Buggers, baetis, and browns are what it’s all about right now as we round the corner into October. We’ve been experiencing some excellent fall fishing under overcast skies for the past week. The next few days are calling for sunshine, which will change the game a bit, but we’re anticipating good fishing and perhaps some of the last days of the year to effectively fish hoppers. Bluebird skies make for comfortable fishing conditions… after all it’s hard to complain about cool, crisp mornings that give way to 70-degree days. But during these types of conditions it often pays off to get out on the water early and stay out late – particularly if you’re targeting pre-spawn browns with streamers. Brown trout aren’t particularly fond of bright, sunny weather… they’ll still eat, but they’re not nearly as aggressive as you’ll find them to be during low-light periods. If you’re fishing streamers during sunny weather, get them down deep where most of the fish will be holding, a sink-tip line will aid your efforts. And as we always preach, don’t be afraid to nymph… you’d be surprised by what a #20 baetis nymph can turn up at this time of year.
Be sure to give us a call or stop by the shop if you’re interested in booking a day of fishing with some of the top guides in Montana.
GALLATIN RIVER FISHING REPORT
Water temperatures are low, and the fishing is best during late morning through the afternoon. Nymphing has been most productive and will continue to be throughout the coming week – particularly with the sunny weather in the forecast. If we do see some cloud cover, you can expect good hatches of fall baetis during the afternoon.
The Gallatin can be a bit more moody during fall than some anglers expect, and that is partly due to fluctuating water temperatures. The Gallatin is a particularly cold river, especially along its upper reaches from Yellowstone National Park down to Big Sky. If weather conditions aren’t warm enough to moderate the cold water of the river, the fishing can be a bit slow – particularly during non-hatch periods. During such times, nymphing with small midge and baetis patterns will be your best shot at enticing the trout to eat. But being fall, don’t be afraid to swing and strip streamers through the haunts of big brown trout. Yes, the Gallatin harbors its share of larger browns… fish in the 18″ to 20″ range are caught with some regularity by anglers who know the river well and who are dedicated to the streamer. Though few and far between, fish up to 2 feet are around and those cold, nasty fall days are a great time to hunt for them. Keep in mind that it’s still the Gallatin, and on smaller water such as this you don’t need your 8-weight streamer rod, a 200-grain sink tip, and a triple articulated sculpin. Scale it down a bit, be stealthy, and focus on finding good holding water… tailouts, undercut banks, log-jams, and other in-stream structure.
We’ve been seeing good hatches of fall baetis over the past week or so, with the best emergences occurring on calm, overcast afternoons. A size 20 Sparkle Dun is typically all you need to imitate these little mayflies, but having a couple of CDC dun and emerger patterns on hand can make all the difference at times. Spend a day on the water right now and you’re likely to see a few October caddis bouncing around… a size 10 orange Stimulator fished blindly through likely holding water can be productive.
The nymph bite remains steady, with the usual suspects… small baetis and midge patterns are still our top producers. Eggs are back on the menu as well now that the river’s whitefish population is spawning.
Streamers are taking fish consistently now too, with mid-morning and evening being most productive – cloud cover can extend the bite. While we’ve seen some success on big, articulated patterns the best action has been with smaller sculpin and baitfish patterns… think Bow River Bugger, McCune’s Sculpin, Sparkle Minnow, Kreelex, Clouser, and Home Invader.
Give us a call today to book a day with one of our professional guides on the blue-ribbon waters of the upper Gallatin River.
Dries: Sparkle Dun (Olive) #18-20, Adams #18-20, Parachute Adams #18-20, Purple Haze #18-20, Stimulator (Orange) #10-12, Grand Hopper #12
Nymphs: RS-II (Grey) #18-20, Little Green Machine #18-20, Pheasant Tail #16-20, Soft-Hackle Pheasant Tail #16-18, Soft-Hackle Hare’s Ear #16-18, Lightning Bug #16-18, CDC Emerger #14-18, Shop Vac #16-18, Serendipity (Red/Crystal) #16-18, Zebra Midge (Black/Olive) #18-20
Streamers: Sparkle Minnow #4-6, Bow River Bugger #4-6, Home Invader #2-6, McCune’s Sculpin#4, Gonga #4. Be sure to have an array of colors represented in your streamer box including: white, yellow, olive, natural/tan, and black.
UPPER MADISON FISHING REPORT
It’s a beautiful time of year to float the world-famous upper Madison River. Crowds are light and the fish are willing! Fall baetis hatches have been dependable on overcast afternoons, and the streamer bite has been good enough to stick with it, even under sunny skies.
Launching a drift boat on a crisp fall morning on the upper Madison is a treat, even the locals don’t take it for granted. An early start right now should result in lots of chases and hook-ups on the streamer… and very little competition in the form of other anglers. The nymph bite has been good throughout the day on a variety of patterns, but particularly with baetis nymphs. And on overcast afternoons we’ve been seeing lots of fish up and rising to baetis emergers and duns. There are also enough October caddis around to garner the attention of trout, and searching with a size 10 Stimulator can pay dividends. Terrestrial activity has waned, but smaller hopper patterns are taking fish at times… it’s certainly worth keeping them in the rotation, just don’t run with it for too long if you’re not seeing results. With the sunny weather in the forecast over the next week we may see some of the season’s last good hopper action.
