Madison River Fishing Report for 2/8/2016
Dam: 861 cfs
Kirby: 1,080 cfs
Madison river fishing report for 2-8-2016. Steady as she goes…After a chilly start to February, the mercury is starting to rise around southwest Montana and the forecast is calling for sunny skies and highs in the low forties through Saturday. The midge fishing on the Upper Madison remains solid, with the bulk of the hatch coming off between noon and 2:00 p.m. However, we are still getting quite a few fish to eat on top after the vast majority of bugs are off the water, so don’t be afraid to fish blind until 3:30 p.m. or so. Nymphing remains good to obscene most days, with midge larva and pupa imitations such as #18 $3 dips and zebra midges being the top producers. As water temperatures start to climb this week, look for some of the larger browns to start chasing streamers a little more readily. Double screamers, sex dungeons, peanut envys, sculpzillas, and trevor’s sculpins are always good choices this time of year but make sure to keep your retrieves on the slower side for now. However, there are days in the dead of winter where these fish will surprise you and actually start hunting big flies on the fast strip. This is not always the case, but when it happens it will certainly put a smile on your face. For those of you looking to float, you’ll need a snowmobile to get into Lyon’s or Palisades but Windy is very doable right now, as are most of the put-ins below Ruby. The river around town should be free from slush and ice this week as well, so now could be a great time to dig out your boat and hit the upper madison during this little window of warm weather. Be sure to keep checking back for another madison river fishing report from the slide inn.
