News from Blue Ribbon Flies

Fishing Report
Weekly Conditions and Tips

As the seasons change, we will continue to do our best to provide a journal entry from some of our latest tying and fishing. We invite you to call and ask us what we've been up to if you get to wondering. We always have plenty of stories to tell.

Joan Ortega-Snowden, who gave us the beautiful photograph in the What's New section of the newsletter above, also photographed her husband Scott at Hebgen Lake last week. Is it any wonder we can't stop fishing?

July 29, 2010 Fishing Report Craig Mathews

Now is the time to grab your fly fishing gear and head to the park. Slough, Lamar, Soda Butte, Gallatin, Madison, Gardner, Snake and Bechler are just a few of the waters you should be fishing.. ..this is a mere sampling of the dozens of waters in the Park we will discuss in this week's report. Outside Yellowstone Park rivers, lakes and streams like the Henry's Fork of the Snake, the Madison and Yellowstone, Gallatin Rivers along with Earthquake, Hebgen, Henry's Lake and others are fishing very well now.

Sadly, spruce moths have hatched and are in their mating flights along the rivers, lakes and streams getting ready to lay their eggs for their larvae to emerge next spring and wreak havoc on area forests once again. The only bright spot here is that big trout relish the egg-laden females as they flutter along the water's edge and often crash into the streams where trout lay in wait for them in the early morning and late evening hours.

Hebgen Lake's Trico mayflies are coming off now on the Madison Arm, 6-10am. You can meet this hatch every morning the wind stays down and the tr5out seem to enjoy sipping the spinners of this #20 insect. About the time the Tricos end for the day the Callibaetis begin emerging and bring up the trout from 9 or 10am to as late as 3pm if the winds are calm. Evening fishing can be quite good now too as the winds lay for the day and the caddis emerge on The Arm. On the south side of the lake, from Cherry Creek to Moonlight Bay, anglers will find trout rising to morning damsel activity. Best patterns always include Callibaetis Deer Hair and foam spinners along with sparkle duns and unweighted C. Baetis Nymphs. I like to carry Trico patterns like cripples and sparkle duns and a good spinner like our high viz Trico. For evening caddis have a Hot Wing Elk Hair and skitter it to cruising fish on 4x tippet or you will be tying on lots of flies! Earthquake Lake provides incredible fishing for those in the know. It is often best during late evening caddis times along with early morning spinner falls. NEVER head to Quake this time of year without a good spruce moth imitation like our Improved Spruce Moth! The lake just below the visitors' center is always great in the evenings as is the mouth. In the mornings look to the water from the boat launch up-lake to the mouth.

Henry's Lake is fishing better than you often hear. The reason here is that many of the old timers refuse to admit it! Small nymphs like our Two-Bit-Hooker and Brush Hog will score some very fine trout. Park lakes such as Grebe, Grizzly, Trout and Joffe should be fished now too. Cascade, Wolf, Shoshone and Yellowstone should be on your list too. Damsel and dragon flies as well as Callibaetis and even hoppers as well as spruce moths will all be important insects to imitate. Check in with Tylor here at the shop as he spends much of his time exploring these, and other, lakes and knows the best flies to have. DO NOT go to any lake, river of stream without bear spray and know how to use it before heading down the trail.

The northeast corner of the park is fishing very well. Soda Butte Creek is offering up some wonderful dry fly action during Heptagenia mayfly times as well as grey and green drakes and PMDs. Morning and late day caddis action has been pretty amazing too. And, even though the numbers of grasshoppers is not near what the early season plague predictions were, the trout are beginning to look up for big foam hoppers, crickets beetles and bees.. ..YES bees. Slough Creek continues to fish very well. If you like a challenge fishing for large rainbow, cutt-bows or pure Yellowstone Cutthroat then try the lower water along the road below Slough Creek Campground. If a hike is in your plans then hike to the 1st or 2nd meadow and have plenty of gray drakes, PMDs, spruce moths and small hoppers. Best flies include PMD Cripples and Sparkle Duns #18, an OLIVE spinner in size #18's for the PMD female spinner, gray drake spinners and duns #12 and our new Spruce Moth pattern. Afternoon fishing can be wonderful when the winds come up and deliver ants and beetles to the surface where big cutts will rise to them. Long leaders and tippets are the rule, down to a 6x point. If you stay late make sure you have a number of #16 X2 Caddis and the Slough Creek Midge Larvae in #22's. Don't forget your bear spray.

