May 21, 2010 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.

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.

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on May 21, 2010 The proof is in the pudding!

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.

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

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on Week of May 16 – 21

May 21, 2010

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.

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on May 21, 2010

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

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on May 16 – 17, 2010

May 15, 2010

Opening Day on the Upper Madison….

Dan, Grandpa, and Nancy had a great opening day. It was a warm day with beautiful scenary. Tthe mountains had more snow on them and the sun was in and out. The valley is starting to show signs of green. There was a small amount of the "W" factor. Nancy started off catching more pretty large whitefish and Grandpa was getting jealous. He loves those native whitefish. We floated from Ruby to Storey Ditch because we had to be finished in time for a social outing in Virginia City in the early evening. Not too long after we started, the trout started to feed and we were all catching trout, both Rainbows and Browns and nice sizes.

The flies of choice included the Delektable™ Olive Mega Prince, Delektable Brown/Orange Stoner, and the Delektable EH Twisted Wire Brown/Amber.

For Grandpa and Dan this has been a tradition for many, many years. Grandpa will be 88 this year and still really loves to fish. The boys and I had lots of fun and smiles. Thanks for rowing Dan.

Nancy

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on May 15, 2010