Hello, Angie here from Bob Ward & Sons Baetis activity is starting up on some of the waters around BUTTE & BOZEMAN, & reports of big Browns being caught are consistently heard! It’s ALLLL good!
BUTTE wants you to use sz 16 Elk Hair Caddis on the BIG HOLE, & sez to look to the swarms of Tricos hatching across the water! Sz 14-16 Beadhead Princes or Pheasant Tails have been SWEET go-to’s for nymphing. Spin guys, stick to the deeper pools, cuz fish are ignoring spinners & spoons in the shallower water, looking for something subtler…the BEAVERHEAD hasn’t been the spot lately for the monster-size fish, but still a good day to be had, says everyone…so bring along a PMX in Lime or Red, or try a Grey Parachute Caddis in a 14. Streamers have been potent…stick to smaller sizes & deaddrift your favorite! The JEFFERSON (shown in the picture above) has the larger fish hanging out, & has been a good Streamer game, especially with whites, yellows & Olives for color….a yellow/brown Space Invader or an Olive Sculpin in a 4 ought to do the trick! On the Butte-area lakes, CLARK CANYON is sizzlin using weighted line rigs & Wooly Buggers, or lead line Rapala rigs, & as for GEORGETOWN, salmon activity is best with GloHooks & Maggots, & Denton’s Point has seen some Rainbow Hybrids ready to be picked off! Sounds like a good time to me!
BOZEMAN sez it’s time for a change on the GALLATIN…attractor dries are working now, but that will slow in favor of Baetis & Mahoganies quickly here, & maybe look for a few Giant Western Red Quills as well! Try a Fox Squirrel Nymph to imitate the October Caddis which are just getting active! One Bob Wards customer got a 20″ Brown this week in the LOWER MADISON using a Hopper, but that was a rarity…terrestrials are mostly done here! Subsurface is the most reliable still…Crayfish, Sculpins, Zonkers with a beadhead dropper are much better bets! Streamer bite is steady now on the UPPER MADISON, we’re recommending Brown Hairy Sculpins or the Double Screamer Streamer in Olive, sz 2. Best dries for the UPPER are Caddis, Goldenstones, or Trico Spinners, 16-20 for size! The YELLOWSTONE fly selections should include small Attractor Dries, sz 14 Royal Wulffs, & sz 10 Chubbies…it’s still a little bit “summer” here too, so Hoppers are working yet, as well…and never, ever forget the incredible, edible Worm, on any of these rivers!! It will just flex it’s mighty TUBULAR strength more & more as fall sets in & moves into winter!
By now we’re all tired to bits of the smoke, but DO be sure to check for conditions before you head out to your favorite watery area, just to be safe! Sadly, there is still some fire activity & poor air conditions throughout the state…if you’re out & about, stop in & get your FALL FILL of hunting & fishing gear, or warm MT college apparel for the football season! We’ll see you on the water, or maybe in the stadium, friends! Back next week!
