River Flows
Hebgen Dam: 806 cfs
Kirby: 976 cfs
Varney: 1,090 cfs
Fishing on the Upper Madison has been tough over the last couple of weeks, and the hot sun and smokey skies haven’t done the fish or anglers any favors either. The cooler weather and precipitation that we’ve experience over the last few days should stir the pot and get things going in the right direction though – All the smoke has cleared out of the valley and water temperatures are backing to normal for the time being. River flows remain normal for this time of year and the only section under hoot owl restrictions is 8 Mile to Ennis Lake, and we expect that to be lifted any day now. While fishing has been challenging, there are still some great fish being caught if you are willing to put your time in. Early morning streamer fishing has been decent from dawn until 9 am, and we have had some really nice fish come to hoppers, ants, and nocturnal stones during the late morning and early afternoon hours….not many, but some really good ones if you hit the right day. Nymphs haven’t been that great either, but again, you’ll find some nice ones if you stick with it.
The early morning strip game has been fair to great depending on the day, and we’ve been doing best on small sculpin and baitfish patterns in that 3″-4″ range in olive or black — Think Mini Dungeons, Peanuts, Mini Whiteys, and Baby Gongas. Once the sun comes up you’ve got another hour or two at best, but we really haven’t seen many fish willing to chase after 10:00 am — There’s always a chance though so keep at it if that is what you’re looking to do.
The dry fly fishing has been marginal top to bottom, but it has been best in the upper stretches where you can still find a few caddis and spinners on the water, especially on the cloudy days. Otherwise, we’ve been sticking to small hoppers and ants from 11 – 3 pm. Thunder Thighs Hoppers, Grand Hoppers, small Chernobyls, Ant Acids, Cinnamon Toast Ants, Parachute Ants, and CFO Ants are all great choices this time of year. As is per usual on the Upper Madison, hopper fishing tends to be better when the sun is out so stick to ants, caddis, and small attractors if you find yourself with cloud cover during the afternoon hours.
Nymph fishing has been about as consistent as the dry fly bite, but you can still get some nice fish under the indicator. Small mayfly nymphs and dips have been best from mid morning through the early afternoon when the sun is out, but we have been getting some good fish to eat smaller rubber legs and leech patterns during the cloudier days too.
