Madison River
Hebgen Lake-Quake Lake: 5/13/09
Access is a lot easier between the lakes now that the snow has melted off the road below Campfire Lodge. There are a lot of trout in the river from Quake Lake and an almost equal number of anglers vying for their attention. When the rest of the river opens up Saturday, things should thin out a bit. There are a lot of Baetis hatching, but most of the trout are happy to ignore them. Lucky for us anglers, the trout aren’t as good at ignoring good dead drifts with Bead Head Pheasant Tails, Biot Golden Stones, BWO Soft Hackles, San Juan Worms and Red Copper Johns. The Madison is now flowing at over 1,300 CFS so wading can get a bit dicy if you aren’t careful.
Quake Lake-McAtee Bridge: 5/13/09
The Madison opens up between Quake and Mac on Saturday the 16th. The water is in perfect shape and the fishing should be excellent. Very little run off is coming in, so this should be the most clear the Madison has been for an opener for some time. Early in the season a lot of patterns are usually successful, but we always have good fishing with Silli Leg Stones, Biot Golden Stones, Bead Head Pheasant Tails, Black Lighting Bugs and Ram Caddis. Keep an eye out for Baetis and March Browns are the water is clear enough for the fish to eat on top if we get a decent hatch.
McAtee Bridge to Ennis 5/13/09
We’re seeing a few March Browns and Olives on this part of the Madison, but almost all of the fish that are getting caught have nymphs in their mouths. Golden Stones, Black Crystal Dips, Micro Mayflies and Zebra Midges are doing the trick. The water is still super clear so nymphs down to #18 and #20 can be very successful.
Gallatin River: 5/13/09
The weather has been cool enough to keep the Gallatin in shape below Yellowstone National Park. The river is fishable down through the Canyon below Big Sky, at least until we get a bit more warm weather. Look for slow pockets and the heads of pools, as these water types are stuffed with feeding trout. Silli Leg Stone Flies in #6 or #8 have been working great. Drop a #12-14 Prince or Olive Hare’s Ear off the back, get a drift and you’ll be catching fish.
Hebgen Lake 5/13/09
Hebgen is starting to thaw a bit. There is some open water along the north side of the lake. Slowly fishing buggers and zonkers can be a grand time, provided the wind isn’t howling.
Quake Lake 5/13/09
Quake Lake is losing its ice slowly. You can now put a boat in at the boat ramp. Fish are eating buggers and Chironomids pretty well along the ice edges and drop offs. Until Cabin Creek and Beaver start dumping mud, we should continue to see a good bite.