December | Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Winter has set in here in the Madison Valley and with it comes some of our favorite times to fish. When the weather permits the fishing can be outstanding this time of year. Rainbows pile up in the deep, slower holes and are usually pretty eager for a good meal.

Nymphs are usually the name of the game, specifically stonefly nymphs. We’ve been catching fish on a variety of Delektable nymphs such as the balanced Mega Prince, Standard Mega Princes, Hurless Stones, Stonefly Candy and Mr. Rubberlegs in Goldenstone.

Streamer fishing has had its days; you’re best off with smaller sculpin patterns and a slower retrieve. Flies like Sheila’s Sculpins, Sculpzillas, Delektable Single Screamers, Trevor’s Sculpins and Sparkle Minnows are all good choices.

Dry fly fishing has been pretty inconsistent but be sure to bring a few good adult midge patterns out there just in case you stumble into one of those runs full of rising fish.Griffith’s Gnats, CDC Midges, Sipper Midges and Brook’s Sprout Emergers are good choices. The hatches should be getting more consistent any day now and through the beginning of March we should see some good dry fly fishing.

The river can get pretty slushy down towards town and could totally freeze over eventually, so if you’re thinking about fishing below Varney you’ll want to take that into consideration; for the moment it’s clear but one real cold night could change that.

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December 5-12 | Louisiana Redfish

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Beartooth Flyfishing

I recently got back from fishing with our friend Captain Marty in his home waters of Louisiana. As anyone who knows Marty would expect he showed Wayne and I an awesome time on and off the water. We fished four days and had a couple days of less than fishable weather which was a great opportunity to experience down-town New Orleans.

 

The first couple days of fishing had less than perfect conditions but we made the best of it by catching some tanker Redfish, a few Black Drum, a Sheepshead and even a Sting Ray on live bait. Yeah, make your purist fly-fishing remarks now but I had a blast.

 

The clouds cleared on the second to last day out and we were able to try some sight-fishing. I went through the natural motions of getting a bit over-excited, blowing casts, badly missed hook sets and doing whatever else wrong I could manage. At the last spot for the day I finally hooked and landed a fifteen-pounder after he crushed the fly about five feet from the boat in a foot and a half of water.

 

The next and last day we had what I’d call perfect conditions if it were a few degrees warmer but nonetheless we were finding fish left and right on the flats. Getting them to take a fly was quite a bit tougher than finding them but Marty and I were able to hook into about one in every ten fish we found. Throughout the day I was reminded several times that on a normal day the fish would be eating without a second thought but I’m still unconvinced that I could have had a better time. Thank you Marty.

 

Brian Chasse

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October 14th – November 2nd | Rogue River Fishing Report

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Beartooth Flyfishing



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October 1st – 21st | Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on October 21, 2018 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Well it’s the same old song and dance here on the Upper Madison as fly selections, water flows and even the weather has been pretty consistent over the past few weeks. That consistency may not make for a very exciting latest fishing report but it’s kind of nice to not have to dig through the fly boxes trying to figure out what they’re eating every other day.

Under the surface we’re still mostly running size #18 and #20 mayfly nymphs like Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Delektable Big Spankers, Delektable Ranch BWOs, RS2’s, WD-40s, Zebra Midges and Lightning Bugs. Smaller (#8 or #10) stonefly nymphs are picking up fish here and there as well as Worms and October Caddis Nymphs.

Streamer fishing has picked up some and word on the street is fish are starting to chase after bigger flies a little more aggressively. Delektable Double Screamers, Sex Dungeons, Sundell’s Bad Boy, Zuddlers, Mini Loops and Trevors Sculpins are all good choices. Colors of choice can vary with the weather so make sure you’ve got a bit of a variety.

Dry fly fishing is still pretty good in the later part of the day. Purple Crazes, Olive Comparaduns or a Parachute Adams should get the job done for the BWOs and Baetis. October Caddis dries can bring some nice fish to the surface as well; a larger Goddard Caddis or Delektable Twisted X in orange will suffice for that hatch.

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September 24th – 30th | Madison River Fishing Report

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Beartooth Flyfishing

Flows and fishing have been pretty consistent with our last report with tiny bugs catching most fish and streamers and dry flies doing well in the right places at the right times.

 

BWO and Baetis nymphs have been responsible for most of our success around these parts. Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Rs2’s, Hogan’s S&Ms, Micro Mayflies, and Copper Johns in sizes #18 and #20 are all good flies to trail behind a large Prince Nymph, Delektable CDC Halloween or a Pat’s Rubberleg.

Dry fly fishing has been best on the upper wade section of the river. It’ll be tough to beat a well placed #18 or #20 Parachute Adams or Purple Craze. Fish seem to be looking up from about 3:00 until Dark.

 

The streamer fishing has been inconsistent but rewarding when you commit to it. Sparkle Minnows, Bow River Buggers, Zonkers, Delektable Screamers and Sundell’s Bad Boy have all produced some quality fish.

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