Bright Sun and Trout
Plenty of good days on the water lately. The Caddis dry flies have been great if you catch it at the right time and some aggressive browns eating streamers. This is what we really live for and with conditions pointing at one the the best fishing seasons in Montana we hope to see you out there on the water.
YELLOWSTONE RIVER: 5,190cfs
The stone has been pretty amazing with Mother's day Caddis hatches but not totally consistent. Sunday it was boiling with rising fish heads and Monday and Tuesday it seemed you had to work for them a bit more. Still a few heads and plenty of bugs hatching but with the warm weather comes snowmelt and temps getting colder can certainly make a trout lethargic. A few nice browns eating sculpins if you like the streamer fishing. The stone is a little olive in color with about 2ft. of visibility and a beautiful river to float right now.
flies: Deer hair bugger, Bow river Bugger, Zonkers, Bloom's caddis, fast water caddis, elk hair peacock, silveys primetime pupa, March brown parachute, rubberlegs, PT spanker, copper john lime
Big Bead heads for whiteys
GALLATIN RIVER: 1,030cfs
The gallatin has continued to drop and has a really nice green color to it. Been getting some real good reports from the canyon and the valley as well. This really is a nice window of fishing that mother nature has allowed us for the past week or so. I would say fish the Gallatin now before some more warm weather brings the snow down from the mountains. flies: march brown parachute, parachute Adams, bloom's caddis, fast water caddis, rubberlegs, iron sally, red copper john, olive bugger, sparkle minnow-sculpin, bow river bugger, king prince, PT flashback, lil spanker PT, sin city-blue, cdc baetis emerger, knuckle dragger baetis, bloody mary, sparkle worm, sex fly The Upper has been hot or cold from Macatee Bridge to Ennis last few days. Some good fish taken mostly on dirty water type bugs like bright zonkers and flashy worms. All different types of weather through the valley as per usual with Montana Springtime so bring your shorts and a beanie just in case. Between the lakes has been fishing great and is much clearer water than the valley.
UPPER MADISON: 1,310cfs
LOWER MADISON: 1,690cfs
Fishing has been great on the lower Madison with steady action on subsurface patterns through the buckets and afternoon caddis dry fly. Most of the dry action has been with podded up fish but have seen a few toad browns making more inconsistent rises in the middle of the river runs. Streamers are always a funn option this time of year before the weeds get thick in the middle of the summer.
flies: bloom's para caddis, purple caddis, elk hair peacock, Goddard Caddis, loop wing caddis, snapping craw, chickabou craw, copper zonker, lightning bug, sex fly, zebra midge, grey twinkle, Sparkle caddis olive & bright green, blue spankers, rubberlegs, rock n roller stone, sparkle minnow, JJ's special, para Adams, tilt wing baetis, BWO film critic, cluster midge
MISSOURI RIVER: 5,840cfs
The Missouri has fished very well the last few days with plenty of good dries Baetis, March Browns, Midges, and Caddis. Flows still down low enough for comfortable wading the technical fisherman can spend a great afternoon stalking pods of risers in island riffles. Sure the nymphing is great in between hatches and some good streamer fishing too. Some great late evening It's been pretty awesome up near craig for sure.
flies: Para March Brown, tilt wing baetis, BWO film critic, para baetis, Bloom's para Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis peacock, Q's cluster midge, griffith's gnat, Para Adams, BWO squeezer, Zebra midge, ray charles-tan, pink, or grey, Sparkle minnow, Sculpzilla, Flesh Eating Sculpin, Copper Zonker, small royal wulff, stillborn midge