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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.

August 4, 2010 Fishing Report Craig Mathews

Tie up some grasshopper, bee, beetle, ant and spruce moth imitations and get to Yellowstone country the quickest way you can. The trout are rising to these land born insects and it'll be this way for the next several weeks. Caddis and mayflies continue to emerge on area waters too, and our lake fishing is at its season's best during the early morning and late evening hours. Our weather remains cool with late day thunderstorms which keep rivers and streams at prime temperatures for insect activity and rising trout so this is a very exciting and productive time to be here fishing and enjoying Yellowstone country. We have not seen a bear year like this one in decades. The bison are heading into their breeding period and the elk are prime in their sleek summer coats with the bulls just now beginning to think about bugling season which is just around the corner. But for this report let's look at some area rivers, lakes and streams along with the best flies for success.

While it looks like the spruce moth cycle has peaked during the past 2 years there are still big numbers of adult moths along rivers like the Madison, Yellowstone, Henry's Fork and Gallatin. And, I have to admit I was dead wrong with my predictions of a poor grasshopper fishing season. I felt with all our cold-wet spring and early summer weather we'd lose our strong hopper population but it appears lately that the hoppers are out in force although most naturals are small in size. But, they are growing rapidly and the late summer and early fall fishing during hopper time looks to be strong. So, have a few spruce moths and small hoppers and head to the rivers.

The Gallatin has fished well lately with spruce moths and hoppers from Portal Creek around mm 54 upstream all the way to the upper reaches at Bacon Rind Creek. Our Improved Spruce Moth and Rowan Nyman's Epix Spruce Moth patterns have been awesome when the moths are active in the early morning hours as well as late evenings. Along with the moths you can expect good fishing with small hoppers like the Enhanced Chaos and Grand Hopper. I also recommend a Crystal Beetle or Yellowstone Bee for the selective, larger rainbows which might come up and look at your hopper and go down without taking it. When this happens DO NOT show the fish the hopper again. Take the time to tie on the Crystal Beetle or Yellowstone Bee and the fish will take on the next presentation provided it is made on a drag-free drift. Mayflies and caddis will bring fish to the surface here too. Be ready with an Epeorus Sparkle Dun and spinner as well as a Flav Cripple for mayflies. Caddis patterns should include an Iris and X2 in tan #16. Nymphing anglers are having fun with Lime and Red Serendipities, Two Bit Hookers and Brush Hogs.

The Madison in the Park is still fishing well during evening caddis times. On windy, sunny afternoons try hopper fishing in the meadow stretches at Grasshopper Bend and Elk Meadows near the junction. If tricos are your game try the river near Bakers Hole in the morning where most of the fish you see rising are whitefish but some will be very large trout! Plus, what's wrong with fooling a huge white on a #20 fly?!!

The Gibbon River has fished nicely all summer. The canyon pieces are fun when fishing small hoppers, crickets and large foam flying ants as well as attractor flies like PMXs and Royal Trude Cripples. It takes a mighty Grasshopper Wind to bring hoppers into the water on the meadow stretches but when the winds blow try the meadow areas with hopper patterns like the Grand, Chaos and Charlie Boy.

The Henry's Fork has fished during PMD, Trico and caddis times. During the heat of the day a foam beetle or ant might work well too. You cannot find tougher rainbow trout fishing anywhere on the planet now as what you will find on the Fork when the big bows are rising to emerging PMDs. Try Knocked Down Duns and our PMD Floating Nymph on 6 or 7x (yes 7x) tippets and you just might hook the trout of a lifetime - notice I said hook as you most likely will not land it on these fine tippets. When over the hill in Idaho give a look at the Warm River for a great small stream experience. On the Warn pattern will not be as important as on the Fork. Try a Royal Trude or Baby Boy Charlie Hopper.

