May 29, 2008 - Beartooth Flyfishing

The net inflow to Hebgen is approximately 10,000 cfs, with the Conservation Pool 87% full. The flow out of Hebgen is 1,774 cfs and has increased steadily over the last three days. The flow near Cameron is 2,430 cfs and rising.

If you don’t already have plans to fish the Upper Madison this summer or fall, make them now. Once this runoff subsides–probably sometime in June– the fly fishing on the Upper Madison is going to be spectacular.

Dan wade fished on Sunday below McAtee, near Palisades, and near the Sun West Ranch–in the very muddy water. He hooked over 20 fish and landed over 10, in about 5 hours of fishing–with only 6 to 8 inches of visibility. They were taking Delektable Flashback Hurless Stones and Mega Princes, #6 and #8′, and that was all they were taking.

Fish real tight to the bank. Dan spooked a bunch of fish wading up the banks, where they were under the banks and they couldn’t be reached with casting. The fish were actually underneath the banks, which is actually very common in these high water conditions. Dan saw some BWOs and March Browns come off, but he didn’t fish any dries.

With Quake Lake being pretty dirty right now, 8 inches of visibility is still plenty from Quake Lake down.

Wade fishing is the way to go now. How many can throw a fly from a boat 4 to 6 inches from the bank–and keep it in there–consistently and accurately? If you’re in a boat, get out to fish this dirt. Fish eat a whole bunch in the dirt. There’s a lot of food coming at them. They’ve been in the winter mode for a long time. They’re hungry. A lot of nutrients are coming at them that they don’t usually see–a lot of worms, with the earthworms being washed from the banks, joining their aquatic cousins–orange, red-banded, brown-banded. It’s a smorgasbord. The stoneflies are active, because they will be hatching pretty soon, so they’re getting dislodged into the current.

So fish the upper Madison from Hebgen to Quake Lake and from Quake Lake to the West Fork, and below. Fish have been eating in dirty water for millions of years. They know how to do it.

Recommended Flies

To see the Delektables™ go to: Delektable Flies Gallery

Nymphs:

Delektable™ Hurless Olive, Gray #6, #8; Delektable™ Mega Prince#6, #8; Pat’s Rubberleg Brown #6,#8; Delektable Worm, Red or Brown #8; Red Wire Worm #6, #8

Delektable Hurless Stone Gray

Riverborn Fly Company www.riverbornflies.com

Delektable Worm Red

Riverborn Fly Company www.riverbornflies.com

Worth a Try: Delektable™ Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail or Lil’ Spanker in Red, Silver, Olive #18;#16,#14; Tungsten Beadhead Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle #20; Delektable™ Twinkle Midge and Zebra Midge #20,#18; WD40 Olive #20

Dries (possibly) :

Snowshoe Cripple BWO #18; Q’s Loopy Cripple Stacker BWO #18; Snowshoe Baetis #20; Adam’s Midge Cluster #20; Stalcup’s Hatching Midge #20 (Split Wing Adams #12 ) March Brown Parachute #14; Klinkhammer #14

Streamers:

Delektable Screamer Olive and Yellow, Single and Double, #6:

Riverborn Fly Company www.riverbornflies.com

Dan, Marty, Nancy, Brad

May 21, 2008

The Upper Madison from Windy Point down is blown out. The flow near Cameron is 1,940 cfs. The release from Hebgen is stable at 972 and the net inflow to the reservoir is around 1500.

Some hardy souls are floating from Lyons Bridge to Windy Point and fishing the right bank, for the five or six miles before the muddy water from the West Fork discolors the entire river, but Dan did not think that would be worth it, so didn’t take his Dad out on Opening Day–the first Opening Day he has missed in many years. Those who fished on Opening Day above the West Fork had a good day.

It is time to fish the upper Madison from Hebgen to Quake Lake and from Quake Lake to the West Fork. This water will remain fishable regardless of the runoff and even if the release from the dam increases. Quake Lake may become slightly discolored, but not enough to affect the fishing down to the West Fork.

The good news about this rapid melt is that a substantial amount of the snowpack has melted and the chances are good that the fishing will be good by the middle of June. Indian Creek didn’t even start flowing hard until yesterday. It took all those days of heat to get the melt really started and a lot of the lower elevation stuff has come down. The high water is not a problem. The Madison fishes well in conditions of high flow, as long as the clarity is reasonable.

Recommended Flies

To see the Delektables™ go to: Delektable Flies Gallery

Nymphs:

Delektable™ Hurless Olive, Gray #8; Delektable™ Mega Prince #8; Pat’s Rubberleg Brown #8; Delektable™ Lil’ Spanker Pheasant Tail or Lil’ Spanker in Red, Silver, Olive #18;#16,#14; Tungsten Beadhead Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle #20; Delektable™ Twinkle Midge and Zebra Midge #20,#18; WD40 Olive #20

Delektable Hurless Stone Gray: