The Jefferson River has shown a slight leveling out this am after being on the rise over the past week due to warm temperatures that have started the runoff period here in southwest Montana.

• Currently flowing 2880cfs near Twin Bridges.
• Visibility – POOR maybe 6 inches – 1 foot

The river will be in bad shape for at least the next week.  Weather forecast’s are calling for more warm temps, some rain and nighttime lows not getting cold enough to stabilize and clear the river. If you go your best bet will be nymphing with big flashback stonefly patterns sizes #4-6 in golden or orange. Try a Pepperoni Yuk Bug size#4-6 and you’ll definitely want to trail a San Juan worm in red size#10-6.

The streamer bite has been a bit chilly due to the rise as well, but if nymphing isn’t producing try stripping a conehead Yellow Yummie or a JJ Special size#4. Check out my Top Ten Streamers for SW Montana for a more detailed list of recommended streamers.

Be aware of floating hazards such as log jams and cottonwoods that have been dislodged due to the rise in flow.

For more information on fishing trips on The Jefferson River and other southwest Montana rivers contact FishTales Outfitting LLC

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FishTales Big Hole Fishing Report for April 27 2013.

• Snowpack data from Snotel for the Big Hole drainage is at 85%

• Currently 770cfs at Maiden Rock FAS near divide Montana.

• Visibility-  the visibility remains good 4-5ft

The Big Hole River had been flat and clear for a week and been fishing great. However, daytime temperatures over the past couple days have been in the high 60′s and and low 70′s and the river has bumped to 770cfs at Maiden Rock.  Nighttime low’s are expected to stay below freezing which should keep the snow pack locked up and the big runoff from coming and really blowing it out. Then again I could be wrong.

Dry flies-

• We have been catching fish on skwalla patterns in the am. and I usually don’t hesitate to add a dropper for good measure. If the dropper is hanging up the drift along the really shallow banks, cut it off and I’ll bet you’ll get them to eat it. We are also seeing March brown’s and beatis in the afternoon.

• Try a Chubby Chernobyl size#10-12 in tan , gold, or olive or a Black Magic size#10-12.

• For the dropper I like a standard bead-head Prince or Pheasant Tail size#12-14.

• For the March Brown’s try a Lawson’s extended body Paradrake or Parachute Adams size#10-12.

Streamers-

• The streamer bite has been strong , better on cloudy day’s as you might expect but still good even in the sunshine and for streamer junkies like me that’s good news!

• Try a Conehead Beldar Bugger in yellow or olive size#4-6, or sculpin pattern like the Mini-Loop Sculpin in olive or natural or a Zonker in natural/pearl natural/copper sizes#2-6.

Nymphing-

• Nymphing with rubber-leg stonefly patterns in black or brown or black/brown size#8-6 is still productive and tying a second fly off the bend dropped about 15″ will double your chances. Try a bead-head Prince or Pheasant Tail size#12-14. If the water is a little cold and the bite chilly as well, try a San Juan Worm in red burgundy or orange size#10-14.

Be aware of floating hazards like log jams and channels that may have changed on the lower river. If your not sure, stop and scout the situation before you proceed. The upper river doesn’t move around like the  lower river and therefore doesn’t have nearly the hazards.

Rainbow’s are still spawning in the shallow’s so please watch your step.

Happy angling!

For more information on fishing trips on The Big Hole River please contact FishTales Outfitting.

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Fly Fishing the Beaverhead with FishTales Outfitting

Fly Fishing the Big Hole River in Montana

Catching a nice brown on the Madison River

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Fly Fishing in Montana with FishTales Outfitting – Brown Trout

Fishtales Outfitting LLC Fly Fishing report for April  14, 2013:

Currently flow

• 1350cfs near Twin Bridges

Visibility

• 2 – 3 ft
• The Jefferson has dropped and cleared since last week  because The Big Hole has dropped and cleared.
• Some color is entering the Jefferson River from the Beaverhead as Grasshopper Creek has started throwing mud into the mix.

Nymphing will be your most productive method especially if there are no clouds.

