Clarity Update: The recent 80 degree temperatures have sent the last of our snow pack heading for the creeks, and the Upper Madison is on the rise below the West Fork with a couple feet of visibility down by Ennis… The wade section between Quake Lake and Lyon’s Bridge is still fishing very well with nymphs and streamers, but we’ve been getting mixed reports from the float stretch over the last few days.
Fishing has been outstanding this week throughout the Upper Madison, with almost perfect visibility and very few crowds. Streamer fishing has been good to downright e-p-i-c depending on the day, and we are still doing best on food based imitations like sculpin and fry rather than reactionary patterns. On the overcast days you can still find fish up on BWOs and midges, but we are starting to see more and more caddis popping every afternoon, especially below Palisades. The wade section between Quake Lake and Lyon’s Bridge has been nymphing very well with midges and smaller baetis nymphs in the morning and caddis larva/pupa in the afternoon…that’s not to say you shouldn’t try a rubber leg out right now, but it has been far more inconsistent up high– Below Lyon’s Bridge is a whole different story. The colossal migration of salmonfly and golden stones nymphs is already well underway, and if air and water temperatures continue on their current trend I wouldn’t be surprised if we started to see big bugs popping around Ennis in just over a week. It’s anybody’s guess, but I’ll toss my hat in the ring and say there will be adults by Varney Bridge on June 14th. In the meantime, you could do worse than heading over to the Madison right about now…great fishing, solitude, and beautiful weather…what’s not to like?
It’s hard to believe that June 1st is right around the corner, considering that the water level and clarity of the Upper Madison is far more reminiscent of what you would typically find around mid July– Most of the creeks below Quake Lake are running clear and both Cabin and Beaver are flowing with a just a tinge of green. We are currently holding at just over 900 cfs with around 3.5-4 feet of visibility above the West Fork and around 3 feet below Lyon’s Bridge. but with the drop in flows out of the dam we should be around 850 cfs at Kirby by tomorrow morning. What is even more amazing is how few people seem to be out on the river….all the customers that have stopped in have had great reports of nymphing and streamer fishing and have remarked on how few anglers they’ve had to contend with. We are still seeing decent numbers of midges and baetis popping from late morning through the early afternoon, and if you can’t get them on top the nymph bite has been more than enough to keep you interested. We are still doing well on small red patterns such as copper johns, dips, and lightning bugs, black zebra midges, $3 dips, and baetis nymphs/emergers, but we’ve also been getting more and more reports of good fish taking caddis larva and shop vacs over the last few days. The rubber leg bite has been a little more inconsistent, but is always worth trying this time of year. Streamer fishing is still producing some very quality fish in both the wade and float sections as evidenced by both our personal fishing and pictures brought in by customers this week. An olive sex dungeon or a peanut envy seems to be all you need to know during periods of low light, while white silk kitties, yellow double screamers, and tan bunny fur seem to be doing the most damage in the bright sun.
Scott Rogers with a healthy 19.5″ Bow
Scott on a roll
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