March 24th-30th, 2025 | Upper Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on March 30, 2025 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Ahhhhhhh Finally! It’s Spring in the Epic Madison Valley! We made it through another Winter. Our Snowpack looks great (still being added to!) thankfully our watershed will be safe for another season. Almost all Fishing Accesses on the Upper Madison are open and clear for use, with the exception of Ennis Town Access (the Gorge really did a number on it this year).

For our Awesome Fishing Report, Dan Delekta reports:

So much fun with my first Two Float Trips on the Madison River with the Father and Son duo, Sean & Brian Murphy! Day 1 was Lyons Bridge to Ruby Creek followed by Day 2 floating Ruby Creek to Varney Bridge. Browns, Rainbows, & Whitefish were actively biting #8-#10 Delektable Hurless Nymph Gray Flashback, Delektable Mega Prince STD Flashback #8-#10, Delektable FB Sparkle Kaboom Stone & Sparkle Kaboom Stone, Delektable Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail #14-#16 and Delektable TGBH Formerly Prince #16! Double Stones, Baby!!!  Dead drifted small Streamer patterns were also very productive.

In Closing: Springtime in the Rockies has finally Sprung, enjoy April and May as much as we do; after another Great White North in Montana!

Here at Beartooth Flyfishing we are excited for a new season! Especially getting to see all our friends and beloved customers (that are friends too), we’ve missed all of you! Our current days and hours are 9:00 AM- 5:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday. As the weather improves our hours and days will be expanding. Please contact the shop and check our Google Hours for updates! We are getting a lot of new products over the coming months and our sale racks are full! Come on down and get the winter funk off, enjoy the beautiful Spring in the Madison Valley (the people aren’t here yet!).

Nymphs: Delektable Sparkle Kaboom Stone #6-#8; Delektable Flashback Sparkle Kaboom Stone #6-#8; Delektable Gold BH Formerly Mega Prince STD #6-#8; Delketable Hurless Nymph Gray Flashback #6-#8;“ Delektable JH Tungsten Spanker Holo Black #16-#18; Delektable JH Tungsten Micro Spanker Holo Black & Pheasant Tail #16-#18; Geppert’s Crystal Dip Black #16-#18;

Streamers: Mini Loop Sculpin Olive #6; Mini Dali Llama Olive/White #10; Sculpzilla Olive/White #8; Delektable Screamer Single Olive/White #6.

Dries: Trico Spinner Double Wing #18; Adams Midge Cluster #18-#20; Female Spinner Trico #18-#20; Grizzly Midge Cluster #20.

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November 1st- 17th, 2024 | Upper Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Well, we have ended another awesome Season with some epic Fishing and even more epic tales! Here at Beartooth Flyfishing we are all so thankful for our Community, our awesome Customers and for all the Guides and Trout addicts that perpetuate and elevate our lifestyle for generations to come! We have had a great year, and it wouldn’t be possible without all these people. Thank You and can’t wait to see you next Season!

The weather the first part of November has been the last breath of Fall and the long sigh of Winter. Brown Trout have begun their annual spawn and the hatches have all but dwindled to the smallest bugs. However, Streamers and Nymph action are still hot if you find yourself in the right part of the River at the right time! Action has been best right out the gate mid-morning and during the heat of the day into late afternoon. Regular Fly changes and really working better holes have been quite productive and have produced larger Trout.

As we move forward into the Winter Season we can return to our favorite deep slow runs and fishing Nymphs, the meatier the better. The Trout need big snacks as Winter approaches. Winter fishing on warmer days can be epic, 2 hours of Fishing in one to two holes can produce 20-30 Fish (or more!) and you have the River to yourself. Here at Beartooth Flyfishing we have moved to our winter hours, we are open Tuesday-Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm. If you need gear and are looking for Christmas Gifts come on in, we have a lot of new markdowns and will be having an awesome Black Friday special. Please see our newsletter, coming soon, or call the shop and we will fill you in on the details!