• Rubberleg stonefly patterns #4-8 in black, brown or golden.
• I recommend fishing a dropper of 15″ off the bend to a second fly, try a #6-10 San Juan Worm in red, orange or pink, or #6-14 Prince Nymph.

Streamer fishing will produce larger fish and if it’s cloudy you’ll want to give it a go!

• Check out my TOP TEN STREAMERS FOR SW MONTANA you’ll want to have these in your fly box before you go.

Dry Flies, here are midges mid morning and beatis hatching most every afternoon with some March Brown’s and Skwalla’s

• Try a #16-18 Griffith’s Gnat or midge cluster for midging trout.
• Once the Beatis start hatching go with #16 Parachute Adam’s or Purple Haze.
• A # 10-8 Chubby Chernobyl or Black Magic will round out your dry fly needs if you see fish eating Skwalla’s along the banks and foamy back eddies.

If you are looking to go fishing on the Jefferson, check our Jefferson River Trips.  Happy angling and be aware that rainbow’s are in full spawn so keep your eyes open for redd’s and stay clear!  For more information on fly fishing trips on The Jefferson River please contact FishTales Outfitting LLC

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Fishtales Big Hole Fishing report for April 12, 2013:

• Currently 895cfs at Melrose USGS,  the Big Hole River has stabilized after a spike due to a warm spell caused an ice jam to melt-off.

• The visibility is 2+ feet.

• Nymphing in the am will be your best bet.
• Try a #6-8 Pepperoni Yuk Bug or Rubberleg Stone-fly nymph in black, brown or golden.  Adding a dropper  15″ off the bend to red or orange San Jaun Worm #8-10 will double your chances.

• Streamer fishing conditions couldn’t be more perfect, the river’s recent jump to 3000cfs pushed a lot of fish to the banks. Now that the river has dropped and cleared, the trout are chasing streamers aggressively.
• Try a Yellow Yummie or a Wooley Bugger in yellow/olive or JJ Special.

• Dry Fly Fishing. Fish are eating midges mid morning and Beatis and March Browns’ in the afternoon along the soft edges and foam lines. Try a Grifith’s Gnat #16-20 Parachute Adams or Purple Haze #14-18.   Or try fishing a dry dropper with a #10-12 Chubby Chernobly in tan or olive or  Black Magic with a Beadhead Prince or Hare’s Ear #12-14

If you are looking to go fishing on the Big Hole, check our Big Hole Fishing trips.  Happy angling and be aware of  floating hazards like log jams and changed channels especially on the lower reaches. if your not sure, stop and scout the situation before proceeding!

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Check out the latest Madison River Fishing Report  from FishTales Outfitting.  The Madison is fishing extremely well and has been all week, I would rate it as EXCELLENT.

The Madison River Flow at  Cameron is 1000 SFS the visibility good and gin clear

Nymphing has been the most productive, try:

• Rubber leg stone fly patterns #4-8,
• Big Prince Nymphs #6-8,
• San Juan Worm #10-12,
• Egg Pattern #14 in Orange or Pink
  

  Madison River Montana Fishing Report

• Beatis Nymph # 16-18

Streamer bite has been picking up on warmer days with cloud cover:

• Zonker #4-8, Natural Pearl, Copper
• Mini-loop Sculpin, in Olive or Natural
• Sheila Sculpin
• Sex  Dungeon
• Monkey Butt

Dry fly action has picked up, with Beatis hatching in the warmer afternoons and if the wind is not blowing them all down to the lake, you can find raising trout along the banks and soft edges.

Spring Fly Fishing on the Madison River in MT

• Parachute Adams #16-18, Gray or Olive
• Sparkle Dun #16-18, Olive

Although FWP has not made an official post, Ennis boat ramp is open.

For more information on fly fishing float trips on The Madison River contact Fishtales Outfitting

The post Madison River Fishing Report from FishTales Outfitting LLC 7 April 2013 appeared first on FishTales Outfitting.

The short story on the Big Hole River Fishing Report, don’t do it!

