Montana
Upper Madison: Baetis emergences have been strong most afternoons, even more so in inclement weather. These hatches have been bringing up plenty of rising fish, however they have been very selective. The bugs are small down there this time of year (#22-24) and usually 5X tippet is needed at the minimum with 6X being preferred. It’s a great option if you're looking to challenge yourself with some dry fly fishing. The nymph bite has picked up pretty well over the past week. Smaller baetis and midge patterns have still been the most consistent for us.
Flies: #18-20 Black Krystal Dip, #18 Loop Wing Baetis, #18-20 Zebra Midge
YNP
Madison: The fall run marches on with more and more fish working their way upriver. The weather this past week hasn't exactly been ideal and the forecast for this coming week looks pretty similar. We can only hope for some nasty weather in the not too distant future. That being said, swinging soft hackles and streamers is still producing nice fish day in and day out. We’re just having to put in a little bit more time and effort to get them.
Flies: #6-10 Partridge and Orange, #6-10 Partridge and Peacock, #6-10 Partridge and PT, #6 Sparkle MInnow, #4 Olive Zonker, #8 Simi-Seal Leech
Firehole/Gibbon: Strong emergences of White Millers and baetis continue to provide some great dry fly fishing on the Firehole. If you don't happen upon a hatch over there, swinging some smaller soft hackles and streamers is also a fun option when fishing the Firehole and on the Gibbon as well.
NE Corner: When they are running clear this time of year, Slough, Soda Butte and Lamar should provide some decent dry fly opportunities with smaller sized mayflies such as baetis. If not, or if running slightly off color, smaller streamers can be a good option up there right now as well.
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Tom Forsberg
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