Spring Fishing in Full Swing

Though conditions have leaned a bit more towards winter than spring lately, with 2 good snows and temps only getting into the 40s in the past week, the fish have made it clear that they have entered into spring feeding mode regardless of the conditions. Without a doubt, the rainbow spawn, which has just started around here, is a driving force of some of this hot action. Pre spawn rainbows are chowing down before their annual rite of spring while the post spawners are doing the same in effort to refuel. Browns and smaller rainbows are taking advantage of the entire routine, simply gorging on the eggs that find their way off the redds and into the current. Aside from the spawn, midge hatches are enormously prolific right now and blue winged olives are just starting to make a presence. There is more to eat out there now there than has for a while, the days are getting longer, the water starting to warm and the fish are simply starting to take advantage of all of it.

My anglers from last week had to put up with some tricky conditions, mainly wind, but were rewarded with solid fishing on the Yellowstone, a superb day on Depuys Spring Creek and several excellent days on the Madison. Conditions look excellent for the next few days and into the weekend. We'll cross our fingers and hope for calm conditions which could provide us with some great dry fly opportunities.

Winter Fishing

With the mild weather we've had as of late, the fishing has picked up markedly on the East and West Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone (when the Livingston winds are at bay). Fishing on the Livingston Spring Creeks has been good but will only get better as rainbows start to move into the creeks from the Yellowstone later in February. Though most action has been subsurface with SJ Worms, Golden Stones, Prince and Hare's Ear Nymphs as well as midge larva and pink patterns such as the Shrimp Cocktail, there have been moments of surface activity with midges. Midge hatches will get stronger and more prolific throughout February and into March providing us with one of the best dry fly opportunities of the season. With the midge fishing game, calm days are the key. Tired of skiing? Give us a call and we'll get you on some spectacular mid winter fishing action.

October Fishing

Though it's mid October, it still feels much like summer - haven't dusted off the neoprenes yet nor the fingerless gloves. Have had an unbelievable spell of bluebird days and warmth - not typical of October but we'll take it... I guess. While the weather had been comfortable, the bright days have found us working hard for our fish - they've been there but we've had to pull out some tricks to make it happen. One day it's been streamers, the next nymphs, the next hoppers. We've fished midges, baetis, psuedos and caddis as well. All in all, we've found good fishing from the Missouri to the Madison and Yellowstone but it's been random and unpredictable as have been the fish we've seen. Just last week we landed a large westslope Cutthroat from an unlikely spot as well as a walleye that ended up in the skillet. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Needless to say, given the weather pattern we've had, I have to think that some of our best fall fishing is still to come.

Fall Fishing

Though we're still getting glimpses of summer, the leaves are starting to change and the blue winged olives are starting to outproduce the hoppers on many if not most days. Hard to believe but fall is in the air which seems impossible after what amounted to a short summer. Needless to say, fishing is good these days though entirely weather dependent. Hot sunny days have been followed but cool rainy ones and with the inconsistent weather comes unpredictable trout. One day it's a pink Morrish Hopper that's getting the job done, the next it's a parachute Adams, the next it's a tan Sculpin stripped slowly off the banks. So they're keeping us on our toes out there which, honestly, is the way it probably should be.

Options are widespread right now and water conditions are primo - in fact many of the area rivers have come up in the past few weeks with the frequent rain. Spent two days on the Missouri last week. Action has picked up there and depsite the nuisance of floating weeds, the fishing was terrific with both nymphs and dries. The Yellowstone has been better on cloudy, rainy days ( which tend to produce the best hatches) but I've still run into some good hopper fishing when the sun is out. Have also had some good fishing on the Gallatin and Madison lately as well as in a few other random places not fit to publish online.

This is shaping up to be a great fall on the water - crowds have been thin and with the rivers in the shape they're in, those who managed to find their way out here are likely going to be in for some great fishing.

Hopper Fishing is Prime

Though it took awhile to get here and it's hard to say how long it wil last, summer conditions are absolutely primo as we speak. River levels and temps are ideal and with the settled, stable sunny days we've been getting the fish are looking up consistently. Morning fishing has been unpredictable (sometimes great right out of the ramp, other times slow) but the afternoon action has been consistently good - typical August fishing on the Yellowstone. Today they were on the hoppers by 10:30. Yesterday they wouldn't touch a hopper until 2 but would move across the river for a spruce moth all morning long. Might be nothing tomorrow, could be the day of the season. It's this type of fishing that gets us excited to be out there each morning - one never knows exacty what to expect - where will the fish be, what fly will they want? I've devised at least a dozen new hopper patterns this summer and whike none of them have worked i'm pretty sure that tonights epiphony will spell trouble for those fish tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

Summer is here

Just today it finally felt like summer has arrived and might actually be here to stay. It was about 85 degrees out there on the Yellowstone today and with just the right amount of wind, it couldn't have been more comfortable. As is always the case this time of year, the fish seem to feel the same way. water levels are starting to stabilize after runoff and water temps are prime for not only the trout but for the aquatic insects that are enormously active and prolific at the moment. Just today we encountered 4 different varieties of stoneflies, three separate caddis, and 4 mayflies. PMDs, Green Drakes, Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies, Salmonflies, Black Caddis, Brown Sedges....you name it. Unfortunately, the fish weren't looking up today but it seemed that anything dark olive pushed their button. So, the Yeloowstone is back and fishing well, as is the Madison, Gallatin and Missouri. The Jefferson and Lower Gallatin are also going to come into play soon though it's possible they're already in good shape. THough a week or so away, carp fishing is close and as soon as the water clears on the Missouri we'll be up there after them. Randomly, we landed a 30 pounder in an undisclosed location last week....in many years of freshwater fishign it was far and away the largest freshwater fish I have ever managed to land. Can't believe that hopper season is just around the corner!!! Feel free to call or email for an up to date report anytime.

No Shortage of Water This Year!

Long gone are the early season concerns of whether or not we'd have enough water to last us the season. It's been seemingly non-stop rain and high country snow since mid-April and at this point we have more water than we know what to do with. It's a good problem to have and the fish love it. And while it finds us scrambling to find fishable conditions, there are always a number of good options in spite of what most folks think. Though high and off-color, the Lower Madison is fishable and just today we had fantastic action with olive buggers, SJ Worms and some crayfish patterns. The Missouri, though enormous with flows @ 16,000 cfs, is clear and as long as flows remain somewhat consistent, the nymphing is excellent. With the caddis brewing in and Craig, the fishing is just going to get better though, after a few days with the Wire Worm earlier this week, I'm not sure if it really could improve. We have seen more big browns up there this year than I can remember. Of course, the spring creeks remain an option as well and PMDs have started - this is one of the best dry fly opportunities on the creeks of the season.
Though it's impossible to predict, I suspect it will be somewhere in early to mid July before we're on the Yellowstone again. For more currrent info feel free to contact us at any time. Tight lines!