Madison River Outfitters Fishing Report 9/3/2019
Montana
Upper Madison: Hoppers are still the name of the game on the Madison right now. Cold mornings have been making way to sunny and warm afternoons and we should have at least a few more hot days yet this week. The fish are definitely more leery of hoppers than they were 2-3 weeks ago and there seems to be definite bite windows throughout the day versus the all day action we were spoiled with for awhile. Have plenty of different colors and patterns to try until you find one thats working, but also just fishing hard and trying to get your fly in front of the right fish at the right time is most of the battle. Smaller ants, beetles and bee patterns have all been good options as a dropper if you don’t want to fish a double hopper rig. As for the nymphing, smaller baetis and midge patterns will produce all day action.
Flies: #10-12 Pink/Tan/Yellow Thunder Thighs, #10-12 Morrish Hopper, #14-16 Arrick’s Ant, #16 Nyman’s Flying Ant, #14-16 Bogus Beetle, #12-16 Royal Trude, #16-18 Rusty Spinner, #16-18 Purple Parachute, #16 Lake Prince, #16-18 Shop Vac, #16-18 Red Neck, #16-18 Green/Black Lightning Bug, #16-18 Guide Dip/$3 Dip, #16-18 Krystal Dip, #16-18 Soft Hackle Hare’s Ear, #18 Black/Olive Zebra Midge
Hebgen: Trico spinners and callibaetis have been providing plenty of dry fly opportunities on the lake as of late. Start the morning hunting fish sipping spinners and then look for callibaetis to start coming off sometime between 11 and noon and hope the wind stays down. Be sure to keep an eye out for flying ants out there as well. The fish seem to key in on ants especially well when they are present on the surface. The Madison arm has probably been most consistent, but any spot can be just as good on any given day.
Flies: #16 Callibaetis Parachute, #16 Callibaetis Sparkle Dun, #16 Callibaetis Cripple, #14-18 Arrick’s Ant, #18-20 Rusty Spinner, #16 Turkey Callibaetis
Gallatin: Terrestrials and attractors should have you covered for dry flies both inside and outside the park. A spruce moth would be a great option around Big Sky and in the canyon stretch. Nymphing and streamers will also provide you with some good action if the fish aren’t looking up. If it’s running clear, never hesitate to check out the Taylor Fork as well. This small creek is always a lot of fun.
Flies: #12 Morrish Hopper, #10-12 Thunder Thighs Hopper, #14-16 Lime/Royal Trude, #12-16 Parawulff, #14 409, #8-12 Royal/Peacock/Golden Chubby Chernobyl, #14 Tan/Orange Spruce Moth
Yellowstone National Park
NE Corner: Be sure to have some terrestrials and attractors if you’re heading over to Lamar Valley. There’s a chance of rain later in the week so be sure to check the flows before heading over. Really focus on getting a nice, drag-free drift. At this point in the season the fish that would eat with abandon in July are a bit more picky now. A tungsten head dropper is never a bad option if your’e getting refused or having trouble getting them to come up.
Flies: #10-12 Pink/Tan/Yellow Thunder Thighs, #10-12 Morrish Hopper, #14-16 Arrick’s Ant, #14-16 Bogus Beetle, 12-16 Royal Trude, #12-16 Parawulff Adams, #14 409, #12 Quill Jig, #12 Lucent Jig, #16 Olive Biot Czech
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Tom Forsberg
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