Transitional times
The cool nip that holds in the morning air from the night before is lasting longer these days. Drives into work reminds us that shorter days and longer nights are on the horizon. A full moon in the recent past and soon the above mentioned transitions should reset the fishes clocks into the power hours of feeding. September is a time of year many look forward to for the veracious appetites the browns and rainbows can bring to the table. Those large Streamers are starting to consistently...
Read More
Oh September!
Oh September what a glorious month it is to be on the Madison and in Montana. The first chill of fall, leaves of gold, cooler days and nights, and fish that are re-energized. If a person could only spend one week fishing the Madison each year and wanted good fishing, stable water and great views mid September would be hard to beat. The month usually starts off with summer still in full force. As we progress we usually have a summer ending event of rain and snow in the high country that marks...
Read More
Dog days and tiny treats.
With the month of August rolling through we have had good reports of Callibaetis and Trico's out on the lake. If you seek a little more movement in your fly line than the still water pursuit the upper Madison has been producing well and good news if you are planning on hitting the river this week flows bounced back with a little more volume and should stay that way for a couple of days before summer demands start pulling it back down. Prince Nymphs, Lightning bugs, Juan's, Parachute Adams, Ro...
Read More
With each passing day through the heart of August
With each passing day through the heart of August the question we get at the shop the most is what access point has the most hopper's. Good news bad news is I have yet to hear about one specific section of the river having the banks loaded up with hopper's, but everyday I hear reports of the fish taking hopper's. They are out there just a little distance up the hill with wandering insects making it to the water. Driving a vehicle to different access points the thing you are going to see...
Read More
Crawling or hopping into August?
Standing on the banks of the river in shorts well quickly bring a reminder of the progress ant colonies have made this summer. August is officially upon us and for me it has always signaled a time to look to the shrubs and grass before the seine net. Yes there are ants along the rivers edge and some patterns have been effective but what is more tantalizing is a coworker's first hand experience with massive amounts of grasshoppers a short ways up the hill from the river on a couple of ranc...
Read More
A Madison river destination
Being my first season here in the Madison Valley there are several things that I am impressed with. Whether it be the sheer number of insects in one of the intense hatches or how many different hatches you well see going on at the same time. It is also amazing to see all of the people dedicated to finding trout on a fly come through town. Whether they are coming far and staying for a while or are on a river a day trek before returning home close by or a combo of both. There is...
Read More
Good nights creating good dry fly bites.
FlyAgra and Dust for the tips of fresh Leaders. With the appearance of the nocturnal's skittering around at night the trout have really set their eyes in an up position. We have had a lot of people coming in stocking up on Chubby Chernobyl's Purple Haze and Elk Hair Caddis to name a few. It seems the warm days have the fish taking a nap around one pm but that energy being saved is unleashed on the dry fly bite the rest of the day. If you like stop by and see us mid day and let us know if yo...
Read More
Clear and dry blue bird sky
The weather decided to help out the raising water temperatures with a cold front the last couple of days. Despite the weather change people have been coming in saying that they have been doing good. If you find your self in the midst of a thunderstorm and cloudy weather don't be afraid to throw a Woollybugger San Juan worm or a streamer. The unexpected rise in water can dislodge some of the critters these flies are imitating while the cloud cover has the others venturing to areas they n...
Read More
Happy 4th of July
I always wondered if trout saw the flash on fly patterns the same way my childhood dog saw the shine of the sparkler that she bit and burned her mouth on. On a serious note I would like to wish everyone a fun, safe and happy 4th of July. Being Independence Day I would also like to take a moment to say Thank You to all of the Men and Woman that have served and protected this great Country Including my Family and Friends that served whom I don't say Thank You to nearly enough. If the day ...
Read More
Blue and strawberry lit rivers flowing towards epic Birthday’s
Ennis the town I now call home is officially in summer mode. Drift boats and RVs pass the store front as people are out with a common goal in mind, to enjoy this beautiful time of year. As a child summer meant fishing vacations with my Grandparents labeled as my Grandfather's little fishing buddy while visiting his favorite lakes. Each day I see something that reminds me of those times and enjoy visiting with people up for their annual summer excursion with the new generation in tow. ...
Read More