Nymphs: Delektable Tungsten Gold B.H. Formerly Prince #14-#18; Delektable JH Tungsten Micro Spanker Holo-Black, Pheasant Tail, Holo-Olive, Holo-Silver, Yellow Spot or Hare’s Ear #16-#18; Delektable Mega Prince STD or STD Flashback #8-#10; Delektable JH Tungsten Black Bling #16-#18; Delektable Gold B.H. Formerly Mega Prince STD #8; RS2 Black or Gray #18-#20; Lightning Bug Silver or Pearl #16-#18; Delektable JH Tungsten Olive Hare’s Ear Torch Light #18; Pat’s Rubberlegs Black/Brown or Black #8-#10; Geppert’s Mega Emerger #16-#18; Jig Duracell Original #16; Skinny Nelson #18; Geppert’s Master Emerger #16-#18; Stockers Two Hot Baetis #18; BH Black FB Pheasant Tail #20; Delektable Tungsten Spanker Red BH FB Red Dog #14-#16; JuJu FB Red #18-#20; Tungsten BH BWO Nymph #18-#20; BH Montana Bullet Black/Red or Black #18; Delektable Guide Stone Black/Brown or Black #8-#10; Delektable Kaboom Stone #8-#10; Wire Worm Orange & Red #4-#10; Flossy Worm Red #10-#14; Delektable Worm Red or Wine #12- #16; Delektable Orange Juice Caddis Emerger #14-#16; Hogan’s Red Headed Step Child #18; Psycho Prince GB Purple #16-#18; Zebra Midge Black #18-#20.

Streamers: Dali Llama Olive/White #6 or #10; Delektable Screamer Single Olive/White, Olive/Yellow, Olive or Olive/Black in Gold #6; Galloup’s Micro Dungeon Olive or Black/Purple #10; Zonker Natural, Natural Copper Body, Black or Dark Olive #6-#8; Sheila Sculpin #4; Sculpzilla Olive/White, Black, Olive/Tan or White #4-#8; Jr’s Conehead Streamer Olive #6; Conehead Zuddler Olive #8; Pocket Rocket Olive or Black #4; McCune’s Sculpin Olive #4-#8; Trevor’s Sculpin Olive or Black #4; Mini Loop Sculpin Olive #6; Sculpin the One Olive/Natural #4; Butt Monkey Olive #4; Zirdle Olive/Orange #8; Willy’s Fruit Roll Up Black #8-#12; Mini Sculpin Black or Natural #6-#8; Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow Smoke, JJ, and Sculpin #6. Mini Boogeyman Olive #6.

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October 14th-October 31st, 2024 | Upper Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Second Summer (Or is it Third Summer?) is finally ending and we are seeing the Madison Fall Winds bringing in Autumn Delight! Cooler nighttime temps have dramatically changed the water temperatures, we are seeing temps dipping below 50 degrees and taking longer to warm back up through the day. The Whitefish Spawn is still on, and we are starting to see the Brown Trout Staging for their big Spawn. With so many fall activities to occupy the masses, the crowds on the Upper Madison have dissipated and left a lot of open water for you to enjoy the River to yourself!

No need to rush to the river and get out early, it’s far too chilly out there. Trout have been lethargic due to the cold-water temperatures and we are seeing more consistent eats mid-day and into the late afternoon. Streamflows are at 800 cfs @ Kirby and 1,020cfs @ Cameron. These are our winter flows and will remain at these flows likely through the Winter.

The past two weeks have seen Trout starting to be found in shallower water and dragging your Nymphs or Streamers through different areas and flows has been an effective method of hooking up. Larger Stoneflies followed by a Small Nymph, fishing two smaller Nymphs in combo or a Streamer with a Small Nymph trailer have been popular rigs. There still is a dry fly eat on Delektable Lil’ Chubby patterns and BWO patterns (if you can be out on a overcast day without Mach 10 winds) in the afternoon. Dry with an Emerger has still been productive on bright days in the heat of the day.  

