Madison River
Dam: 767 cfs
Kirby: 829 cfs
It’s been a lot more of the same on the Upper Madison this week– Great nymphing with a nice window of dry fly fishing in the early afternoon. Most of the baetis seem to be done for the year, but the midges have more than made up for it. A well presented griffith’s gnat or stillborne midge in size 20 seems to be the ticket right now, and we’ve been seeing the most surface activity between 12:30 and 3:00 p.m., depending on the day. Nymph anglers will want to stick to the usual fare– #18-20 Midge larva/Pupa, #8-10 Pat’s Rubber legs, #18-20 baetis nymphs, #18 $3 Dips, and egg patterns in oregon cheese or orange. With the colder temperatures and lack of crowds, it isn’t overly important to get out there first thing in the morning. In fact, most of the action has been heating up after 10:00 a.m. or so. Streamer fishing has slowed down a little bit, but that is to be expected when water temps begin to hover in the high 30’s to low 40’s. However, if you are as stubborn as we are and refuse to take the sinking line off, then make sure to move your flies a little slower than you might have a couple of weeks ago (think 3″-6″ per strip). Lastly, make sure to watch your step if you are wading right now, as there are now tons of spawning redds scattered throughout the Upper River.
