Fishing Report for October 22nd, 2010

Madison River

Dam: 776 cfs

Kirby: 850 cfs

Fishing has been pretty good on the Upper Madison this week, and it should only get better as cloudy skies and winter snows descend upon the valley starting tomorrow.  With the bright sun and sixty degree temperatures this week, nymphs and streamers have been taking some really nice fish between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., but again the bite seems to be slowing down for most of the afternoon, and picking back up around 5:30 until sundown.  This should all start to change here very soon, meaning that you’d be better off starting mid morning and going until sundown– Unless, of course, you are planning on throwing streamers in which case it should be game on all day.  You should expect to see good numbers of midges and baetis popping from late morning through the afternoon, which can make for some truly amazing dry fly fishing in the slicks and pockets of the wade section, but start out nymphing baetis nymphs/emergers and midge pupa until the fish begin to show themselves.  As the weather begins to blot out the sky, make sure to keep your streamers pretty dark– 90% of the time the fish will be on either black or olive, and sex dungeons, circus peanuts, peanut envys, cougars, and double screamers are all good choices as of late.  On another note, if you’re one of those anglers who loves fishing blue-ribbon trout streams in total solitude then now is the time to head up to the Madison, as there have been very VERY few people around.

Fishing Report for October 16th, 2010

Madison River

Dam: 813 cfs

Kirby: 882 cfs

We had a great week of fishing on the ol’ Upper Madison this week, and very few people around to share it with.  Both Raynold’s and Three dollar have been very productive from a catching standpoint on all three fronts– Nymphs, Dries, and Streamers.  Nymphing continues to be option numero uno if you’re looking for numbers, and the bite seems to peaking from around 9:00 a.m.  to 2:00 p.m. when the sun is out and more like 10:00 to 4:00 on the colder, overcast days.  Size 20 Hare’s ears and PT’s, midges, BWO Barr’s emergers, #18 $3 dips, and Olive Triple B Flashbacks have been leading the pack, but don’t hesitate to throw in a smaller rubberleg during periods of low light.  As for the dries…any olive parachute between size 18 and 20 with a little BWO emerger dropped behind it should get the job done.  The float section is fishing great as well, but its been a little skinny between Palisades and Ruby and then again between Story and Varney.  If you’re looking to float below Lyon’s right now, and are not interested in throwing streamers, pick a shorter float and really work over the likely looking spots with midges and baetis nymphs– If the olives show themselves in the afternoon you’ll probably run into some heads, so makes sure to bring a good selection of dries with you as well.  Streamer fishing continues to improve throughout the Upper River, and the action down below Varney has been really good as of late.  The streamer bite in the wade section has been good to ridiculous, as has the bite between the lakes, and we are starting to see more and more colored up browns moving up from Ennis Lake scattered throughout the river.  Olive and Black Sex Dungeons, Peanut Envys, Circus Peanuts, Green/white T&A Bunkers, and Black/Olive Double Screamers have all been ingested well, and the fishing should only get better over next few weeks.


Fishing Report for October 8th, 2010

Madison River

Dam:  832 cfs

Kirby: 882 cfs

Well it took a little longer than we anticipated, but it is safe to say that Fall is finally here, and all the good things that come with it.  The blue wings have been out in force when the clouds have moved in, and we’ve had some great dry fly fishing in the wade section from late morning until around 3:00 in the afternoon.  Nymphs are still the way to go early on though– size 20 BWO nymphs and emergers as well as midge larva and pupa have been good to downright ridiculous throughout the morning, but the bite seems to slow down quite a bit in the afternoon when the sun pops out.  Streamer fishing has also picked in both the wade and float sections.  If you are looking to throw some junk below Lyon’s Bridge keep in mind that the water is pretty skinny between Palisades and Ruby Creek, and then again below Story Ditch.  The best holding water in the float stretch at the moment seems to be between Lyon’s and Palisades, Ruby and Story, and then again from Varney to 8-Mile.  On the darker days we’ve been doing really well on olive and black sex dungeons thrown tight to the bank as well as behind big boulders, but be sure not to neglect the tailouts and inside bends this time of year as that tends to be where the bigger browns on the move will hold before moving upstream.  We are also seeing more and more colored up browns moving up between the lakes, but it appears that they haven’t started digging quite yet.  Streamer fishing has been a little tougher during the day up there when the sun is out, but the evenings have more than made up for it, as have overcast days.  And so it is with most fall fishing throughout the Rockies where we enter the time of extremes…on the one hand you have your baetis and midges between size 18 and 22, and size 2 articulated streamers on the other.  Which one you decide to throw at them, we’ll leave up to you.  Finally, this is the time of year where the crowds are gone, the fish are far less pressured, and the river gives us one last chance at some truly large fish before the winter snows descend upon the valley, and we are left only to dream of another season on the Madison.

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