Here at Beartooth Flyfishing we are still open every day 9AM- 5PM. Our fully stocked fly shop, with the best free coffee, will give you a retail adventure you soon won’t forget! We will be switching to our winter hours sometime in November, please check Google as we keep that updated with our current hours and days!

Nymphs: Delektable Tungsten Gold B.H. Formerly Prince #14-#18; Delektable JH Tungsten Micro Spanker Holo-Black, Pheasant Tail, Holo-Olive, Holo-Silver, Yellow Spot or Hare’s Ear #16-#18; Delektable Mega Prince STD #8-#10; Delektable JH Tungsten Black Bling #14-#18; Delektable Gold B.H. Formerly Mega Prince STD #8; RS2 Black or Gray #18-#20; Lightning Bug Silver or Pearl #16-#18; Delektable JH Tungsten Olive Hare’s Ear Torch Light #18; Pat’s Rubberlegs Black/Brown or Black #8-#10; Delektable Guide Stone Black/Brown or Black #8-#10; Geppert’s Mega Emerger #16-#18; Jig Duracell Original #16; Skinny Nelson #18; Geppert’s Master Emerger #16-#18; Stockers Two Hot Baetis #18; BH Black FB Pheasant Tail #20; Delektable Tungsten Spanker Red BH FB Red Dog #14-#16; JuJu FB Red #18-#20; Tungsten BH BWO Nymph #18-#20; BH Montana Bullet Black/Red or Black #18; Delektable Kaboom Stone #8-#10; Wire Worm Orange & Red #4-#10; Worm Flossy Red #10-#14; Delektable Worm Red or Wine #16; Delektable Orange Juice Caddis Emerger #14-#16; Hogan’s Red Headed Step Child #18; Psycho Prince GB Purple #16-#18.

Streamers: Dali Llama Olive/White #6 or #10; Delektable Single Screamer Olive/White, Olive/Yellow, Olive or Olive/Black in Gold #6; Galloup’s Micro Dungeon Olive or Black/Purple #10; Zonker Natural, Natural Copper Body, Black or Dark Olive #6-#8; Sheila Sculpin #4; Sculpzilla Olive/White, Black, Olive/Tan or White #4-#8; Jr’s Conehead Streamer Olive #6; Conehead Zuddler Olive #8; Pocket Rocket Olive or Black #4; McCune’s Sculpin Olive #4-#8; Trevor’s Sculpin Olive or Black #4; Mini Loop Sculpin Olive #6; Sculpin the One Olive/Natural #4; Butt Monkey Olive #4; Zirdle Olive/Orange #8; Willy’s Fruit Roll Up Black #8-#12; Mini Sculpin Black or Natural #6-#8; Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow Sculpin, Smoke, or JJ #6. Galloup’s Mini Boogeyman Olive #6.

Dries: Sparkle Dun BWO #18-#20; BWO Butthead Sparkle Dun #20; Q’s Loopy Cripple Stacker BWO #18; Delektable BWO Teaser #18-#20; Delektable BWO Squeezer #18-#20; Parachute Adams #18-#20; Delektable Lil’ Chubby UV Cinnamon, Royal #16-#18; Delektable Chubbyness Olive Brown, Rootbeer, Cinnamon or Royal #14-#16.

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September 16th-October 13th, 2024 | Upper Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Wow what a wonderful Fall we have had here on the Madison River! Warmer than normal, some record highs, but just gorgeous! The cooler nights and mornings have turned the Streamer bite on! And the dwindling hatches have still been holding on this past month with Fall Caddis and October Caddis making an appearance most afternoons.

Streamflows have been steady for the past few weeks holding at 890cfs at Kirby and 1,050cfs at Cameron. Water temperatures this past week have been dipping to below 50 degrees at night and rising to the high 50’s in the afternoon. The water temps have helped the streamer bite but have made the fish move into the more marginal shallower water and with the Whitefish spawning, Trout have been following the spawn and stacking up in different parts of the River.