On the Lamar you can take fish on the same patterns as listed above for Slough and Soda but I'd also have a #22 Slough Creek Baetis which is creamy-yellow and comes off all 3 of these fine waters. A green drake sparkle dun is a killing searching pattern on the Lamar too.

The Gardner River is fishing well with hoppers and crickets as well as large beetles. Evenings should find trout rising to caddis and Epeorus mayflies so have #16 X and X2 in tan along with a sparkle duns and big double winged Epeorus Spinner. Hoppers and spruce moths will bring up trout also so be prepared.

The Gallatin River has fished very well, but be prepared for both Horse (the BIG ones) and Deer Flies. Both varieties bite like H___, and hurt too! Bring along a face mask and good bug dope and you will enjoy the fishing and the fish. Flav Cripples and Sparkle Duns along with PMDs and Epeorus are required when coming on trout rising to a morning or late afternoon hatch. The rest of the day you can present PMXs in olive and royal along with Spruce Moth patterns searching the water. A good rule here is that the larger rainbows on this river lie in the shallow tail-outs of the numerous pools and runs on the river. Often the larger fish will be holding in 12-18" of water at the rear of the best pools and runs so do not neglect to fish these tail-outs as you approach from downstream.

The Bechler River is fishing well for those wanting a nice hike up into the meadows and canyon stretches above the Cave Falls or patrol cabin access points. Spruce moths, Grand, Fat Albert and Para hoppers are all working well. While in the area take a cast or two in Boundary Creek, or at least the junction pool. For the Snake in the park walk a bit, then walk some more and get near and above the confluence with the Heart River. You can expect some very nice fly fishing here.

The Henry's Fork is fishing on and near the RxR Ranch. Some early morning PMDs make things interesting.. ..you will see some very large rising fish and should try a PMD floating black-wing-case nymph #18 and if this fails try a beetle! Evening action is heating up during caddis emergences when you will find an olive Iris, spent or cripple caddis patterns the best. There are PMD spinner in the morning and Caddis in the evening in Ranch section. Don't forget Ant patterns. They will help your fishing under the bright and sunny day. There is very high water in Box Canyon. If you want to try fishing this area, you need a boat and bead head nymph.

Then there is the Madison to talk about. I wrote a piece 2 years ago titled "Understanding Caddis" which I will make sure gets on our blog later this coming week. While I can't guarantee it will make caddis matters "crystal clear", I know it will clear up some things for those not fishing the river each evening like most of us! Epeorus and a species of Rhithrogenia mayfly are coming off in fine numbers now and the fish are rising to them. And, the same with about 3 or 4 species of caddis along with ants, bees, beetles and spruce moths. The morning egg-laying caddis thing is about over for now but the evening caddis times are still going strong and should continue for another few weeks. Iris, X and X2, spent and crippled patterns are critical as are After Hours Epeorus Parachutes and Bucky's Hi Viz Spinners. Nymphing anglers are scoring well with $3.00 Dips in all colors as well as some of our new tiny mayfly bead head flies. Check in with us for the week's latest hot flies.

Jackie and I are off to Jackson for a couple days to celebrate Yvon and Malinda Chouinards daughter Claire and husband-to-be Matty's, wedding. Try as I did I could not get the two to elope so we could continue to fish our evening caddis times. Stay tuned as I will be on the water in 2 days and bring you a report on the blog!

Take a look at stream flows, weather, and past fishing reports...