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.

For anyone out there who has forgotten what rain looks like, mostly we're talking to ourselves here, this is a little reminder taken on O'Dell Creek earlier in the summer. Craig and Yvon fished through the storm and loved every minute of it. Don't worry; it will be wet and cold here soon enough. Baetis weather is on the way.

September 30, 2010
Blue Ribbon Flies Weekly Report

Craig Mathews

Now, looking out my office window I watch Baetis mayfly spinners dancing as they attempt to attract a mate. Rising and falling in the calm morning light their gossamer wings look exactly like snowflakes coming down on a cold-crisp Montana morning with temps trying to rise above zero. Watching them I am mesmerized for a time then snap to when the phone rings. I am reminded it is time to put together another weekly fishing report. Thinking now too of the little time left to enjoy this wonderful fall season in Yellowstone country. The snows will come soon, the park's fishing season closes in a month, and harsh winter weather will seal the 2010 fishing season. Here's our report - and I am going fishing when I get it off to you!

The Madison River below Hebgen Dam is beginning to fish well as fall run fish move in from Earthquake Lake and the river downstream. October Caddis can be found coming off sporadically and Rhyacophila sp are emerging in good numbers from the dam downstream to the lake. An #8-10 orange Goddard Caddis and #16 olive X or X2 will work on the surface with a #14-16 lime Serendipity subsurface. The Rhyacophila is a daytime emerger coming off sporadically from noon on so a dry imitation fished blind in all likely spots will yield results.

The river below Quake is fishing well with beetles and ants. I like to prospect all likely holds with a #12-16 black beetle - you will catch fish! A good technique for those having a hard time seeing their beetle pattern is to fish a hopper to locate a fish. Once the fish comes up and refuses your hopper, which is nearly 90% of the time, tie on a #12-16 beetle and present it to the fish that came up to refuse the hopper - it will take the beetle! Another favorite dry fly technique for this time of year is to do as Tim Anderson. He simply knots on a #20 Baetis Sparkle Dun and fishes the water with it, searching all likely spots, but then Tim has great eyes!

On overcast days (we had one 2 weeks ago but forecasters call for showers this coming week), you will have Baetis emerge and the trout will feast on them. They are hungry for a good emergence having not see one in a couple weeks save Rhyacophila caddis which too prefer overcast-warm mornings. If you have a boat, or like to float with a guide, now is a great time to pitch buggers and streamers to the banks as you float along the river.

The park stretch of the Madison has been good during the early morning hours, from 6:30 am to 9. As long as the bright, warm weather holds this should be the case. When the conditions change to overcast and wet get to the river early and plan on spending the day. Start off with streamers, fall soft hackles like a Full Dressed Red or Shakey Bealey, or a big nymph like a #4-6 Prince with Hun hackle. Then, around noon when the Baetis mayflies come off, be ready to fish dries to the big pre-spawning trout which will rise all along the river from Riverside Drive upstream to Madison Jct.

The Firehole River has been great when White Miller Caddis emerge in the afternoon and eves. The bright-warm weather has fired up the caddis activity and the fish are responding by feeding from The Broads to Biscuit Basin. Be prepared with not only White Millers but also Hydropsyche caddis too, a #16 Tan X or X2 will work as well as a cream LaFontaine Sparkle Pupa. When the overcast arrives next week the Baetis will emerge and all trout in this great river will come to the surface to feed on the #22 duns.

The Gibbon and Firehole Rivers downstream of their falls are fishing for big run-up browns and rainbows now too. Let's keep in mind that these fish are lake dwellers and are used to the security of the depths so on bright days they can be very skittish. A great technique on bright days to is to tie on a Full Dressed Red of September Song Soft Hackle and fish it upstream dead-drift on 4x tippet. You can "see" the take if you watch carefully as the big fish comes to take your offering!

The Yellowstone River downstream of Gardiner, Mt is fishing well. Fishing to rising fish during daily Baetis hatches requires you to separate trout from the scores of whitefish to catch mostly trout. Don't even think of spraying casts to the risers without Iining the fish or you will surely take more whiteys than trout. Now too is a fine time to try big streamers like Becks' Buggers, quartering them downstream and stripping in with a long, slow strip retrieve. The big river is fishing well all the way downstream to Big Timber now.

The Gallatin River has fished well below Big Sky with large attractor dries and Krystal Beetles. The Gardner River has been fun using small Royal Trude Cripples and ants. The upper river near Sheepeater Cliffs has been wonderful. On these warm bright days spend the day in the Gardner's Hole area and walk some of the Howard Eaton Trail to spots on the Gardner River as well as Indian and Panther Creeks. You will catch some of the most beautifully colored up brook trout in the world. Same can hold for Lava and Blacktail Deer Creeks now too.

Slough Creek has fished well lately, though Soda Butte has been tough. On both you might see the Fall Green Drakes emerge so be ready. I'd also have Baetis duns and cripples for Slough Creek, #22s.

The Lamar has fished very well during the Fall Green Drake and terrestrial times too. Beetles and crickets, bees and hoppers will all produce now. Have Green Drake sparkle duns as well as Stalcup crickets and foam BRF beetles and bees.

Give us a call or stop in for current, up-to-the-minute information on hatches, river and stream conditions, what's hot and what's not anytime! The coffee is always on and the advice is friendly and free!