Madison River
Dam: 740 cfs
Kirby: 809 cfs
Varney: 921 cfs
The Madison has been fishing well this week, and both air and water temps have steadily increased after our first big snow storm on the 4th. The river between Quake Lake and Lyon’s Bridge seems to be producing the most consistent action with both nymphs and streamers, but we have also been getting some decent reports from the dry fly anglers out there. You may run into a few of the #18-20 BWOs, but there have been far more Pseudos (Tiny Western Blue Winged Olive #22-24) riding the surface film these days, so make sure to keep it on the smaller side of things if you encounter a pod of rising fish. As usual, the nymph bite is still your best option for numbers, and you’ll do best by sticking to a good selection of baetis nymphs/emergers in size 18-20, Caddis Larva, Midge larva/pupa, $3 Dips, and Pat’s Rubber Legs. Streamer fishing has also been productive throughout the wade section, and some of the hotter patterns this week include Dungeons, Envys, Zonkers, Double Screamers, and Boogie Men in a variety of different colors. The float section between Lyon’s Bridge and Ennis has been fishing well with nymphs, but the streamer bite seems to be a little more inconsistent…One day it seems like all is right with the world and next day you have a hard time believing that you are fishing the same river. Fortunately we have a little extra cloud cover in the forecast this weekend, and that should get some of the larger browns back on the prowl.