“Oh, the weather outside is frightful …” But the fishing is AWESOME!

The weather was wet, very wet, on Friday, and very cold, with snowfall following on Saturday morning as I write this report. This meant bundling up for a guides-day-off trip down the Madison River with my buddies, Allen and Bern.

But, oh boy, was the fishing great!

The word for the day … STREAMERS! As is usually the case, the streamers weeded out the little guys, with only big fish biting our offerings … LOTS of big fish … Fishing was consistent throughout the float, punctuated with bent-rod doubles. Anytime there was a short lull, color selections were adjusted, and the bite was back on!

Oh, and the blown-out conditions we keep hearing about; not true! The water has a stain, but it’s not muddy, the clarity is good and, oh yeah, the fish are biting … HARD!

And the fun and great fishing didn’t end when we got off the river. As we pulled back into Beartooth with boat in tow, Dan was loading his truck for a late afternoon of wade fishing. Just like us, he absolutely hammered one big fish after another. The only difference was his fly selection, with stonefly nymphs providing his multitude of strikes; specifically, the #6 and #8 Delektable™ Black/Orange Stoner, and the #8 Delektable™ Olive Mega Prince Flashback.

My apologies for the sparing amount of photos. The seasoned veterans weren’t that concerned about taking pics, and my hands were so cold, I stopped taking them out of the protection of my gloves. In fact, after fishing a short while in the morning, I volunteered to row the remainder of the float, so I wouldn’t have to take the gloves off, and to keep the “internal heater” cranked up. Heck, even the local boys were feeling the effects of the cold, but I was much colder than them. … What can I say? I’m a Southern boy … I did get some photos of an unexpected highlight of our trip. We made a right-hand turn in the river and were greeted by a small herd of elk crossing the river, complete with calves. What a treat! This river, and valley, never ceases to amaze me with the natural beauty that fills it.

So grab your gear; and don’t forget to bring spare warm clothes and rain gear … and go fishing!

Marty

We received a great report back from friends and customers who stopped by for flies and fishing suggestions. Here are some pictures from their fishing on Friday.

"Hi my name is Jeff, I was in your shop yesterday with Marion from Helena. I just wanted to tell you that we had a great time on the river yesterday and thought that you have the best fly selection I’ve ever seen. Thanks for the selection you helped me with. (i’m the good lookin guy in the blue hat)"

Thanks for the great report Jeff.

Week of May 16-21

Despite reports to the contrary, the Madison River is NOT blown-out. The tail-end of the recent warm weather put some dirty water in the river, but it remained very fishable with only a ribbon of colored water on one edge. The cold temps of the last couple of nights cleared up the influx of the feeder creeks and the modest amount of "dirty" water has become only a stained tint in some areas. The vast majority of the river is clear and all of the river is very, very fishable.

Despite reports to the contrary, the Madison River is NOT blown-out. The tail-end of the recent warm weather put some dirty water in the river, but it remained very fishable with only a ribbon of colored water on one edge. The cold temps of the last couple of nights cleared up the influx of the feeder creeks and the modest amount of "dirty" water has become only a stained tint in some areas. The vast majority of the river is clear and all of the river is very, very fishable.

May 16-17, 2010

I had the pleasure of guiding Matt and Pam on the Madison River, and the mild weather, along with crystal-clear, perfect water, accented two wonderful days on the river. .. And, oh yeah … The fishing was great! Both anglers said it was some of the best fishing they ever had.

The first morning of fishing started a bit slow, with very few bugs in the air and only a handful of fish caught before lunch. But after our lunch break, we saw more and more bugs, with the occasional thick swarm of caddis filling the air, and a mix of mayflies thrown in for good measure. The bugs, like the weather, were off and on. There was a back-and-forth mix of sun and threatening rain, with fisherman putting on jackets, taking off jackets, putting on jackets, taking off jackets, etc. …But no matter; when the sun was out, and the air was warm enough for short sleeves, the fish turned on! And along with the great numbers of fish, the big fish were eating flies hard, with multiple runs into backings and high, majestic leaps out of the water. The anglers were whoopin’ and hollerin’ down the river, and grinning from ear-to-ear for pictures. What a great day!

Our second day again saw a good number of quality fish, just not as many of the photo fish. It was also a flip-flop of the previous day, with the morning fishing hot right from the start, then becoming slower but steady though the middle of the day, and a very slow bite in the afternoon.

The couple left with huge smiles and a camera full of great memories.
Thanks guys for two fun, wonderful days on the river.

The bugs that worked were the #6 Delektable Egghead Brown Stoner, #6 and
#8 Pat’s Brown Rubberlegs, #18 Delektable Lil’ Spanker in Silver, Pheasant Tail and Red, #16 Beadhead Pheasant Tail Tungsten Soft Hackle, and #18 Olive Micro Mayflies.

Tight Lines!

Marty

The proof is in the pudding!

We received a great report back from friends and customers who stopped by for flies and fishing suggestions. Here are some pictures from their fishing on Friday.

"Hi my name is Jeff, I was in your shop yesterday with Marion from Helena. I just wanted to tell you that we had a great time on the river yesterday and thought that you have the best fly selection I’ve ever seen. Thanks for the selection you helped me with. (i’m the good lookin guy in the blue hat)"

Thanks for the great report Jeff.

I had the pleasure of guiding Matt and Pam on the Madison River, and the mild weather, along with crystal-clear, perfect water, accented two wonderful days on the river. .. And, oh yeah … The fishing was great! Both anglers said it was some of the best fishing they ever had.

The first morning of fishing started a bit slow, with very few bugs in the air and only a handful of fish caught before lunch. But after our lunch break, we saw more and more bugs, with the occasional thick swarm of caddis filling the air, and a mix of mayflies thrown in for good measure. The bugs, like the weather, were off and on. There was a back-and-forth mix of sun and threatening rain, with fisherman putting on jackets, taking off jackets, putting on jackets, taking off jackets, etc. …But no matter; when the sun was out, and the air was warm enough for short sleeves, the fish turned on! And along with the great numbers of fish, the big fish were eating flies hard, with multiple runs into backings and high, majestic leaps out of the water. The anglers were whoopin’ and hollerin’ down the river, and grinning from ear-to-ear for pictures. What a great day!

Our second day again saw a good number of quality fish, just not as many of the photo fish. It was also a flip-flop of the previous day, with the morning fishing hot right from the start, then becoming slower but steady though the middle of the day, and a very slow bite in the afternoon.

The couple left with huge smiles and a camera full of great memories.
Thanks guys for two fun, wonderful days on the river.

The bugs that worked were the #6 Delektable Egghead Brown Stoner, #6 and
#8 Pat’s Brown Rubberlegs, #18 Delektable Lil’ Spanker in Silver, Pheasant Tail and Red, #16 Beadhead Pheasant Tail Tungsten Soft Hackle, and #18 Olive Micro Mayflies.

Tight Lines!

Marty