Hebgen Lake-Quake Lake: 7/21/2010

We’ve seen some good fishing between the lakes as of late.  There are a lot of Caddis in the evenings and fish can be brought up to a dry pretty much all day long.  Cover a lot of water with a Trude or Large Parachute and you will be in business.  In the evening, look for rising fish and drift Parachute Caddis over them.  Nymphs will catch plenty of fish, but expect to weed through a lot of Whitefish. Be nice to Whiteys when you get them, treat them as you would any native fish in the river!

Quake Lake-Lyon Bridge: 7/21/2010 

Evening fishing is as good as it gets in the “wade section” of the Madison right now.  There are a ton of Caddis hatching and laying eggs in the evenings and the Epeorus spinner falls have been great between dusk and dark.  Iris Caddis, Parachute Caddis and CDC Caddis are among our favorite caddis imitators.  A #16 Calf Wing Rusty Spinner or Rusty Parachute is all you need to imitate the Epeorus.  Fishing either Caddis or Mayflies behind a more visible fly such as a Trude or Stimi can help one track the drift much more effectively.

 Lyon Bridge to Ennis: 7/21/2010

The Madison’s trout are enjoying plentiful feeding.  Morning hours have seen the best bite, as the water often warms up a little too much for excellent fishing late in the afternoons.  There have been good Epeorus hatches and spinner falls, and a lot of caddis doing their thing as well.  Finding soft water to fish dries in is the key to raising fish from the boat.  Drifts must be perfect, so sharpen your reach casting skills before you get on the water.  Nymph fishing has been consistently working well.  We’ve had our best nymph bite on Black Lightning Bugs, Shop Vacs and PMD Emergers.  A few fish here and there will eat a large stonefly nymph but the smaller (14-18) nymphs are getting  a more consistent bite.

 Gallatin River:  7/21/2010

The Gallatin has been fishing very well north of Big Sky.  PMD’s and Caddis have been the primary insects to imitate, both on the surface and with nymphs.  Fish can be found rising most of the day and the evenings have had tremendous caddis activity until nearly dark.  

 Hebgen Lake: 7/21/201o

Gulper fishing is getting going on Hebgen Lake.  There are quite a few Callibaetis hatching.  Some  fish can be found feeding on them most mornings, but it takes some hunting to find risers.  Long accurate casts are the norm when hunting these difficult fish, so one must enjoy the challenge.  Stripping or bobbing Callibaetis Nymphs and Chironomids has been very productive lately.  This is far easier fishing than casting dries at cruising fish, but a bit less rewarding.

We’ve had some fishing on the Madison in the Park in the morning hours with small attractor dries, ants and beetles.  Mid day fishing with big attractors and foam isn’t fast paced, but one can pull up a decent fish or two.

Firehole River 7/21/2010

It is time to fish elsewhere until things cool down in the fall.

Gibbon River 7-21-2010

Anglers looking for a challenge can enjoy some tough fishing in the Gibbon Meadows.  Trout can be fooled with attractors and beetle patterns, but everything has to be spot on and one must get a bit lucky.

Gallatin River (YNP) 7-21-2010

The Gallatin in the Park has fished very well with dries the past week.  The best bite has been from late morning into the early evening hours.  There are a lot of caddis, plenty of PMDs a few Flavs and some Yellow Sallies doing their thing.  Fish can be found rising, but most of the fish we are catching are brought up to a prospecting dry fly.  Unless you are fishing to rising fish, keep your feet moving and cover a lot of water.  The more trout that see a good drift the better the fish tales at the end of the day.

Slough Creek 7/21/2010

Slough’s fish are already getting well educated and seeing a lot of anglers.  There are still a few Drakes, some PMDs, Caddis and Yellow Sallies.  Approach each fish with the thought of fooling it on the first cast.  Pay special attention to your positioning, make an accurate slack line cast and get the fly over the fish before it sees the leader.  If a fish rises to, but refuses the fly, change flies immediately and try to get a better drift.

