Salmonflies are still the story on the Madison. Along with Golden Stones, PMD's, and several species of Caddis, big bugs continue to bring fish to the surface on the 50-mile riffle. The head of the hatch seems to be around Pallisades. We floated from Pallisades to McAtee today for a quick 4th of July float. Cloudy skies and cool temps kept the majority of stoneflies crawling on the bank, and not flying over the water.

The dry fly bite was a little off for us this morning, but we managed to find a few willing fish including this toadly brown who ate a size #8 olive PMX.  W also saw some action on a #16 PMD Cripple.

Happy 4th of July! Stay tuned.

Pat Bond and I floated the Madison yesterday with Austin Mussleman and his great family from Louisville. We started off from Ruby Cr. with warm sunny skies and adult stoneflies crawling all over the riverbank.Nymphing was fair early on with a rubberleg and a lightning bug. We switched to dry fly rigs with a salmonfly and a pmx just above McAtee and rose a nice brown to the big bug right away. The dry fly bight wasn't fast and furious, but we managed to rise a fair number of fish to both flies all the way to Story Ditch.

By the time we hit Cameron Flats the forecast for afternoon thunderstorms caught up with us, and we spent the better part of an hour taking shelter under a bunch of willows while marble-sized hail blanketed the valley. It took a little while, but once the storm passed, the skies cleared, the air warmed, and the fish were back on the hunt for stoneflies. We fished a smaller golden stone imitation for the remainder of the trip to Varney, and rose the nicest fish of the day through the cotton woods.

Aside from the pocket of bugs around the warm creek at Ruby, the only decent number of adult salmonfies that we saw flying were close to Varney Bridge. There were good numbers of goldens in the air through Cameron Flats, and gobs of salmonfly nymphs around the banks for the entire float. In addition ot the big bugs, there were plenty of caddis (size 16, tan & size 12, brown) and a few pmds throughout the day.

More warm weather and thunderstorms for the rest of the week.  Stay tuned!

Things have sure picked up on the Madison this week. Stables flows from Hebgen Dam and warm temps have brought the bugs we've been waiting for -  a few caddis, pmd's, and yes, salmonflies. The big bugs are above Ennis now in the stretch from Varney to town. Fishing is still better wth nymphs than dries, but it's just a matter of time before those adults really get going.

I'll be down there every day this week. Stay tuned for more regular reports now that things are starting to roll.

I've been on the Madison the last two days, and we've actually seen some sunshine. It's been between showers and thunderstorm's, but it's sunshine nonetheless. Flows out of Hebgen remain below 800 cfs. Though, with Hebgen Lake nearing full capacity (99.4%), PPL will most likely bring the flow up to match the inflow to the reservoir which today is 1876cfs.

Clarity has been an issue in the float stretch lately with big rains turning all the small tributaries like Pappoose, Squaw, Moose, and Indian creeks off color. There's a distinct line down the middle of the river with clear water right now. Fish don't seem to mind the slightly muddy water. Nymphing with dead drifted streamers and san juan worms has produced fish along with beadheads like prince nymphs and lightning bugs.

Dry weather is finally in the forecast. This should give the river a chance to clear and warm up a bit. Look for those big salmonflies to make their appearance above Ennis this week if, in fact, we see some warmer temps.

In other news, repairs continue on Hebgen dam. The entire flow was succesfully diverted to the spillway last week without any afftects to the flow. Costruction will most likely last through this season and into the next. PPL has promised time and again that their work will not impact fishing on the river. So far, So good. We'll have to keep our fingers crossed.

GORE-TEX, the official sponsor of JUNE '09!

For the first time this month the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies. We've had 19 straight days of precip, and the blue skies this morning in West Yellowstone are awesome. Keep those rain jackets handy, though. It looks like more thunderstorms for the weekend.

