Important Notice: May 28rd River Closed Under Varney Bridge

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Important Update from the Montana Department of Transportation:

Construction crews will begin removing the west side of the structure of Varney Bridge on Tuesday, May 28th. Completion of the work is dependent upon good weather. Boats will not be able to pass through Varney Bridge on May 28th.

During the Bridge Removal:

  • Boats are restricted to a 6-foot maximum height clearance at the Varney Bridge.
  • Buoys in the river will direct boats through the construction zone.
  • The river will be temporarily closed through the construction zone on Tuesday, May 28 when the steel structure is removed.
  • The Fishing Access Site on the east side of the river will remain open for boats to exit the river. 
  • Notification signage will be placed upstream and downstream of the bridge.

Please visit the construction camera here for up-to-date views of the Varney Bridge and information about closures and restrictions.

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May 20th – 26th | Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Runoff came for a few days and it left, the river has dropped about 500 c.f.s. at Varney since our last report. Visibility is just about perfect with 2 feet or so and a great blue/green color. We expect to see the creeks dirty back up by the end of the week so get out there and take advantage of the float section while it’s good! The water above the West Fork will remain a good option throughout runoff.

Most fish are being caught on nymphs, of course but the streamer fishing has been really great over the past few days as well. Dry fly fishing can be had either up around Three Dollar and Raynold’s Pass with Baetis and Midges or down below Varney with Caddis and March Browns. Our best patterns are as follows:

-Delektable Lil Spankers
-Delektable Prince Brandons
-Shop Vacs
-Morrish’s Anato May
-Zebra Midges
-JR’s Coneheads
-Flash Fry
-Sex Dungeons
-Sparkle Minnows
-Zonkers

-Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis
-Purple Craze
-Parachute Adams

Varney Bridge is expected to have another closure to float traffic under the bridge this week, weather depending. We will do our best to keep you up to date on that project and we also recommend keeping an eye out for signage at the access sites throughout the river for info on the project. Check out our last report for a link to the Montana Department of Transportation’s website for more info on the Varney Bridge construction.

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Important Notice: May 23rd River Closed Under Varney Bridge

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Beartooth Flyfishing

 

Important Update from the Montana Department of Transportation:

Construction crews will begin removing the Varney Bridge on Monday, May 20. Work to remove the existing bridge is expected to take several weeks. A temporary river closure is anticipated to take place on Thursday, May 23 as crews remove the west side of the bridge.

During the Bridge Removal:

  • Boats are restricted to a 6-foot maximum height clearance at the Varney Bridge.
  • Buoys in the river will direct boats through the construction zone.
  • The river will be temporarily closed through the construction zone on Thursday, May 23 when the steel structure is removed.
  • The Fishing Access Site on the east side of the river will remain open for boats to exit the river. 
  • Notification signage will be placed upstream and downstream of the bridge.

Please visit the construction camera here for up-to-date views of the Varney Bridge and information about closures and restrictions.

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May 13th – 19th | Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Beartooth Flyfishing

It sure feels like spring time these days with this past week spending most of its time in the 70’s and the upcoming forecast showing mostly 40’s and low 50’s for daytime highs. The creeks are on the drop at the moment after a few days of kicking in some dirty water which should be good for the fishing.It’s been mostly nymphs and streamers that are doing the bulk of the catching. Delektable Double Screamers, Trevor’s Sculpins, Sparkle Minnows and Buggers have seen their share of success out there.We’ve been fishing a good variety of nymphs as the conditions are changing almost every day. Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Copper John’s and Pheasant Tails are good for the March Browns in size #10 or #12. Smaller bugs like Delektable Ranch BWOs, Lightning Bugs, Serendipities and Princes are the Baetis/BWO lineup. Pat’s Rubberlegs, Delektable Stonefly Candy and Worms are working for the other stuff.The drop in temp seems to be keeping the March Browns and Caddis under the surface once again. Shop Vacs and other Caddis Emergers will work. If you’re dying to get some dry fly fishing in you can still find some fish eating Midges and Baetis here and there. Sipper Midges and small Adams should be all you need or try a Purple Haze.

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May 6th – 12th | Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Beartooth Flyfishing

The Project Healing Waters group was in for the week and their trip was a great healing adventure! There were three different days of fishing and the group was with different people guiding them each day and at different places on the Madison. Thank you to those who helped them access the wade areas. Big Dan started the week with Brandon and Bob Frey guiding the boys. Gunnar, David Kern, and Marty helped during the rest of the week. Thank you to the guides for your help. All the boys caught fish and each had different and remarkable adventures! There were rainbows mostly, a few browns, and even a cutthroat and whitefish. They were great guys and a pleasure to be with. Our neighbor Michael donated his time as chef with his friend Mark. Thank you Michael. It was great eating and great added stories about the food and all kinds of adventures.

The water is at an all time color (a touch of murk) and VERY steady flow right around 2,100 cfs since the beginning of the month, so if you are thinking of going….you should. The west fork has just started to kick in a bit of dirty water. This is once again your chance to throw the big bugs and get funky, because the trout are just on a feeding frenzy in the spring. The weather has been cooperating and the snowpack is slowly coming down giving us a little bit of an idea as to how the outlook on the big bugs this summer is going to be. The March Browns and Caddis have started to work their way out of the depths down towards town and dry fly fishing has followed.

The bugs that have been in the queue all week are as follows:  Gray Paradrake Sz 10; Purple Haze Cripple Sz 10; Parachute Adams Sz 12; Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis Tan Sz 16; Goddard Caddis Sz 16; Delektable Mega Prince Olive Flash Back Sz 8; Delektable Mega Prince Standard Sz 8; Pat’s Rubber Legs in all the colors Sz 8-10 (Squalla still); Delektable Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail Sz 14 and 18 (BWO); Delektable Lil’ Spanker Silver Sz 14 and 18 (BWO); Delektable Prince Brandon Sz 14 and 16; Delektable Red Worm Sz 12; and Delektable Screamer Black/Olive.

The streamer bite has been on for some people who are addicted to it but for the most part they have been lethargic with the weather being a little chilly but it has been warming up and should stay in the 70’s for most of the upcoming week so hopefully we’ll be able to start speeding up the retrieves and seeing fish be more aggressive.

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