Steve Price, Author at Beartooth Flyfishing

August 18th | Missouri River Fishing Report

August 9th – 15th | Madison River Fishing Report

It’s Terrestrial time. Yes, still Terrestrial time. There’s no end in sight. The fish just keep looking up and as long as the sun keeps shining during the day, we don’t expect that to change. August brings some tough days now and then but the Streamer and Nymph bite has been able to save a few of them for us lately so keep that in mind.

The Nymphing is probably best in the morning before things warm up for the Hoppers and Ants. Pat’s Rubberlegs, Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Lightning Bugs, Pheasant Tails, Princes, Delektable Hammerheads and Copper Johns have all been doing the trick weather they’re fished under the Hopper, behind a Streamer or in tandem with another nymph.

Not much has changed in the way of dry flies. Dornan’s Water Walkers, Delektable Secret Stones, Delektable Chubbyness, Yaeger’s 409, Thunder Thighs, Fat Franks, Fat Alberts, More-Or-Less Hoppers and Sheila Hoppers are all catching fish as well as a variety of Beetle and Ant patterns.

Much like the Nymphs, Streamers have been best early while it’s cool out. Zonkers, Delektable Screamers, McCune’s Sculpins, Bond’s Mini Dragons, Trevor’s Sculpins, and Bow River Buggers are all worth tying on if you’re looking for that meat eater out there.

July 26th – August 8th | Madison River Fishing Report

Well it’s officially August and that means one thing around here: Grasshopper Season!! We talked about Grasshoppers last week and you can expect to hear it again next week so get used to Hopper talk around the valley. There are a few Caddis and Mayflies still kicking around along with some Nocturnal Stoneflies so keep that in mind in the mornings and evenings.

Nymphing has still been good despite all the surface action. Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Pat’s Rubberlegs, Lightning Bugs, Formerly Known as Prince, Shop Vacs, $3 Dips, Little Green Machines and Other Nymphs are all good choices. Best bet is to fish these under the hopper in the afternoon or in tandem under a bobber in the mornings and evenings. And it works without a Bobber with two Small Nymphs and a bit of weight with a tight line.

As far as Dry fly fishing goes it’s all about Terrestrials. Hoppers, Ants and Beetles have all been getting some attention from the trout. Thunder Thighs Hoppers, Panty Dropper Hoppers, Dave’s Hoppers, Parachute Hoppers, Streambank Hoppers, Morrish Hoppers, and any other Hopper pattern you believe in should do the trick. Delektable Flying Ants, Bloom’s Stealth Ant, Hippie Stompers and the Yeager’s 409 are good for the Beetles and Ants.

Streamers aren’t Grasshoppers. You’ll probably just want to fish hoppers but if you’re the kind of fella that needs to throw the big stuff I’d recommend getting up early and throwing things like Delektable Screamers, John Bond’s Dragon, Galloup’s Dungeon, Bow River Buggers or Zonkers.

July 19th – 25th | Madison River Fishing Report

The Hoppers are coming! The Hoppers are coming! Get those boxes of foam ready and stock up on floatant now. We’re seeing signs that suggest another great terrestrial season. The Grasshopper bite was just getting started towards the end of this first of two weeks and if it’s anything like last year’s Hopper action, there’s no end in sight. With all that being said, the Hopper fishing isn’t red hot quite yet but the early signs are promising and it is so much fun. We are hopeful! The leaps, drive by’s, bites, and near bite misses are great fishing entertainment fun because you can see the fish go for it. Be patient and let them bite it. A little twitching can help attract them too. The action can be on the edge but also in the middle of the river and near boulders and a variety of places. Experiment!

A few nice ones have been caught on the dries these two weeks. Although we’re all very excited about Grasshoppers don’t forget about some of the other smaller Attractor Dry Flies like the Purple Haze and Purple Craze, Delektable Chubbyness, Stimulators, Dornan’s Water walkers, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis, Delektable Sparkle Bugs and “X” Caddis, and the Delektable Twisted Baby. In addition PMD’s and Sallies were still on this past first week. As far as the terrestrials go the More-Or-Less hopper, Thunder Thighs, Panty Dropper Hopper, Yeagers 409, Delektable Flying Ant and Bloom’s Stealth Ant are all good choices.

The Nymphs have been and likely always will be the most effective way to catch fish. Size #16 has become more frequent on the smaller nymphs. Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Delektable Hammerhead Jig Hooks, Delektable Lime and Lemon Juice, Formerly Known as Prince, Various Prince Patterns, Psycho Princes in a variety of colors, Shop Vacs, Pat’s Rubberlegs, Lightning Bugs, $3 Dips and Lemon Drops have all been successful on the bead head side of things.

The Streamer bite has been sort of hit or miss but there’s plenty of carnivorous little Brown Trout swimming around out there. Sculpin patterns are your best bet, smaller darker flies like Mini Loop Sculpins, Delektable Screamers, Zonkers, JR’s Conehead and John Bond’s Dragon should move some nice trout.

