Guest Blogger – Patrick “Pat” Straub, Outfitter, Writer, Coach, Good Dude.
Dry fly fishing has been good with Caddis and PMD’s. Nymphing has been good with lightning bugs, pheasant tails, prince nymphs, and an assortment of other mayfly and caddis patterns. Swinging a soft hackle has been a fun way to pick up some fish as well.
As the water drops, fish start to spread out. Be sure to fish water before you walk through it, as sometimes the biggest fish are hanging out in the shallows, looking to gobble up spruce moths.
For flies, our favorites are the following dry flies: X-Caddis, Parachute Adams, Micro Chubbies, Royal Wulff’s, Humpy’s in sizes 14 and 16. Fish them on 9 foot 4X or 5X leaders and tippets.
For nymphs, use Pat’s Rubber Legs, Pheasant Tails, Prince Nymphs, Lighting Bugs, and your favorite caddis pattern. We highly recommend keeping the Rubber Legs or similar pattern as your point fly and playing around with a smaller fly for the second nymph.
Get out there and enjoy the sunshine and the spruce moths!
For the Upper Madison, early and late is the name of the game. Midday sunshine brings the fish that are less willing to feed. Nymphing has always been the most productive, but evening caddis have found a few heads up. Dead drifting streamers and smaller nymphs (16-18) have been producing fish. Spankers, dips, and lightning bugs have been fishing well. Fish have been eating streamers early am, but you have to work for it.
For more fishing wisdom, visit www.montanaflyfishing.com