Blaaaaam!

As the leaves are thinking about the fall and how they might brighten up our little world out here when they turn, we are still crank’n it out here on the mighty Madison as if were still midsummer!  Personally, I can’t wait for the snow to fall and for the browns to start their epic journey up the little criks and crannies to spawn. My favorite time is when the aspens are in raging full bloom in their fall display of beautiful yellows and oranges. But ahhh, it is still august, and we are still fishing the small bugs and terrestrials. Today…yes today the sun is a hot one!

We are still having the cool spell here and there, but only in micro-doses. The weather is looking pretty good right now for us this week as we have some highs and some lows. The sun will come up each day and then go down and the weather will happen as it does around here…it will be completely unpredictable 🙂

We have had some of our favorite groups come in these past couple of weeks along with all the folks from the Yellowstone River (don’t ask). But nevertheless, they have struck gold and we are happy to see happy clients! Check out the smiles and slime!

The bugs that have been working are very specific; flies that float and flies that sink, flies with an eye, shank and hook bend (barb or barbless), flies that have feathers and flies that have synthetic materials….need I go on? The flies have been a one and done around here lately and the guides have been changing up so much as if it were cool to change flies or something. It’s not like it’s been one single pattern that has been really hot, it’s just been the one-fly-wonders. So, when your are out there on your own, go through your box and try some things that maybe wouldn’t be one’s first choice. You may be surprised. Okay, the basics have reported results such as Prince Nymphs, Pheasant Tails, Something small and Green, a variety of Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Various Pat’s Rubberlegs Colors, Small things in Olive, Ants, and the Smaller Delektable Chubbyness Patterns are still working as dries, and Different dries in colors for the nocturnal are working. Oh yeah, there are some streamers to try including Zonkers, and others in various colors. Remember to experiment. There are also always Midges and Tricos abound if you are up to the tiny sizes.

Yesterday someone came in and told me that he caught a 22inch rainbow on a brown beetle on the Madison. So, there ya have it! Try an oddball fly and you might be happy ya did! Good luck and Happy Fishing!!!   -DanG

This past week we had some familiar groups on guided trips with us. The Wild Adventure Girls group was back again with with the same amount of girl power to crush the fishing 🙂 Their guides did an outstanding  job getting them on to some trout despite the cold fingers and wet weather, we saw some nice fish enter and exit the boats safely.  The Wild Adventure Boys were also back and families from Ennis, PA, and afar, one family returned all the way from the U.K., and needless to say, the daughter caught the big trout. Yeah! Martha!

Over the past 5 or so days we have seen the discharge out of the dam drop from about 1000 cfs to almost 700. When the water goes down, it usually means fish on! It still drops as I write, and we shall see where they stop it, but as for the fishing…it remains awesome! The bugs have been pretty consistent lately, in that when you catch a fish on one, that bug will only work once, so cut it off and keep changing it up 🙂

We’ve got a few nocturnals left on the upper upper, some hoppers here and there, but the flying ants have taken over the dry scene. Get your flying ants out and hurl them at the Salmo trutta and Oncorhynchus mykiss while you can still feel your fingers and wear your shorts in the river…because October is coming…and you can’t stop it!

On that note, the streamer fishing has been off-the-charts-epic lately. White as usual will be a good one to throw. The ever so popular Delektable Double Screamers in black/olive and black/northern lights have been notorious for the catching and landing of beautiful Madison River brown trout. Dunking the streamer/nymph combo under the bobber would be a good strategy with some twitching involved. Some good streamers in that area would be Trevor’s Scuplin sz 4 in Natural Barred, Natural, Black and Olive. Just hang a small nymph off the stinger hook in this case. Zonkers and Sculpzilla or Sulpzilla Jr. in their natural colors also work really well for this technique. So, there’s that.

You might find yourself in favor of the fish gods and still be able to get a big boy to come up to eat the big dry in the morning or evening…but that’s only if you have been livin’ right (which may involve you getting up every morning and tying flies for breakfast, throwing them for lunch and then tying new prototypes fer dinner)…maybe gunna go check myself in now…later!!

