Midge Fishing

Madison River Dam: 921 cfs Kirby: 959 cfs It's been more of the same on the Upper Madison this week, with unseasonably high temperatures making for very pleasant fishing conditions.  The nymph bite is still holding steady with midge larva and pupa imitations such as zebras and #18 $3 Dips doing the most damage.  Smaller Pat's Rubber Legs in black have been good choices throughout the Upper River in addition to Iron and Tungsten Sallies in #16 as well.  The dry fly fishing has continued to hold its own between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. when the wind holds off [...]

Madison River Dam: 822 cfs Kirby: 860 cfs Steady as she goes...The Upper Madison continues to fish well with nymphs throughout the day, and the midge activity has been good to outstanding for the dry fly enthusiasts during the late morning to early afternoon hours.  Small Hares Ears, #18 $3 Dips, #8-10 Pat's Rubber Legs, and various midge pupa/larva are all good bets under the indicator right now, but as most of the experienced winter anglers know, its generally more about finding the fish this time of year rather than a specific pattern-- Focus your efforts on the deeper holes, [...]

Madison River Dam: 851 cfs Kirby: 914 cfs About the only thing that has changed from our last report is the lack of sub-zero temperatures out there.  That being said, the nymph fishing has been very good on the Upper Madison this week, and we are still getting fish on dries during the early afternoons...we haven't seen the full-on midge "explosion" yet, but that should get going here very shortly.  The usual fare of #18 $3 Dips, midge larva/pupa, Pat's Rubber Legs, Nuke Eggs, and baetis nymphs have been about all you need to know, and the traffic has been [...]