Okay, had to share this, elk in the back yard. 
When you fish this time of year you get to see herds of elk along the river and wildlife abound. What a country!
Nancy
Tag: Fly fishing ennis
March 20 & 21, 2016| Madison River Fishing Report
Our friends, Zac and Kim had a great time on the Upper Madison catching really nice trout
despite the “W” factor which prevailed. They had the two really nice weather days in between some winter conditions on the front and back end of their trip. Kim has a reputation for catching the big fish, not to be confused with another Kim we know who also catches big fish, and this time Zac was right in the competition with his sweetheart. Brandon took great care of them floating two different sections of the upper in his new boat which he loves.
The flies that worked were stone flies including the Pat’s Rubberlegs in Black, Delektable Mega Prince Olive Flashback, Delektable Hurless Gray Flashback, and an assortment of worms and Caddis Emerger patterns. It was a great time and a nice birthday celebration for Kim with Zac. Happy Birthday! Kim!
Nancy
March 11, 2016| Madison River Fishing Report
I just had to take advantage of the Upper Madison being open year round again. 
The wind being low and temperatures in the 50’s; time to grab my wading staff and sample some deeper buckets. The flies that caught fish included: Delektable Flashback Mega Prince #8; Delektable Flashback Gray and Purple Hurless both #8; Delektable Flashback Mega Prince Olive #8; and of course Delektable Soft Hackle Red Worm #8.
The bite was sweet in the deeper buckets around boulders. Two guide boats past me floating from Windy Point to McAtee. The four clients seemed pretty happy to be out on a nice day. My personal mission is to fish at least one day a week the rest of the year. 
Go Fishing when you can…..
Dan
March 4th and 5th, 2016| Madison River Fishing Report
It is springtime in the Rockies; my favorite time of the year. Yes, the Upper Madison is 
open year round again… Yahoo! We are glad to see less crowding in one section of the river this year compared to past years and to see local residents having an opportunity to fish their back yard. The bite was great today. I stopped counting at 10.
I checked out the boat ramps from Raynolds Pass to Storey Ditch and fished about 1 ½ hours and caught mostly Rainbows in the 14” to 19” range with 2 smaller Browns. 
They loved the Delektable Size #8 Flashback Mega Prince, Flashback Gray Hurless, and Flashback Olive Mega Prince, my go to patterns this time of year. I fished mainly deeper buckets with two #8 Delektables with or without weight. Friends fished the next day and had similar results except more of the “W” factor occurred which does come around these days. Call to find out if it’s gusty out here. They used similar bugs including good results with the Black Pat’s Rubberlegs #10 along with the Delektable Flashback Olive Mega Prince #8. In addition, a variety of worms and eggs can be effective this time of year trailed behind a stonefly.
As far as the boat ramps that are open for launch, I’ll start with Raynolds Pass: Still covered in snow, about two weeks out; Pine Butte: open and usable; Lyons Bridge: parking lot is still being used by snowmobilers but you can launch a boat or raft which you will need to slide down the snow; Windy Point: launch is perfect along with open parking lot; Palisades: snow drifts preventing ability to get to the parking lot by car or launch, maybe a week to 10 days out from usable unless you walk down;
Ruby Creek, McAtee, Varney, Eight Mile Ford, Burnt Tree Hole, Ennis, Valley Garden, and Clutes Landing are all usable and launch able. There is still ice on Ennis Lake but you can go down around it.
Go Fishing and Enjoy!
Dan
October 25, 2015 | Madison River Fishing Report
Time for an updated Madison River fishing report!
Cooler but not COLD weather is expect for the next while which is a great thing for fishing! Hunting season is in full swing and boat traffic on the river is minimal throughout. Looking outside, it is overcast and quite pleasant out. The Madison River flows are still flat lining around 900 CFS.
The fishing is excellent during certain times of the day. Mornings are slow, but not a lot of people are fishing early so who knows if that is actually true. The bite seems to pick up late morning with steady action using #8-10 black girdle bugs followed with something silver. I’d try the Zebra Midge or Crystal Dip as well. Also working are the medium sized streamers. Try black, olive or tan colors with a little flash. Definitely give the micro egg patterns a shot as fish seem to be keying in them with the whitefish spawning during the night. Many anglers have noticed the bite abruptly shutting down as the sun begins to dip around 5 pm. You can expect some good fishing leading up to that.
