Madison River Outfitters

Madison River

Hebgen Dam - Quake Lake 12/18/07

Snow and some pretty good cold temps have been the name of the game around West Yellowstone lately. We’ve managed to get a little fishing in enduring mid teen high temps and wind to bring you the fishing report. Surprisingly, fishing has been good. Midges haven’t been abundant on the days we’ve been on the river, but nymphing has been pretty darn good considering the cold. Toying with different patterns isn’t much of an option when changing flies with frozen fingers is literally a pain. Luckily there has been a consistent bite with Rubber Leg Stones or Biot Golden Stones trailed with a #14-16 Olive Hare’s Ear or #16-18 Micro Mayfly. Other patterns would probably work equally well though. To find willing fish, concentrate on fishing the slowest, best defined pockets in the river. The fish aren’t out in riffles fighting the current. Good line control is the key to keeping nymphs drifting in these pockets without being pulled into the faster flows surrounding them. Snow already hinders access to much of this stretch of river, so if you plan to fish below Cabin Creek, be sure to bring skis or snowshoes.

Quake Lake-Lyons Bridge: 12/18/07

Below Quake the fishing has also been pretty good considering the weather. There is a lot more snow than at any time last winter around the access points in the wade section, so be prepared to spend time slogging through snow or wading the river itself. Late morning through the early afternoon has been the time to fish, as the air and water are at their warmest. Good rainbows have been pretty willing biters and stronger than one might expect despite the cold water. We’ve been using the same flies below Quake as we’ve been fishing between the lakes. It really is much more important to get really good drifts in slower pockets than it is to keep changing flies looking for something magic. Fish tend to be concentrated in prime spots, often a small pocket will yield two or more fish if an angler is careful to not spook them. There are quite a few trout holding tight to the banks in quiet flows. Some are in surprisingly shallow water. These fish are more difficult to approach and fool than mid river trout, but can be fun to spot and stalk when the sun is at a good angle for visibility. More delicate nymph rigs are needed for this situation than the heavier rigs used for fishing in mid river. Take off the weight and try to watch the fish for signs of a take.

Lyons Bridge-Ennis: 12/18/07

The drift boats are rolled over and covered in a substantial amount of snow right now, so we haven’t spent much time on this part of the Madison. There is has been a lot of ice floating down the river on cold mornings. Warmer days can make for some good fishing down in the Varney Bridge Stretch where there is some very good wade fishing water, but picking a day without the gale force winds can be a crapshoot.

Gallatin River - North of YNP: 12/18/07

The Gallatin is very icy right now. The stretch between the Taylor’s Fork and Big Sky is mostly frozen over. Below Snowflake Spring’s just north of Yellowstone Park, the river is in fishable shape and below Big Sky there is more open water but a lot of floating and shelf ice. Fish can be caught on nymph patterns, but the Madison is a better bet until we see a little bit of a thaw.

Hebgen Lake: 12/18/07

This is ice fishing season.

Quake Lake: 12/18/07

Quake is frozen. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon.