Madison River
Dam: 402 cfs
Kirby: 649 cfs
Varney: 937 cfs
It’s still low out there, but the fishing has been more than enough to make up for it. We now have salmonflies and golden stones scattered throughout the entire river, but the majority of the big bugs are now between Quake Lake and Ruby Creek…we’ve been seeing a few more below McAtee but I would concentrate up higher if you’re looking to throw some big dries. Caddis, PMDs, Epeorus, and yellow sallies have been all been riding the surface film enough to have fish looking up most of the day. The dry fly bite is slowing down a little bit after 4:00 p.m., which is mostly due to the fact the water temps are reaching 70 degrees at Kirby and even a little higher down by Varney. If they start to get a little sluggish, the indicator bite is still ridiculously good and we’ve been doing best on caddis larva/pupa, rubber leg stones, serendipites, and psycho princes (honestly it doesn’t seem to matter much some days). It’s definitely getting a little busier out there as well, so be sure to get on the water early if you want to avoid the crowds.
