Madison River Outfitters Fishing Report 8/21/2018
Montana
Upper Madison: The Madison continues to fish very well with terrestrial patterns. Hoppers and especially ants have been effective both on the bank and throughout the rest of the river in mid-river slicks and runs. The nymph bite remains pretty consistent as an all day producer. Smaller nymphs and good drifts are still the key to being successful nymphing this time of year.
Flies: #10-12 Grand Hopper, #12-14 Thunder Thighs, #14 Bogus Beetle, #16 Arrick’s Ant, #16 Rusty Spinner, #16 Purple Rocky Mountain Mint, #16-18 Tan X- Caddis, #17 Tan Iris Caddis, #16-18 Red Neck, #16 Olive Biot Czech, #16-18 Shop Vac, #16-18 Guide Dip, #16 Green Machine, #16 Black Krystal Dip, #16-18 Black/Green Lightning Bug
Hebgen Lake: After quite a few weeks of inconsistency, Hebgen has really turned on the past few days. We are seeing Callibaetis every day and fish have been tracking well when the wind has been down. Also be on the lookout for some flying ants as we have been seeing a decent amount of them in the Madison arm and should continue to see even more as August continues.
Flies: #16 Turkey Callibaetis, #16 Callibaetis Cripple, #16 Parachute Callibaetis, #16 Callibaetis Sparkle Dun
Gallatin: Things are getting a little tougher on the Gallatin. Spruce moths have run their course at this point and insects have been a little hard to come by. Smaller nymphs such as zebra midges have been working well. Terrestrials and attractors can be effective in the park stretch as well. Something worth noting is the Gallatin is temporarily closed to fishing south of mile marker 27 due to the Bacon Rind fire, so plan accordingly.
* 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
NE Corner: You may catch a hatch over on Slough, Soda Butte, and Lamar, most likely on a cloudy day. Otherwise terrestrials have been providing most of the good fishing. Smaller sized hoppers, ants, beetles, and bees have all been effective in getting fish to come up. There’s a chance of rain for this area over the next few days so take a peek at the streamflow gauge before heading over.
Flies: #14-18 Rusty Spinner, #16 Tilt Wing PMD, #16 PMD Missing Link, #14-18 Missing Link, #17 Iris Caddis, #10-12 Thunder Thighs Hopper, #10-12 Parachute Hopper, #14 Bogus Beetle, #14-16 Arrick’s Ant
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Tom Forsberg
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