July 20th | Big Hole Fishing Report

July 12th – 18th | Madison River Fishing Report

Well, well, well… what a difference a week can make. The fishing has been a bit less consistent as the stonefly hatches have tapered off. There have been plenty of good fish caught they are just making you work for them a bit more.

Dry fly fishing has been a bit tougher during the day but the early and late hatches have still been good with the PMDs and Caddis. Hoppers and Ants have been just starting to pick up a fish here and there and we only expect that to get better as time goes on. Delektable Halos, Bloom’s Parachute Caddis, Purple Hazes, Thunder Thighs and Delektable Flying Ants are all good dry flies.

The nymphs have been doing all the heavy lifting out there this week. We’ve mostly been running 2 small nymphs under the bobber to get the most action. Delektable Ranch PMDs, Delektable Lil Spankers, Lightning Bugs, Psycho Princes, Princes, $3 Dips, Shop Vacs and Bloom’s Weight Fly have all been doing well out there.

Streamer fishing has been improving with some nice fish being caught on sculpin imitations, mostly in the mornings. Delektable Screamers, Trevor’s Sculpins, McCune’s Sculpins and Zonkers have been the winners of the week.

For anyone who hasn’t heard Montana has issued a mandatory mask mandate for all public spaces and businesses so when you come to the fly shop please be prepared to follow the rules with us. Wearing masks or facial cloth covers is also required when doing outdoor activities if less than 6 Foot distancing occurs and also while riding with others in automobiles. Thanks in advance for helping.

July 11th | Beaverhead River Fishing Report

June 28th – July 11th | Madison River Fishing Report

Well, as usual July has brought some great fishing here in the valley. Salmon flies have begun to taper off but the Caddis, PMDs, Yellow Sallies and Golden Stones are still around to play for some time to come.

As you could probably guess, nymphing is the best way to pick up fish. During the late morning and mid-afternoon hours, the indicator rig has been the way to go. Delektable Sure Strike Sallies, Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Shop Vacs, Lemon Drops and ALL Variations of Prince Nymphs have been the go-to Beadheads.

Dry fly fishing has been good, but spotty. The evening Caddis and PMD Spinner fishing has been really good but you’ll have to stay on the water till the sun starts to go over the hills around 9pm so get your nap in during the day if you’re looking for the best top water action. The upper most reaches of the river still have some big bug fishing to offer but not for long so get it while it’s hot. Delektable Chubbyness patterns in many variations, Delektable CDC Elk Hair Caddis, Bloom’s Para-Caddis, Purple Crazes, Dornan’s Water Walkers and Parachute Adams are all good choices out there.

If you’re one of the brave ones that would rather throw a streamer through the hatches than just keep Sculpins in mind as most of the luck we’ve had has been on smaller olive or natural flies. Mccune’s Sculpin, Delektable Single Screamer, Sheila’s Sculpin and Bow River Buggers have all been picking up fish.

Thanks for tuning in and until next time have fun and keep your flies in the water!

June 16th – 28th | Madison River Fishing Report

We are catching up with our reports and getting into the flow of fishing, hatches, people in the shop, and more.

Things are really heating up around the valley, especially the bug hatches. Little Caddis, big Caddis aka Bomber Caddis, PMDs, aaand of course Salmon Flies! We are seeing Salmon flies through a large stretch of river, pretty much from just above Ennis up to Palisades or so. The Caddis are throughout the entire river in a variety of sizes and colors and the PMDs are mostly below Varney. The forecasted weather is likely to slow the hatches down a bit but when the sun comes out expect it to be game on. In the meantime, the nymphing and streamer fishing should be great.

Under the surface we’ve seen success on many variations and sizes of prince nymphs as well as the Delektable CDC Baby, Delektable Lime Juice, Delektable Lil’ Spanker, Delektable Hammerhead including Jig Hooks, Delektable Sure Strike, Delektable Mega Prince, Shop Vac, Copper John, $3 Dip, Lemon Drop, GB Superflash Yellow, PMD Nymphs, and of course Pat’s Rubberlegs Black, Olive/Brown, Black/Brown, & Brown. The double small nymph game has been working in addition to a big nymph trailed by a small nymph. Depending on the flows, you may need to add weight.

As for the dry flies.. Delektable Secret Stoneflies, Delektable Mega Chubbyness, Dornan’s Water Walkers, and Morrish’s Fluttering Stone are all good choices for the big bugs. As for the Caddis you’ll wanna fish Delektable CDC Elk Hairs, Delektable Halos, Bloom’s Para Caddis, or the Delektable Twisted Baby. Purple Hazes, Adams Flies and Comparaduns are the way to go for PMDs.

Streamer fishing has been variable with the weather and water flow but we’ve had some success on Delektable Screamers, Bond’s Dragon, Zonkers and Mini Loop Sculpins have picked up a few fish. Best to try trailing an emerger behind it.