The warm spell Montana is currently experiencing has broken the upper river ice and currently the Big Hole is a mess.  The Big Hole is muddy and rising.  Once things shape up and the Big Hole starts fishing again FishTales Outfitting will update.

Flow:

Currently 2160cfs but on the rise again at Maiden Rock .

Visibility:

Poor

Conditions:

Southwest Montana’s recent warm temperature’s  have caused the visibility to go to less than 1 inch and that does not make for the best water to see into.

Patterns:

If you go try nymphing with big stone fly patterns like a Pat’s Stone Fly  or Pepperoni Yuk Bug size#6-4 and definitely drop a red or orange San Juan Worm size#10-6.

For streamers I suggest a Beldar Lemon Drop or JJ Special. If stripping and jerking doesn’t work try dead drifting your streamer.

Floating tips:

Be aware of hazard’s like log jam’s and half-floating willow’s that are often dislodged when the river rises suddenly.

For More Information:

For more information on fishing and fishing trips the Big Hole River please contact FishTales Outfitting.

Big Hole River Brown Trout

The post Big Hole Fishing Report – April 2, 2013 appeared first on FishTales Outfitting.

Since my last Big Hole Fishing Report river conditions have changed fairly dramatically. Warm temperatures have jump started an early run-off spiking the river to 2350 cfs currently at Maiden Rock USGS.

Visibility has dropped to 1′ or less. The fishing conditions have changed from good to pretty bad as a result.

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Fishtales Big Hole Fishing report for March 28, 2013: Currently 449cfs at Melrose USGS,  the Big Hole River has stabilized after a slight spike due to an ice jam flow. The river prime for some epic spring fly fishing. The visibility in the Melrose to Glen reaches at 4-5 feet. Closer to Twin Bridges visibilty may be more likely 3-4 feet.

Nymphing is productive as always but a single stonefly pattern, at times been more productive than a two fly rig. Try a Pat’s #6-8 rubberleg brown stone. If the single fly doesn’t get favorable response adding a  dropper will do the trick, try a red san jaun worm #10-14 or a soft hackle pheasant tail #10-14.

Streamer fishing is still my favorite and really starting to heat up.  Try a Yellow Yummie or Wooley Bugger in yellow/olive or JJ Special.

Fish are eating midges if you want play the ‘midge game’, it’s just not mine. Try a Grifith’s Gnat #16-20. But I’m sure most readers of this Big Hole Fishing Report are eager to learn of the first sighting of skwalla’s on the river. Well, we have seen a few and we’re starting to catch trout on the dry! I like a #10-12 Chubby Chernobly in tan or olive or the old standby Black Magic.

If you are looking to go fishing on the Big Hole, check our Big Hole Fishing trips.  Happy angling and be aware that rainbow’s are in full spawn so keep your eyes open for redd’s and stay clear!

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The post Fly Fishing Montana’s Big Hole River appeared first on FishTales Outfitting.

Ten proven trophy trout catching streamers I don’t hunt the big ones without!

1) Wooley Bugger- First developed to imitate crayfish for Pennsylvania’s Susquahanna. I keep them in several sizes and  with and without coneheads #10-#4 black, brown, olive  and variations like the Yellow Yummie and  JJ Special.

2)  Zonker-Developed here in SW Montana by Dillon native and long time Beaverhead guide now deceased Al Troth. This baitfish imitation has a  belly weighted braided mylar body so it rides hook point up. Rabbit tied over the hook shank along with painted eyes enhance it’s triggering characteristic’s. I keep an inventory of natural, olive, yellow and white in sizes #10-#4.

3) Mini Loop Sculpin- This has become one of my favorite streamers of late. This dumbell eye fly with trout’s favorite food items.  I use both olive and natural in size #4. It’s large barred pectoral fins provide a realistic profile and imitates one of a trout’s favorite food items.

4) Flash Fry- Shane Stalcup developed this baitfish imitation for Solitude Fly with dumbell eyes, clear gooed head, double rabbit strips and lot’s of flashabou. I use both  nat/white, and olive/white size #4.

