The first signs of Runoff have hit the Valley. However, it has been slow and gentle so far. Inconsistent weather conditions in the Valley have continued throughout this week. The River is showing a distinct striping from the West Fork down. Further towards Varney and into Town we are seeing a complete off-color River. This happens to be perfect for fishing bigger Stoneflies and Nymphs, flashier droppers with larger diameter Tippet. Above the West Fork we have started to see Fish stacking up in holes and the Streamer Slinging has started to be productive!! We have had reports of 20-30 fish days on the Streamer, Slingers’ your time has arrived! The River started the week at Kirby at 650 cfs and gradually rose through the week to 1,080 cfs; at Cameron we saw a similar trend with the water at 860 cfs early in the week and it ended at 1,820 cfs. We are seeing this influx of water coming from our tributaries (West Fork, Indian Creek, Wolf Creek, Cabin Creek, Beaver Creek, Standard Creek, Moose Creek & Sheep Creek) rather from Hebgen Lake. We are very grateful to have a dedicated dam operators that are doing all that they can to conserve as much water as possible at Hebgen to keep our beloved Madison with healthy flows all Summer long! The weather that we have had this April & May has really been a life saver, we are currently sitting at 130% snowpack!! This coming week we should be seeing more rain and mid 60-degree weather, however with the cooler nights we are predicting to see a continuation of this week’s water conditions and continued fishable water!! Come see us and let us help you with your bug selection and gear, and we provide Free delicious Dark Roast Coffee and chat about Epic Fishing Days!!!
Nymphs: Delektable Mega Prince STD FB #6-#8, Delektable Hurless Stone Grey or Olive FB #6-#8, Delektable Lil’ Spanker Silver/Pheasant Tail #12-#16, BH Delektable Prince Brandon #10-#16, BH Shop Vac #14-#16, BH Hot Orange Pheasant Tail #14-#18, Delektable Hammerhead GTBH Hare’s Ear #14-#16, Delektable Stoner Egg Head Spark Plug Black/Brown #6, Delektable BH Black Stoner #6, Lightning Bug Silver #16-#18, Delektable Stonefly Candy UV Brown/Gold #4-#8, Pat’s Rubberleg Brown or Black #4-#8, Tungsten BH Jiggy Blow Torch #14-#16, Delektable Hammerhead GTBH Jighead Halo Green #14, Delektable Worm Red #8, Wire Worm Orange/Red #6.
Dries: Delektable Mega2Tone Chubbyness Royal #8-#10, Purple Haze Parachute #16-#18, Geppert Crystal Dip #16-#18, Parachute Adams #16-#18, BWO Para-Sipper #18-#20, Three Dollar Crystal Dip GB #16, Delektable BWO Teaser #18, Delektable Royal Squeezer #18-#20.
Streamers: Coffey’s BH Sparkle Minnow Sculpin #6, Delektable Screamer Single or Double Olive, Yellow, Black, or Spawning #8, Zonker Natural/Copper #6-#8, Sculpzilla Olive #8, Sparkle Minnow Fish Skull Black #8, Slump Buster Black #8.