Madison River

Dam:  1,120 cfs

Kirby: 1,390 cfs

Varney: 1,870 cfs

Its been a very busy July over on the Upper Madison, and even though the bulk of the stoneflies are gone, we are still in the midst of an awful lot of bugs over here.  Caddis, PMDs, Epeorus, and Yellow Sallies are in full swing, but the fish seem to be choosing which day to look up at random…some days have definitely been better than others, but the nymphing has made up for it when they aren’t looking up.  There are still quite a few goldens hanging around between the West Fork and Wolf Creek, and even a few salmonflies, which seem to be taking flight around 1:00 p.m. if the wind isn’t keeping them in the willows.  We should also start to see the nocturnal stones scurrying around here within a week or two, and the warmer temperatures seem to be bringing more and more hoppers down to the water’s edge in search of green grass…..that could start any day now.

Streamer fishing has been pretty solid throughout the Upper River as well…even in the bright sun.  We do have a 20-40% chance of showers over the next three days, so if the sky does turn to black don’t hesitate to put something big and ugly on and start huntin’.  We’ve been taking some really quality browns and rainbows on double screamers, Nancy Ps, Peanut Envys, and Barely Legals as of late, and it should only get better when the clouds move in over the next couple of days.

Madison River

Dam: 1,400 cfs

Kirby: 1,960 cfs

Varney: 2,840 cfs

The dry fly bite was absolutely scorching last week on the Upper Madison, and while things have slowed down a little bit, it’s still really damn good out there.  Salmonflies and golden stones are couple miles upstream from Ruby all the way up into the wade section, and while fish have gotten a little more “slap-happy” out there in regards to the rise, there are still plenty of big eaters to be had– Some of our better patterns have been black and golden cat pukes, rastaman golden stones, carnage salmonflies, and Morrish’s fluttering stones.

When you see giant stoneflies taking flight, its easy to forget that fish ARE eating other things too, particularly yellow sallies and caddis, and we have had some unbelievable days on both trailed behind of golden or a salmonfly.  There seem to be three specific species of yellow sallies out there at the moment, but the #16 tannish/yellow seems to be doing the most damage… not to say you should overlook the 18′s, but if you can get away with throwing a larger dry fly then why go smaller?As far as caddis, stick to the #16-18 in tan or olive.

If you’re looking to get out there early in the morning, and they aren’t looking for the big bugs quite yet, nymphing and streamer fishing have been very productive as well.  Caddis larva/pupa, rubberlegs, yellow sally nymphs, small attractors, and midges are all good choices, but they seem to be after something a little different everyday.  Also worth noting is the size of some of the rainbows and browns being taken this year…..I think we’ve already landed more rainbows over 18″ this season than we did all of last year, which is a great sign for the months to come.

Madison River

Dam: 1,390 cfs

Kirby: 1,990 cfs

Varney: 3,230 cfs

The Madison is about as good as you’re going to see right now, with ample amounts of water and healthy trout holding in it…Visibility is just about perfect. Salmonflies, goldens, yellow sallies, and caddis are going OFF and bringing fish up to the surface in numbers.  The big bugs are between McAtee and the Slide at the moment, and fish have been taking both nymphs and dries with consistency.  If the wind dies down, even for just a couple of minutes, we have seen some great flights, and the fish seem to be taking notice.  We’ve been doing really well in the mornings nymphing rubberlegs, caddis larva/pupa, midges, and general attractors, and the dry fly fishing has been spectacular once the sun warms up the water a little bit.  Evening caddis have been around for a couple of weeks, but the surface action started about five days ago, and it should only continue to get better…well into August.  Streamer fishing has been good to excellent, and olive peanut envys seem to be top gun for the time being.  There’s really not much more we can say…I think the fishing out there right now is worth at least another 1,000 words, but it should speak for itself once you’re on the river,