Single Streamers with a Small Nymph trailer, Stonefly and Smaller Nymph combos, and Dry/Dropper combos have all been in the fall rotation. We are still seeing fish come up to the Dries in the afternoon. Watch for the BWO’s also, heads will be poking through the surface for those from now throughout the Fall!

Dries: More-Or-Less Hopper Yellow #12; Mongo Hopper Tan #12; Dry Humper Yellow, Royal Purple, Royal #14-#16; Para Ant Black & Red #14-#16; Delektable Flying Ant Cinnamon, Red/Purple or Black #14-#18; Sparkle Dun BWO #18-#20; BWO Butthead Sparkle Dun #20; Q’s Loopy Cripple Stacker BWO #18; Delektable BWO Teaser #18-#20; Delektable BWO Squeezer #18-#20; Parachute Adams #18-#20; Delektable Lil’ Chubby UV Caddis Green, UV Cinnamon, Royal #16-#18; Delektable Chubbyness Olive Brown, Rootbeer, Cinnamon or Royal #14-#16; Delektable Twisted Sister Orange/Brown #12; Delektable 2Tone Chubbyness UV Goldrush or Royal #14-#16.

Nymphs: Delektable Tungsten Gold B.H. Formerly Prince #14-#18; Delektable JH Tungsten Micro Spanker Holo-Black, Pheasant Tail, Holo-Olive, Holo-Silver, Yellow Spot or Hare’s Ear #16-#18; Delektable Mega Prince STD #8-#10; Delektable JH Tungsten Black Bling #16-#18; Delektable Gold B.H. Formerly Mega Prince STD #8; RS2 Black or Gray #18-#20; Lightning Bug Silver or Pearl #16-#18; Delektable JH Tungsten Olive Hare’s Ear Torch Light #18; Pat’s Rubberlegs Black/Brown or Black #8-#10; Delektable Guide Stone Black/Brown #8-#10; Geppert’s Mega Emerger #16-#18; Jig Duracell Original #16; Skinny Nelson #18; Geppert’s Master Emerger #16-#18; Stocker’s Two Hot Baetis #18; BH Black FB Pheasant Tail #20; Delektable Tungsten Spanker Red BH FB Red Dog #14-#16; JuJu Baetis FB Red #18-#20; Tungsten BH BWO Nymph #18-#20; BH Montana Bullet Black/Red or Black #18; Delektable Kaboom Stone #8-#10; Wire Worm Orange & Red #4-#10; Worm Flossy Red #10-#14; Delektable Worm Red or Wine #12-#16; Delektable Orange Juice Caddis Emerger #14-#16; Hogan’s Red Headed Step Child #18; Psycho Prince GB Purple #16-#18.

Streamers: Dali Llama Olive/White #6 or #10; Delektable Screamer Single Olive/White, Olive/Yellow, Olive or Olive/Black in Gold #6; Galloup’s Micro Dungeon Olive or Black/Purple #10; Zonker Natural, Natural Copper Body, Black or Dark Olive #6-#8; Sheila Sculpin #4; Sculpzilla Olive/White, Black, Olive/Tan or White #4-#8; Jr’s Conehead Streamer Olive #6; Conehead Zuddler Olive #8; Pocket Rocket Olive or Black #4; McCune’s Sculpin Olive #4-#8; Trevor’s Sculpin Olive or Black #4; Mini Loop Sculpin Olive #6; Sculpin the One Olive/Natural #4; Butt Monkey Olive #4; Zirdle Olive/Orange #8; Willy’s Fruit Roll Up Black #8-#12; Mini Sculpin Black or Natural #6-#8; Coffey’s Minnow Smoke or JJ #6. Mini Boogeyman Olive #6.

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September 1st-15th, 2024 | Upper Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Fall has arrived in the beautiful Madison River Valley and with-it epic fishing days with Behemoth Trout on the menu! We experienced true fall in Southwest Montana; Crazy Storms, Big W, Hot Days and our first snow in the Mountains. The Wild Montana Fall is a shop favorite and for anyone that has been out experiencing it the last two weeks you know why!

