- Hebgen: 383 CFS
- Kirby: 710 CFS
- Varney: 1230 CFS
Despite the low flows the Upper Madison continues to hold its own and fishing has been pretty good over the last couple of weeks. Hebgen is about 96% full right now and if we get some of the rain in the forecast for next weekend that should get things a little closer to full pool, which will lead to an increase in flows somewhere in the next 7-10 days. As is the case with most of the greater Yellowstone region, everything seems to be about 2-3 weeks early….Runoff, water temps, and especially bug life. Normally we have another two weeks before dry fly fishing really gets going over here but we are seeing tons of caddis, PMDs, Sallys, and yes….Salmonflies.
You can expect to see good numbers of salmonflies from McAtee to 8 Mile but with the river at such low flows for this time of year, they will move up river in a hurry. Has it been good? Depends on who you ask, but I don’t think there have been any days where it has been lights out quite yet. That said, keep putting the big bug in the right spot and you just might find the fish you’ve been looking for. If you are looking for a little more consistent fishing though I would stick to small chubbies, caddis, PMDs, and Sallys. We’ve had some good days fishing a Micro chubby trailing a corn fed caddis, x-caddis, or a small yellow stimulator in the middle to lower river over the last week and that should continue to be productive for the next 2-3 weeks. The upper river between Raynolds and Palisades had been more of a nymph game until a week ago. Since then we are starting to see good numbers of caddis ranging from the larger #10 chocolate sedges down to the smaller #16 hydropsyche.
If nymphing is more your style then stick to the rubber leg game in the morning and switch over to caddis larva/pupa and PMD nymphs from mid morning through the early afternoon. Some of the better patterns for us have been Black Blowtorches, $3 Dips, Tungsten Rednecks, Tungsten Yellow Sallies, CDC Princes, Olive Spanish Bullets, and various soft hackles.
Streamer fishing has been really good in the morning on the upper stretches between Lyons and Ruby Creek, and can last all day as long as the clouds are hovering over the horizon. Small Olive or Natural Sculpin patterns, Peanut Envys, Mini Kill Whiteys, and Barely Legals are all good choices right now but don’t be afraid to throw some bigger stuff if the conditions are right.
