Montana Fly Fishing Guide Service
Fly Fishing Report / Blog for the Madison and Missouri Rivers
Flash in the Pan oh so good...... The Missouri was pretty good this time around. Some dry fly fishing, a bunch of nymphing and several long days. On the road a ton this time of the year….. been back for four days and rowing the Madison. Our trout or getting smarter by the hook set. The big browns are hiding throughout the river and the rainbows seem to be hanging out in the deeper runs. Nymphing with big pheasant tails, olive hare’s ears soft hackle, $3 Dips, Shop Vacs, Lightning Bugs has been good in the mornings up till about three or so, but even then it can be spotty. Watch out for Mtn Whitefish, they are on the nymphs as well. There is good dry fly fishing to be had, but you better bring your A Game. If you don’t have that club in your bag, then listen up and get fishy. We want you to catch fish. Lazyness in the boat is tough to handle. Float the flies where others can’t, get long drifts, hit the slicks with acuracy and you will be rewarded. Oh ya, let them eat it. Trout rise. It is what they do. When you see a fish come up and inspect your flies, odds are, its gonna eat it. But if you drag it or take it away, it is gone. A flash in the pan. Pick up your flies and cast them again….downstream with a reach cast. They will eat it. Tangle a dozen times before lunch and you will struggle. Break your wrist and your cast will not happen. Listen to your guide…..keep your head in the right place and all this won’t matter. Fish your way through it. Right now it is all about getting in the groove and fishing well at some point in the day. Confidence is key. Down time on the bank re-riggin should not be your place of existence. Fish well my friends, we are rowing hard. I am headed into YNP tomorrow for a much needed break behind the oars. It will be nice to take a hike, carry some bear spray and watch some cutthroat rise. Maybe we will see a griz…….from a distance. We difinitley won’t see any driftboats……and maybe not any people if we walk far enough. |
6390 This one ate a dry fly. So did a bunch of others. The Missouri had heads up all day long. At 6390 you won’t find finer dry fly angling. A few more hundred less and it is as good as it gets. Today’s pmd hactches in the upper reaches weren’t superb, but there were plenty of fish up to fool with. There were caddis skittering around and making some noise. We nymphed inbetween with caddis and mayflies and caught fish all along the way.
 A true day ender on the Missouri River, |
Salmonflies and caddis Evening caddis on the Madison Rivder Summer is rolling right along. It will be a flash in the pan….already is. Are you coming out this season? You should, but there is always next year. The dry fly angling has been pretty solid here for the last week. There have been slow spots on the river throughout the day, but overall, the bite is on. The fish however, are not as easy to hook as they were a week ago. Sneaky….very sneaky. There is always a few village idoits who inhale the fly, but if you look up to catch a vista of the mountains, something will eat your fly. Promise. It happens every day in my boat.  We sight nymphed this one after he refused the dry twice. I had a killer day this past Thursday with the two anglers pictured above – Steven and Dan. Steven was quite good and was taught to cast by Mel Krieger as a child in SF. He needs to get rid of that sharkskin line. Dan figured out early on in the day that a tight loop in the wind is the only way. Well done boys, that was fun.
 Dryfly fishing at dusk....around 10 pm. |
It’s On! My sister putting her new nymphing skills to work.The whole family got together here in West Yellowstone for the 4th of July. My folks actually live here all summer long and my father will stay on through archery season this year. He gets out to fish about 4 days a week or more. Some folks would call him a bum. We floated yesterday and while the big bug fishing was spotty for us, he did manage to land a solid 20' Brown trout on a Golden and a few others as well. My Mom on the other hand is still a bit new to the scene, but really can cast a line pretty well. She had several nice fish eat her big bug, but getting them to the net is not in her bag.......yet. My father.  My Father. There are Salmonflies and Goldens just below Shelton’s Bridge. It seems to be just a pocket of bugs but the thick of the hatch is between Windy and Palisades. There are places where the trout are fat and lazy. Remember the last time you watched Monday Night Football? After the burgers and 12 beers? Sitting on the couch with no intention to move? Yes, the river is like that in places. The caddis fishing was pretty good in stretches today. The tan X was a real producer as well as a #14 Royal Trude. We did not have that great of big bug fising today. At one point we pulled over on a very productive bank and chummed a few big bugs down stream. Not one got eaten as far as the eye could see. We had a fair amount of lookers to our flies, but they seem to be window shopping…….should I buy the pumps or the heels???? A trouts desicion making skills can be like shopping with your wife………..sorry ladies. The youngster in the back of my boat today, Chap, stuck with the nymphs and roped them pretty good. I find that when the big bug bite gets tough, the trout will readily take small nymphs. When teaching 14 yr olds, action is good. |
Big Bugs. They ate them today… Rick Welle - Always hooked up. Always. ……… for about 2.5 hours. I was off and floated with a few friends. Rare day off in July during the Salmonfly hatch. Might as well take advantage of the beautiful day and fish. The coming weeks are booked up, but if you are still wanting to fish with Big Sky Anglers we have some guides with days off here and there. Just call, we’ll do our best.
