn onto them and it’s best to have them in your quiver than not just in case.

 

 

 

 

 

The Chubby/Hopper dropper rig continues to produce. And the Ant patterns are for sure your best bet for the closest thing you’ll find to some consistent Dry Fly fishing right now. Nymphing as always gives you your best overall bet. The Trout seem to be looking for the smaller fair mostly now. Fishing smaller Stonefly Nymphs trailed with Small Attractor Nymphs and Baetis Nymphs are bringing some success. Think no bigger than a size #16 for your trailers now. With a lot of #18’s in the mix as well.

The Madison in the Park is beginning to heat up as a fairly good number of run up fish from Hebgen are now in the system. It’s still not money time there yet. But there are definitely enough fish in to make the drive worth while and swing a runner or two up with some streamers or soft hackles. Early mornings are currently best for the Trout Spey crowd. And you can certainly Nymph some of those big runners up throughout the day and into evening. If you’re new or interested in getting into the Trout Spey Game stop by and talk to Ryan our Shop Manager. He is a regular in the Park for the Fall Brown Trout Run and can give you some advice on Rods, Shooting Heads, Flies and all the fun that is Fall Fishing in YNP. There is something about being on the Madison inside the Park on a crisp Autumn morning by yourself. With the steam rising off the river, Bull Elk bugling, and walking the footsteps of the legendary anglers who have come before us is just something all Flyfishers should look to experience just once in their life if they have not had that opportunity.

As always be safe out there. Enjoy this beautiful Fall Weather we are experiencing. And don’t forget to look around and experience the breathtaking scenery we have surrounding us. It’s so easy to get tunnel vison and focus on our Flies or Indicator and forget about the miracles of nature that surround us on each Outing. Feel free to call or stop by anytime for some Flies, advice, and all your flyfishing needs. Our shop hours are currently 8AM to 6PM 7 days a week.

Dries: Delektable Chubbyness in Rootbeer and UV Cinnamon #14-#16. Delektable Lil’ Chubby in Royal, UV Cinnamon, UV Black #16-#18. Delektable Flying Ant in Red, Cinnamon, and Black #14-#16. Bloom’s Stealth Ant Purple #16. Delektable Secret Stone #10-#12 Dark Olive. Parachute Adams #12-#18. Carlson’s Purple Craze #12-#18. Purple Haze #12-#18.

Nymphs: Delektable Mega Prince Standard and Flashback #8-#10. Pat’s Rubberlegs in Black, Olive/Black #10-#12. Delektable Lil’ Spanker in Silver, Red, Gold, Purple, and Pheasant Tail #16-#20. Shop Vacs #16-#18. $3 Dollar Dips in Red and Brown #16-#18. Crystal Dips #16-#18. Pheasant Tail Nymphs #16-#20. Beadhead Mo’ River Pheasant Tail #18-#20. Tungsten BWO Splitback #18-#20. Olive Perdigons #16-#18. Micro May Brown or Olive #18-#20. Tung Teaser Black #18. Prince Nymphs #16-#18.

Streamers: Delektable Single or Double Screamer in Olive, Black, Olive/Black, White, Badger. Delektable SS Jointed Screamer White/Olive. Galloup’s Dungeon Regular and Mini in Olive, Black, Cream, and White. Galloup’s Silk Kitty Olive. Mini Loop Sculpin Olive and Natural. Sparkle Minnow and Sparkly Yummy. Zonkers in Silver, Copper, and Olive.

Soft Hackles: Full Dressed Red, Hare’s Ear Soft Hackle, Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle, Partridge and Orange, Partridge and Olive.

September 5th – 11th | Madison River Fishing Report

Fishing on the Upper Madison right now continues to be an adventure of adaptation and changing strategies throughout the day. But you can certainly bring plenty of fish to the net if you are willing to change it up. Streamer action remains strong in the early mornings. Stripping, swinging, and dead drifting are all working.

As the sun gets higher there are still fish looking up for Nocturnals. A well placed Chubby or Water Walker in a Dark Olive tone is a good way to go. Drop a small Nymph off the back and you have a great chance with that.

As you transition into afternoon start fishing the Hoppers and the Ants, or Hopper Dropper. Attractor dries are also working at times.

Or if your wanting some numbers and don’t mind staring at the indicator all day go sub surface with a two fly rig and bring some in that way. Stonefly Nymphs, Bright Flashy Attractor Nymphs, Perdigons, old standby’s like Shop Vac’s, $3 and Crystal Dips, and Lightning Bugs are all good patterns to try.

There are a lot of anglers having success swinging Soft Hackles as well.

Best way to describe it right now is have plenty of ammo and be willing to change things up throughout the day until you start finding that consistency. The transition to fall is well underway to be sure.

