News from Blue Ribbon Flies

What's New
What's Happening in Yellowstone Country

First off this week we would like to retract the major recommendations made by the Citizens Advisory Committee we published last week. It turns out that the information that we received was not quite accurate. We apologize for this and will bring you up to date with what is happening with this issue when we receive correct and accurate information.

Speaking of the Madison here's some thoughts from Craig on the "State of the Madison" and some observations he has seen over the past few years.

I've heard some talk from anglers the past 2 seasons about how fishing the Madison River below Quake Lake slows around the first of August. During that time the daytime water temps have hovered around the 70-degree mark for a few days before cooling into the 60's a week or two later. As the work on Hebgen Dam continues this might be the case for this summer and next before the work is completed. I've checked my fishing logs for the past 4 years during that time frame comparing those to past years, and have found some interesting comparisons.

First, remember I fish mostly evenings at that time period having to work the shop during the day. I've found some evening caddis emergences have been strongest early to mid- July and begin to fade the first week of August. Notice above, I've said "some", referring to caddis like the Hydropsyche sp. This caddis has been "THE" caddis bringing on the longest, most reliable caddis fishing times on the river for as long as any of us can remember. It is the species of caddis for which we developed our famous Iris and X Caddis pattern to imitate. From early July to mid-August this #14-16 tan caddis is the one we mostly relied on when fishing late evening caddis times on the river.

My notes the past 3 summers indicate another caddis species, mayflies and midges are bringing up trout during August evenings rather than the old reliable Hydropsych sps. I've found Hydropsyche are emerging earlier in the season, and ending their activity a full 2 weeks sooner on the Madison than in the past. In August it has been replaced as "the" late evening caddis by a "new" #16 olive-bodied, dun winged with long antenna caddis that comes off strongest around 6 p.m. In talking with anglers the last few seasons when I arrive on the river around 8 p.m. many have commented, "we had great fishing until 7 or so then things slowed down. We've still not identified the caddis but will soon.

Then too, I've found Epeorus and E. margarita mayfly spinners have brought up good rises of fish the last few seasons in early evening hours. Rises to these spinners are much more subtle than those to caddis emergences and often occur in areas most anglers are sitting, waiting for caddis times. The little, robust #18 olive Margarita spinner has given me several great evenings of dry-fly fishing the past several seasons in late July and August. Big trout sipping these spinners in shallow, quiet runs where most would not spend time to wait on late day caddis times.

But even more noticeable the last few seasons have been the late evening rises to midge emergences. My fishing journal tells of a couple evenings in early August last summer as well as the summer before noted angling author Bob DeMott and I fishing the Madison below $3 Bridge. I admit we were counting on caddis to bring up the trout as we sat on water discussing our book projects, "Afield" and "Astream". Both nights we had wonderful late evening fishing with when midges brought up big trout. Last summer Bob had several great trout on Zelon Midges at dark while I cheered him on from the shoreline as we fished "Big Bend". Not another angler was seen that night. And, over the last 2-3 summers in late evenings I have found myself fishing areas I'd not spent time on in many years, fishing during those hours. Places like Story, Palisades, downstream of Sun and Ruby Creeks and several other spots easily accessed and open to the public have given me great late evening action. They are closer to our home and, I guess looking back on why I fishing these spots the last couple seasons, I began noticing there were fewer anglers fishing them than Raynolds or $3 in the evenings. I wasn't thinking of these areas as offering cooler water temps during the warmest times of summer but they do since there are cold tributary streams entering these points. So what I am saying is that during those 2 weeks of mid-summer dog-days when we think of caddis and late evenings fishing their time on the water, there are other spots and another caddis species as well as a couple mayflies and midges that are bringing up great rises of fish to their activity periods. I look forward to those times and you will too.

This past winter and now early spring the fishing has been, as John and Phil and I will tell you, the best since the 1980's. Fish numbers are off the charts, especially rainbows. Yesterday I had an epic 2 hours of dry-fly fishing during midge times above Varney. I took a dozen or so very nice fish all rainbows with one big brown to end the afternoon as a squall hit around 3 p.m. and not another angler on the river. I'll be back out this afternoon.

This summer I hope to see you in one evening on of those old "forgotten" spots along the Madison! You will be amazed at the awesome dry-fly fishing.

As usual in the rest of this issue, you'll find fishing news from Yellowstone Country in the weekly Fishing Report. You can see what's hot off the vise in the Fly of the Week, get a sneak peek at some of the best materials on our tying bench in the Fly Tying Material of the Week, and stay up to date with the guide staff and their trips in the Guide Trip of the Week.

You'll be seeing a new email newsletter most every week throughout the summer and fall to keep you tuned in to all things fly fishing and fly tying in the greater Yellowstone area and beyond. Throughout the seasons, we'll keep sending you news of hatches and fishing holes around West Yellowstone. So without further delay, go ahead and jump right into the newsletter. And as always, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email if you have any questions, or if you just want a little fish talk.