After a few days floating the Madison, I headed down to Last Chance to check out the Fork. When I hit Wood Road there was a break in the weather. The skies parted, the sun came out, and I just had to take a picture. Blue skies and sunshine have been rare around these parts. Five minutes after I took the picture another storm rolled through and drenched us.

Fishing on both the H-Fork and Madison seems like it's just about to get really good, but it can't quite get going. We're catching some good fish, but we're working pretty hard for each one.

The Madison is flowing relatively low for June (1330cfs at Kirby) and clear above Kirby. Flows from the West Fork were looking great, but heavy rains this week brought the mud back briefly. This shouldn't last very long, and the river is still very fishable downstream. Nymphing has been the name of the game with the standard rubberleg/dropper combinations. Sparse baetis brought a few fish up below McAtee two days ago between monsoons, but that's all I've seen for dry fly fishing.

Maybe some warm sun will do the trick, and get those fish looking up. We'll be back down there today. Stay Tuned.

Half way through June, and it's still raining. We've seen some form of rain every day this month, and the forecast calls for yet another week of gray, wet weather. As much as I'm looking forward to those long, warm days in July this moisture has been great for the fish and the fisheries alike.  We really couldn't ask for better conditions in June.

This "hatchy" weather continues to spur good fishing on the Firehole, Henry's Fork, and now the Madison. Flows on the "50-mile riffle" are still below 800cfs out of Hebgen, and the water is virtually clear. Cool temps have confined most of the fishing to nymphs like rubberlegs, "san jose worms", and beadheads, but fair numbers of march browns have brought fish up in the afternoons throughout the float stretch. When the weather finally does warm up and get nice, dry fly fishing is primed to pop.

The H-Fork continues to pump out good numbers of pmd's, and drakes are imminent in the lower river. Today marks the opener of the famed Railroad Ranch stretch through Harrimen State Park. Undoubtedly, it also marks a morning of widespread hang-overs in Last Chance following the return of Larry Keel and his intoxicating (literally) brand of blue grass to the annual TroutHunter opener party last night.

In other local piscatorial news Montana FWP begins work today on the Madison River's Windy Point Fishing Access Site. The site will remain closed through the busy season while efforts are underway to build a new, shiny boat ramp with all the regular features - vault toilet, graded road, designated parking. Which begs the question; What was wrong with the last 90 days when there weren't a couple of hundred local outfitters, whose fees went toward the funding of this project, trying to use the river?

Damn you, May. You tricked me into a false sense of security, with your blue skies and your warm sun.  How do sleep at night? You build up hopes and dreams of summer only to let them die a slow and lonely death one snowflake at a time.

I guess you have to be careful what you wish for. A week ago I welcomed the return of seasonal weather and hoped for a wet June. This morning I woke up to a couple of inches of snow, and I'm starting to re-think this whole thing.

Regardless, the inclement weather has made for some pretty clement fishing. The Firehole and Henry's Fork are our two good dry fly fisheries right now, and both have seen good hatches this week.  Flows out of the Madison are all the way down to 722cfs. Nymphing and streamer fishing has been good around the wade stretch, and I heard a good report from Lyons to Ruby of a few fish eating march browns.

The "scuzz" is supposed to be around all week. We're well on our way to getting those 20 days of precip in June. Stay tuned.

Gray skies, 48 degrees, and a light soaking rain. That's the report from this neck of the woods, and I, for one, am psyched. As nice as it was to see highs in the upper 70's in West Yellowstone, it was starting to make me a little nervous. It was only May,after all. We're supposed to average 20 days of precip during the month of June, and it seems to me as if everything from wildfires to wild flowers goes a lot smoother when we get that much moisture. I'm as excited as the next guy to see the Madison clear up, but a nice slow run-off is always better for the fishery. Colder weather like this will certainly shut the mud machine down a bit. In just the last week, we've lost more than 20" of snow in the upper Madison Range. That's a lot of water to come down in one week. July and August fishing will definitely benefit from a slow cool flow of water coming out of the mountains. We don't need it to all come down at once.