Anyways, feel free to call the shop if you need a report or information on flies. Stop in to check out our end of the season clothing sale, and our heavily discounted rental waders and boots that are still 60-70% off!
-Parker Redmond
October 21, 2015 | Current Upper Madison River Conditions
Here are the current Upper Madison River conditions.
The river flows have been hovering steadily around 900 CFS for quite a while now with some very slight increases here and there with the little amount of rainfall that we’ve had. There are a few bony sections at these flows but otherwise this flow provides perfect habitat for our trout.
If you look at last week’s water temperature readings you can see there was a consistent 10-degree temperature swing occurring due to the sharp decrease in overnight air temperature. That trend stabilized when the low pressure from Sunday-Tuesday moved over the region, however we could see it come back if it stays clear over the next couple days. This can make for slow fishing early in the morning so I would say that there is no rush to get out there, which is nice when we have afternoon temperatures in the high 60s! Afternoon fishing into the evening should be a good bet after the water temperatures exceed 50 degrees.
Currently we’ve got some snow in the higher elevations from the
recent storm activity. This morning was socked in with fog and we had our first significant frost as temperatures begin to dip below freezing in the early hours of morning. The fog cleared quickly and it looks like we are in for some nice weather for the next several days. You can expect crisp, clear weather with occasional periods of partial cloud cover and slight possibilities for rain. For the most part, we are expecting some unseasonable mild conditions midday.
As for the fishing, overcast conditions have led to some spectacular streamer action. If you do get some cloud cover, try ripping a big dark colored streamer. In my opinion WHITE IS ALWAYS RIGHT, but during the clear afternoons/evenings it is certainly a good choice. We also had some good reports on black and/or olive sculpin patterns fished under an indicator. Try pairing those up with a #8-10 black Pat’s Rubber Legs, a worm or an egg. Significant BWO and midge hatches are also triggering an excellent bite at times using #20-22 nymph and emerger patterns. This action could subside a bit with the clear weather we have now, but certainly give it a go. We also have had a few guides come in to report a steady dry fly bite using Dan’s Delektable Chubbyness in sizes #12-16. Try trailing a BWO, midge or calibaetis emerger behind that as well as various #14-18 pheasant tails or lightning bugs. This could be a good bet on the sunny afternoons.
Fish are definitely moving into their spawn with many redds reported between the lakes and leading into the park. Remember to tread lightly as you wade the river this time of the year. Those redds are crucial to our river’s future.
Lastly, this time of the year is perfect for exploring new waters with less people. It’s been flat out gorgeous throughout the state so get out there!
-Parker Redmond
October 4-10, 2015 | Anniversary Getaway on the Rogue River
Dan and Nancy ventured off to the Rogue for their anniversary steelhead retreat. Dan got a chance to dust off his old Lavro drift boat. Here is his account:
Steelhead addiction was achieved for Nancy Delekta 13 years ago by her loving husband Mr. Delektable. My addiction for steelhead started when I was 14 years old- Thank you, Grandpa. The Rogue River steelhead of southern Oregon have been calling us in October each year for our wedding anniversary. We don’t get to go every year and this year was limited to one week. Nancy and I spent a week fishing and hanging out at steelhead camp with our friends Jeff, Jewels, Andy, Steve, Cam, Dave, Heather, John and Hannah. Special thanks to Jeff and Jewels for the great meals and accomodations and Special thanks to Jack for selling our bugs at The Fishin’ Hole Fly Shop in Shady Cove, and to Angie for providing breakfast and our box lunches on the river. The Delektable flies that caught steelhead were:
#6-8 Delektable Bug Midnight Fire Flashback black/orange legs
#6-8 Delektable Bug Copper/Gold/Black with black legs and black/orange legs
#8-12 Delektable BH Lime Juice
#8-12 Delektable BH Orange Juice
#8-12 Delektable BH CDC Baby
#8-12 Delektable Tungsten BH Red Headed Big Spankers
#12-14 Delektable Jig Hook Hammerhead Hare’s Ear
#12-14 Delektable Jig Hook Hammerhead Prince
Nancy caught a nice sea run cut in addition to the steelheads she caught. She could also share with you an interesting story about a tooth ache and going to the dentist in Shady Cove to fix it.
Thanks Jenn, Parker, and Dan G for covering for Dan and Nancy.
-Parker and Nancy