Madison River
Dam: 822 cfs
Kirby: 914 cfs
It was nice not to have to worry about ice in the guides yesterday, as air temperatures climbed above freezing for the first time in over 10 days. Despite the cold water temps, we are still getting good fish on streamers both in the wade section and between the lakes. We have been slowing down our retrieves to more of a slow jig, and the eats on the drop have actually been fairly light, so set the hook if you feel anything even close to tension at the end of your line. Fishing with nymphs has continued to produce a lot of quality fish throughout the Upper Madison, and as per usual, that will be the case for the rest of the Winter season. Pat’s Rubber Legs, Eggs, midges, and baetis nymphs are the staples, and 99.99% of the time you won’t have to search for much else as long as you are getting a good drift down on the bottom. Expect to see midges on the water any time between 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and there have been some good pods of rising fish as a result. Last but not least, please watch out for spawning redds out there.
