Madison River Outfitters Fishing Report 10/16/2018
Montana
Upper Madison: This stretch of river continues to fish very well. The hatches could be a little less consistent this coming week as the forecast is calling for bright sun almost every day, but generally speaking baetis and midge activity has been strong pretty much every day providing some great dry fly fishing opportunities. This tends to be some tough fishing given that the flies are somewhere in the size #20-24 range and these fish are pretty well educated at this point in the season. However, it is a fun challenge fishing light tippets and getting the perfect drift to fool these fish. An added bonus is that the river tends to be far less crowded this time of year compared to above Hebgen. The nymphing with small midge and baetis patterns has been very consistent as well.
Between the Lakes: This can be another great place to hook into a nice lake-run fish this time of year. Nymphing is usually the most consistent way of going about it. Larger rubber leg patterns and tungsten head/czech style jigs have been the most effective patterns for us recently. It’s always worth throwing a streamer around in here as well.
Flies: #16-18 Red Neck, #16 Olive Biot Czech, #18 Shop Vac, #18 Guide Dip, #16-18 Green Machine, #18 Black Krystal Dip, #16-18 ICU Midge, #16-18 Black/Green Lightning Bug, #18-20 Zebra Midge, #6-10 Sili Legs, #18 Purple Parachute, #20 Parachute Adams, #20 CDC Biot BWO
Gallatin: With the forecast calling for some sun and warmer temps this week, look for some snowmelt to add some color to the water. This will mean that aside from the usual smaller nymph patterns that have been the go-to’s recently, you could do well by throwing some larger stonefly nymphs into the mix as well. Dry fly fishing has been a little spotty, but look for smaller baetis to still be bringing up a few heads here and there.
* Our special thanks to the crew over at Gallatin River Guides for providing us with the most up-to-date info on the Gallatin.
YNP
Madison in YNP: After a rather slow start to the run this fall, the weather we have had over the past week has meant more and more fish have been working up into the river. Streamers, soft hackles, and nymphing are all perfectly viable options. Finding some water to yourself can be the challenging part. Please remember to be courteous to your fellow anglers out there.
Flies: #8-10 Partridge & Peacock, #8-10 Partridge & Orange, #6 Sparkle Minnow, #8 Simi Seal Leech, #8-12 Black Sili Legs, #14-16 Red Neck
Firehole: Good numbers of baetis and a few White Miller caddis hanging around will continue to provide some good dry fly activity on the Firehole. As is usually the case, soft hackles can be effectively used to swing up some fish in the absence of a hatch.
Flies: #20 CDC Biot BWO, #12-14 Partridge & PT, #12-14 Partridge & Orange, #8 Simi Seal Leech
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Tom Forsberg
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