Madison River
Dam: 1,090 cfs
Kirby: 1,150 cfs
Varney: 1,270 cfs
As we wait for more seasonable fall temperatures to stir the proverbial pot, fishing has noticeably slowed down on the Upper River. The dry fly bite has been pretty slow over the last three or four days, and we’re guessing that the fish have seen (and been stung by) enough hopper imitations over the last two months to make them think twice about eating them. We’ve heard a couple people say that they’ve done decent on ants and beetles, but the nymph game has been a little more consistent. We’ve been doing best on baetis nymphs until around 10:00 am, and after that its been all tan caddis pupa, midges, and small attractors. Streamer fishing is still best early and late, but again…things have slowed down a little during the afternoons. This should all change over the weekend, as we have colder temps and cloud cover a comin’, which should get the baetis moving and the streamer bite back in full force.
