Madison River
Dam: 813 cfs
Kirby: 882 cfs
We had a great week of fishing on the ol’ Upper Madison this week, and very few people around to share it with. Both Raynold’s and Three dollar have been very productive from a catching standpoint on all three fronts– Nymphs, Dries, and Streamers. Nymphing continues to be option numero uno if you’re looking for numbers, and the bite seems to peaking from around 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. when the sun is out and more like 10:00 to 4:00 on the colder, overcast days. Size 20 Hare’s ears and PT’s, midges, BWO Barr’s emergers, #18 $3 dips, and Olive Triple B Flashbacks have been leading the pack, but don’t hesitate to throw in a smaller rubberleg during periods of low light. As for the dries…any olive parachute between size 18 and 20 with a little BWO emerger dropped behind it should get the job done. The float section is fishing great as well, but its been a little skinny between Palisades and Ruby and then again between Story and Varney. If you’re looking to float below Lyon’s right now, and are not interested in throwing streamers, pick a shorter float and really work over the likely looking spots with midges and baetis nymphs– If the olives show themselves in the afternoon you’ll probably run into some heads, so makes sure to bring a good selection of dries with you as well. Streamer fishing continues to improve throughout the Upper River, and the action down below Varney has been really good as of late. The streamer bite in the wade section has been good to ridiculous, as has the bite between the lakes, and we are starting to see more and more colored up browns moving up from Ennis Lake scattered throughout the river. Olive and Black Sex Dungeons, Peanut Envys, Circus Peanuts, Green/white T&A Bunkers, and Black/Olive Double Screamers have all been ingested well, and the fishing should only get better over next few weeks.