Lamar River 7/21/2010

With severe thunderstorms in the forecast for tonight, keep an eye out on the water levels on the Lamar.  Spikes in the flow will indicate dirty water here, and more than likely on Soda Butte Creek as well.  Both rivers are fishing pretty well, though the Lamar is a bit high still for excellent attractor fishing.  When there is a hatch the fish are pretty willing to rise.  As usual, there are plenty of fish and fisherman in Soda Butte. We’ve had good fishing on small Parachutes and CDC Comparaduns.

Hebgen Lake-Quake Lake: 7/13/2010

Between the Lakes has had some great fishing.  Golden Stones and Salmonflies dominate the fly selection right now.  There are a ton of people fishing this stretch, but the bite has been good so why not?The standard Salmonfly and Golden Dries are working great.  Dropper rigs can hook up some more fish early in the day when fish aren’t yet willing to rise.  

Quake Lake-Lyon Bridge: 7/13/2010 

The “wade section” of the Madison has a lot of bugs right now.  Salmonflies have finally made their way into this stretch and these insect monstrosities have brought along most of their buggy buddies as well.  Along with the big flies one can find tons of caddis, some PMD’s, Golden Stones and Yellow Sallies.  The afternoons and evenings have been fantastic both with Caddis and Salmonfly patterns.

 Lyon Bridge to Ennis: 7/13/2010

Fish are still eating Golden Stones in the Float section though Caddis are the main item on the menu throughout  most of the day.  Goddards, X-Caddis and EC Caddis have all been consistent producers.  Caddis imitations are also working well when fished deeply under an indicator.  Dips and Sparkle Pupa have been deadly.  Fish are extremely picky about drift and don’t offer any second chances to set the hook so anglers would be wise to pay attention their flies on the water.

 Gallatin River:  7/13/2010

We’ve had some great fishing on the Gallatin north of Big Sky lately.  Fish have been rising to Caddis, PMD’s and Drakes.  There are still a few Goldens about as well.  The nymph bite has been more reliable than the dry fly fishing and we’ve had no shortage of fish willing to eat a PMD Soft Hackle when fished with a good drift.

 Hebgen Lake: 7/13/201o

More Callibaetis are emerging on Hebgen every week, but there still aren’t a lot of heads up on the lake that can present a consistent target for an angler.  Stick to the bobber rig with a Callibaetis and a Chironomid and enjoy the nice fish that come to it.

The Madison still has some good Caddis fishing in the evenings, but there isn’t much else going on in the insect department. Terrestrial fishing hasn’t been anything to write home about, but fish will rise to small Wulffs and beetles in the morning hours.

Firehole River 7/13/2010

It is time to fish elsewhere until things cool down in the fall.

Gibbon River 7-13-2010

Fishing the Gibbon this time of year below the falls is mostly a game of attractor fishing with dries.  Caddis are prevalent in the evenings, but there aren’t too many good fish rising to them.  Above the falls the Meadows can be good in the mornings but are extremely tough to fish when there isn’t a good hatch.  Terrestrial fishing hasn’t been terribly productive yet.

Gallatin River (YNP) 7-13-2010

We’ve had good fishing on the Gallatin in the Park.  There are a lot of insects hatching when the weather has been nice in the afternoons.  PMDs, Caddis, small stones, and a few Green Drakes are all making an appearance and the dry fly fishing has been good.  Fishing a dry dropper rig can often be effective earlier in the day.

Slough Creek 7/13/2010

Slough is fishing better but it is still coming into shape.  The water is a bit large and cold, but there are more insects out  than a week ago and some fish are rising.  A few Gray Drakes and some Caddis are starting to pop as well.  Conditions should continue to improve if we get dry weather.

Lamar River 7/13/2010

The Lamar is still pretty big and has color, but is certainly fishable.  The water is cold and there isn’t much happening in the way of bugs, but if you really need to catch a Cutty, tossing a bugger around or drifting some nymphs will get you some bites.  Soda Butte is in a lot better shape, but still a bit on the chilly side.  There some caddis and PMDs beginning to hatch but the bug activity is sparse.

