Montana Fishing Reports
02-16-2008
Missouri River: It is winter in Craig, Mt. But the weather for this week is looking better. Predicted highs this week are Friday and Saturday with a temperatures reaching the mid 40s. That combined with some cloud cover, should get some trout looking up at midges. Griffin gnats or small parachutes trailed with emerging midge patterns can be very effective. Nymphing with pink scuds and midge patterns can pay off as well, especially up by the dam. Streamers? Go small, slow and deep. With water temperatures near freezing, the fish are sluggish.
Beaverhead River: The Beaverhead is fishing quite good right now. It's open from Pipe Organ Bridge downstream. The name of the game is small nymphing right now. We are having an incredible snow year this winter. The Beaverhead drainage is at 125% of normal snowpack. With this amount of snow, we expect Clark Canyon to fill up, and that means more cold water for the Beaverhead browns and rainbows. It's going to be one incredible summer!
Best Bet Fly patterns: sz. 18 P.T Cruzers (olive, natural, pink), sz. 18, 20 P.T's, sz. 18 Ray Charles (gray, olive, pink) sz. 20 Tailwater Tiny's (olive, rust, black), sz. 18-22 Zebra Midges (asst. colors)
Big Hole River:ICE. Wait until March. As of today, the Big Hole drainage is at 117% of normal snowpack! This should make it a story book summer on the Big Hole. We will have lots of water early and late! Don't forget about April! It is the most overlooked time of the year to fish, and the fishing is great with big, fluffy dry flies!
11-16-2007
Yellowstone River
The Yellowstone has definitely made the transition from summer to fall. Still good terrestrial action on top, however, we're seeing the little techy hoppers and beetle patterns being ignored to some degree while the foam junk in jumbo sizes is catching on again. River flows are getting really low in more and more places. Several riffles are now bank to bank and are real bottom scrapers on the hard side crafts. Having a soft sided boat has at times been really helpful as fish have moved back into the "skinnies" and tail-outs to eat. Soft boats = quiet approach! With the fall deal, trout are eating on "bankers hours" with the mornings proving to be somewhat slow to kick off. Water temps are cold and it's taking until late morning for them to come up some and the fish to respond. Best fishing has been from 10A-4P. Dry flies have definitely been producing, however, the nymphing and streamer gig that remains consistent. Going with something decently sizable to get their attention followed up by a little trout candy in a size 16-20 behind has been what's getting the job done. Don't believe us, check out the first photo in today's Yellowstone gallery! That monster ate a size 18 lightning bug!!!!! Stop by the shop in the morning and get the latest river conditions before you put on the river and to check our End of Summer Savings. Lots of good deals on great equipment and clothing!
Report Flows: Real Time Stream Flows:
Corwin Springs, Livingston
Hatches: Seems like the hatch thing is a little lacking to be exact. Jumbo hoppertunity time but, if you have the good cloudcover, we are getting Slate wing drakes as well as baetis (BWOs) which is nice. You won't visually see a heavy hatch on the larger drakes (12s mostly) but the fish are definitely looking for them. Baetis will be in good numbers and you can bet that around that 1-3PM time, the phatt ones will be in the likely seams and flats with noses poking upward. Happy hunting!
Hot Patterns:
Dries: PMXs in yellow, orange, peacock, olive, and royal (any colors I missed???), Mondo Para hoppers, Oversize Foamies like Mega-Green Machine, Stalcup's Red Leg hopper, Jumbo Grand hopper,Godzilla (go ahead and mash it for that "spent" hopper look) JC Special, Rubber leg stimis, Elk hair caddis in Tan and Olive, Royal Wulffs, Royal Humpy's, Para Adams and Hare's ear, Power Ant, River God Beetle, Dave's Cricket, Bloom's para Ant, Ant-acid.
Nymphs: Howell's Big Nasty, Pat's Rubber Leg, Mega Prince, FB caddis, Yuba Pupa, Copper Softy, Soft Hackle PT, Tung Teaser, FB PT, Lightning Bug in pearl, Dirty Bird, Trina's Bubble Back BWO, Quasimodo PT, Master Baetis, Downey's BWO emerger.
Streamers: Gander Sculpin, McCune's Sculpin, Zonkers, Articulated Fat Head Olive or Black, Olive buggers, Denny's Seal bugger, Griz/Peacock bugger, Zirdle, Bow Bugger, JJ's
Madison River report
We've been having more and more consistent fishing it seems in the past week or so. Don't know if it's water temp or flow related or not, but who's to worry? Terrestrial fishing is still on to some degree. With the transition, it's a nymph or streamer gig first off and working into the afternoon 'bite' with dries before switching back to finish out the late afternoon early evening. Rive is definitely going slack late in the afternoon/early evening around 4:30-5PM.
Hatches: Terrestrials till the killer frosts. So Ants, Beetles, and hoppers. Cloudy days you'll see Baetis as well as some Slate Wings (sizes 10, 12).
Hot Patterns:
Dries: Foamies Rule! BLT in golden and/or flesh, Grand Hopper, Marshmallow Head, Green Machine, Godzilla Hopper. PMX's in peacock, royal, and orange in mid size range (10-14), Para Adams, Royal Wulff, Elk Hair caddis (still!), Bloom's para ant, Green River ant, Dave's beetle, Kingfisher Cripple, Purple haze.
