Author: Steve Price

“So…we meet again”, he said to the stick of butter as he sliced through it to butter his toast. Imagining his trophy in the net, he gently smeared the golden butter on his sourdough bread as if he was studying the spots. His toast now buttered he stared at it for a moment…“Finally in the net and to my hands!” he thought. As he took a bite he realized he was yet again daydreaming about that monster brown that got away from him in Southwest Montana. He hasn’t slept in four days and coffee only puts him in a deeper state of insomnia. He is already surfing the internet to book his next trip with the Beartooth Flyshop on the Madison River in the great state of Montana.

Here at the Beartooth we are concerned about your health, so we have prepared for you your pharmaceutical pick-me-ups (fly bins FULL of flies) and we assure you we have the drugs (flies) you will need. But, in the very rare case that we do not have “the fly” that you need, we will at the very least have the remedies for with which to create “the fly”.

We also have an array of fly tying supplies, so please swing on in and say hello and get you local report from any of us here, because we are also very sick with this little disease called flyfishing 🙂                                                                                                   

The river has been turning out great little fish for our clients and friends this past week and we are stoked to see more epic specimens as we move through the late summer months and into fall. The leaves have yet to turn here but let’s not rush it because we still have reports of some good hopper/ant fishing going on. The red ant is flying, the black ant is flying, the hopper is hopping and the trout are shopping, so get out there and get some pitch’n and twitch’n in before the colder weather sets in.

And now for the medley of bugs that have been working for us here. Some dries: Fat Albert brown sz 12-14, Grand Hopper sz 12, Dan’s Delektable Ant red sz 14-18, Yeager’s 409 red sz 16. Asauble Splitwing Pmd Spinner sz 14-18. Some nymphs: Pat’s Rubber Legs Olive/Brown/Olive sz 12; Formally Known As (FKA) Prince sz 14-16; Rainbow Warrior red sz 18; Delektable Red Spanker sz 16-18; Some Streamers: Delektable Screamer Black/Olive/Silver, Natty and Copper Zonks sz 6-8, Mini Scuplzilla black/olive.

Well, that’s all fer now! Hope to see ya out there sooner than later! 🙂

Happy Fishing!!!  -DanG

Let me tell you what, the summer season is sure not over and fishing continues to rock on the Madison River. As the summer months go on fish do become more elusive but finding them just makes the experience that much more rewarding. It’s important to work hard and find out what bugs are working, either by constantly switching up flies or getting advice from others. Using smaller tippet (4X or possibly 5X) will help too. Earlier this week flow pulse increases were made in an attempt to refill Ennis lake due to warmer temps. A few days following that peak pulse flow requirements were made at 1350 CFS and Hebgen outflow was lowed by 10% (August 5th). Finally on August 8th the flows were at 910 CFS with another flow reduction made the following day to bring the outflow to approximately 820 CFS. The water temperature remains stable on the Upper Madison and flows look good.

Enough with the data portion of this report and on to the fish. This week we welcomed back the Wild Adventure Group and many other anglers. There were lots of fish caught, good conditions (although the “W” factor was relentless at some points) and greats groups of people. I had the chance to meet a few gentlemen from the Wild Adventure Group who lived only 15 minutes from me back home in Virginia and ones who were alumni of my College JMU, GO DUKES! It’s a small world here at Beartooth Flyfishing.

HOT FLIES: Mocha Girdle Bug, Lil’ Spanker (Red/Silver/Purple), Spruce Moths, Two Bit Hooker, Wire Worm, Green Machine, JR Sculpzilla and Olive Streamers.

Another Great week and as always thank you to our guides and thank you to our anglers for your continued support. Keep on fishing hard, don’t be afraid to switch up flies to find the one that’s working and have fun. It’s time for me to head back to school and this will be my last report of the season. It has been a pleasure giving you the weekly fishing scoop and a joy to have met so many great people. Thank you to everyone at the Beartooth for a great summer! I will leave you with this last quote from John Steinbeck “I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

As Elizabeth Green once said, “Sometimes the most ordinary things could be be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people”. Fishing with friends and family can really be a special time and we had just that, the Larry Cook Group and Wild Adventure Ladies crew out on the water trying to make things extraordinary and unpredictable. The weather for our anglers was good with a slight “W” factor to compensate for.

