Montana
Upper Madison: While things have maybe slowed down just a touch from last week, the river is still fishing very well. You may still find a few stoneflies hanging around, but they are definitely not quite as prevalent as they have been. It still wouldn’t hurt to prospect with one and see what happens! The caddis fishing has remained quite good and you can still find some good PMD fishing most days. If you are between hatches, prospecting with attractors has been successful as of late, especially in the float section. Nymphing is starting to return to being the most consistent way to catch fish throughout the day. This is also about the time of year where we transition into throwing smaller rigs. You can still pick up fish on rubber legs, but your more consistent bugs will be in the size #14-18 range.
Flies: #12-14 Biot Golden Stone, #14-16 Frenchie, #14-16 Green Machine, #14-16 Red Neck, #14-16 Lake Prince, #16 Olive Hot Spot Perdigon, #16 HoloPoint, #16 Olive Biot pupa, #16 Shop Vac, #16 Olive S.H. Hare’s Ear, #12-16 Royal Wulff, #14-16 Parawullf, #16 Shop Vac, #14-18 X-Caddis, #16 Parachute PMD, #16 Tilt Wing PMD, #16 PMD Cripple, #10 Hot Cake Salmonlfly, #8-12 Razorback Salmonfly, #8 Supafly Salmonfly, #14 Full-Tilt Sally
Hebgen: Hebgen has still been a little slow to really turn on. There have been callibaetis in good numbers in the Madison arm and throughout the main lake, but it’s been difficult to find fish tracking. A chironomid or Turkey Callibaetis nymph under an indicator or as a dropper continues to be your best bet for consistency.
Flies: #12 O.S. Opal/Red Buzzer, #14 Black/Red Nugget, #14-16 Flashback PT, #16 Parachute Callibaetis, #16 Callibaetis Cripple, #16 Callibaetis Spinner, #14-16 Parachute Adams
Gallatin: The Gallatin has been fishing great. Caddis, PMDs and green drakes are all in play and it would still be worth a look for a few remaining salmonflies and goldens in the park stretch. Attractors are always a great option on the Gallatin as well.
Flies: #16-18 X-Caddis, #16 Parachute PMD, #12-16 Royal Wulff, #14-16 Parawullf, #12 Perrin’s Green Drake, #12 Green Drake Missing Link, #8-12 Razorback Salmonfly, #8 Supafly Salmonfly, #14 Full-Tilt Sally
Yellowstone National Park
Slough/Soda Butte/Lamar: We continue to hear positive reports from the NE corner. Slough creek has been fishing well, with the main event being drakes and PMDs during the day. You may run into some evening caddis over here as well. Lamar has been dropping steadily over the past week and if it isn’t fishing already, it should be any day now. Definitely worth a look if you’re in the vicinity. Soda Butte should fall in line pretty closely with Lamar and shouldn’t be far behind.
Flies: #12 Perrin’s Green Drake, #12 Green Drake Missing Link, #12 Green Drake Sprout, #16 Parachute PMD, #16 Hairwing PMD, #16-18 PMD Sprout, #16-18 X-Caddis
Yellowstone above the Falls: July 15th is a day we have marked on our calendars every season as it is opening day for the Yellowstone above the falls. This means an unrivaled opportunity to head over and hook an outstanding quality cutthroat. The fish aren’t there in numbers necessarily, but the ones you find make it worth the trip over. The river will be a bit high as it tends to be on opening day and one must always be vigilant wading this river in general. Expect there to be some crowds but also some good hatches. Make sure to have salmonflies, goldens, drakes, caddis, PMDs and various spinner patterns in your box.
Flies: #8 Supafly Salmonfly/Golden, #8 Water Walker Salmonfly, #10 Water Walker Golden, #12 Perrin’s Green Drake, #12 Green Drake Missing Link, #12 Green Drake Sprout, #16 Parachute PMD, #16 Hairwing PMD, #16-18 PMD Sprout, #16-18 X-Caddis, #12-18 Rusty Spinner
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