Madison River
Hebgen Lake-Quake Lake: 7/13/2010
Between the Lakes has had some great fishing. Golden Stones and Salmonflies dominate the fly selection right now. There are a ton of people fishing this stretch, but the bite has been good so why not?The standard Salmonfly and Golden Dries are working great. Dropper rigs can hook up some more fish early in the day when fish aren’t yet willing to rise.
Quake Lake-Lyon Bridge: 7/13/2010
The “wade section” of the Madison has a lot of bugs right now. Salmonflies have finally made their way into this stretch and these insect monstrosities have brought along most of their buggy buddies as well. Along with the big flies one can find tons of caddis, some PMD’s, Golden Stones and Yellow Sallies. The afternoons and evenings have been fantastic both with Caddis and Salmonfly patterns.
Lyon Bridge to Ennis: 7/13/2010
Fish are still eating Golden Stones in the Float section though Caddis are the main item on the menu throughout most of the day. Goddards, X-Caddis and EC Caddis have all been consistent producers. Caddis imitations are also working well when fished deeply under an indicator. Dips and Sparkle Pupa have been deadly. Fish are extremely picky about drift and don’t offer any second chances to set the hook so anglers would be wise to pay attention their flies on the water.
Gallatin River: 7/13/2010
We’ve had some great fishing on the Gallatin north of Big Sky lately. Fish have been rising to Caddis, PMD’s and Drakes. There are still a few Goldens about as well. The nymph bite has been more reliable than the dry fly fishing and we’ve had no shortage of fish willing to eat a PMD Soft Hackle when fished with a good drift.
Hebgen Lake: 7/13/201o
More Callibaetis are emerging on Hebgen every week, but there still aren’t a lot of heads up on the lake that can present a consistent target for an angler. Stick to the bobber rig with a Callibaetis and a Chironomid and enjoy the nice fish that come to it.