Note that the boat ramp at Varney Bridge is currently closed for renovation, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks anticipates the closure running through October 12th.
Call today to book a float trip on the world-famous upper Madison River.
Dries: Sparkle Dun (Olive) #18-20, Adams #18-20, Parachute Adams #18-20, Purple Haze #18-20, Stimulator (Orange) #10-12, Grand Hopper #12
Nymphs: Pats’ Rubber Legs #8, Mega Prince #8, Pheasant Tail #16-18, Soft-Hackle Lightning Bug #16-18, Lightning Bug #16-18, Shop Vac #16-18, Serendipity (Brown/Red) #16-18, Crystal Dip #16-18, Anato-May #16, Military May #16, Hogan’s S&M #18, Transitional Dun #16-18, San Juan Worm (Purple) #12
Streamers: Sex Dungeon #4, Circus Peanut #4, Barely Legal, Sparkle Minnow #4-6, Bow River Bugger #4-6, Home Invader #2-6, McCune’s Sculpin#4, Gonga #4. Be sure to have an array of colors represented in your streamer box including: white, yellow, olive, natural/tan, and black.
YELLOWSTONE RIVER FISHING REPORT
The Yellowstone River and its tributaries have been completely reopened for fishing. The river is fishing well from top to bottom, with some good streamer and dry-fly fishing on overcast days.
The Yellowstone River and its tributaries have been completely reopened to fishing as of 9/23. Read more from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks at: http://fwp.mt.gov/news/newsReleases/headlines/nr_4278.html
The river has been fishing well, particularly with streamers… swung, stripped, dead-drifted… it’s all producing. The hopper bite has slowed, but small, tan hopper patterns have been very productive at times – the action is spotty though. With the warm, sunny weather in the forecast over the next week it may be the last chance this season to take a big brown on a hopper… the lower river wouldn’t be a bad place to be for a little early-morning streamer action followed by a day of fun in the sun with the hope that one big fish will suck down a hopper.
During baetis emergences there have been a lot of heads up in the back eddies – a simple Parachute Adams or Sparkle Dun in size 18 to 20 will do the trick.
Give us a call to book a fall float trip on the legendary big fish water of the Yellowstone River.
Dries: Sparkle Dun (Olive) #18-20, Adams #18-20, Parachute Adams #18-20, Purple Haze #18-20, Stimulator (Orange) #10-12, Grand Hopper #12
Nymphs: Pats’ Rubber Legs #8, Mega Prince #8, San Juan Worm (Red) #12, CDC Pheasant Tail #16-18, Pheasant Tail #16-18, Lightning Bug #16-18, Copper John #14-16, Beadhead Yellow Sally #14, CDC Emerger #14-18, Shop Vac #16, Serendipity (Red/Crystal) #16-18.
Streamers: Sex Dungeon #4, Circus Peanut #4, Barely Legal, Sparkle Minnow #4-6, Bow River Bugger #4-6, Home Invader #2-6, McCune’s Sculpin#4, Gonga #4. Be sure to have an array of colors represented in your streamer box including: white, yellow, olive, natural/tan, and black.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK FISHING REPORT
The west side rivers are once again playing host to a strong fall run of brown and rainbow trout migrating up from Hebgen Lake. The Madison, Firehole and Gibbon are all producing runners, the number increasing by the day.
The Hebgen fish have arrived, their numbers still pale in comparison to what we’ll be seeing a couple of weeks from now, but it’s definitely GAME ON! The Madison, Firehole, and Gibbon Rivers are all producing fall-run fish, but the majority of the runners are still pretty low in the system… down in the vicinity of Bakers Hole and the Barns Pools. Fishing pressure is still relatively light, it’s a great time to be out on these rivers. Fall baetis hatches have fish looking to the surface, but the bulk of the action has been on nymphs, soft hackles and streamers with nymphing anglers taking the majority of fish on a variety of patterns including stonefly and baetis nymphs along with worm and egg patterns.
Give us a call (800-423-4742) to discuss planning your own trip to fish Yellowstone National Park this fall.
Dries: Sparkle Dun (Olive) #18-20, Adams #18-20, Parachute Adams #18-20, Purple Haze #18-20, Stimulator (Orange) #10-12, Grand Hopper #12
Nymphs: Pheasant Tail #18-20, Soft-Hackle Pheasant Tail #18-20, CDC Emerger #18-20, Partridge & Olive Soft Hackle #18-20, Lightning Bug #18-20, WD-40 #18-20, RS-2 #18-20, Pat’s Rubber Leg #8, San Juan Worm (Red, Pink, Purple) #12, Glo-Bug (Pink, Salmon, Orange) #12
