Get out on the river now and bring some dry flies
The unofficial start of Summertime for us really happens when the trout start eating grasshoppers and that time is now. The rivers are in great shape with clear water and lots of dry flies. Since they dont eat the hoppers to much in the winter time you must seize the oppertunity when it happens. So call in sick and hit the water with a handful of foamy orange and yellow bodied hopper flies and hold on to your rod.
YELLOWSTONE RIVER: 3,900cfs
Clear and fishing awesome the Yellowstone has some good to great dry fly fishing at the moment. Lots of drakes and stoneflies for the morning and Hoppers and smaller mayflies in the afternoon. The nymphing ahs been steady all day long or between hatches with rubberlegs and flashy beadheads but your bound to run into a few whitefish that way. Nothing wrong with whiteys just not a trout.
dries: More-or-less Hopper, Morrish Hopper, BA spent Hopper, chubby chernobyl, never sink trude, H & L variant, lime trude, green drake parachute, purple adams, two tone ant
nymphs: double bead stone, rubberlegs, PT spanker, lightning bug, silveys beahead pupa, olive soft hackle, iron sally, black copper john, king prince
streamers: bow river bugger, zonkers, olive buggers, sparkle minnow, butte rat, dream catcher, silveys sculpin leech
GALLATIN RIVER: 700cfs
The Gallatin has been a great option for the walk waders and is fishing great. In the early mornings the fish are just silly for the spruce moth and attractors or mayflies. The afternoons are producing with the hopper dropper rig with a smaller beadhead. Sculpins and streamer patterns later in the evening.
dries: chubby chernobyl, yellow stimulator, tan elk hair caddis, royal PMX, royal trude, glitter ant, purple teaser, purple adams, para caddis, morrish hopper, Dave's hopper
nymphs: rubberlegs, lightning bug, iron sally, silveys primetime pupa, tungsten yellow sally, PT spanker, blue spanker, IED, brown sof hackle, king prince
streamers: new school muddler, deer hair bugger, pearl zonker, sculpzilla, sparkle minnow, JJs special
UPPER MADISON: 1,270cfs
Gin clear water and fishing great in the mornings. Can be a bit low in the mid afternoons on warm days but picks up again in the evening. Good dry flies all day with stoneflies, attractors, and terrestrials. Try a monster point fly and smaller beadhead dropper. Some real nice big trout hanging in the middle of the river seams whop like to attck the streamer.
dries: Bloom's hopper, Morrish Hopper, More-or-less hopper, chubby chernobyl, Royal PMX, rubberleg ant, two tone ant, monster beetle, deer hair beetle, glitter ant, purple teaser, purple haze, bloom's para caddis
nymphs: blue spanker, mega prince, red headed stepchild, military may, PT spanker, lightning bug, silveys beadhead pupa, olive soft hackle, sex fly
streamers: copper zonker, screamers, JJs special, dream catcher, butte rat, sculpzilla, mini loop sculpin, bow river bugger, snapping craw
LOWER MADISON: 1,400cfs
With warm water temps the lower is not fishing well right now at all. Would not bother with it unless your just pleasure cruising. Should cool down in a bit and get some big browns moving around again.
MISSOURI RIVER: 4,080cfs
Some amazing angling going on the mighty MO these days. Tricos in the morning and hoppers in the heat of the day. The evenings bring out caddis and spinner falls. Some days its been just silly fishing up top others require a bit more pattern searching. Be prepared with all mayfly life cycle imitations ie: nymph, emerger, dun, spinners. A close attention to the type of rise will often tell which stage the trout are keyed into. A clear ring in the water usually is an adult eat. If your seeing more of the fishes head or dorsal fin slide out of the water they are eating emergers.
dries: sparkle trico, trico spinner, purple adams, double trico, griffiths gnat, PMD tilt wing, Morrish hopper, Bloom's hopper-tan, Yeti Hopper, barely kickin stone, para caddis, purple caddis
nymphs: micro may, tailwater tiny, military may PMD, slow guy, ray charles, sowbug, sex fly, PT spanker, silver spanker, lightning bug, red copper john
THE BIG HOLE: 437cfs
Good fishing on the big hole with plenty of tricos and a few hoppers up top. The water i too skinny to float the upper river but the canyon is floatable with a raft. Streamers are taking some real nice big fish and it is a wonderful time of year to be on the Big Hole.
dries: sparkle trico, tico spinner, chubby chernobyl, wilcoxs VW hopper, purple teaser, royal wulff, para caddis, purple adams
nymphs: hares ear, rubberlegs, olive soft hackle, lightning bug, red copper john, silveys primetime, annato may, hotwire caddis, tung yellow sally, iron sally
streamer: butte rat, dream catcher, butte rat, sparkle minnow, butte rat, sculpzilla