The Madison below Hebgen is sitting pretty at 778 CFS and a trout-friendly 57.2°F, sunny skies are holding temps in that 37–72°F sweet spot, and the browns and rainbows have apparently decided that leaving the lake for the river is the move…which means so has every angler in southwest Montana.
As Bruce Staples puts it, via the October 7th Southwest Montana report via Fly Fish Food, “Brown and rainbow trout are migrating from Hebgen Lake into the Madison River within Yellowstone Park” (also the Quake-to-Hebgen stretch), so your whole day hinges on one thing: beating the crowd.
Roll in at first light, throw a Sculpzilla or Sparkle Minnow on a sink-tip for the aggressive migrants, drift into ants and hoppers as the sun warms things up, then let the caddis take over on a sunny afternoon, and if the sky goes grey and grumpy, don’t sulk about it, because per the guide’s own tip, “If the weather turns unsettled, go back to the streamer — that’s when the big fish move.”
Basically, set the alarm, pack both boxes, and let the weather choose your fly!
Check out the full report at Fly Fish Food.
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