HOT FLIES: GTBH Guides Choice Hares Ear, BH Lightning Bug (Purple), Pat’s Rubber Legs (Black/Brown and Olive/Brown), Delektable Hammerhead GTBH Pheasantail), Delektable Lil’ Spanker (Red), Delektable Twisted X (Tan/Brown) and Delektbale Twisted Baby (Tan/Brown).

Thanks to all our guides for another great trip, we appreciate all your hard work, great stories and second sense to find those fish.

Kepp Throwing Darts! Will

So, this is the land of Hoppertunity!!! If you have not got a chance to get the big dry bite yet this summer, you have not missed it! Hoppers are out and about fluttering and sputtering, tempting those who may devour them. Those being: the big, the bad, the slimey elusive browns and rainbows of the mighty mighty Madison River here in beautiful southwest Mantana! Please do yourself a favor and throw hoppers and ants, because the terrestrial game is only going to get better from here on out. August typically can be slower than most of the summer months, so you might have to get your short game on i.e. good ole chip and putt. We here at the shop have learned to use different strategies for this particular month because the fish just get smarter and smarter as the summer season goes on. Throw smaller nymphs and smaller dries to go with the smaller bugs that are hatching. Downsizing your tippet diameter is also a good way to fool those  trout into eating your meal that you have dished out. Another tip might be to set the alarm clock a little earlier than usual and go out before the sun comes up while the surface water is still cool and the trout are not as sluggish and lethargic from the heat. They may tend to be a bit more frisky in the morning and maybe stay out a little later too. Stick it out and try some pitch’n and twitch’n in the darker hours. Also remember you may not see rising pods of fish here and it is typical to twitch your fly a bit and they will come up to it. But don’t just take our word for it, go out there and give it the old college try. 

Now that we’ve thrown a little advice your way its time to get down to it…the FISH, the FLIES and the PICTURES that follow. Another wonderful week at Beartooth Flyfishing with beautiful weather, happy people and good stories. We had Ian, Dan D, Brandon, Dan M, John K, Marty, Ty and Randy all out this week. We had a number of return friends including Big Fish Kim, not to be confused with yet another Big Fish Kim (the Kims have it), Mark, Roger, Jim, and Matt, the Kennedy family and other families along with the Cook and Gray Group join us.  

HOT FLIES for the week included: JR Sculpzilla, Sparkle Prince, Small Red/Purple Nymphs (Sizes #16,#18,#20), Purple Lightning Bug, Pat’s Rubber Leg Tan/Brown (Sizes #10,#12) Cloud Hopper, Green Machine, Tungsten Redemption BWO and Delektable Flying Ant (Black and Red).

We appreciate you tuning in for another Beartooth fishing report. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call or stop by. Remember fish hard, fish smart and have fun out there because at the end of the day that’s what its all about. Happy Fishing!!

DanG/Will

I know I know, I’m thinking the same thing you are right now…This summer has flown by!! It’s almost August! Crazy huh. Another fishing report from Beartooth Flyfishing and as always we have lots to talk about and great pictures to share with you. This week we had the Clark Group, Neighbors, Fathers and Sons, and Wild Adventure Group join us once again. The temperature has not let up this past week, leveling off in the high 80’s during the day. Don’t worry this hasn’t posed any threat to the Maddy, as the fishing continues to be steady. Constant flow of water regulated by the dam has kept CFS levels around 1200. As the season continues and temperatures spike rivers like the Big hole are facing Hoot Owl Restrictions between stretches, with average CFS levels at 352. Better check with your local Big Hole fly shop before putting the boat in the water. Other River Restrictions are posted in the shop or call us to find out.

HOT flies for the week: Dry Flies: Delektable Chubbyness (Royal,Olive/Brown,UV Purple,Cinnamon and 2Tone UV Dark Olive) all sizes #16 and #18,  Delektable Twisted X (Tan) and Royal Trudes. Nymphs: Delektable Lil’ Spankers, Callibaetis, Soft Hackle Hare’s Ear, various colors of Delektable Hammerheads and Lightning Bugs (Silver) all sizes #16,#18,#20. Hoppers: Fat Albert Tan and the Delektable Slammer in various colors. Ants, yes Flying Ants have started to appear this week which is great to hear.

To start off the week we had the Clark Group guided by Ian and Randy as well as Dan M and Marty on the water.

A new Wild Adventure Crew was here having fun catching fish. Thanks to all our guides for another successful trip!

