Madison River
Hebgen Lake-Quake Lake: 5/12/2010
Flows between Hebgen and Quake are still very low. Roughly 670 CFS is being let out of Hebgen Dam currently. Most of the rainbows in this stretch of river are either spawning or have just spawned and are in poor condition at this time. For this reason there are better places to fish right now. Baetis are hatching, but most of the successful anglers are using nymphs.
Quake Lake-McAtee Bridge: 5/12/2010 (Opens for fishing on 5/15)
The Madison below Quake Lake opens for fishing this weekend. While the water is fairly low, visibility is perfect and the fishing should be exceptional. Keep an eye out for rainbows that are still spawning and avoid disturbing them. There will be PLENTY of fish holding in pockets and runs that are in good condition and eager to feed. A wide variety of nymphs will work well when the season first opens. Prince nymphs, Caddis Larva imitations, Silli Leg Stoneflies and small mayfly nymphs like Hare’s Ears and Pheasant Tails will all be very effective. Just make sure to get a good dead drift. Conditions are perfect for some early season dry fly fishing this year. Expect to see fish rising to Baetis or March Browns on if we get some cloudy afternoons and bring patterns accordingly.
McAtee Bridge to Ennis: 5/12/2010
We’ve had some good fishing with nymphs and even a bit of dry fly action in the afternoons as fish have been rising to Baetis and March Browns at times. Small Baetis nymphs have been among the most effective patterns for this section of river. Flashback Pheasant Tails, Olive Hare’s Ears, Micro Mayflies and Tailwater Tiny’s have all been doing the trick. The water is still pretty low to float Cameron Flats in a hard sided boat.
Gallatin River: 5/12/2010
The Gallatin has had some very good hatches lately. These should keep up as long as the cloudy weather stays around and the river remains in shape. A few warm days will put the Gallatin back into full run off, so keep an eye on the river levels for any spikes in the graph that would indicate rising water. Until then, bring some caddis in #16-18 and especially Baetis patterns. Thorax Baetis and Paramergers have both been very effective in #20. When the hatches are thick, better trout can usually be found rising in spots that are tough to get a drift in. Keep an eye out for slow rises and ignore the splashy efforts of the smaller fish. Of course the river is also in great shape for dead drifting nymphs. Expect to fish nymphs before that hatches get going in the afternoon. Focus on deeper pools, runs and rock slicks where there are concentrations of fish and get long drifts.
Hebgen Lake: 5/12/2010
Hebgen is beginning to lose its ice along the north shore. Patches of open water are growing every day. The arms of the lake are all free of ice so there is a lot of open water to fish right now. Midges are hatching and calm evenings have brought on some good (though inconsistent) dry fly action. We’ve had good fishing with Chironomids under indicators where the midges are active, especially in the South Fork and Madison Arms. Streamer fishing in the lake’s north shore has been very good in the pockets of open water.
Quake Lake 5/12/2010
The ice is slowly coming off of Quake Lake. One can finally get a boat into the lake off the boat ramp. Streamer fishing has been pretty darn good in the open water. Just be sure to keep your retrieves slow and don’t sink the flies to much. Fish will not move down in the water to eat flies but will be aggressive when moving upward.