Madison River Fishing Report for July 9th, 2017
Dam: 1,210 cfs
Kirby: 1,630 cfs
Varney: 1,980 cfs
Madison River fishing report. The Upper Madison is still fishing very well these days with both nymphs and dry flies alike. We’ve had some good streamer action in the morning and then again at night, but it has been a little slower once the insect activity begins to shift into full gear. We are still seeing decent amounts of salmonflies between Raynolds and the West Fork, but there have been a lot more golden stones flying around over the last several days and fish are still looking for the big dry in these areas.
The forecast this week is supposed to be a little cooler than the 95 degree highs we saw earlier in the month, which should keep fish looking up a little more into the early afternoon hours. The dry bite is still very productive with caddis, yellow sallies, salmonflies, golden stones, PMDs, and small attractors ,but most of the bigger fish have been putting their heads down once water temps start to climb into the high sixties. Morning and evening hours are still providing the best opportunities for the dry fly enthusiasts and the afternoon thunderstorms have been extremely helpful over the last week in keeping water temperatures from reaching the dreaded 70+ degree mark. Some of our better surface patterns this week have been X-Caddis, Purple Hazes, Chubby Chernobyls, Bloom’s Parachute Caddis, Para Wulffs, Working Girl Sallies, and small stimulators. If you are still looking to cash in on some big bug action, be aware that you will not be the only one looking to do so. That being said, if you aren’t a big fan of crowds and don’t mind getting up early then get to the river before sunrise and you will have most of the river to yourself– The morning salmonfly bite has been worth it this year.
The nymphing crowd has also been doing well on a variety of patterns such as yellow sally nymphs, lightning bugs, shop vacs, $3 dips, soft hackles, green machines, hare’s ears, and prince nymphs. We are still finding fish along the banks and slower seams during the morning hours, but you’ll want to target more pocket water and faster seams as water temps start to climb in the afternoon. Also worth noting is that some of the takes have been extremely subtle lately, so set that hook if there is any doubt in your mind.
Be sure to keep checking back for another Madison River fishing report from The Slide Inn.