This was quite a week with a number of guide trips and groups coming through Beartooth Flyfishing. A variety of bugs and weather was the theme of the week, with the big “W” factor in play. We had Salmon Flies start moving their way up from Ennis and by Saturday had made it to the backyard. As the Salmon flies moved up, the crowd followed to chase the big bug hatch. This week we had the friends of Hienie Group and Wild Adventure Groups, both guys and girls, join us and some great friends and clients fishing. A lot of great fish were caught and as always some great memories.

Reports coming in this week have been consistent with nymph fishing and small dries producing the best results. As stated earlier reports prove that the Salmon flies slowly worked their way up the river and are now here at the shop. We expect the hatch to continue biting for the next week to ten days which means the fishing should be HOT!! Popular patterns for the week include: Parachute Caddis Olive, Delektable Chubbyness Olive/Brown, Pat’s Rubber Legs (Brown/Black), Lightning Bug (Silver), Delektable Hammerhead Prince, Sure Strikes, Lil’ Spankers (Silver), Green Shop Vac and Ranch PMD’s. With rising water temperatures “small ball” nymphing is now a good choice.
The Wild Adventure crew is back in town and wilder then ever at fishing!! We had the pleasure of welcoming this group of anglers guided by Marty, John, Ian, David, Dan D and Dan M. The boys stopped in the shop before the float, loaded up and prepared for a big fish day. Weather was just about ideal, with good water clarity and temperatures.

The Hienie Group got back on the water with their third consecutive day. The trend remained consistent with great fishing and lots of fish in the boat with Ian and Marty at the helm.

Its so great to hear positive reports and warms the Beartooth family when anglers come back after finishing grinning from ear to ear and telling us all about how great their day was. But don’t just take my word for it because these pictures paint the day. Happy fishing to all!

Keep Throwing Darts! Will 

This weeks guide report is fueled by a number of guide trips and a diversity of anglers. The big talk this past week in the valley has, yes you guessed it, been the Salmon Fly hatch. There have been several rumors floating around that the salmon flies have been scattered throughout the Madison. You know what they say; “A rumor can run round the world before the truth has time to put its boots on”.  In light of these rumors we did some scouting on the riverbanks and found that the Salmon flies earlier in the week were closer to Ennis, with scattered adults emerging along the grassy banks and by the tail end of the week (June 20^th) closer to Varney.  Also in the mix of things has been a steady caddis hatch with a variety of sizes and colors throughout the day. Also present have been PMD’s, Yellow Sallies and Golden Stones all at once. What Dan anticipated early on as a “Smorgasbord” of hatches is now happening, requiring fisherman to pay more attention and experiment with different bugs. The hatch is definitely coming faster than average from past years due to high temperatures and other variable factors, so it’s time to baton down the hatches and get ready.

We have been getting reports in all week covering each section of the river from guides, customers, and small talk around town. The trend has stayed relatively consistent with better results above and below the big bug hatch.  Water clarity has been great in many sections. Water temperature has been warming up with temperatures reaching up to 60 degrees in late afternoon at Kirby. There have been reports that nymph fishing in the morning and dry in the afternoon, when the water warms up, have produced the best results.

The hot patterns for this week have been Purple haze, and Delektable Chubbyness Royal, all size #14 and #16. Delektable Lil’ Spankers and Sure Strikes, Lightning Bugs, Prince Nymphs, Pats Rubber Legs, Golden Stones and Delektable Hammerheads have all been on fire! With anticipated water temperatures expected to be in the high 60’s by next week, a “small ball” combo will likely be a good choice. But then again if you choose the right dries they will work.

With the warm weather settling in and anticipated outside temperatures remaining in the mid 80’s with CFS levels slowly dropping, expect the Salmon Fly hatch to reach the backyard by the end of this week.
 

Some words of advice to leave you with for this week: Fish nymphs in the morning and dries in the afternoon, don’t be afraid to fish the small stuff, experiment with different flies, fish hard and as always get out there and have yourself a day on the river!

Keep Throwing Darts! Will 

The theme for this week’s fishing is “The hatches are coming” with fishing really picking up. What we have observed is that water clarity is improving, especially below the Westfork, with a few feet of visibility in some spots. CFS levels are around 1100 near Kirby and have been on a downward spiral for the past week, finally leveling off today. Helpful hint: Make sure to bring your bug spray and layers because the mosquitoes are out and hunting due to the higher than normal moisture levels.

To start of this week, Marty, Jesse and Will fished after work in the backyard. The first order of business was to layer up and apply bug repellent for mosquitoes. Water clarity and conditions were good with around 2 feet of visibility. A lot of small caddis (light winged colored) were flying, as well as a few mayfly sightings. Marty rigged up two dry flies; A Delektable Chubbyness Rootbeer and Royal #16 and #14. Jesse was throwing a dry with a small Lil’ spanker trailing and Will a Delektable Chubbyness Royal with a #16 Delektable Hammerhead Pheasant tail. Fish definitely hit the dries but were not fully taking the fly or we could have reacted too quickly. Persistence was key and about one out of five were successfully landed.

Will put on the waders and fished after work up above Kirby’s. Like the day before the clarity and CFS levels were consistent with a good cloud cover above. The flies of choice hadn’t changed from the night before; A Delektable Chubbyness Royal #14 and Delektable Hammerhead Pheasant tail #16 as a trailer. Letting that dry float down stream and giving it some twitching action worked best. Fishing behind the buckets and along the pools is where the majority of bites occurred. This enabled them to see the dry and to think the nymph was emerging. Some very respectable browns and rainbows were landed making for a great evening.

We have also been getting some great reports in from our crew and folks coming by the shop. There have been positive results on nymph fishing as well as streamers. Lightning bugs and Pat’s rubber legs have been working as well as black/tan streamers. With the warmer weather expected to arrive later this week, the mega hatch could be soon to come. No clear sightings of Salmon Fly Adults in our neighborhood and questionable still on the Lower Madison.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will