Madison River
Dam: 2,200 cfs
Kirby: 2,560 cfs
Varney: 3,050 cfs
Everyone who stopped in the shop yesterday, which would be a total of about 12, came back with very big smiles on their faces. The Upper River continues to fish exceptionally well, and we currently have about 3 feet of visibility with stable flows around 2,200 cfs. The wade section between Quake and Pine Butte is still your best bet, and the nymphing or streamer fishing is as good as it gets right now. The top nymphs yesterday were #10 pat’s stones in tan/brown, brown and black warbirds, pink san juans, eggs, various bwo emergers in #20, nuke eggs, yellow sallie nymphs, and red midges…all of which did more than their fair share of damage. A couple of us also did an evening float from Lyons to Windy point, and were lucky enough to have “one of those nights” with streamers. Trout were holding right where you’d expect them to be at higher flows (banks, pockets, channels), and the olive peanut envy and the olive/black double screamer were what they wanted to see. The West Fork was throwing in a little color, as was Moose Creek, but it was still very fishable. If you decide to fish the float stretch with nymphs, we would still recommend picking a shorter float and getting out to work the slower inside bends and pockets rather than just passing through once from the boat. Between the lakes is also fishing well, but it has also been a lot more crowded than the river below Quake. If you do decide to fish up there, make sure to stay clear of redds, as the Rainbows are still spawning. We’ll keep you updated as conditions change, but for now, do yourself a favor and get up here for some incredible nymphing and streamer fishing…it doesn’t get much better than it is right now.