Hebgen Lake-Quake Lake: 7/7/2010

Hebgen Lake Outflow has been a steady 900 CFS.  Good hatches have been coming off between the lakes including Green Drakes, Golden Stones, a few Salmonflies, Caddis and Craneflies, all available to the trout in varying numbers.  Because of this the dry fly bite has been pretty good.  Nymph fishers have had action, but there are a lot of whitefish that are all about munching the deeply fished flies so trout can be hard to find.  Anglers who cover a lot of water with both dries and nymphs will catch a lot more fish than those who pound away on one hole all morning.

Quake Lake-Lyon Bridge: 7/7/2010 

Good hatches are getting going in the wade section of the Madison.  The PMD’s (or are they Epeorus??) have been pretty good throughout the day.  There are Caddis and small Stoneflies as well.  Salmonflies will most likely be a few days away from the water above Lyon bridge.  Nymphing has been good, but don’t ignore the attractor dry fly possibilities.  The fish are getting used to feeding on the surface and a wide range of dries can bring them up to feed.  The Salmonfly fishing should be great when the big bugs finally make their way upstream.

 Lyon Bridge to Ennis: 7/7/2010

We are still seeing good numbers of Salmonflies in the float section.  Cool water coming in from tributaries has made their progress upriver pretty slow, which has prolonged the arrival of great fishing with the big bugs.  PMDs and Caddis have been hatching in abundant numbers and the river is clear enough that the fish are looking up to smaller flies a great deal more often than they were a week ago.  As the river has cleared, more fish can be brought to the surface in mid river lies.  Stimi’s, Trudes, Goddard Caddis, Yellow Sallies, PMD Parawulffs and all sorts of adult Salmonfly and Golden stone patterns have been the flies of choice.

 Gallatin River:  7/7/2010

The Gallatin has been fishing pretty well below Big Sky.  Both nymphs and dries are working, with the best dry fly bite happening after the water has warmed up a bit after lunchtime.  Salmonflies have made their way up river, but there are still some big Goldens around.  Caddis and smaller stones have taken up the slack.  Olive Hare’s Ears, Pheasant Tails and Sili Leg Stones have worked very well dead drifted below strike indicators.  Attractor style dries have worked well in the pocket water stretches of the Gallatin.

 Hebgen Lake: 7/7/201o

Fishing on Hebgen has been slow to get going in the mornings due to cooler temperatures  we have experienced lately, but fishing has been pretty good once things warm up.  Callibaetis are still pretty sparse, but fishing their nymphal imitations has been rather productive.  Chironomids continue to dredge up some nice fish as well.

Quake Lake 7/7/2010

Quake is in pretty good shape as far as visibility goes.  Chironomids, Buggers and Zonkers are all good patterns to fish on the lake.

As of late the Madison in the Park has had some butt kicking White Miller Caddis activity. This is an early and late in the day fishery and the Caddis are especially thick in the evenings.  Spent Caddis in #14 have been the fly.  Most of the fish rising are smallish, though there are decent fish to be found if one looks hard.

Firehole River 7-7-2010

The Firehole has cooled down a bit, and could be a good stop in the mornings before the water heats up, but it is really time to fish elsewhere in the Park.

Gibbon River 7-7-2010

Fishing the Gibbon this time of year below the falls is mostly a game of attractor fishing with dries.  Caddis are prevalent in the evenings, but there aren’t too many good fish rising to them.  Above the falls the Meadows can be good in the mornings but are extremely tough to fish when there isn’t a good hatch.

Gallatin River (YNP) 7-7-2010

The Gallatin has been fishing pretty well in the Park.  Caddis, PMD’s and Yellow Sallies keep the fish looking to the surface.  We’ve had good luck with Yellow Stimulators,Royal Trudes, Elk Hair Caddis and PMD Parachutes.

Slough Creek 7/7/2010

Slough is dropping and clearing, but still pretty cold.  Grey Drakes aren’t too far off, so be sure to pack some if headed to Slough.  We have had piecemeal days on Slough with a little bit of nymphing and some dry fly fishing.  The river gets in better shape for fishing on the surface everyday.