Remember Ants are making their way to town so keep an eye out. We will keep you updated so stayed tuned.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

Ladies and fly fishing bums (gentlemen), we have water!! This is now. Realize it. Get out and fish, because next week we are going to see much warmer temperatures resulting in a bunch of hoot owl closures around the area. But as for the very moment, these days are the days that you all have been waiting for! This is the type of flyfishing therapy that you NEED to survive the rest of this summer! The big bug fishing continues!!! Hoppers and nocturnal stones are out and about keeping a well rounded good ole constant with the big dries!

With the river keeping at a steady level, there have been large assortments of flies that have blown up and been good this week. The insect assortment we have in and around the river right now has been between the stones, hoppers, pmds, pmd rusty spinners, tricos, and a variety of caddis, so diligence with experimentation is definitely your best tactic to put fish in the net. If you’re a dry fly person, then a good fly to experiment with would be the Fat Albert or the Delektable Slammer. Colors of choice lately are with Fat Albert: the Tan Foam and Yellow or Red Thread or with The Delektable Slammer: Yellow or Red. These have been very productive in sizes 12-14. Some other dry flies to experiment with are the Delektable Chubbynesses in UV Cinnamon, 2Tone Royal, and Rootbeer, all in sizes 14-16. Most of your Caddis, Mayfly, and PMD Dries are very effective, but if you prefer to fish with nymphs, try a Psycho Prince in sizes 14-16 below an Olive/Brown, or Brown/Black variegated Pat’s Rubber Legs in sizes 10-12. That would be a worthwhile endeavor. Most small Mayfly or PMD Nymphs have been effective in sizes 14-18, therefore they would be worth trying too.

The fire in the picture is one we can see from the lodge that we believe is now under control but scared a bunch of friends who experienced a close call as they were almost evacuated. Thank you to our local fire fighters. Remember if you’re having trouble out there and need any assistance at all or just want to talk to a few fishing nuts come by the shop for your local fix. Happy fishing to all!!

-DanG/Emmett/Will

Another BUSY day at the Beartooth with a nice group of fishermen. We had the pleasure once again to host the Wild Adventure Group who are always a joy to have. The weather was good, the bugs out, the fisherman eager, the dinner bell ringing and the rods insisting to be bent to the breaking point.

HOT flies for the day included: Pats Rubber Legs (Olive/Brown), Beadhead Shop Vac, Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, Lightning Bug (Silver), Delektable Chubbyness Royal, Delektable 2Tone Chubbyness UV Dark Olive and Delektable Chubbyness UV Purple.

We had Brandon, Gunnar, Ian, David, Willie, and John guiding the Wild Adventure Crew. The “W” factor did take over part of the evening, thus less photos, and better rowing. Like Jim Rohn once said “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.” That’s just what happened and the Wild Adventure crew consistently throughout the day caught fish.

Not only did we have the Wild Adventure Group but also Randy, Tim, Dan M and Marty guiding clients. The groups were spread out in different locations on the river with the timing of the groups being half morning and half evening. There was floating, wading and of course fish to be caught. Smiling faces and great stories tagged along all the way back to the shop at the end of the day.

Keep Throwing Darts! Will

Well hello hello hello! I hope you all are thoroughly enjoying this epic weather as much as we are here at the Beartooth. This warmer weather has been putting out hoppers on the Madison flats faster than Frank Abagnale Jr. could put out fake checks. I mean, it’s happening. Check out the Varney Road and see for yourself. We have had multiple reports of big hopper eats from McAtee down river. And with the nocturnal bugs starting to pop, the guides are still finding fish on the big bugs. The fishing this week has been great! The fish have been eating all sorts of food! Some popular food for the fish this week has been Hoppers, Nocturnal stones, Mayfly dries, Caddis dries, and most small beadhead nymphs.

During the first half of the week we had Dan M, John and Ian guiding. From reports coming back into the shop in seems that there is some bad news………The fishing’s GREAT!! There has been reports of sore arms, bug overloads, and strained eyes from watching fish eat flies over and over. Now would be a good time to call your friend who needs a good fish catching experience.

During the later part of the week John K, Dan M, Ian and Terry were out on the water. We have some great pics to share with you from their adventure on the Madison.

SUMMARY: If you take anything from this report it would be that hoppers, yes hoppers, are here. Drive down Varney Road and see for yourself. HOPPERS, that is all.

-Dan G/Will