5) Sculpzilla- A bullethead gets this pattern gets down like a spark plug. Articulating action and a barred rabbit strip bring strikes from large aggressive brown’s. Effective in size #4 and a junior size #8 in olive , natural and white.

6) Sex Dungeon- Developed by Michigan author turned Montana Outfitter Kelley Galloup, this dumbell eye articulated two hook monster calls for a 6 or 7wt. In brown, yellow or olive/yellow this fly brings big trout to the party.

7) Wooley Sculpin-This Galloup creation is a Wooley Bugger variation with a packed and clipped deer hair head. Cactus chenille body wrapped with dyed grizzly schlappen hackle. The non-weighted versions need to be fished with a sink-tip or copious amounts of weight must be added to get this fly down.

8) Ice Pick- An articulated double hooked beast with barred rabbit and holographic flashabou over Hareline UV pearl dubbed body finished with the new FishSkull head by Flymen Fishing Co.  Size#1/0 yellow or white.

9) Exasperator- Articulated steelhead sculpin with dumbell eyes. Moose mane pectoral fins topped with rabbit and flashabou underbody and stinger hook. Size #4 in natural, olive, black/blue and black/purple.

10) Rattlesnake-Michigan’s Ray Schmidt created this streamer pattern combining a clipped deer hair head and rabbit strip body with two opposing hooks separated by a string of beads. I like both articulated and not in size #4 in olive, natural or yellow.

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Firstly, as of this posting (2/22/13) all of Southwestern Montana’s snow pack numbers are looking great. Most drainage’s are at 100% or above average.

My buddy with a nice Ruby brown!

• The Ruby has been fishing good below the dam, further down near Sheridan it’s iced up.
• Small Pheasant tails Hare’s Ear’s and Princes sizes #16 and 18′s in tandem with an egg or San Juan worm.
• Fish are eating midges in the softer water in the afternoon fairly regularly here, so the Griffith’s gnat , beadhead Zebra midge dropper
• Again, watch out for redd’s and stay clear !

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Firstly, as of this posting (2/22/13) all of Southwestern Montana’s snow pack numbers are looking great. Most drainage’s are at 100% or above average.

The post Jefferson River Fishing Report 2/22/13 appeared first on FishTales Outfitting.

Firstly, as of this posting (2/22/13) all of Southwestern Montana’s snow pack numbers are looking great. Most drainage’s are at 100% or above average.

“What’s better than a beautiful Madison rainbow?..two!

• The main river is clear of ice all the way to Ennis lake however the boat ramp in Ennis is closed for repairs due to the ice.
• Fishing in the wade only sections from Reynold’s Bridge to Three Dollar Bridge fishing is good.
• The boat ramp’s at Eight Mile and Burnt Tree are clear so drift fishing is a go from Mcatee Bridge down.
• Nymphing with rubberleg stonefly patterns sizes #6 to #10 in black or brown are solid as a first fly, try trailing a Prince, San Juan worm, Shop Vac, or Pheasant tail sizes #14 to #18. Try a black or red Crystal Serendipity #16 or #18.

• Streamer bite is starting to warm up, try an olive Sculpin or a Zonker.
• Look for fish sipping midges in the afternoons and the slicks behind boulders and in front of large diversions. Try a Griffith’s Gnat with size#18 Beadhead Zebra Midge tied 8″ to 10″ from your dry fly.

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Firstly, as of this posting (2/22/13) all of Southwestern Montana’s snow pack numbers are looking great. Most drainage’s are at 100% or above average.

A nice spring Big Hole River brown!

• The Big Hole is open from Melrose up, starting to open below Brown’s Bridge.
• Rubberleg stonefly patterns in sizes #6-#10 in black brown or olive. Try a Whitlock’s  Red Fox Squirrel Nymph in a size #6 or #8.
• San Juan worms and egg patterns are solid producers along with the old standard Prince Nymph in a size #10 or #12.
• Fish rising to midges in the afternoons , try a  Griffith’s gnat or a purple haze.
• Watch your step, wear cleats if you have them and look out for redd’s.

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