Lamar River 7/7/2010

The Lamar is dropping fast but it is still pretty dirty.  Soda Butte is coming into shape though still pretty cold.  Another week of good weather should be all we need for some good dry fly action, and the subsurface fishing is adequate right now.

Hebgen Lake-Quake Lake: 6/29/2010

Hebgen Lake Outflow is around 800 CFS.  Cabin Creek is clearing up and the place is starting to have that summer feel to it.  Nymphing has been productive, but fishing sub surface means wading through a lot of whitefish to hook a few trout.  A flashback pheasant tail in #14-16 has been as good as anything else when fished with a good drift.  Dry fly fishing will get going pretty quickly as there are already some Caddis around.  The bug bonanza that coincides with the Salmonfly hatch is just around the corner.

Quake Lake-Lyon Bridge: 6/29/2010 

The “wade section” of the Madison is going to have adult Salmonflies in it fairly soon.  In the meantime, dead drifting their nymphal imitations is a good way to hook some nice fish.  Fish seem to be keyed on the nymphs and they are getting fat and sassy due to the overabundance of food.  Low flows are making it easy to get around compared to weeks past. Sometimes it pays to push the boundaries of “safe” wading to fish water that is tough to get to as the fish in these spots are less harassed than the fish on the banks.

 Lyon Bridge to Ennis: 6/29/2010

Salmonflies!!!  Yup, this is it. The Superbowl of Madison River fly fishing has just kicked off and has started to get interesting. Feel free to give us a call at 800-646-9644 for the latest report on the big bugs.  Razorbacks, South Fork Secrets and Rogue Stones all get eaten by the excited and hungry trout.

 Gallatin River: 6 /29/2010

We are on the cusp of the Gallatin starting to fishing well.  The river still has a lot of color below the Taylor Fork  and will for a while yet, but if it doesn’t rain the nymphing will start to get pretty good.  

 Hebgen Lake: 6/29/2010

Hebgen has been fishing well this last week.  Callibaetis are beginning to hatch and there are a few fish rising to them, but there is not enough consistency to make dry fly fishing a fruitful option as of yet.  Turkey Callibaetis, Flashback Pheasant Tails and Peacock Chironomids have all been excellent flies to fish underneath.  Fishing close to the surface has been working well when numbers of rising fish are higher, but for the most part we are still fishing deep.

Quake Lake 6/29/2010

Quake is in pretty good shape in the visibility department.  Chironomids, Buggers and Zonkers are all good flies to fish on the lake.

The Madison in the park is best fished either early or late in the day.  Mid-day it is a great time to take a nap or stock up on Olympia for post evening hatch sipping.  Caddis are numerous in the evenings and there are often good Mayfly spinner falls as well. Things get going most evenings between seven and eight and last until the 10:00 PM closure.  Bring some Iris Caddis, Spent Caddis and Rusty Spinners in #16-18.  In the mornings we have been seeing good caddis and PMD hatches, both are getting the fish up to the surface.

Firehole River 6-29-2010

The Firehole is topping out at over 80 degrees during the middle of the day.  It is time to fish somewhere else unless we get a spell of cool weather.

Gibbon River 6-29-2010

Fishing the Gibbon this time of year below the falls is mostly a game of attractor fishing with dries.  Caddis are prevalent in the evenings, but there aren’t too many good fish rising to them.  Above the falls the Meadows can be good in the mornings but are extremely tough to fish when there isn’t a good hatch.

Gallatin River (YNP) 6-29-2010

The Gallatin in the Park saw Salmonflies early this year and have passed through already.  There are still some Golden Stones hanging around and the smaller bugs such as caddis and PMDs  are doing their thing as well.  Yellow Sallies are hatching, making a Yellow Stimulator a good fly choice.  Parachute Adams and Lime Trudes are also great flies to entice fish with.  Nymphing has been pretty slow, so stick with the dries.

