June 3rd-June 15th, 2025 | Upper Madison River Fishing Report

Is that thing in the sky a bird or a plane? Oh no! WAIT!

It’s just a giant adult Salmon Fly fluttering to the water to lay its eggs for the next stonefly cycle that takes place every June here on the Madison River!

While it’s still early on and we are just starting to see the beginning of the hatch down above town. However, it is moving fast upstream, which is very exciting! Often fishing is best upstream of where the hatch is most prevalent on the River as the hatch progresses.

Dry Fly fishing the Salmon Fly Hatch can be a fun and exciting experience but also notoriously difficult at times. Going at the most optimal times of the day makes for more consistent eats and takes on the big bugs. These flies primarily hatch during the late evening or early morning hours so fishing during those times is most effective. Sometimes the action can be through out the day as with Salmon Flies Trout Bing and Purge with these big meals. With that, they can end up eating in different sections and at different times depending on how full they are.

In addition to Salmon Flies there are multiple other consistent hatches this time of year. Yellow Sallies, PMD’s, and Caddis can all be seen on the river at different times of the day so don’t neglect the other hatches as the trout could be just as easily keyed in on the other bugs as well.

When it comes to Nymphing the same rule applies. Covering the most consistent hatches with various Nymphs to try to replicate what is going on the river at that specific time of year often works best but attractor nymphs in bright colors and styles can be very effective.

Streamer fishing has dwindled since the water has come down with runoff but still has remained consistent throwing Sculpins, Juvenile Whitefish, Trout Parr and Crawdad Imitations. Keying into what these fish are feeding on can drastically help your streamer game! Early morning and evening remain our most consistent, but the middle of the day can turn on at times especially with a rolling thunderstorm or overcast days!

It is Prime Time in the West! Hope to see you soon, we are open 7 days a week 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Let us help you stock up on all the good ammo and gear for your epic Montana Vacation!

Dries: Delektable Secret Stone UV Orange, UV Salmonfly, and Royal #6-8; Delektable Secret Stone UV Goldenstone #10-#12; Delektable Chubbyness Little Yellow Stone, Royal, Cinnamon or Rootbeer #14-#16; Delektable Mega 2 Tone Chubbyness UV Salmonfly, Royal #6-8 and UV Goldrush, UV Goldenstone #10-#12; Delektable Lil’ Chubby UV Olive, UV Cinnamon, Royal #14-#18; Delektable CDC Elk hair Caddis Holo Olive, Purple, Olive or Tan #14-16; Delektable Twisted Baby Yellow With a Red Butt #12-16; Delektable Halo Tan, Royal #14-#16.

Nymphs: Delektable Tungsten Gold B.H. Formerly Prince #12-16; Delektable JH Tungsten Olive Hares Ear Torch Light #14-16; Delektable JH Tungsten Micro Spanker Sally, Hare’s Ear, Pheasant Tail #14-#16; Delektable Kaboom Stone #6-8; Delektable Gold B.H. Mega Formerly Prince STD #6-8; Geppert’s Skinny Dip Brown #14-18; Jig CDC Brown Thrasher #14-16; Silver B.H. Black Spanish Bullet #16; Lightning Bugs Silver, Gold, Pearl #14-#18; Delektable Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail #14-#18; Splitback PMD #14-#16. Delektable Root Beer Float Yellow #14-#16.

Streamers: Dalai Lama Olive/White #6-10; Delektable Screamer Single Olive/White, Yellow, White, Olive/Black or Badger #6; JR’s Conehead Streamer Olive #6; McCune’s Sculpin Olive or Tan #4, Trevor’s Sculpin Olive #4; Sculpzilla Olive/White #8; Sculp Ditty Olive #4; Pocket Rocket Olive #4.

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May 19th-June 2nd, 2025 | Upper Madison River Fishing Report

Once again, this year we were blessed to have the opportunity to team up with Members of the Madison-Gallatin TU Chapter and our good friend Michael Gerhart hosting a wonderful group of Veterans for three days of excellent Fly Fishing on the Upper Madison. A Big Thank You to Michael, Bob Frey, and Andy Moore and the other volunteers for the wonderful time. Great food was had by all at Michael’s place here in the Valley each morning and evening of their stay. Memories to last a lifetime were made each day. The Trout cooperated wonderfully, and the smiles on the faces of each member of the group says it all. As always we are proud and honored to participate in these trips each and every year. Giving back to the Veteran’s who have sacrificed so much for us is priceless!

Mayhem In May here on the Madison River! Our vets group came in on the 19th to some great conditions! Their first day was awesome!