 This one ate a Chubby Chernoble We launched the boats at 1:30 this afternoon at the Ramp formally known as Windy. Right out of the gate, I stuck a big brown which was hunkered down under some willows eating whatever floated his way. He was sly about his rise and sipped the Golden Stone in the shade of the willow. There are a ton of folks down on the Madison right now. Be courteous to all. Wade fisherman or floaters. Don’t bounce anchors down the river for 300 hundred yards. Or better yet do and find out what happens when your hook grabs a rock and sinks the boat. That’ll learn ya.  A Golden Chubby Chernoble from my vice. We primarily fished the banks and the large boulders near the banks. I did fish the middle from time to time, but not much at it out there. The head of the hatch seems to be just below Palisades. Around Windy there are big females in the air with egg sacks. Below Palisades there are tons of bugs in the willows doing the deed. We also saw lots of caddis, yellow sallies and a few PMDs today. Dropping a caddis off your Big Bug is always recommended. However, I enjoy fishing one fly during the Salmonfly hatch.  ER with a another. |
Still nymphing……. Missouri River Morning The Missouri River below Holter Dam is still flowing at 16,000 cfs. When will it end? Hmmmmm……..when the hail and rain stops in SW Montana. Baseball sized hail fell two days ago in Bozeman, MT damaging nearly everything. The Big Hole and Gallatin are still running high and the lake systems below these rivers are at full pond. What comes in, must come out. Nymphing has been good to great up here. There has been some slower periods during the day, but honestly, the fishing is pretty darn good on the Missouri. EVERYONE here is ready for lower water and dry flies. Crayfish patterns, worms, tung darts, silvey’s pupa, scuds and mayfly nymphs have all been producing. 8-9 feet to the split shot.
 G. Lyons with a chunky Rainbow For the seven years, Gordon has spent anywhere from three to five days fishing with Big Sky Anglers. We have fished YNP, the Madison and the Missouri over the years and we always have a blast. Thanks for a wonderful three days of fishing Gordon!  Kielly Yates. The Man. The legend. My web-guy. The fish above hit the fly with reckless abandonment. This brown hammered the crayfish and then promptly ran upstream for 100 yards in heavy water. It taped out at just over 19 inches. I was hoping for a 2 footer, from the run it made, but we’ll take it. These Missouri River trout are by far some of the healthiest fish I have ever seen.
 Evening light down in the Canyon.
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No mas pelota…..mas pesca somewhere Yes, the USA is now out of the World Cup. We played good enough to win, but our defensive breakdowns and early goals have sent us home. Honestly, I thought it was a good run for the US side. 2014 is not too far away. Today’s game of England V Germany was a thriller. The Germans will win the Cup if they get past this next round. If they play Argentina it should be THE game to watch…………… The Madison is shaping up and there are rumors of Salmonflies in Beartrap Canyon. A few folks are fishing the Big Bugs, but dropping a nymph off is working a bit better. Anyday now, the Salmonflies are going to pop, but so will the hatch of boats. I am headed to the Missouri for the next week to avoid the onslaught of anglers headed to the Madison for “The Hatch”. The Mo’ is still high, but clear, and should come down some this week. Nymphing is still king on the Missouri. I know Gordon (the good Doc from MS) is hoping for some dry flies…….so am I. So is everyone. |
On the brain……
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91 Minutes 2nd round bound I left the house this morning at 7 am and headed over the hill to watch the game with the boys. Nerves were getting the best of me, so I passed on breakfast. I can’t even imagine what the USA World Cup team was feelling. The Algerians put one off the crossbar in the 7th minute and we all thought it was going in. Thank god it didn’t, but our defensive lapses are getting tiresome. With another goal called back by the linesman, I thought this World Cup was rigged…it still may be. Algeria really only had one or two other chances and with Tim Howard in the nets, we are secure. As a team, the USA showed up to play. We can pass, run and shoot the ball. We can also control the tempo. It could have been 4-0 if those unlucky shots would have gone in. If we continue to play hard and make the scoring chances count, the US could go further than expected. They do infact belong on the field and maybe, just maybe, the rest of the US of A will get behind them and show some respect to the world’s finest game – futbol….or soccer. Beat Ghana….it is possible.
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