More seasonal weather has produced some good winter fishing on the Madison River. The river is in good shape with not much gourging. The gourging that has happened is mostly in the channels section below Valley Garden. If you stay above that the water should be open with just the occasional shelf ice. The river temps are still really low and in the range one would expect during the winter. This makes the fish sluggish and holding in the deepest and slowest water. Concentrate on this almost exclusively and skip the bouncy riffle water that held most of the fish during the summer. It is also a matter of getting deep. If you are not hitting the bottom extend your leader and add some weight. Once you find the perfect length and weight you will be in the money.
Most guys are still getting bent on the sub surface stuff. Worms, eggs, and midges are the name of the game right now. If your a dry fly guy and looking for the winter nirvana of dry fly fishing you really need to pick your day. The midges are coming off each day but the BIG W will ruin any chance for dry fly eats. Streamers are getting some action but keep them deep and slow and dark colored.
We are getting good snow and can always use more. As I write this our snow pack for the Madison River Drainage is somewhere near 95% of normal for this time of year. We still have a bunch of snow producing months left and to guarantee good water this summer we will need a bunch more. Lets all pray for snow.
