West Yellowstone – 296 CFS

Below Hebgen - 806 CFS

Kirby - 843 CFS

Varney - 971 CFS 

A couple things to note:

1. Hebgen Lake is roughly 3 feet from full pond and dropping due to diminished INFLOWS into Hebgen.  
2. Flows below Hebgen have dropped in the last week to help conserve water in the lake.  
3. It seems as if the flows coming out of YNP on the Madison are pretty stable.  They are low, but haven't dropped now for a few weeks.

BETWEEN THE LAKES

Its mid-August folks, these fish are getting smarter by the day.  But with the proper drag free drift they will eat your fly!  Terrestrials, spruce moths, caddis, and relatively consistent mayfly hatches are on the menu - be sure to have a variety of dry flies in your box.  On some days you might just throw the entire box at the fish.  #12-16 chubbies, spruce moth patterns, small hoppers, ants, a mix of PMD and caddis dries will be essential.  Searching the river with a single dry will be your best bet these days. As always, use the clues the river provides and take a moment before continuing to cover water.  Notice what’s going on around you, did caddis just start to hatch?  However minimal, a small hatch will sometimes change the trout's behavior.  Sit down and watch the river, the menu is in front of you and changes by the minute sometimes, most especially these days with a variety of bug on the water.  When in doubt, tie on a hopper or ant and just let it roll. 

With a large variety of bugs continuing to hatch at the surface, you can expect eager fish to eat just about any terrestrial, small mayfly spinner, or low riding caddis imitation you put in front of them- with the right presentation. A variety of hatches can be a good or a bad thing if you’re getting your flies where they need to be sub surface in the water column. Patterns of choice here recently have been the 101 Stone from Cat3 or Heames’ Jig Rubberlegs in #8 or #10 paired with a #14/16 Redneck or Olive hot-spot perdigon hung below. For caddis larva and pupa - the AZ Hares Ear, Shop Vac or Blow Torch are great choices.  Dont forget about the zebra midge - try sizing everything down and fishing two smaller thin profile nymphs with some spit shot. 

Swinging soft hackles is a good alternative to bobber fishing if you’re looking for some ways to switch things up from nymphing or casting dry flies.  Early morning, like sunrise, or late evening streamer fishing can be productive right now as well. The Sparkle Minnow, BFE or Bouface Leech patterns are tried and true for fishing early mornings or late evenings on the Madison.  The dry-dropper rig is as effective option these days as anything. Hang any of the above nymphs two feet below a Chubby and run with it.

Patterns of choice are as follows - Chubbies of all sizes and colors (we like #14 and #10),  #14 Iron X Caddis, #14 Elk Hair Caddis, tan X caddis, #12 & 14 Dark Missing Link, #16 Jojo Riffle Riser, #16 Yellow Missing Link, #16 PMD Sparkle Dun, #16 Jojo PMD, #14/16 Copenhaver Rusty or Cream Spinner, Jojo Rusty Spinner, #14/16 Fat Head Moth, #14 Corn Fed Moth

WADE SECTION

Raynolds and $3 are seem to be less busy this past couple weeks as anglers are turning their attention to the waters of Yellowstone National Park. Please remember to be courteous to your fellow angler and give others plenty of room to enjoy their day. 

The fast, shallow water can hold the nicest fish of the day. Shallow riffles, soft pillows in front of boulders and edges close to the bank all are worth taking a good look at before moving upstream while wade fishing. You’ll notice more and more fish tucking tight up to the banks, so always make a cast upstream before you continue walking.  Cover water quickly, slow down when you find a fish and observe the type of water said fish came out of.  Then find more of it! 

A skilled nymph fisherman might pick up more fish with a bobber, stonefly, a caddis larva/pupa or mayfly nymph - but is it really about quantity?  While it's fun to catch piles of fish, there is also a time to realize that maybe you have caught enough and that the challenge has gone away.  Nymph patterns are the same as BTL. 

Dry fly patterns of choice right now are as follows - Chubbies of all sizes and colors (we like #14/16 and #10), #16 Chubbinator, #14 Iron X Caddis, #18 Elk Hair Caddis, tan X caddis, tan Iris Caddis,  #14 Dark Missing Link, #14 Jojo Riffle Riser, #14 Yellow Missing Link, #14 PMD Sparkle Dun, #16 Jojo PMD, #14/16 Copenhaver Spinner in Cream or Rusty, #14/16 Paranymph and Jonathan's PMD Klinkhammer. For moths - #12/14 Fat Head Moth, #14 Corn Fed Moth,#14 Elk Hair, #16 Ginger Chubbinator for the Moth (hint - cut of the trailing shuck). 

FLOAT SECTION

Flows have continued to drop in past weeks, and floats from Lyons to Ruby, Windy to Story or Ruby to Varney are great floats for a longer day.  The river temps are heating up down here later inthe day, so pay attention the water temps and if the fihsing slows way down, its probably not your fly or your drift. The tribs in the valley are flowing cold and liekly at their lowest point in the season now.  Its now time to size down your flies and fish caddis, smaller mayflies and definitely ant patterns.  The Tan Caddis, aka Hydropsyche, are still hatching, but not in great numbers.  Hoppers should be in the rotation, bring along and assortment of yellow, pink and tan. Nocturnal Stoneflies have been crawling out on the banks for a while now - the gravel bars and banks are still showing a few wet shucks.  Twitching a big dry fly early in the morning could produce some bass like strikes to your fly.

There is no time like the present to fish dry flies on the banks and around those sexy mid river gravel bars. #14 Elk Hair, #16 Compara Buzz, #14/16 Chubbies, #14/16 Chubbinators are great choices. A #12/14 Copenhaver rusty is a great choice as well as is Jojo's Rusty.  For hoppers and the nocturnal stone - Thunderthighs, Morrish Hopper, Sweetgrass Hopper, Pink Chubbies or Jojo's Nocturnal will bring fish to the surface. The bank water is full and holding fish, get your fly into the bank, as deep as you can with a good reach cast and you will be rewarded. Do it all day perfectly and you will understand why we love the Madison River so much. For moths, anywhere in the float stretch where the pine trees come near the banks, there should be Spruce Moths.  Patterns of choice are  #12/14 Fat Head Moth, #14 Corn Fed Moth, #14 Elk Hair, #14 Chubbinator(hint - cut of the trailing shuck). 

The dry/dropper fishing is producing and a great way to start the morning until the bugs begin to hit the water.  Think sparsely dressed, fast-sinking droppers with a big tungsten bead. We’ve got a number of gnarly, 3.8mm bead perdigons in the bins that’ll do the trick — namely the Tungsten Jig Splitcase PMD in #14/16, and Roza’s Pink Hare’s Ear Jig in #14/12, Olive Hotspots, Shop Vacs, Prince nymphs, Pheasant Tail, AZ Hare's Ear, and Redneck’s in #14/16 will also fool plenty of fish. 

If you haven't used the Fly Banjo combined with your favorite fly floatant, than you are truly missing out on the greatest little dry fly secrets there is.  

Respect The Fish 

1. Keep the fish wet at all times. 
2. Get out of the boat for fish pictures, if you need one. Take those pics quickly and get them back in the water.  
3. Release played out fish on the banks where they can safely recover. 
4. Be cool to other boats and wade anglers. Give plenty of room to other anglers. 
5. Drop anchor on or near the bank when you need to change flies or re-rig. Bouncing your anchor down the river is complete nonsense and frowned upon.