Palisades day use area is open. The camping area will remain closed for one to two weeks while the work is being completed.
If I’m dreaming, don’t wake me up!
I’ve been fishing the Madison River for over 20 years, and I can easily say the last three days has been one of the best runs of guiding and fishing I have ever seen. It just doesn’t get any better!
And it doesn’t matter the fishermen’s preference; dries or nymphs, they’re all working. There were stretches where the dries worked better than the nymphs, and vice-versa. But there were also big chunks of the days when both worked equally as well … So many bent rods … So many fish … So many photos … So many smiling fishermen …
The three-day run was with seven clients on a four-boat float. At one point on the third day, the digital cameras were getting passed around as fishermen were comparing pictures of 20-plus-inch trout … Every boat was scoring lots of fish, and lots of big fish … What a day!
Punctuating the action below the water was all the insect life above the water. Small caddis, large Caddis, a variety of Mayflies, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones and even a smattering of Salmon Flies; the air was teeming with activity. The Salmon flies have been around but not showing a big enough hatch to make noteworthy and report separately. The Salmon Flies are now from Varney up to Lyons. They have not visited the lodge and the front porch which is when we usually announce their presence. The other bugs around the Salmon Flies are what really made the week and they are still out there hatching away.
The list of flies that worked and could work is huge, so let’s talk food groups. On the dries: Stoneflies, especially Goldens, got a lot of attention, along with Mayflies in #16 and #14, and Caddis in #16 and #12. We even tried a large Royal Trude for a little while, for “old times” sake, and it didn’t disappoint. For the nymphs: Caddis and Mayflies in #16 and #14, and Prince Nymphs in #14 and #12 all worked well. But the real “kicker” was Yellow Sally nymphs in #16 and 14, which caught the most, and the biggest fish.
Am I dreaming? Heck no! … It’s the Madison River, the hatches are in high gear, and the fishing is great! … It’s time to go fishing!
Marty
If I’m dreaming, don’t wake me up!
I’ve been fishing the Madison River for over 20 years, and I can easily say the last three days has been one of the best runs of guiding and fishing I have ever seen. It just doesn’t get any better!
And it doesn’t matter the fishermen’s preference; dries or nymphs, they’re all working. There were stretches where the dries worked better than the nymphs, and vice-versa. But there were also big chunks of the days when both worked equally as well … So many bent rods … So many fish … So many photos … So many smiling fishermen …
The three-day run was with seven clients on a four-boat float. At one point on the third day, the digital cameras were getting passed around as fishermen were comparing pictures of 20-plus-inch trout … Every boat was scoring lots of fish, and lots of big fish … What a day!
Punctuating the action below the water was all the insect life above the water. Small caddis, large Caddis, a variety of Mayflies, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones and even a smattering of Salmon Flies; the air was teeming with activity. The Salmon flies have been around but not showing a big enough hatch to make noteworthy and report separately. The Salmon Flies are now from Varney up to Lyons. They have not visited the lodge and the front porch which is when we usually announce their presence. The other bugs around the Salmon Flies are what really made the week and they are still out there hatching away.
The list of flies that worked and could work is huge, so let’s talk food groups. On the dries: Stoneflies, especially Goldens, got a lot of attention, along with Mayflies in #16 and #14, and Caddis in #16 and #12. We even tried a large Royal Trude for a little while, for “old times” sake, and it didn’t disappoint. For the nymphs: Caddis and Mayflies in #16 and #14, and Prince Nymphs in #14 and #12 all worked well. But the real “kicker” was Yellow Sally nymphs in #16 and 14, which caught the most, and the biggest fish.
Am I dreaming? Heck no! … It’s the Madison River, the hatches are in high gear, and the fishing is great! … It’s time to go fishing!
Marty
My initial plan last night was to float Storey Ditch to Burnt Tree, however, that changed pretty quickly when I woke up this morning to pounding rain and wind. Instead, I chose to float Varney to Town, in an effort to avoid a bit of the wind. Fishing was OK. We boated some fish on both the Bow River Bugger as well as the White Legged Black Girdle Bug. All fish caught were on a tight line, either pulling it off the bank or through the deeper, straight middle runs. While we did wade a bit right off the bat, we didn’t poke any fish so the clients chose not to wade any holes past the first few outta the chutes. They wanted to chase the color black but dead drifted black bugs weren’t doing it. So we fished out of the boat, and while we didn’t land 100 fish, we did boat a number of 15"-18" browns with one smaller rainbow in the mix. One BB split shot was enough weight under a 9 foot leader to get into the fishes feeding lane. While all the fish we landed were all either on the Bow River Bugger or Girdle Bug, there were a few big fish that straightend a sz.14 Red Lil’ Spanker.
GO FISHING, Charles P.
After a morning of work, and staring out the windows at an absolutely gorgeous, sunny day, the boss said “no mas!”. We had lunch, wrapped up a couple minor projects, then loaded up the truck and headed to the river for some wade fishing.
As usual, it was the right call. That’s why he’s the boss. The fish were as happy to see the beautiful weather as we were; and oh boy, were they biting! We started our trek with a very short drive, straight down the hill behind the lodge. It wasn’t long before the “woo-hoo!”s started, as rods bent, time and again, with hungry Madison River trout, punctuated with majestic leaps into the crisp air.
After a good run of fish behind the lodge, we started working our way up the river. A handful more trout accepted our offerings at another of our favorite holes, then we made the move to our third stop. We again fished in solitude, with no other waders in sight. And like the first two stops, the fish were hungry and eager, the only difference being, they were even hungrier. Dan, “The Man,” caught 10 trout in one section; six of them coming from one hole … My ears are still ringing from the whooping and hollering.
My highlight of the day, along with the beautiful trout I was landing, was the fact that I was catching them on my favorite wading rig; a 60-year-old Granger bamboo rod, rebuilt by Dan, and a 50-year-old Hardy reel … Catching wild trout on the Madison River with vintage gear … Priceless!
The bugs the trout just couldn’t refuse were the Delektable™ Olive Flashback Hurless #6, Delektable Grey Flashback Hurless #6, Delektable Brown Stoner #6, Delektable Red Worms Gone Wild #8 and Delektable Lil’ Spanker #14 in Red, Silver and Pheasant Tail: Delektable Flies Gallery
Oh, and the reports we are still hearing about the Madison being blown-out. Well, for lack of a better term, they are blown-out, of proportion. Just check out the water in the pictures. It’s not muddy. There is a stain, but with good clarity … And, as I may have mentioned already, the fish are biting — hard! Customers who stopped at the shop for a shuttle called later today to confirm their good fishing results and success with the same flies we used and streamers too..
So grab your gear and go fishing!
Marty