We just want to as always say a huge thank you to all of our customers. Your support and patronage is so appreciated. And if you aren’t a regular here at Beartooth Flyfishing yet, please stop by and share some of your Montana trip with us. We are always here with great advice for fly selection, or any of your other Gear needs. We still have plenty of Cortland Clearance lines at 40% off. A lot of 7 and 8 weight lines available for those of you who may need a new Steelhead Line for the Fall. Be safe and enjoy a beautiful time on the River out there.

Dries: Delektable Chubbyness in Rootbeer, UV Purple and UV Cinnamon #12-#16. Delektable Lil’ Chubby in Royal, UV Cinnamon, UV Tan #14-#18. Delektable Secret Stone Dark Olive #10-#12. Delektable Secret Stone UV Goldenstone #12. Purple Haze #12-#18. Carlson’s Purple Craze #12-#18. Parachute Adams #12-#18. Delektable Flying Ant in Cinnamon and Red #14-#16. Bloom’s Stealth Ant Purple #16. Dornan’s Water Walker September Stone #14. Delektable Lil’ Secret in Royal, UV Pink #16-#18.

Nymphs: Delektable Mega Prince Standard and Flashback #8-#10. Pat’s Rubberlegs in Black, Olive/Black, Coffee/Black, and Brown #8-#10. Delektable Jig Hook Tungsten Spanker in Pheasant Tail, Silver, Orange, and Red #14-#18. Delektable Lil’ Spanker in Silver, Gold, Purple, Blue, and Red #12-#18. Shop Vac #16-#18. $3 Dollar and Crystal Dips #16-#18. Formerly Known as Prince #12-#18. Prince Nymph #12-#18. Pheasant Tail Nymph #16-#18. Micro May in Olive #18-#20. Lil’ Green Machine Pheasant Tail #18-#20.

Soft Hackles: Hare’s Ear Soft Hackle, Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle, Full Dressed Red, Partridge and Orange, Partridge and Olive, Partridge and Purple.

Streamers: Delektable Screamer Single or Double in White, Olive/Black, Badger, Yellow/Brown. Delektable SS Jointed Screamer in Olive/White. Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow, Coffey’s Sparkle Yummy. Sculpzilla’s in White, Olive, Black, Natural, #6-#8. Mini Loop Sculpin in Natural and Olive. Zonkers in Copper, Silver, and Olive. Galloup’s Dungeons Regular and Mini in Black, Olive, White. Galloup’s Boogie Man in Olive, Black, and White. Galloup’s Silk Kitty in Olive or White. Kreelex Minnow’s. Montana Intruders.

August 15th – 21st | Madison River Fishing Report

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been a fun week up here in the Madison Valley with lots of good news heading the flyfishing communities way. Hoot Owl restrictions were lifted on the Upper Madison and Missouri from Holter to Cascade on Tuesday. Then Saturday Yellowstone National Park lifted their Hoot Owl restrictions on all the rivers and streams within the Park. The Lower Madison below Ennis Dam to it’s confluence with the Missouri will remain on Hoot Owl restrictions until further notice. This has allowed us all to get back to a bit more normal schedules and a bit more rest overnight. Then we had three solid days of cool and rainy weather. Which has helped water temps lower in most of our major fisheries. Some very solid streamer days were had. With some large browns being landed river wide. Nymphing has remained decent to very good most days. And we even had some clients that stuck to the dries throughout the inclement weather and had great success as well. We have some beautiful weather forecasted for the next ten days or so with plenty of sunshine and temps in the 70’s and low 80’s. So we are all hoping and looking forward to being able to throw Hoppers, Ants, Beetles, and large attractors all day and evening without the restrictions in place.

Streamers and Nymphing will be the name of the game early or twitching those Chubbies for the Nocturnals until Mid Morning or Mid Day. Then transition into Terrestrials, Attractor Dries, and Dry Dropper rigs for the rest of the day and evening. Maybe finish off with some more Streamer fishing the last hour of light.

We have plenty of bugs in stock for all your needs whether it be Dries, Nymphs, or Streamers. We have just marked down a huge amount of Cortland flylines at 40% off and invite you to come in and pick a line or two up in case you’ve got a rod or two in need of a fresh line. Cortland doesn’t get as much hype as the RIO or SA but has always been one of the best lines and nothing has changed today. These are great lines at a great price. It’s been wonderful seeing some of our regular customers back in the shop again now that we all don’t have to sprint to the river at 6am. And we look forward to meeting many new faces and hope those of you have not yet discovered what Beartooth Flyfishing has to offer, will soon come in and let us take care of you. Enjoy the time on the water and be safe out there.

Dries: Delektable Chubbyness in Royal, Rootbeer, UV Cinnamon #12-#16. Delektable Lil’ Chubby in Royal, UV Cinnamon, UV Tan #14-#18. Delektable Lil’ Secret in Royal, UV Pink #16-#18. Parachute Adams #10-#16. Carlson’s Purple Craze #10-#16. Rusty Spinners #14-#16. Morrish Hopper, Panty Dropper Hopper, Thunder Thighs Hopper in Tan, Pink, Peach, Yellow #12-#14. Delektable Flying Ant in Cinnamon, Black, Black/Red, Purple #14-#16. Bloom’s Stealth Ant Purple #16. Yeagers 409 Red #16.

