Fishing Report
Friday, Jun 29, 2012
Hot Fishing!!
Well, SW Montana finally got rid of the strong winds that plagued anglers for several days. However the temperatures are still high for the end of June. Fortunately fishing remains very good on all rivers in the Twin Bridges area. You are going to hear about wild fires on the national news. Don't let that spook you away from your travel plans to our corner of the state. The only fishery impacted at all by fire is the lower Madison from Ennis Lake to Three Forks and this is not a good summer fishing choice anyway. All other area rivers are open and in superb fishing condition!!!
The Beaverhead is really heating up for the dry fly angler. Yellow Sally stones are happening during the day and you can have some real fun on the surface. Prior to the hatch fish small micro may flies and pmd nymphs with weight.
The Big Hole is a bit erratic. If we get a bit of cloud cover you will find good fishing from Melrose downstream. However on these bright days you should look at fishing the river above Melrose and even up as high as Wise River. You will find the fish up on caddis and some may flies. If you are not a dry fly fisher use bead head nymphs off of attractor dries or with a straight nymphing rig.
The Jefferson is in good fishing shape and is an often overlooked river. Fish attractor dries such as the Chernobyl Ant, stimulator and PMX patterns. You may find some hatch activity and match this with caddis or pmd dries. If you enjoy fishing wet we recommend micro may flies with a copper john dropper fished deep. Also throw streamers off the banks.
The Upper Madison above Ennis is in great shape and there is no fire problem. Salmon Flies are on the river from Ennis to the West Fork. The hatch is sparse this year which means the fish should not gorge.
The Ruby is in pristine shape. Attractor dries or attractors and droppers will work well.
Enjoy some beautiful summer weather and good luck
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2012
Big Winds
Montana has experienced very unusually strong SW winds for the past four days. These winds combined with record high temperatures have created early wildfire trouble. Typically these events are blown out of proportion by the press. Obviously wildfire is very destructive and unwanted but we want all our fishing friends to understand that rarely do wildfires get into the valleys of the Big Hole, Jefferson, Ruby or Beaverhead and fishing remains very excellent.
Salmon Flies are on the Madison. The hatch is not heavy but you will find fish willing to eat the large stone fly adults. When trout will not look to the surface for the big bugs fish the stone fly larve patterns such as the pat's stone.
The Big Hole is a mixed bag of caddis flies, green drakes, pmd's and golden stone dries. As always, if you struggle on the surface with dry flies don't be stubborn, go to nymphs.
The Jefferson is in prime condition. Streamers, nymphs and dries all are working through a day. Start with nymphs or streamers and go to the dries when you see rising fish.
The Beaverhead continues to produce large fish on small flies. 16-20-bead head patterns like the micro may and split back with plenty of weight will provide a lot of action.
The Ruby is clear now and fishing well. Try attractor dries if you see no hatch and drop a nymph off the back. You can find caddis and pmd's at some point through the day.
Best of Luck
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2012
Madison River Salmon Flies
The Salmon Fly Hatch on the Big Hole River is about finished for the 2012 season. You will still experience some very good dry fly fishing. Fish golden stone dries, green drakes, pmd mayflies and caddis. The river is in superb shape and will fish well for many weeks to come.
Salmon Flies are just starting to show on the Madison in the Ennis area. The river has a fair amount of water but is very clear. It is fishing well with stone fly nymphs and smaller bead heads. You can fish the large salmon fly dries and move fish between Varney Bridge and Ennis Lake.
The Beaverhead continues to fish very well with pmd nymphs in sizes 16 and 18. The flow is relatively high so don't feel badly when you hook and lose fish. Size 18 nymphs in fast water just don't hold all the larger Beav fish! PMD's starting to show on the top end of the river.
The Jefferson is gorgeous. It should fish very well with nymphs and streamers. As it drops and clears some dry fly fishing will happen with pmd's. You can fish the Jefferson from Twin Bridges to Three Forks and see very little fishing pressure.
The Ruby remains the best small stream wade fishing. You can fish the public access points at Silver Springs, Vigilante, Alder School or the dam. You can also go above the reservoir and fish the Forest Service property around Cottonwood camp.
The weather is supposed to turn summerlike. Get out and enjoy some of the best fishing of the year!!
Saturday, Jun 16, 2012
Salmon Fly Progress
For those anglers who enjoy chasing the salmon fly hatches, things are in full swing. Flies are now found over about twenty miles of the Big Hole River from Melrose to Jerry Creek. The river is in good shape. Fish the banks with large #4 and 6 stone fly dries and you should have some real fun. Do be prepared for a large number of anglers. This is the most popular time of the season on the Big Hole.
If you prefer not to fish with a lot of people fish the Big Hole from Melrose to the Pennington Bridge with caddis, attractor dries and nymphs.
The Madison is in great shape again. The Salmon Flies are not that far away on the Madison so you want to fish stone fly nypmhs like the Pat's Stone and drop a small bead head off the back of the stone fly. If you get an overcast day fish streamers.
The Beaverhead is holding steady at around 750 cfs and fishing very well with small nymphs as usual. You have got to get deep with size 16 and 18 nymphs on relatively fine leader. We use 3x and 4x tippets.
On the spring creeks pmd hatches are beginning. Match the hatch with sparkle duns in sizes 14 and 16. If you drop a small micro may fly off the back of your dry you can do well both on the surface and deep. For picky fish try #14 or #16 emerger pmd patterns.
The Ruby is in great shape again. You will need to fish a mixed bag of nymphs and dries. If you are die hard dry fly guy fish an attractor dry with a nymph dropper.
Don't overlook the Jefferson River. It has a bit of color but is fishing well. You will need to fish streamers such as the JJ Special, Yuk Bug or Wooley Buggers and nymphs. San Juan Worms are always a good choice when the water has a bit of color.
Have a good Father's Day weekend.
Monday, Jun 11, 2012
Salmon Flies on the Big Hole!
It is that time of the season. The Stone Fly Hatch on the Big Hole should appear in the next couple of days. The nymph fishing with big stone fly nymphs is currently very good.
The water conditions on the Big Hole are perfect. Flows are around 3,000 cfs which means the fish will have cover on the banks but the flows are not so large that the river is difficult to fish.
The Madison has cleared again. The river is pretty high but if you fish big nymphs deep you will be successful.
The Beaverhead continues to fish very well with small nymphs. Fish size 16 and 18 bead head patterns. Scuds and pmd nymphs work well. Fish plenty of lead.
The Jefferson is clearing again and should fish well with streamers and nymphs. Remember the easiest way to fish the Jeff is with a boat. Access is not easy and it is a large river.
The Ruby is fishable from the dam downstream quite a ways. You eventually hit some runoff problems below Laurin. Even downstream of Laurin you should be able to take fish with streamers or san juan worms deep.
Have a good week. Looks like the weather is going to be perfect for the next five or six days.