Sara and I filled up the thermos this afternoon, turned on some Steve Earle covers of Townes Van Zandt, and took a slow rainy ride to the Firehole. We checked out a few spots that offered a view of the river without leaving the heated seats and warm coffee in the truck. At 1:00pm temps were still in low 40's and there were no signs of bugs. By 2:30 we had made our way to Muleshoe Bend, and could see a fish or two rising from the road. Decent numbers of baetis brought good numbers of trout to the surface for a solid two hours. We left rising fish after 4:30 well satisfied and ready for a warm ride home.

Firehole weather is in the forecast for the next week. Stay Tuned.

Bright blue skies, big fluffy "Simpson's" clouds, and warm temps continue to dominate our weather in Yellowstone Country. And, the forecast looks like more of te same for the next several days.

These aren't great conditions for PMD's on the Firefox. So, I spent the day working on my summer fly arsenal. Rubberlegs with just the right amount of weight. Prince Nymphs that weren't tied in "Malousy", and loose their biots after the first cast. Sparkle Duns that float.

By the evening my back and my eyes were shot. So, Sara and I headed out to Hebgen to check on the evening midge action. When we arrived at Rumbaugh, there were a few random fish rising and several nice ones cruising the bank. As the sun set over Lionshead more and more fish rose, and we had a nice little dry fly session right before dark.

This midge fishing in the mornings and evenings will continue for the next month! Stay Tuned.

I spent yesterday floating the lower Henry's Fork with John and Karl. We started with a short float from Ora to Vernon around mid-day. Conditions were good - sunny skies, warm temps, and a little breeze. Unfortunately, there might have been more salmonflies with hooks sticking out of them on the water than natural bugs. Despite the crowds, we managed to find a handful of nice chunky fish. John's brown that went 21" turned out to be the fish of the day.

In the afternoon we opted for a lower float from Chester to Fun Farm. Flows from the Fall R. seem to have come up and cooled the water considerably. We saw very few naturals, and struggled to catch the three fish we caught. Aside from two or three missed opportunities on a dry stone, our few landed fish were on a dropped rubberleg.

As we headed back up the Ashton Hill, we got a report from Jake who floated down to Chester late in the afternoon and "got 'em". Oh well, you win some. You loose some.

Day two of the season saw much better conditions for bugs and rising fish on the Firehole.  Cloudy skies and a strong chance of afternoon showers is the perfect forecast for spring fishing, and it proved to be a winner again yesterday.

A strong hatch of PMD's came off around 3:00pm downstream from Midway, and fish rose cinsistently through intermittent rain showers until nearly 7:00pm.

Sunny skies are in the forecast for the next couple of days. We'll have to head down to the H-Fork and check on that Salmonfly hatch. Stay Tuned

The 2009 Yellowstone National Park Fishing Season is officially underway. Opening day brought with it the standard amount of fanfare, crowds, and fish. Weather was beautiful. Too beautiful, in fact to see much in the way of hatching bugs and rising fish.

Once again, I spent the opener with Fran "the man", the Daufels, John, and Jamie up on the Firehole. Water conditions are holding just above bank full, and the clarity is a very fishable "tea-color". Bright skies seemed to prevent any signs of baetis or pmd mayflies. I did see one pmd below biscuit basin, and some stray caddis. In the absence of bugs I tied on a small white streamer and worked deep runs and undercuts. I managed to move a good number of fish, and land a handful of ambitious, little browns.

This morning skies are cloudy in West Yellowstone, and the forecast calls for a 70% chance of thunderstorms by the afternoon. Sounds like much better weather to see some bugs and rising fish. Stay tuned.

