Fish Like Worms!
During this season of flux on the Madison River when the river looks more like bad fly shop coffee than a pristine blue ribbon stream anglers struggle to find the answer. With all the rain we have been having the edges of the river are water logged and the worms that live below start to move. My first few years of spring trout fishing was done with the real thing. Starting on rainy nights and a flashlight picking night crawlers in all the neighbors lawns. The following day would find me on the local stream bouncing my bounty along the bottom looking for the slight tug that we all dream of. The same principals that made it successful then keep me into fish now with the fly rod during the muddy spring.
Some folks do not like fishing the San Juan Worm or its variants saying that it is not sporting or even a fly. I disagree and love fishing wire worms, lazer worms, gummy worms, worms with beads, red ones, pink ones, purple ones, worms with hot beads, worms with shiny stuff, worms with a soft hackle, and when it gets really muddy chartreuse worms. I figure if you cant catch them on dry flies you might as well get bent and fish what the fish are looking for. Now is the season for the aquatic annelid hatch. Much easier to get than freaking out the neighbors at night with a flashlight in the yard. Available at your local fly shop.
Let us know what your favorite worm pattern and color is.