Madison River Fishing Report for November 17th, 2017
Dam: 942 cfs
Kirby: 1,030 cfs
Madison River fishing report. The Upper Madison has been fishing well this November, particularly in the wade section between Quake and Lyon’s Bridge. The wind situation continues to be biggest issue over the past two months, and none of us can remember a Fall where we’ve seen as many days with gusts in the 30-40 mph range. That being said, you may want to check the forecast before putting a boat in around here and you can always find a little more protection in the wade section or in the canyon between the lakes.
The nymph bite in the Upper stretches continues to be your best bet if you are looking for numbers, and the most productive patterns have been pretty standard… as is usually the case this time of year. #10 Pat’s Rubber Legs in black and olive/brown, San Juan Worms, #18 Zebra Midges, #18 Black $3 Dips, #20 Galloup’s BWO Nymphs, #18 WD-40’s, and RS-2’s have all been good choices lately, and they still seem to be eating the BWO nymphs despite the fact that they are done hatching for the year. We are also starting to see some decent surface activity on the calmer days, and a #20 Goober Midge has been effective if you do see fish eating adult midges on the surface. It’s still far from prime time, but the midge fishing should start to get a little better every week from now through December.
Streamer fishing has picked up quite a bit from possibly the toughest October we’ve seen on the Upper Madison. Water temps are still a bit on the chilly side, but we’ve been seeing a lot more in the way of quality fish willing to chase than we did just a month ago. Black and Olive Double Screamers (gold body), Silk Kitties, Peanut Envys, Boogie Men, and Trevor Sculpins have all been taking some good fish over the last two weeks and we have been getting them to eat on a little faster retrieve from the early afternoon hours through dusk. Smaller flies such as CH Wooly Sculpin, Mini Loops, and Mini Sex Dungeons have been a little more effective in the morning when water temperatures are at their lowest.
Lastly, there is still a lot of spawning activity going on throughout the entire river, so please watch your step out there if you decide to wade fish. If you do encounter cleared gravel, please remember that most of the eggs usually settle anywhere from 3-10 feet behind the actual bed so it is always best to cross above rather than below them. Be sure to keep checking back for another Madison River fishing report from The Slide Inn.
