Hi, it’s Angie here from Bob Ward & Sons with this week’s Butte and Bozeman Outdoor Report! School’s back in session next week so get those last-minute family fishing expeditions in NOW, in the Butte & Bozeman areas! Just be aware that, like the whole STATE, there is a great deal of SMOKE from fires to contend with—as if you can’t see that, just about anywhere you are!
CLARK CANYON is churning out the large Browns & Rainbows on the Red Rock Inlet, & up the river channel…Leeches & Olive Buggers are getting this accomplished! We’ve gotten reports of some dogs trying to take on a rattlesnake or two however, so check out the brush WELL, especially on the South End of Red Rock! GEORGETOWN has got cruisers on the lookout for Baetis in the mornings, & the afternoons have been HAZY but productive with Zebra Midges or Lightning Bugs…The BEAVERHEAD RIVER is producing Crane Flies in the AM, & some success with Caddis Emergers as well…Hoppers are a bit iffy at the moment on the BEAV…the BIG HOLE is liking the terrestrials, however, & you can’t go wrong here with a Beetle or Hopper…or try a Purple Haze or Purple Chubby as well, sz 10-12! Hit the JEFFERSON really early for some good sport with a Golden Chubby Chernobyl or a Drowned Grand Hopper in an 8…but give the JEFF a rest in the afternoons still, it’s cooling off but not GREATLY just yet, & fishing pretty SLOW in the heat of the day!
BOZEMAN sez the GALLATIN is still darn good, but later in the morning now instead of at dawn…let the bugs get out and moving around! Hoppers & Ants are still okay, but not getting the rush that Crane Flies, Caddis, Chubbies & Moths are getting, so you might have to play around a bit to find the right combo for best results! Fishing has picked up in the LOWER MADISON, with the cooler temps…one of the Bozeman Anglers tried Bear Trap this week and dead-drifted Crayfish w/small beadheads off the back, plus stripped a few Streamers (like a Brown Bugger or an Oilve Krystal Bugger in a 6)….in his words, he “did very well”! Further down on the LOWER, Hoppers are producing solidly! Try wade-fisihing the UPPER MADISON between Varney & Ennis, go Pink & Red on your Hopper colors, or stick to Nymphing, which we hear is “lights out” right now. We like the color Purple for nymphs, like a Delektible Purple Hurless or a Purple Lightning Bug in a 16! The YELLOWSTONE is weedy up high & around Livingston, so the Hopper & a Dropper Combo is working here to keep you out of the sludge, particularly in the mornings! If nymphing on the STONE, try a smaller Rubberlegs & a Beadhead or a Soft Hackle in the faster water, & avoid the froggy stuff for now! The intrepid Bozeman anglers are also hitting HYALITE in the early evenings, catching quite a few fish in just an hour or so…the South Inlet is best, & smaller dries like a Para Wulff or a Caddis Emerger are working just fine!
Pop on into our BUTTE or BOZEMAN stores & get your CAMO on for the upcoming Hunting Seasons, or catch up that fall tackle box with the latest & greatest flies & nymphs…grab a new backpack…get a snazzy pair of waders, or just say HI to our fishing folk & ask ’em where they’re going lately…they’ll be glad to tell you! BEST of luck on the water this weekend, & I’ll have MORE next week!
