April Newsletter from the Tackle Shop, Madison River Montana

By John Way
/ 9th February 2021

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Dear Friends,

If your a fly fisherman there is no better time than spring. Hungry fish, cold water and solitude are the earmarks for spring in Montana. It has started here on the Madison and we could not be happier. Lots of folks taking advantage of our spring guide trip special. New inventory is showing up daily and the newest and greatest in fishing gear and flies are now on the shelf.

We are trying to recover from our yearly hosted trip to Belize. Read about our adventure below. If your interested in joining us on our next salt water fishing adventure give us a call.

We have a new staff member you should stop by and meet. Justin Capps joined us a few weeks ago as the head honcho in the store and we could not be happier. If your coming by stop by and say Hi to Justin. He loves to talk all things fishing.

The entire staff is looking forward to the Orvis Guide Rendezvous in Missoula this month. Besides the great education seminars, networking and the boat full of free beer we are nominated for Orvis Outfitter of the Year. A huge honor just to be nominated. Take a look below on the Rendezvous and thank you to all our friends and guests that helped us become nominated.

Lots of folks calling the store wanting to know about snow pack, water levels for spring and summer and when the salmon fly hatch will occur. Lost of excitement this year and we are happy to help in any way.

Grab a seat and immerse yourself in everything fly fishing, Montana and the Madison River. We have the front seat in the boat ready for you.

Come Fish with Us

Spring Special on the Madison Going Strong

Lots of folks taking advantage of our Spring on the Madison Guide Trip Special. Great fishing, hungry fish, cold water and beautiful scenery combined with a great guide trip discount makes spring that much more special.

Day Trips–March 15-April 30

One Day of Guided Fishing for Two $350

Mothers Day Caddis Hatch on the Madison River

Each May one of the most significant hatches of the year happen on the Madison River. The mothers day caddis if encountered will change your idea of dry fly fishing forever. This hatch usually occurs sometime the first two weeks of May. Millions of caddis emerge and the hungry trout are waiting. Most think the salmon fly hatch is your best chance to catch fish on dry flies but many of the guides prefer the mothers day hatch for numbers and quality of fish. What dates exactly will the epic fishing be this year is left to mother nature. If you want in on some great dry fly fishing give us a call.

Madison River News

Snow-pack Still Looking Good!

State wide the snowpack in Montana is looking good. Here in the Madison we are currently sitting at 105% of normal. Lets keep the moisture coming so that the rivers and the fish have a great water year.

Snow Pack

Shop Manager Justin Capps

We are pleased to introduce Justin Capps as our new store manager. Justin grew up in north central Pennsylvania where he honed his skills fly fishing for spooky native Brooke trout. In his mid twenties he decided he had enough of the “real world “and moved out west to pursue his passion for fly fishing. Prior to moving to Ennis Justin spent the past eight years living in the Blackfoot valley. While living there he spent the majority of his time exploring and fishing every piece of water he could find. He also volunteered his free time with the Blackfoot chapter of trout unlimited helping with the restoration of the Blackfoot river and its tributaries. Justin loves to talk about fishing and is more than willing to give advice on techniques to help you get into fish. Stop in the shop and say hi next time you pass through.

Trip Report: El Pescador Belize March 2017

We hosted a trip for a second year in a row to El Pescador in Belize this past month. If your ever interested in a salt water fishing trip take a look at our trip report. We will soon be booking for next years trips.

Trip Report for El Pescador in Belize

Orvis Guide Rendezvous and Orvis Outfitter of the Year

Each year our partner The Orvis Company hosts the Guide Rendezvous. This is part educational seminar part networking beer event. Completely hosted by Orvis they bring in speakers from all over the world to help us make our businesses better. This is also the time of the yearly awards banquet. This year we are humbled to be nominated for Orvis Outfitter of the Year. This is a big deal and a goal of ours as an organization for quite a few years. While we are the dark horse for winning the trophy it is an honor to be nominated along side the best outfitting professionals on the planet.

Wish us luck and check out the Orvis Rendezvous. If your in Missoula stop by for a beer with over 500 fishing professionals from all over the world.

Orvis Guide Rendezvous

Great Gear for Spring Fishing

$98.00

Bank Shot Line

Our Guides Favorite Madison Line

A specialized line designed to deliver big flies using a number of different casting techniques, including single-hand spey and roll casting. The 23-foot head is designed to load and deliver quick casts with minimal back cast. 20-foot handling section between head and running line. Two-tone line offers a low-visibility olive tip for steath deliveries, with an orange color running line for better tracking. The benefits of the textured lines are numerous: increased surface area allowed the lines to sit higher in the water, offering less drag, easier mending, less water spray, and easier pick-ups; the micro-textured surface traps air to provide increases in both shootability and flotation while decreasing friction; and the microreplicated pattern increased the durability of the lines, allowing them to last up to twice as long.

$79.00

Orvis Nipper
Not your ordinary nipper. Made in the USA of machined 6061-T6 aluminum, These nippers incorporate a piano style hinge that adds mechanical advantage for easily cutting anything from 80 lb to 8X tippet. Replaceable cutter and anvil offer excellent corrosion resistance and edge retention. Ergonomic contour for comfort and enhanced function. Type III military-spec anodized. Stainless steel rotating hook-eye cleaner. Comes with lanyard made from fly line . In pewter, midnight, cobalt, moss. Made in USA

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

With all the excitement this time of year it is easy to get carried away in flyfishing and Montana. Our seasonal residents are arriving and stoping in to by fishing licenses and get the intel on the river. It is always great to reconnect with friends old and new. Being nominated for the Orvis Outfitter of the Year honor leads to some self evaluation. We could not have gotten to this point without the support from all our guests and the hard work of the guides and shop crew. It is humbling to watch the support grow and how much everyone cares. Thank you to all of you we are extremely grateful.

If your planning a trip to fish the Madison or any Montana River this spring give us a call and lets get some dates penciled in. Its looking like a great water and fishing year.

As always if we can help in any way please let us know.

Good Fishing and God Bless,

John & Kayla Way
The Tackle Shop

406-682-4263

john@thetackleshop.com