The River took a good drop in flow, which made the wade fishing solid. Many runs in the upper section historically in the spring can become too high to wade out to. The delayed release out of Hebgen has allowed the buckets in the middle of the river to be accessible for wading. In Between the Lakes at a low clear flow, indicator fishing with light tippets such as 4X or even 5X has been effective for catching fish in such a pressured area when surrounding systems have runoff. As for the Madison below Quake Lake you can get away with some heavier tippet as clarity is still somewhat off colored. Keying into the prevalent hatches such as BWO’s and Caddis will get you into some fish this time of year, as well as Egg patterns and Streamers. Nymphing will usually get more numbers, while Streamer fishing or flies such as Eggs or Worms tend to catch larger fish. Not always the case but true in most situations, especially when talking about streamer fishing. Often, folks including Shop Crew have hooked Their largest fish on reaction strikes while throwing streamers in the Spring. Dry Fly eats have been happening with the Trout beginning to look for the larger insects with Salmon Flies a few weeks out.

With temps on the rise in the coming weeks expect hatches to increase and a possible flow bump. The fishing will remain solid as fish in most cases slide into the banks and deep holes still accessible to wade fisherman. Here at Beartooth Flyfishing we are open 7 days a week, 8AM to 5PM! Come on in for the best Free Coffee in the Valley, the best flies and the best stories!

Nymphs: Delektable Gold B.H. Formerly Mega Prince Std #8-10; Pat’s Rubberlegs Brown/Black #6-#10; Delektable Guide Stone Brown/Black #6-#10; Firebead Rays Pink #18; Delektable Jig Hook Tungsten Micro Spanker Hares Ear, Holo Olive, Holo Black, Pheasant Tail #16-#18; Delektable FB Sparkle Kaboom Stone #8-#10; Delektable Tungsten Gold BH Formerly Prince #14-#16, Delektable Mega Prince FB Standard #8-#10; Jig CDC Thrasher Copper, Brown, Rainbow #14-#16, BH Lightning Bug Pearl, Silver #12-#16; Wire Worm Red, Pink #6-#10; Delektable Worm Pink, Red, Wine #12-#16. Delektable Lil’ Spanker Silver, Pheasant Tail #12-#18; Jig Duracell Original, Copper Top #16; Stoker’s Two Hot Baetis #18; Silver BH Black Spanish Bullet.

Streamers: Dalai Llama #6-#10; Delektable Screamer Single Olive/White, Olive/Black and Gold, Black #6;  Trevor’s Sculpin Olive #4; Coffey’s Conehead Sparkle Minnow Smoke, Sculpin #6; Zonker Natural/Pearl, Natural/Copper #6-#8; Sculpzilla Black, Olive/White #4-#8; McCune’s Sculpin Olive #4-#8.                                                                                                                                                                           Dries: Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis Tan, Holo Olive #14- #16; Delektable Halo Peacock Dark Olive or Royal #14-16; Carlson’s Purple Craze #16; Delektable Mega Chubbyness Royal #8-10; Sparkle Dun BWO #18-#20; Bat Wing Emerger BWO #18; Delektable Teaser BWO #18-#20; Parachute Adams #12-#16; Jake’s Hatchback BWO #18. Delektable Sparkle Bug Dark Olive #14-#18.

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May 17th-May 22nd, 2025 | Beaverhead River Fishing Report

Third Saturday in May, locals only, Southwest Montana. Where are you going to be? The Beaverhead River of course!

Ryan and RT trekked over the hill to the Beaverhead River opener on Saturday and got into some nice Fish. With flows at 130cfs for the opener, the fishing was more challenging than years prior. Fish were either in deep pools or in shallow overlooked riffles. With most of the attention towards the Dam, many of the upper pools were crowded with wade fisherman making it hard to target certain holding water.

With this, RT and Ryan targeted the long flats and transitional water that was unoccupied by most Anglers further downstream. The boys deployed a multitude of trout tactics on these Fish that made a big difference. From dropping to lighter tippet, changing indicator depth, switching Flies and playing around with weight dispersion some good Trout were caught with perseverance.

The most consistent Fishing on the Beaverhead right now with the flows and cold-water temps is going to be Nymphing. Indicator Rigs with point and dropper flies or Euro rigs have been the most consistent so far.

In the coming weeks expect a flow bump of a few hundred cfs. Until then fishing a bunch of different water, changing flies often and adjusting depth and weight has been helpful for anglers trying to fool the wise Beaverhead Browns!

Nymphs: Firebead Soft Hackle Sow Bug Tan, Pink, Gray #16-#18; Ray Charles Tan, Pink, Gray #18-#20; Ninch’s Pill Popper #16-#18; Geppert’s Master Emerger #18; Flossy Worm Red #12-#14; Barr’s Emerger #16-#18; Splitback BWO #18-#20; Delektable Lil’ Spanker PT #18; Delektable Big Spanker Warrior #18; Delektable JH Tungsten Micro Spanker Holo Olive or Holo Black #18; Zebra Midge Copper/Black, Black or Red #18-#20.

Dries: Sparkle Dun BWO #18-#20; Delektable Teaser BWO #18-#20; Batwing Emerger BWO #18.

Streamers: Delektable Screamer Single Olive/White #6; Dalai Lama Olive/White #6-#10; Sculpzilla Olive, or Black #8.