It's hard to believe, but winter has turned into summer in Yellowstone Country, and once again it's time for the beginning of another fishing season in the Park. Opening day is tomorrow, and anyone who's familiar with the area knows that Memorial Day weekend could yield anything from sun to snow. This year it looks like we're in for sun, and lots of it. The local forecastcalls for highs in the 60's with sun and a chance for thunderstorms through the weekend. Warm weather continues to bring down our healthy snowpack making most area rivers high and stained.

I always look forward to fishing the Firehole in the spring. Epic emergences and eagerly rising trout are the perfect way to start the season. Unfortunately, it looks like we might have to wait a bit for consistent top water action on the old Firefox this year. I cruised into the park this morning to check on the river and found the water to be slightly over the bank and heavily tea-stained. I think the clarity is defintely fishable, but the flows are awfully strong. As of this afternoon, it looks like water levels on the Firehole have slowly dropped to 661 and show a downward trend. Flows just might improve over the weekend. Now we need to see that forecast improve a bit and show some skuzzier weather to get those bugs rolling. In the absence of clouds, our best bet will be to hope for small emergences of PMD's in the mornings, and caddis in the evenings.

The Madison has been open for almost a week now, and warm weather has taken its toll on water clarity here too. Below Hebgen Dam (where construction continues to repair two broken headgates) clarity is great until you get below Cabin Creek. From Cabin downstream the river has its classic "half-and-half" color as the river right bank resembles cream and coffee, while the bank opposite Cabin Creek remains clear for a good way downstream. Fishing is consistent in this stretch with small nymphs, but anglers need to take extra care not to fish or wade over spawning fish and/or reds.

Mud from Cabin and Beaver Creeks has finally pushed its way through Quake Lake making the river below off-color as well. Adventurous anglers can find some good fishing close to the bank with a nymph combo of a large rubberlegs and a san-juan worm.

How long run-off will last on the Madison is anyone's guess. However, a good resource to help guage snowmelt is the carrot basin snotel site. Carrot basin drains into Beaver Creek, and is generally a good representation of the source of run-off. As of today the site reports 76 inches of snow on the ground.  With warmer weather we could see levels drop as much as 3-6 inches per day. regardless of the rate, we'll have muddy water until that number reads zero.

One fishery that isn't affected by run-off, and has fished well is Hebgen Lake. The ice has been completely off the lake for over a week now, and fish are on the hunt for food after a long winter.  Shallow gravel shoals right along the bank are a great place to look for cruising fish. Sight fish to these browns and rainbows with small leech and beadhead patterns. As water temps slowly warm over the next week, we should start to see midges. Once these big spring midges start to emerge, we'll see consistent dry fly fishing each morning and evening when the weather is calm.

 Stay tuned. Now that the season is fully upon us, and I've scratched that saltwater itch (a little bit) it's time to get rolling. Look for more regular posts here, as well as some exciting new trips over on www.oarsmenexpeditions.com.

I just returned from a great trip to North Andros in the Bahamas. We fished the fabled Joulter Cays and found some awesome bonefish.

For a full report check out our Trip Reports page over at Oarsmen Expeditions.

Old Man Winter has sure been one persistent son of a bitch this spring. Below average temps, and above average snowfall continues to be the story from Yellowstone Country and throughout Montana. Bozeman finished the month of April with over 50 inches of snowfall!

This latest stint of colder weather has done a lot to clear local rivers. With low temps in the mountains dropping into the teens, we've seen rivers like the Yellowstone, Gallatin, and Big Hole drop in flows and clear substantially.

We're back from another week of Road Trips across southwest Montana, and despite chilly conditions, the fishing has been good. The forecast calls for more of the same over the next week. It looks like mother's day caddis on the Yellowstone might actually appear around mother's day this year.

In other local fishing news, rumor has it that the fabled Grizzly Bar in the Madison Valley will re-open this summer. I know I've sure missed it over the last couple of seasons. There's a banner on the outside of the bar that reads "Grizzly Bar Opens May 15".

Speaking of May 15th. That's the day before openning day on the Madison. Less than two weeks and counting. Here we go again.