Happy Fishing!!! -DanG

“So…we meet again”, he said to the stick of butter as he sliced through it to butter his toast. Imagining his trophy in the net, he gently smeared the golden butter on his sourdough bread as if he was studying the spots. His toast now buttered he stared at it for a moment…“Finally in the net and to my hands!” he thought. As he took a bite he realized he was yet again daydreaming about that monster brown that got away from him in Southwest Montana. He hasn’t slept in four days and coffee only puts him in a deeper state of insomnia. He is already surfing the internet to book his next trip with the Beartooth Flyshop on the Madison River in the great state of Montana.

Here at the Beartooth we are concerned about your health, so we have prepared for you your pharmaceutical pick-me-ups (fly bins FULL of flies) and we assure you we have the drugs (flies) you will need. But, in the very rare case that we do not have “the fly” that you need, we will at the very least have the remedies for with which to create “the fly”.

We also have an array of fly tying supplies, so please swing on in and say hello and get you local report from any of us here, because we are also very sick with this little disease called flyfishing 🙂                                                                                                   

The river has been turning out great little fish for our clients and friends this past week and we are stoked to see more epic specimens as we move through the late summer months and into fall. The leaves have yet to turn here but let’s not rush it because we still have reports of some good hopper/ant fishing going on. The red ant is flying, the black ant is flying, the hopper is hopping and the trout are shopping, so get out there and get some pitch’n and twitch’n in before the colder weather sets in.

And now for the medley of bugs that have been working for us here. Some dries: Fat Albert brown sz 12-14, Grand Hopper sz 12, Dan’s Delektable Ant red sz 14-18, Yeager’s 409 red sz 16. Asauble Splitwing Pmd Spinner sz 14-18. Some nymphs: Pat’s Rubber Legs Olive/Brown/Olive sz 12; Formally Known As (FKA) Prince sz 14-16; Rainbow Warrior red sz 18; Delektable Red Spanker sz 16-18; Some Streamers: Delektable Screamer Black/Olive/Silver, Natty and Copper Zonks sz 6-8, Mini Scuplzilla black/olive.

Well, that’s all fer now! Hope to see ya out there sooner than later! 🙂

Happy Fishing!!!  -DanG

Let me tell you what, the summer season is sure not over and fishing continues to rock on the Madison River. As the summer months go on fish do become more elusive but finding them just makes the experience that much more rewarding. It’s important to work hard and find out what bugs are working, either by constantly switching up flies or getting advice from others. Using smaller tippet (4X or possibly 5X) will help too. Earlier this week flow pulse increases were made in an attempt to refill Ennis lake due to warmer temps. A few days following that peak pulse flow requirements were made at 1350 CFS and Hebgen outflow was lowed by 10% (August 5th). Finally on August 8th the flows were at 910 CFS with another flow reduction made the following day to bring the outflow to approximately 820 CFS. The water temperature remains stable on the Upper Madison and flows look good.

Enough with the data portion of this report and on to the fish. This week we welcomed back the Wild Adventure Group and many other anglers. There were lots of fish caught, good conditions (although the “W” factor was relentless at some points) and greats groups of people. I had the chance to meet a few gentlemen from the Wild Adventure Group who lived only 15 minutes from me back home in Virginia and ones who were alumni of my College JMU, GO DUKES! It’s a small world here at Beartooth Flyfishing.

HOT FLIES: Mocha Girdle Bug, Lil’ Spanker (Red/Silver/Purple), Spruce Moths, Two Bit Hooker, Wire Worm, Green Machine, JR Sculpzilla and Olive Streamers.

Another Great week and as always thank you to our guides and thank you to our anglers for your continued support. Keep on fishing hard, don’t be afraid to switch up flies to find the one that’s working and have fun. It’s time for me to head back to school and this will be my last report of the season. It has been a pleasure giving you the weekly fishing scoop and a joy to have met so many great people. Thank you to everyone at the Beartooth for a great summer! I will leave you with this last quote from John Steinbeck “I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”

Keep Throwing Darts! Will