Slough Creek 6/29/2010

Slough is still pretty high and cold but clear enough to fish.  Good dry fly fishing is still a bit away but the river is fishable.

Lamar River 6/29/2010

Not yet.  Keep an eye on the flows and weather.

The Madison in the Park is fishing very well and has seen some great hatches in the last week.  Luckily, we should see this trend continue.  The last of the Salmonflies have been flying around lately.  With their demise, PMDs, an assortment of Caddis and Yellow Sallies have  taken up the slack.  Rising fish aren’t tough to find in the mornings and evenings and even mid day fishing can be pretty good.  The fish rising to hatches in flat water can be quite picky, so it doesn’t hurt to bust out the 6x and the 12 foot leaders we always dread using.  

Firehole River 6-23-2010

Mid day fishing on the Firehole has slowed down a bit, but the morning and evenings are still fishing well. Pale Morning Duns are still the dominant insect earlier on in the day, but Caddis have increased in numbers and there have also been a lot of Yellow Sallies throughout the day.  Trout in the flat water stretches of the Firehole are reaching the final stages of PHD study, so don’t be too embarrassed when you get out smarted by a 9 incher, it happens to everyone.  Willing fish can still be found, especially in the riffles.  Emergers and floating nymphs can be a life saver on the really tough fish.

Gibbon River 6-23-2010

The Gibbon has had some good Caddis activity and is seeing some small stoneflies as well.  This is a great time of year to tie on a yellow or olive Stimulator with a bead head dropper and cover some territory.  You may need some more realistic caddis patterns if the hatches are thick, but for the most part, attractors will drum up fish.]

Gallatin River (YNP) 6-23-2010

The Gallatin is pretty clear in the Park stretch.  There aren’t many hatches yet as the water is pretty cold, but the nymph fishing hasn’t been bad at all.  Each nice day will see a little improvement in the water temps and bug activity so it won’t be long before the Gallatin’s trout want to eat dry flies.

Hebgen Lake-Quake Lake: 6/23/2010

Hebgen Lake outflow has been considerably reduced to a much more fishing friendly 960 CFS in the last week.  This makes it a lot easier to wade between the lakes and the fishing has been pretty good.  As is often the case this time of year, we are having our best success on nymphs.  Sili Leg Stones trailed by a variety of #14-18 dropper flies have been the best bet.

Quake Lake-Lyon Bridge: 6/23/2010 

The “wade section” has a little more than a foot of visibility currently and is slowly clearing up.  The nymph fishing has been spectacularly good and the dry fly fishing has been all but nonexistent.  Large stonefly nymphs, smaller caddis nymphs and mayfly nymphs have scored consistently, just make sure to get a good drift.

 Lyon Bridge to Ennis: 6/23/2010

We are starting to see good fishing on the “float section” of the Madison.  Large Sili Leg Stones in brown, black and orange have by far been the most effective flies.  Streamer fishing has been pretty good as well.  Salmonflies are coming soon, but as of yet, we haven’t seen the “big bugs”.  The river is in great shape for the hatch, we jut need it to happen.

 Gallatin River: 6/23/2010

The Gallatin is very fishable with nymphs in the Park and through the short stretch in Montana down to the Taylor’s Fork.  Below the Taylor’s Fork the river is getting closer to being fishable but it is still very dirty.  A few more days without rain should help, but it will take a bit more than that to get it in shape for dry flies.  Plan on July 1st to fish this section, given normal rainfall.  Hopefully the water will clear just in time for Salmonflies.

 Hebgen Lake: 6/23/2010

Hebgen has been fishing inconsistently due to the weather, but when it has been good, it has been very good.  Chironomids and Callibaetis nymphs have been the go-to flies for the lake, though buggers and crayfish have accounted for some nice trout as well.

Quake Lake 6/23/2010

Visibility in Quake is slowly coming around and is clear enough to fish with streamers and buggers.  A few of our shop rats have started pounding the drop offs with big streamers and have had some action, but it hasn’t been red hot.  Another week should get the lake in better shape.