The Madison River below Earthquake Lake is fishing during terrestrial, caddis and mayfly times. I feel summer '10 will go down as a tough one for many anglers. The biggest reason is one of anglers' expectations of evening caddis fishing when mayflies and midges were, at times, bringing more trout up than the normally reliable evening caddis. Epeorus mayflies and midges have been partly responsible for foiling many anglers late day fishing on this river. With trout numbers approaching "historic highs" it is frustrating to many that they have not had the luck they'd experienced in the past. I was guilty of this for a period in mid-July when I failed to sit on water and watch for what the river as trying to tell me. When I finally put out my seine and lowered my nose to the water I found out a couple answers as to what the fish were feeding on. What I discovered were tiny #22 Glossosoma sp. caddis, #20-22 black midges and Epeorus mayfly emergers and spinners were what the fish were looking for. And, even though the trusty Iris and Tan X Caddis might bring a fish or two nightly, I had to make fly changes and be willing to switch from Iris and X to tiny black X's, Zeon Midges and Epeorus patterns like our emerger, cripple, sparkle dun and Bucky's Hi-Viz Spinner. Sometimes I've had to change flies several times to be successful. Just last night I went from a #17 tan Iris to a #16 X2, then to an Epeorus spinner to a zelon midge and finally back to an Iris at dark. Too, I have found a tandem set-up of a #16 tan X2 trailing a #17 tan Iris and allowing them to skitter and drag on a tight line from 9:15 to 9:45pm to be a deadly combo.

Morning action can be fun when egg-laying caddis are on, same with midges but you have to walk and search for noses coming up. Hopper action is just now heating up as is beetles and bees. The August swarm of flying ants is due in the next 10 days so be ready with Zelon Flying Ants for some unforgettable afternoon and early evening fishing. Small nymphs are working very well. Krystal Dips and Black Zebra and Lime Dips are all producing well. We have just received some very small mayfly nymphs which we are stocking in our bins, some we have not named yet! These patterns come to us from a couple of our talented tiers and I know, if you enjoy taking large trout on nymphs, they will work for you. A spruce moth is needed now for any area along the river you might choose to fish which has spruce and fir trees nearby. Places along the river near the West Fork, Lyon Bridge, Sun Creek, Windy Point and others will all fish well during morning and evening spruce moth times

The Yellowstone River below the town of Gardiner, Mt is fishing well. Grasshoppers, ants, bees and beetles will all bring up some nice fish and be ready with a spruce moth here too. The Yellowstone inside the Park has been great. Tylor has walked into 7 Mile Hole and others have marched into the Black Canyon area and done well. Tribs like Blacktail Deer, Hell Roaring Creek and others are always fun this time of year with hoppers and large attractor dries like H&Ls and Royal Wullfs and Trude cripples. If you desire walking and stalking big, wary cutts then head to the river near Otter or Cascade Creek or Nez Perce Fork, or above LeHardy and walk lots of river searching for big cruising fish and present the right fly on a pin-point accurate cast with no drag and you can be rewarded with a 17-23" cutt. Have X2 Caddis in tan, #16-18 as well as a #18 Green X and #17 Iris as well as a PMD of Epeorus Sparkle Dun and spinners.

Slough, Lamar and Soda Butte have all fished well. Now is the time to stock your terrestrial fly box with Charlie Boy and Enhanced Chaos Hoppers along with flying red/black ants, bees and beetles and hit the trail for these fine waters. For mayflies have #22 Slough Creek Baetis, gray drakes and #18 PMD Sparkle Duns and olive spinners. For Slough have a #20 Slough Creek Midge Larvae too. Evening fishing can be awesome now and you will want tan Iris and X2s for success. Heptagenia are still coming off Soda Butte and on overcast days watch for the first late season Baetis to come off after lunch.

Hebgen and Earthquake Lakes have both fished very well. On the Madison Arm of Hebgen you can expect Tricos to bring up early morning cruisers from 7am to Callibaetis time which begins around 10-11am. Quake has seen good caddis in the evenings as well as strong spruce moths too. The fish are a bit smaller and easier on Quake but still offer up some serious challenge. Hidden and Elk are still fishing well as are Cliff and Wade. If considering park lakes why not put Wolf and Grebe on your list along with Lewis. This is a fine time to cruise the Lewis Lake shoreline and watch as you drive by for trout rising to PMD's in the morning around 10am to noon. Evening caddis fishing can be incredible on this great lake too. Lastly, how about exploring Trout Lake and its huge fish during Callibaetis times? Make the short hike, bring your camera not only to photograph your trophy fish of the day but also to take a picture of an otter or two you might see dining on trout at the lake. You will need tiny olive and gray scuds and unweighted as well as weighted Callibaetis Nymphs. All lakes require a Callibaetis Sparkle Dun and Deer Hair Spinner too. On any and all lakes you just might catch the fish of a lifetime!

And, as always, check with us for up-to-the-minute information on the lakes and streams of Yellowstone! Look to our blog for our piece on "Understanding Caddis." It'll make a huge difference in how you approach and successfully fish caddis emergences and times on Yellowstone area waters.

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