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The Tackle Shop Fly Shop and Fishing Guides in Ennis, Montana

Wednesday Wanderings and other Muddy River fishing Ideas.

Wednesday Wanderings and other Muddy River  fishing Ideas. This little bout of cold and snow sure threw off the fisherman as well as the weather guessers. I never understood how every weather service forecasts light rain and we end up with more snow on the ground than all winter. How can they be so wrong and continue to keep their job? Either way this bout of heavy wet snow with cool temps is just what the doctor order for the Madison River. Obviously the snow and moisture is great but the ...

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Five Montana Fly Fishing Taboos you should Break

Five Montana Fly Fishing Taboos you should Break Fly fishing has become an almost color by number sport. Go to X spot tie this fly on this leader and cast here to get fish. This myth has been perpetuated by the big gear manufacturers as well as the outfitting and shop industry as a whole. If you follow their directions and do not break any of the rules you will be as successful as the Instagram hero’s, we can’t stop following. Like a drug when a person is successful following th...

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Making the Most of your First Fly Fishing Trip to Montana

Making the Most out of your first fishing trip to Montana Each year thousands of people make the trek from each and every state and other countries for their first fishing trip to Montana. They have been lured by numerous magazine articles, blog posts, tales and stories from the in the know crowd and they depart for Montana ready to land two foot trout and pay a pilgrimage to the holy water. Most pick a river or two that they have dreamed of fishing find the closest airport and they are off o...

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5 Items under $50 for Dad for Father’s Day

Father's Day is just around the corner and Dad's can be hard to shop for.  So we have come up with 5 items that won't break the bank and your father will love as much as he loves you. 1) Fishpond San Juan Vertical Chest Pack $49.95 - This Chest pack is great for dad. The San Juan chest pack is compact in size but can hold everything dad needs for a day out fishing. Plus he might even stop wearing that old vest he has had since he was a kid. 2) Ball Cap $20.00 - Hats are a great gift for...

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MEET THE NEW SHOP HANDS

This summer the Tackle Shop introduced two new faces to Ennis. Austin Stowell and James Terry will be in the shop all summer to help with any of your fly-fishing needs as well as giving some sub-par fishing advice. James Terry hails from a small town named White, located in northern Georgia. His passion lies in small stream fishing for elusive Brook Trout. James fell in love with Montana last year while he spent a month perfecting the trout bum lifestyle, fishing the Bighorn, Boulder, and Ye...

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Ennis Brewfest this Saturday

If you like to sample micro-distilleries and breweries Ennis is the place to be this weekend. The 4th annual Tap in to Ennis Brew and Spirit Festival is set to kick off on Saturday at 3 pm at the Lyons Club Park near the river. The yearly fundraiser for the Chamber of Commerce is always a good time. The chamber takes the money raised and earmarks it for street side flower baskets and other Ennis Beautification projects as well as funding our visitor center.   We will have 8 distillers and 8 ...

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May Madison River Newsletter

 Website   About    Guided Fishing      Blog       Fishing Reports       Contact       Shop  Dear Friends, May is a month of change here on the Madison River.  The last gasps of old man winter still make his appearance known.  The valley floor turns almost neon green and chases the receding snow up the mountain.  You are awaken to birds singing outside your window for the first time in months and the prospect of summer is see...

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River Safety During High Water in Montana

The Madison River along with other rivers in the Montana are all very high right now.  In fact some are getting to flood stage.  With the amount of snow we have in the mountains the current levels are sure to rise even more.   Currently on the Madison River we are sitting at 3560 CFS at Varney Bridge.   While the volume of water is not outrageous by some river standards when the Maddy gets this high and off colored it becomes dangerous.  The Madison is a swift river to start with and whe...

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6 basic nymphs to fill your fly box and catch fish

A lot of fishing this time of year on the Madison river is done with nymphs and there are a ton of patterns to choose from.  So what is an angler to do? Fly fishing  anglers would love to have a fly box filled with every nymph pattern that they make but lets face it flies are not cheap. Most anglers can't afford to buy every pattern in every size. As an angler one of the things I like to tell people that are starting to build a nymph box is "keep it simple".  Although having a nymph box wi...

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The Importance of Clean,Drain,Dry

Across the nation AIS ( Aquatic invasive species) are threatening aquatic habitats. Lakes,Rivers and streams are threatened by species such as Asian Carp, Rock Snot, Hydrilla and Zebra Mussels. When Boaters and anglers Clean,Drain and Dry their equipment after every outing on the water they can help prevent the spread of AIS. In Montana we are blessed with many amazing rivers to fish all within a day drive from one another. This can lead to  problems with AIS being transported from one water...

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