River Flows:
Hebgen Dam: 955 cfs
Kirby: 1,110 cfs
Varney: 1,260 cfs
We have had a very good start to July on the Upper Madison and some incredible dry fly fishing as well. Unfortunately we have a bit of a heat wave descending upon the Rocky Mountains starting today, with temperatures in the mid to upper 90’s for at least the next week, so expect the bite to slow down in the afternoon until water temperatures begin to drop in the evening. Flows out of Hebgen Dam will be increased as a result in order to counter the heat and to keep Ennis lake full while they pulse the lower river below Warm Springs. With that in mind, we suggest getting an early start and then taking a break around 3-4 pm… fishing water temps in the high 60’s to low 70’s isn’t great for the fish or the fishing on the Upper Madison anyway. Take a nap and get an early dinner and hit the river again in the evening for evening caddis and spinner falls.
We are still seeing good numbers of caddis river wide but the majority of the mayflies and stoneflies are in the upper reaches between Hebgen and Palisades. There are still some pockets of salmonflies above Raynolds but they are definitely outnumbered by Golden Stones and we should have them for a few more days up here. You will also find good numbers of PMDS, Yellow Sallies, Eperous, and Drakes up high as well….In other words, if you are looking for the best dry fly fishing right now then I would concentrate on the upper stretches between Quake and Lyon’s Bridge. Some of our better dry fly patterns over the last week have been Missing Link Caddis, Corn Fed Caddis, X-Caddis, Silvey’s Yellow Sally, Cinnamon and Rootbeer Micro Chubbies, Found Link PMDs, Purple Haze, and Rusty Spinners all in sizes 14-18.
The Float section has been holding its own as well, but the amount of aquatic insects has started to wane once you get below Storey Ditch. We have been doing best on Caddis, PMDs, and Sallies between Lyons and Story, but you’ll want to lean more on Small Caddis, Nocturnal Stones, and Small Terrestrials if you find yourself between Story and Ennis. Even with this hot weather, the majority of the bugs don’t really get going until 10-11 so you’ll want to start off with nymphs or streamers first thing in the morning until the bugs start to show themselves out there.
Streamer fishing has been decent from dawn until 8-9 am but fish haven’t been chasing very well after that unless you get a cloudy day. If you are looking to get your streamer fix you’ll want to get an early start but it will be worth it. Some of our better streamer patterns this time of year with mini envys, mini dungeons, mini whiteys, and smaller sculpin patterns in olive or black until the sun hits the water.
