Madison River Outfitters Fishing Report 9/8/20
Montana
Upper Madison: Hopper fishing has still been quite good most days. Even though it looks like it’s going to cool off a bit this week, we are still going to have some sunny days that should hopefully keep things rolling. Ants and beetles have been working well off the back of a hopper as has the usual tungsten dropper selection. Nymphing is still consistent with smaller flies as well. A good nymph drift is going to be key at this point of the season.
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: Not a whole lot new on the lake. Bug activity has been slowly dwindling, but there have still been a good amount of bugs more days than not. Look for tricos in the Madison Arm early. Callibaetis have been later in the morning and will continue to be with these colder mornings. 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, #14-16 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 fish under a hopper or large attractor.
Flies: #12 Tan and Pink Chili Dogs, #12-16 Royal Wulff, #14-16 Parawullf, #12-14 Lime Trude
Yellowstone National Park
Slough/Soda Butte/Lamar: Drake Mackerels and baetis should provide some opportunities to find rising fish. Hoppers, ants and beetles are still going to fool a few fish. As usual, it wouldn’t hurt to bring a few tungsten droppers just in case.
Flies: #12 Drake Mackerel Cripple, #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
Madison/Firehole: It’s still a touch early for these two rivers, but with these cooler mornings coming up we should see water temps improve. We have already heard of a few lake fish being caught in the last week. Morning will still be best as temps are still creeping up fairly high during the afternoons, especially in regards to the Firehole, but it’s about time to start considering these two as solid options.
Flies: #8-12 Partrige & Peacock, #8-12 Partridge & Orange, #6 Sparkle Minnow, #8 Simi Seal Leech, #8-12 Black Sili Legs, #14-16 Red Neck, #14 Holo Point
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Tom Forsberg
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