Streamflows have been up and down the last two weeks due to the weather and the work for the new dock at Kobayashi Beach on Ennis Lake. Starting the week at 976cfs @ Kirby and 1,090cfs @ Cameron, dropping to 886cfs @ Kirby and 1,020cfs @ Cameron and rising by the end of the week to 1,050cfs @ Kirby and 1,060cfs @ Cameron. These slight bumps and drops in Streamflow Levels the last two weeks can make an impact upon the bite and to the water temperature which in turn can affect the few remaining hatches we have left. So, if you had some odd fishing days the past few weeks it’s most likely due to the outdoor conditions, even the smallest of changes can be the cause!

Terrestrial action has still been active on the clear and warmer days. Nymphing and Streamer fishing has been the most consistent throughout the day. We have been seeing the Fall Caddis, Moths, Midges, Tricos and the start of Blue Winged Olives by the end of the week. Emergent patterns have been working well with some successful top water days also. Additionally, we have started to see the Ennis Lake fish moving up into the river system and some big trout are out there!

Here at Beartooth Flyfishing we are so excited that our New Delektable Flies have come in, were six packed and tested this last week. They are all winners! We have changed our store hours to 8:00AM to 5:30PM Everyday! Stop on in, enjoy some free coffee and tell us about your Fall Fishing Adventures!

Nymphs: Delektable Jig Hook Tungsten Micro Spanker Holo-Black, Holo-Silver, Yellow Spot, Hot Spot Orange or PT #16-#18; Delektable Jig Hook Tungsten Black Bling #16-#18; Delektable Tungsten Gold BH Formerly Prince #16-#18; BH Lightning Bug Gold or Silver #16-#18; Jig Duracell Copper Top or Original/Red Bead #16; Pat’s Rubberlegs Olive/Brown or Black/Brown #8-#12; Flossy Worm Red #10 & #14; Wire Worm Red/Orange #6-#10; Geppert’s Mega Emerger #16-#18; RS2 Gray or Olive #18-#20; Montana Bullet Black or Blk/Red #18; Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear #16-#18; Geppert’s Crystal Dip Crystal, Red or Black #16-#18; Psycho Prince Purple #16-#18; Hogan’s Red Headed Step Child #16-#18; Delektable Prince Brandon #16-#18; Delektable Jig Hook Tungsten Olive Hare’s Ear Torch Light #16.

Dries: Delektable Flying Ant Cinnamon, Purple #16-#18; Bloom’s Stealth Ant Purple #14-#16; Yaeger’s 409 Red #14-#16; Dry Humper Royal or Royal Purple #14-#16; Delektable Chubbyness UV Cinnamon, Olive Brown or Rootbeer #14-#16; Delektable Lil’ Chubby UV Cinnamon or Royal #14-#18; Royal Wulff Cripple #16-#18; Delektable Twisted Baby Tan/Brown, Brown or Purple #14-#16; Dornan’s Water Walker Peanut #12; Super Chernobyl Brown #12; Trico Spinner Double Wing #18; Snowshoe Trico #20; Adam’s Midge Cluster #18-#20; CDC Last Chance Cripple Trico #22; Etha Wing Dun-Trico #20-#22.

Streamers: Dali Llama Olive/White #6 or #10; Delektable Screamer Single Olive/White, Olive/Yellow, Olive or Olive/Black in Gold #6; Galloup’s Micro Dungeon Olive or Black/Purple #10; Zonker Natural, Natural Copper Body, Black or Dark Olive #6-#8; Sheila Sculpin #4; Sculpzilla Olive/White #4-#8; Jr’s Conehead Streamer Olive #6; Conehead Zuddler Olive #8; Pocket Rocket Olive #4; McCune’s Sculpin Olive #4-#8; Trevor’s Sculpin Olive #4; Coffey’s CH Sparkle Minnow Sculpin or Smoke #6; Mini Loop Sculpin Olive #6; Sculpin the One Olive/Natural #4; Butt Monkey Olive #4; Zirdle Olive/Orange #8.

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