Hebgen Dam: 985 cfs
Kirby: 1,080 cfs
Varney: 1,230 cfs
After three weeks of blistering heat we are finally getting some cooler temperatures and some much needed precipitation here in the Madison Valley. Flows out of Hebgen Dam were lowered slowly as the heat wave has started to subside during the last week in July, and we are currently sitting at just under 1,100 at the Kirby gauge and around 1,200 down at Varney Bridge. These are great flows for August and we have plenty of water in the reservoir in the event that warmer weather returns. That said, fishing has remained good throughout the Upper Madison though a little more inconsistent than what we saw in June and the first two weeks in July.
If you are looking for bugs you’ll want to stay up high between Raynolds and the West Fork, as we still have decent numbers of caddis and Epeorus hatching up there. Also worth noting is that we are starting to see Spruce Moths hitting the water over the last week, so make sure you have some larger Elk Hairs or other speciality patterns if you find yourself amongst the confers. Nymph fishing is still your best bet in the wade stretch though, and we are doing best on smaller perdigons, dips, caddis pupa, and PMD emergers in the #16-#20 range. Look for fishing on the faster seems and pockets especially during the late morning and early afternoon hours, and the bite seems to be slowing down a little 4:00 pm.
There are good numbers of Nocturnal Stones and a few caddis flying around down low, but most of the bug activity downstream from Palisades is transitioning from aquatic insects to terrestrials and we’ve actually had some pretty good hopper fishing during the afternoons as long as the sun is shining. Most of our effective patterns have been on the smaller side between size 12’s and 14’s in either flesh/pink, gold, or tan but don’t be afraid to try some larger sizes in the coming weeks as the hoppers are only getting bigger out there. Ants are also starting to come into play and should get better with each passing week. Ant Acids and other patterns in the #14-#16 range are always a good choice and some of our favorite colors combos are black/red, cinnamon, pink, and straight black.
Streamer fishing has been good to excellent first thing in the morning but it has been tough to get them to chase after 9:00 am. Small Sculpin imitations like mini dungeons and baby gongas have been getting the most action up high and you can get them to eat larger articulated flies like dungeons, kitties, and Peanut Envys in the bigger water between Ruby Creek and town. A great way to fish the Upper Madison right now is to strip streamers early in the morning and then switch over to a dry/dropper rig around 9:30 – 11:00…take an early lunch and then get in on the terrestrial bite from noon to 3-4:00 and you got yourself a full day of fishing.