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April 20th-May 11th, 2025 | Upper Madison River Fishing Report

Is it Spring? Summer? Winter? Does it matter? There’s a Bite and the grass is getting greener! Snow is melting and temps are rising. We are seeing the first glimpses of Spring Runoff on the Mighty Madison River. Pre Runoff conditions are some of the best times to target large Fish after a long cold Winter. Many anglers and guides have reported success in fishing through a multitude of techniques.

Anglers Nymphing have reported success fishing buckets with various Stoneflies, Caddis and Baetis Nymphs. Small Streamers, Worms and Eggs have also been working fished under a bobber.

Many throwing Streamers have also found success on a variety of different flies. Crawdad and Sculpin imitations have been the ticket as of late. This time of year is widely regarded as some of the best Streamer fishing we see. Big fish want a big meal! So don’t forget to grab your sink tip and work that water for your next Personal Best! Or try one of Dan’s Beartooth Sinking Leaders with a Dry Fly Line, works great with Streamers and Trailers and no Chucking and Ducking!

Dry or Die folks have had great opportunities to wet the line now that the water temps have warmed. With the Skwala hatch ending in a cold sporadic way, the Mother’s Day Caddis hatch has been prevalent over the last few weeks when the weather conditions cooperated. In the coming weeks expect more scattered Caddis and BWO hatches as runoff starts to kick in. As the river begins to drop and clear we shall see some of the largest Caddis of the year before the Infamous Salmon Fly hatch!

Nymphs: Delektable Gold BH Formerly Mega Prince Std # 6-10, Delektable Gold BH Formerly Hurless Stone Gray #6-10, Delektable Tungsten Gold BH Formerly Prince #16, BH Lightning Bug Pearl. Delektable FB Sparkle Kaboom Stone #6-10, Delektable Kaboom Stone #6-10, Delektable Guidestone Black/Brown #6-10, Delektable Guidestone Black #6-10, Delektable Mega Prince Standard Flashback #6-10, Delektable Mega Prince Olive Flashback #6-10, BH Jig Hook Silver Lightening Bug #14-18, Jig CDC Brown Thrasher #14-16, Jig CDC Olive Thrasher #14-16, Silver BH Black Spanish Bullet #16, Jig Duracell Original #16, Delektable Hurless Nymph Purple #6-10, Delektable Jig Hook Tungsten Micro Spanker Holo Silver #16, Delektable Jig Hook Tungsten Micro Spanker Holo Olive #16, Delektable Jig Hook Tungsten Black Bling #16, BH Gummy Worm Red #12, BH Gummy Worm Pink #12, Wire Worm Orange and Red #8, Wire Worm Wine Red #6-8, Wire Worm Red #6-8, Delektable Worm Red #8-10, Delektable Worm Wine #8-10

Streamers: Sculpzilla Olive #8, Sculpzilla Black #8, Dalai Lama Olive/White #6 & #10, Jr’s Conehead Streamer Natural or Olive #6, Galloup’s Sex Dungeon Olive, Natural or Black #6-#10, Delektable Single Screamer Olive/White, Brown/Yellow, Black or White #6.

Dries: Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis Cinnamon #14, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis Olive #14, Parachute Adams #14-16, Delektable Twisted Baby Tan/Brown #14, Cornfed Caddis CDC Tan #16, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis Holo Olive #14-16, Missing Link Caddis Olive #14, Delektable Lil’ Chubby UV Caddis Green #18, Delektable Lil’ Chubby UV Olive #18.

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May 2nd- May 10th, 2025 | Missouri River Fishing Report

Snow is melting, temperatures are rising, and the fish are chewing! Dry Fly time is finally here on the Missouri!

Early in May the Nymphing was solid before we got some of the first warm and consistent weather of the Spring. Streamer fishing sparse patterns and running bobber rigs with light tippet and various Sow Bugs, Midges, and Attractor Patterns are the program on the Missouri early on when the trout are not quite rising consistently enough to fish Dries. Although, on select warm and cloudy evenings we saw some special Dry Fly Fishing. BWO’s and March Browns were epic.

RT took the boat over for an evening and got some epic eats on the Dry including a nice 20” brown!

Since we have seen the temperature and flow increase the last few weeks, PMD’s are about to blow up any day now. With the scattered BWO’s and Caddis still around the Nymphing and Dry Fly fishing should really pick up!

Dries: Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis Tan, Holo Olive; #14; Elk Hair Caddis Tan #14; Parachute Adams #16; Delektable Twisted Baby Tan/Brown #14; Delektable Halo Tan, Peacock, and Royal #14-#16; “X” Caddis Tan #14; Adams Split Wing Parachute #16.

Nymphs: Ninch’s Pill Popper #14-16; Fire bead Sow Bug Pink #14-16; Fire bead Sow Bug Rainbow #14-16; Delektable Twinkle Miracle #18-20; Delektable Twinkle Gray #18-20; Delektable Twinkle Black #18-20; Silver B.H. Black Spanish Bullet #16.

Streamers: Delektable Screamer Single White #6; Delektable Screamer Single Olive/White #6; Galloup’s Mini Dungeon Grey #6; Sculpzilla White #8.

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