Nymphs: Delektable Mega Prince Standard and Flashback #8-#10. Pats Rubberlegs Black, Olive/Black, Coffee/Black, Brown #8-#12. Delektable Lil’ Spanker in Silver, Red, Blue, Purple, and Pheasant Tail #14-#18. Lightning Bugs in Silver and Purple #16-#18. Pheasant Tail Nymphs #14-#18. Micro Mays #16-#18. Little Green Machine PT #16-#18. Wire Worms #4-#8. Shop Vacs #14-#18. $3 Dips Brown #16-#18. Crystal Dips #16-#18. Prince Nymphs #14-#18. Perdigons #14-#18.

Streamers: Delektable Screamers Single or Double or Stainless Steel Jointed in Black, Olive, White, Olive/White, Olive/Black. Trevor’s Sculpin Black or Olive. Silk Kitties Olive and White. Dungeons Standard or Mini in White, Olive, Black. Mini Loop Sculpin Tan and Olive. Zonkers in Silver, Copper, and Olive. Small Bunny Leeches in Black. Sculpzilla in Black or Olive. Sparkle Minnows. 

 

August 8th – 14th | Madison River Fishing Report

Hoot Owl restrictions remain in effect for the foreseeable future on the Upper Madison. So get on early and put those rods away at 2pm. Fishing overall remains pretty good. Although it seems each day right now is different. With periods of time and stretches of river producing that may or may not have produced the day before. It’s a patience game at times. Switching bugs, tactics, colors, to whatever our fishy friends want at that particular time. Nymphing is definitely your best bet for solid action throughout the day. But if you’re willing to stick with the dries and are patient and have a solid rotation of patterns you can bring some tiny guys as well as some nice ones to the net. And the streamer game is showing some great signs of life over that last week.

The dry fly action with hoppers, ants, and beetles has shown a bit more consistency over the last week. Especially in the Storey to Varney area. Tan, Yellow, Peach, and Pink seem to be the general colors of choice. In the mornings we still have some Epeourous Spinners and some Caddis out and about. So it’s wise to have some Rusty Spinners and your favorite Caddis imitations just in case. Nocturnals also remain active in the mornings as well.

As we said before nymphing remains fair to good most days. With Prince variants, Small to Mid Size Pat’s Rubberlegs, Lightning Bugs, Shop Vac’s , Dips, Delektable Lil’ Spankers and Pheasant Tails.

Streamer fishing is bringing some great fish early in the mornings. If you can get on at dawn or slightly before there are some players out there ready to pounce. Trailing your streamer with a small nymph continues to be highly effective as well over the last several days. Standard colors like Olive and Black are working great in the mornings and throughout the day. Brighter colors are taking some good fish also when the sun is high and bright.

We just received some of Dan’s new patterns this week. The full assortment of the Delektable Lil’ Secret Dries are now in stock in UV Cinnamon, Royal, Goldrush, and UV Caddis Green. These are great patterns to imitate smaller Stoneflies, Nocturnals, and make a good low riding Hopper Pattern as well. I had a chance to test some out a couple mornings ago and they did not disappoint. So stop by and grab some while you can. The guides and visitors are gobbling them up as we speak.

Dries: Thunder Thighs Hopper, Morrish Hopper, More or Less Hopper, Half Down Hopper in Tan, Peach, Pink, Yellow, #12-#14. Delektable Flying Ant in UV Cinnamon, UV Purple, Black, Black/Red, Red #14-#16. Delektable Lil’ Chubby in Royal, UV Cinnamon, Tan #14-#18. Delektable Chubbyness in Royal, UV Cinnamon, UV Purple and Rootbeer #12-#16. Parachute Adam’s #10-#16. Purple Haze #10 – #16. Yeager’s 409 Red #14-#16. Delektable Lil’ Secret UV Cinnamon, Royal #12-#18.

Nymphs: Pat’s Rubberlegs Black, Olive/Black,Brown, Coffee/Black #8-#12. Delektable Lil’ Spankers Silver, Gold, Red, Pheasant Tail #12-#18. Lightning Bugs Silver, Gold #14-#18. Shop Vac’s #14-#16. 3 Dollar Dips Brown #16-#18. Crystal Dips #16-#18. Formerly Known as Prince #12-#16. Prince Nymph #12-#16. Wire Worms #4-#8. Pheasant Tail Nymph #14-#18.

Streamers: Delektable Screamers Single and Double Black/Olive, Olive/White, Olive, White. Zonkers Natural and Olive. Trevor’s Sculpin Olive and Black. Dungeons Full Size and Mini. Silk Kitty. Sparkle Minnows. Kreelex. Sculpzilla Olive and Black.

As you can see we had a visit from two of the Hoot Owl Trout Princesses. They gave Dan some great Karma for that Fattie ‘Bow.