Montana
Upper Madison: Flows out of Hebgen Dam are still very low for this time of year, but the fishing has remained solid over the last week. The water has a nice milky green tinge to it, and nymph fishing is the name of the game here. A stonefly nymph with smaller trail fly is still top producer. However, be on the look out for caddis bouncing around on warmer days, and some PMD’s on cloudy mornings/early afternoons. Prospecting with a chubby with a heavy dropper nymph a few feet below can be worth your time as well.
Flies: #8-10 Black Sili Legs, #10-14 Biot Golden Stone, #14-16 Redneck, #14-16 Shop Vac, #14-16 Prince nymph, #16 Holo-Point, #16 X Caddis, #14-16 Parawulff, #10-12 Tan Chubby Chernobyl
Hebgen: Not much has changed since last week, still hit and miss fishing out there and the big wind gusts we’ve had the last couple days haven’t made things easy. We have been seeing more chironomid activity the last few days, and things should only get better coming up. Look for fish rising on calm mornings, but stripping a leech or bugger at different retrieve speeds, or fishing chironomids underneath an indicator will still be your best bet.
Flies: #8 Olive or Black Simi Seal Leech, #8 Olive or Black Hot Bead Goat Leech, #6 Black/Olive Flash Bugger, #12 O.S Opal Buzzer, #16 Pheasant Tail, #14 Olive/Red Nugget
YNP
Lots of folks trying to get in through the West gate, lines get backed up through town most days until around noon-ish. Get in early (before 8am) to try avoid the lines. Once you are in, the Firehole and Madison have been fishing well in the mornings. As usual, swinging soft hackles can be a fun way to catch fish. PMD’s and caddis are hatching and we’ve found fish rising to them most days. There are still a few salmonflies around as well, and throwing around a salmonfly pattern with a dropper nymph has been productive when the fish aren’t rising.
Flies: #14 Partridge and Pheasant Tail, #14 Partridge and Orange, #14 Diving Caddis, #16 Tilt Wing PMD, #16 DOA Cripple, #16 X Caddis, #10 Salmonfly Chubby
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Tom Forsberg
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