News from Blue Ribbon Flies

Fishing Report
Weekly Conditions and Tips

By Craig Mathews
27 July 2011

Photo taken by Dave Morris, fish taken by Tenkara

This morning I loaded my new Morning Star Lanyard with nearly everything I need to fish: nippers, floatant, forceps, amadou patch, and more. I'd promised yesterday's crew of Tylor and Aaron, Bucky and Jackie, that I would give it a try. I told them in the past that something this simple would not work. I explained that I needed my vest, all 30 pounds of it and the items it holds. Well, they were right. The lanyard worked out just fine for a morning's fishing on the river. It is so simple and attractive and holds all the items I need to fish a morning of egg-laying caddis and mayfly spinner fall and all for only $29.99! The great folks at Morning Star Lanyards are fellow 1% for the Planet members. If you've never tried one for a quick few hours of fishing I urge you to do so. What a relief from shouldering my over stocked vest for a simple morning of fishing!

I'd stocked a few Iris Caddis in my fly box for this morning too. I tied a few #12s and #14s early this morning after seeing some Arctopsyche sp running along the shoreline while I fished the past few nights. These large caddis flies can be important at times on the Madison. Our friends over at Park's Fly Shop in Gardiner, Montana introduced us to an Iris imitation last summer using Widow's Web for the wing so I tied a few imitations up using silver, white and black web for wings and a shuck of caddis tan. This Widow's Web material floats like Zelon and I believe it may even be more effective using it for wings on these huge Iris Caddis patterns. It is more bulky and seems to fit the bill for large patterns. The fish, of course, are the final judge and they sure seemed to like these large Iris this morning during the times I fished them in the heaviest of flows below $3 Bridge. I'd arrived at 7am and no one was on the river. The fish were not rising as well as I'd hoped for so I had to search the deep runs with the large Iris. I ended up taking several fine rainbows and browns using these flies from 8-10am. The best fish were a brown and rainbow of 18", both very heavy and both coming from the fast-deep runs below Big Bend.

It is Epeorus mayfly time now on area rivers like the Madison, Gallatin, and Henry's Fork in the Box Canyon stretch. Look for emergences of this fast water mayfly to occur in late afternoon, after 4pm and usually before 8pm. Spinner falls come late in the evening and last night I encountered a spinner fall near dark. I took 2 good fish in a fast run near the West Fork of the Madison on a Hi Vis Epeorus Spinner before the trout went to emerging caddis at dark. Trout relish both duns and spinners. This mayfly has become the most important mayfly on the Madison River below Quake Lake over the past few years. You should expect to see them on most area rivers now through the end of August.

The Gallatin River is fishing great now. The water around Big Sky still has lots of salmon fly and golden stone activity along with caddis and pale morning duns. The river near the Taylor Fork and upstream into the park is seeing great green drake and PMDs during the day with afternoon and evening caddis. Sunken Stones, green drake and PMD sparkle duns along with X2 and Missing Link Caddis are working very well and in late day. Never-ever-never be without an Iris imitation.

The Henry's Fork still fishes very well when pmds, small western green drakes and caddis are emerging. The flying ant activity is picking up now as is bee and beetle times. Flav and PMD CDC's, cripples and spinners are working as are Yellowstone Bees and Hi Vis Beetles and our foam flying ant.

Slough Creek is fishing well both in the lower meadows below the campground and in the 2nd and 3rd meadows now also. Green and gray drakes, PMDs, caddis, ants and crickets, bees and beetles are all working. While some hoppers are around in the meadows they are not near the water yet as the grasses remain green even in the arid sage brush areas, but look for them to come to water soon. This will be the best late summer season Slough has seen in years with all the water and insects to feed on. Big trout on big water years - be there! Slough Creek Crickets, Yellowstone Ants, #18 PMD Sparkle Duns and olive female PMD spinners as well as Last Chance PMDs, will all produce.

Soda Butte is coming along nicely. Although still high and a bit off-color this fine stream is beginning to fish and gets better each day. Green drakes, PMDs and Heptagenia mayflies can all be counted on to bring up the trout here. The same holds for the Lamar River which is fishing best above its confluence with Soda. The river is still high, rolling along around 1400cfs which is about double the normal flow, but the fish are looking up for Longhorn beetles and green drakes along with a few PMDs and evening caddis. If you have the same flies as for Slough you are covered well along with a #14 Heptagenia sparkle dun.

The Gardner River is fishing very well with stones and caddis and a wide assortment of attractor patterns like Royal Wullf and Trude Cripples, PMXs, etc. We like the water just above the town of Gardiner, Mt. (Yes the spelling of the town and river are different).The Yellowstone below the lake and to Hayden Valley is fishing in very select spots using stone nymphs and big dries. Check in with us before making the trip. The water is still very high and dangerous.

The Firehole and Madison are both fishing well in the park during morning PMD spinner falls and evening caddis. The morning spinner falls last but a few minutes so we recommend the evening caddis with Iris and X2 patterns as well as soft hackle White Millers and cripples near Midway and Biscuit Basin.

The Gibbon has been getting more than its share of fishing pressure this summer. For many years no one paid this river any attention but this year has been a different story. The pocket water below the meadows as well as the canyon downstream of the falls are still fishing ok with PMXs and yellow goofus bugs. There are better rivers now to fish.

If you are looking for some off-the-beaten-path streams why not explore the Little Firehole, upper Gardner near Sheep Eater Cliffs, Obsidian Creek, Solfatara or Straight Creeks, Glen or Grayling Creeks, Lava or Tower Creeks or any of the dozens of other fine streams in Yellowstone country. Buy "The Yellowstone Fly Fishing Guide" and wear out some shoe leather chasing down some incredible fly fishing opportunities few anglers ever experience! Check with us for more ideas too. You might say we wrote the book(s) on fishing waters in and around Yellowstone!

How about lakes you ask? Hebgen Lake's gulpers are gulping in some bays and flats on the lake for those in the know. Wade and Cliff, Hidden and Grebe are fishing well now too. If a grayling is on your list, whether bucket list or short list, then Grebe is for you. Callibaetis and damsels will bring up grayling and if you stop in we can help you find some flies and get you on your way to a great time on our lakes. Trout Lake's huge cutts and rainbows are returning from their upstream spawning runs now and you may want to make this trip soon! Even Henry's is fishing for those who have the right red soft hackle! With most still waters presentation and, at times, fly pattern can be critical. Stop in and we can help you succeed whether you are fishing gulpers on Hebgen or huge cutts and brookies on Henrys, or looking to explore one of the dozens of underfished stillwaters in Yellowstone county, we can and will help you succeed!

Finally I want to mention how important it now is to have spruce moth patterns for fishing. Two days ago the infestation again hit the Madison and I know it is big on the Gallatin, the Lamar, and others too. We all thought due to length of winter and all the moisture they'd not be a big factor in 2011 but they certainly will be, and you'll want to be prepared.

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