Nymphs: Tailwater Tiny black, olive, brown; FB PT, small prince and king prince, Master Baetis, Downey's Wonder baetis, CJ's in black & red, Copper Softy, Dirty Bird, Tung teaser olive, Shop Vac, Trina's Bubbleback BWO, San Juan, and dare I say it: Huevos....(well, the whiteys are getting to that spawning thing)
Streamers: Clouser Crayfish esp. on the Lower river, Bow Buggers in olive/black, olive, and in brown, Shiela, Gander, Zirdle, Zonkers in natural and/or white, Articulated Fat Head olive & in black, M.F. Coug
Gallatin River Fishing Report
There are still decent numbers of terrestrials; ants, beetles, hoppers and the like. Definitely transitioning into the fall deal right now. Look for cloud cover and you'll have definitely better fishing as well as hatch activity. If you can't find 'em whacking the dries, it doesn't take much to get the phatties to gobble the nymph rig. Hang on and have fun!
Report Flows: Click for current flows`
Hatches: Ants, beetles, hoppers, Baetis, Slate wing drakes, midges, as well as a few afternoon caddis again.
Hot Patterns:
Dries: Elk hair caddis, peacock PMX, Grand hopper, Dave's Hopper, Black Ant Acid, River God Beetle, para Adams, royal Wulff, Lime Trude, Hare's Ear Trude.
Nymphs: Robin, Caddis Sparkle pupa, Mangy Caddis, prince nymph, PT, copper john, dirty bird, lightning bug.
Streamers: Black and/or olive wooly buggers, zonkers, lead eye buggers, jj special, woolhead sculpin, gander sculpin, zirdle, olive butt monkey, zoo couger.
Missouri River Fishing Report
From Wolf Creek down to Spite or there about, the fish are sipping spinners in the mornings and looking for a caddis like something-something come mid afternoon. Hoppers? Yep, they'll look for them, sort of, as well. Especially downstream by Mtn Palace, etc. Evenings are most definitely a GO now and the caddis deal is starting to find phatties whacking 'em on top. Nymphing any time is still very much the most consistent method to catch a bunch of fat dogs, but with the dry fly activity clearly picking up steadily and BIG fish eating well presented offerrings, what's the point after a while? Get your fill o'whacking and then challenge yourself and experience why the MO is the MO! Into something entirely different? We are right in the middle of the carp season. Yes, I said carp. It may come as a surprise to some folks out there, but carp are a fantastic fly rod quarry. They will eat a fly, can be pretty selective, fight hard and are very, very spooky. Average size range is anywhere from 8-10 lbs, with some running well into the double digits. Go give it a try! Its a great way to spend a hot summer day when the trout are laying low waiting for cooler water. Temps that would kill trout just get the carp feeding even more. Look for hot, sunny and calm days, its mostly sight fishing and you better bring you A game.
Report Flows: Click for current flows
Hatches: Tricos, caddis, ants, beetles, hoppers
Hot Patterns:
Dries: CDC Caddis emergers, Bloom's Para Caddis, CDC Trico, CDC Trico spinner, Two Wing Trico Spinner, Grand Hopper, Stalcup's Hopper, Black Ant Acid, Dave's Black Beetle. For the carp bring your hopper box. Yup, they will eat a dry fly.
Nymphs: If you have to go down below best bets include; wonder and lightning, lightning bug, micro mayfly,FB PT, small Cj's in black as well as green and blue, soft hackle peacock and partridge, larger tungsten caddis pupa, Mangy caddis.
Streamers: Try a Clouser Crayfish dead drifted. Also, sculpin patterns like Sculpzilla, Shiela, as well as Gander sculpins in olive have been good. For carp think crayfish, carp love them!
Paradise & Gallatin Valley Spring Creeks
Paradise Valley locations: Armstrong, Depuy, and Nelson creeks have continued to be very good. PMDs finally about gone, but man were they ever good this year! One of the longest hatches we can remember in a long time. It's definitely midges all day and on the good cloudy days(uh, that's when you want to fish....), the baetis have been cranking up. No summer crowds in the region mean it's easier to pick and choose your days. Nelson's has been nearly impossible to get last minute reservations on has opened up. Same at the MZ. If you can be choosy- wait a bit for the updated weather reports and pick a nasty day for outlandish fishing! Over the Hill, on the Gallatin side of things, the Milesnick property as well as Skinnner's on the EG have been really fun as well. Tricos still going strong. Getting a little later each morning and not quite as heavy. But, plenty of other goodies as well. Good Psuedos and Baetis. Fish are finicky and definitely switching back and forth. No bugs? Tough fishing except underneath.
Hatches: a few straggling PMDs , midges, and phenom baetis on the nasty days. Tricos, psuedos, and baetis as well as hoppers and other terrestrials on the Gallatin Valley side of things
Hot Patterns:
Dries: Harrop's No hackles BWO, Almost Dun, Para crip, CDC Baetis, Buzz ball, Morgan's para midge, Kingfisher Crip, 2X Tryke, Fur ball ant, H&L, Renegade, small Para adams, royal wulff, Hi-vis ant, Dave's deer hair beetle, small para hoppers and Stalcup's hoppers
Nymphs: sawyer pt, miracle nymph, micro caddis, tan, gray, and olive scuds, sunken trico, wd-50 gray, olive; brown/olive emerger, zebra midge, skinny nelson,
Streamers: small dark olive & black wooly buggers, beadbugger, bunny fur, shiela, and Rickard's Seal buggers fished on 3x or stronger ripped through the heads of the pools and riffles may surprise the angler as what chases down and inhales flies like these...