Fishing Reports & Tips - Page 47 of 125

May 11th – May 20th | Missouri River Fishing Report

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Beartooth Flyfishing

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May 2nd – 15th | Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Flows have come down a bit with these last few days of cooler weather and a decrease in discharge out of Hebgen Lake which leads me to believe the next few days will be real good for fishing. Current flow below Hebgen is about 1,500 c.f.s. and it’s up to 1,870 at Kirby. Current forecast is showing highs in the low 60s and upper 50s for the next few days.

We expect some real good streamer fishing as long as flows stay somewhat consistent. A number of different flies worked these two weeks including Stonefly Nymphs, some streamers, and Eggs. Experimenting with amounts of weight helped. Some specific patterns were Delektable Mega Princes, Delektable Hurless, Pat’s Rubberlegs, and the Roe Egg and the Glow Bug Egg in Orange and Tangerine. We have enjoyed the company of Project Healing Waters Vets at our lodge this week. Thank you to Bob Frey and Michael Gerhart for all the extra help with the planning and cooking.

April 16th- May 1st | Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Beartooth Flyfishing

What a time of year to fish the Upper Madison, the valley is coming to life with bugs, birds, green grass and hungry trout. The river is flowing at 2,100 c.f.s. below Hebgen lake, 2,180 c.f.s. at Kirby Ranch and 2,460 c.f.s. at Varney Bridge and we expect those numbers to keep climbing as Northwestern Energy plans on running a flushing flow at their maximum allowed 3,500 c.f.s. at Kirby for 3 days sometime within the next couple of weeks.

The forecast is showing daytime highs in the upper 60’s and low 70’s for the next ten days with some scattered thunderstorms and night time low temps in the lower 40’s which should make for some awesome days on the water. As always for this time of year look for fish to be spreading out throughout the river as water temps come up.

Dry fly fishing is picking up as we’re starting to see March Browns hatching closer to town along with the Blue Wing Olives that have been around in good numbers for a couple weeks now. After looking at water temps I don’t think it’ll take more than a week or so before we see big Caddis hatches. Our favorite patterns have been the BWO Para-Sipper, Batwing Emergers, and the Split-Wing Adams.

Streamer fishing has also been on the upswing with some days displaying some serious action. Our best bugs have been Black/Olive Delektable Double Screamers, Trevor’s Sculpin, Mini Loops and Sparkle Minnows. I’ve had better luck with a slower retrieve with lots of little jerks and pops on the way in.

You’ll all be surprised to hear that nymphs still catch ‘em too. With the flows being up a bit you won’t want to forget the split shot at home and if you’re wondering how you didn’t get a take in that perfect bucket you may want to try some more weight before changing up flies. The best flies have been the Olive Delektable Mega Prince, Delektable Hurless Stone, Delektable Hammerhead Jig-Hook Prince, Lightning Bugs, Worms and smaller Pat’s Rubberlegs.

Posted in Fishing Reports, Upper Madison River | Tagged Beartooth Flyfishing report, Fishing Report, Madison River, Madison river fishing report, Madison River Montana, Madison River Montana fly fishing, Upper Madison River, Upper Madison River fishing report | Comments Off

April 1st-15th | Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on April 15, 2018 by Beartooth Flyfishing

One of these days winter will end but until then remember to pack the warm gloves on those trips down to the river. The upper river is flowing at 1250 c.f.s. below Hebgen and she’s up to 1310 c.f.s. by the time you get down to Kirby. Remember to keep an eye out for spawning reds when you’re wading out there this time of year. Be mindful of the future generations by making sure you don’t walk on or behind the spawning areas as they hold many, many rainbow trout eggs. All the boat ramps on the upper Madison are good to go, it’s finally time to pull the covers off the boats and get to fishing after a big snow season.

Nymph fishing has been killer the last couple of weeks and we’re all hopeful it keeps up. Stonefly nymphs are the ticket in sizes #8 and #10. Delektable Mega Princes, Delektable Hurless in Gray or Olive, Delektable Mr. Rubberlegs in Goldenstone or Hare’s ear as well as Pat’s Rubberlegs in black or olive/brown have been doing the trick daily. Worms have been picking up fish from time to time and with the rainbows spawning egg patterns are also fishing well.

Dry fly fishing has been pretty good on the days with less wind. The fish are still eating midges pretty regularly and on the warmer days you’ll even find some mayflies but not in big numbers yet. For the Baetis and BWO’s it can be tough to beat the old Parachute Adams or Purple Craze in sizes #16 and #18. As far as the midges, not much has changed since the last report so make sure you’ve got a couple midge cluster imitations like a Griffith’s Gnat and some single midge patterns for the earlier part of the cycle. I’d recommend the Sipper Midge.

Streamer fishing is on the upswing and we only expect it to improve as water temps rise. You’ll still want to use winter tactics for the most part, fishing small flies slowly. Mini loops, Delektable Single Screamers and Zonkers have been some of our favorites. Keep an eye out for more reports as we’re very excited to be starting the season at well over historical average snowpack throughout the western half of the state for the first time in a few years!!