Montana
Upper Madison: The Hopper bite has been a bit inconsistent on a day to day basis, but almost every day there is at least a short window where there is a good bite. Fishing an ant behind a hopper will catch fish more consistently and a tungsten head dropper has been quite effective as well. The nymph bite has been pretty consistent with smaller flies and as usual for this time of year, a good drift will be the key to hooking fish.
Flies: #12 Tan and Pink Chili Dogs, #8-12 Tan, Pink and Yellow Thunder Thighs, #16-18 Arrick’s Ant, #12-16 Royal Wulff, #14-16 Parawullf, #16-18 Krystal Dip, #14-16 Green Machine, #14-18 Red Neck, #16 Olive Hot Spot Perdigon, #14 HoloPoint, #16-18 Shop Vac, #16-18 Olive S.H. Hare’s Ear, #16 Shop Vac
Hebgen: The lake has had a decent amount of bug activity most days. Look for tricos in the Madison Arm early, transitioning to callibaetis starting around 11am most days. Fish have been a little tough some days with a fair amount of “one and done” risers. If you’re finding rising fish but struggling to get them to eat something natural, you can always try un-matching the hatch with a damselfly or ant. Suspending a Turkey Callibaetis or pheasant tail under an indicator has also been effective on those tougher mornings.
Flies: #14-16 Turkey Callibaetis, #16 Parachute Callibaetis, #16 Callibaetis Cripple, #16 Callibaetis Spinner, #20 Calf Wing Trico Spinner, #16-18 Arrick's Ant
Gallatin: Terrestrials and attractors are still pretty much the name of the game on the Gallatin. Like the Madison, a tungsten headed dropper will pick up some fish under a hopper or large attractor.
Flies: #12 Tan and Pink Chili Dogs, #12-14 And and Orange Spruce Moth, #12-16 Royal Wulff, #14-16 Parawullf, #12-14 Lime Trude
Yellowstone National Park
Slough/Soda Butte/Lamar: Nothing new here. Hoppers. Ants. Beetles. Bring a few tungsten droppers just in case.
Flies: #12 Tan and Pink Chili Dogs, #8-12 Tan and Pink Thunder Thighs, #14-16 Bogus Beetle, #14-16 Arrick’s Ant, #14 Royal Trude, #14 Holo Point, #12 Spanish Bullet
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The Upper Madison has slowed a bit with the heat, being at it's best in the early mornings or late at night. I've been having some success throwing...
The Upper Madison is still fishing steadily, especially in the morning and later evenings. With the hot weather we had this last weekend and the hesitant water releases from Hebgen, I was getting a bit nervous about how the Madison would be fairing at this point...
Tom Forsberg
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