Fishing Report: by Bob Jacklin

The Salmon Fly Hatch:

Fishing the Salmon Fly hatch is more then following the hatch as it moves up the Madison River and other rivers in our area. For me this hatch is a time or season of the year. This year, we are experiencing a very late spring runoff and all of our hatches have been several weeks late. This is the latest I have ever experienced the Salmon Fly hatch on the Madison in my many years of fishing the hatch. As I stated earlier, this hatch is very special and it signals the starting of all our major hatches for the season. Just as our rivers start to clear hatches of caddis start to show and then when everything is right the Giant Salmon Fly (Pteronarcys Californica) will become active and the nymphs will move towards the banks of the stream and will emerge working it’s way up stream on many of our larger rivers in this Yellowstone region. The most noted of all the river hatches is our famed Madison River.

Fishing the Madison River can take a lot of work. This fast moving river that drops almost two thousand feet in elevation in the seventy miles from Yellowstone Park to Ennis, Montana has been labeled a seventy-mile long riffle. The river moves very fast and with the heavy flow this year is best fish by floating. The fishing trick is to fish through and past the major hatching area attempting to lure some fish to a large Salmon fly imitation. Having a nice wild trout rise and take a size four or six dry fly is quite a thrill and one that will last forever. Our guided fishing trips have been experiencing some great action in the last several days. Warren and Ann Phillips who have been fishing with us for over 30 years said they had the best fishing on the Madison in over twenty years. They were using my Jacklin Giant Salmon Fly pattern I developed many years ago. This Fly tied on a number four hook floats well and has the proper silhouette and wing formation to bring the big fish up. Naturally, I believe my pattern for this giant Stone Fly is the best. However, I do believe that all the Salmon Fly patterns work well and that is part of the fun. Tying your own fly and catching a nice trout on the fly you tied. There is one trick needed and this is more important then the right fly. Having a drag free float with your fly floating high down stream and acting as though is were not connected to your leader or line. This can and must be accomplished with ever cast or you will not see a fish to your fly. I use a 2 or 3X nine-foot leader with an 18” butt section and 24 to 30 inches of 3 or 4X tippet. This longer leader gives me lots of slack in the leader when I “Check the Cast”. This checking the cast is easy to do and a must on the Madison. Cast about ten feet more line then you need to reach your target area. Cast higher then needed and after the forward cast has been made, “Check the Cast” by stopping the forward cast in mid-air and dropping your rod tip down. This will pile up your leader with lots of slack and will allow your fly to drive as though it were not attached to anything. This is not always easy to do with the fast current and the ever-present wind, butt mandatory.

Where To Fish the Madison:

The Salmon Fly hatch has reached the Quake lake area and that means that the entire river from Quake Lake down stream will fish. For the wade fisherman the Raynolds Pass bridge and down through the Three-Dollar Bridge will offer an excellent opportunity to fish this great hatch. Crossing the bridge at the West-Fork Cabin Camp and driving up stream along the river will offer some great afternoon fishing as the Sun will be at your back and you can cover the water quite well from shore. For many years in my personal guiding I concentrated on fishing the Salmon Fly Hatch well below the hatching area. The fishing was slower with lots less people but many of the larger trout were still on the lookout and were willing to take the “last” Salmon fly of the season, it worked. Fishing and casting up stream tight along the bank and the willows is the prime area. Getting a good drift out in the center of the Madison can and often does produce a good strike. Fish it all.

Other places to fish the Salmon Fly Hatch:

The Salmon fly hatch is now on the Yellowstone River. The upper river in Yellowstone National Park is very high but fishable. There are some Salmon Flies at Le Hardy Rapids and I expect fishing to get better in the next several days. The lower Yellowstone at Tower Junction is very high and milk colored. Fishing along the banks would be a good bet using the big Salmon Fly Nymph and the Salmon Fly Dry. The Salmon Flies are all through the Gallatin River and using the Salmon Fly could still bring up some nice size fish. I like the area of the Gallatin River just above the Big Sky junction. Fishing between the lakes, below Hebgen Lake Dam is another good bet for the next several days. The Hatch is now working up the Lamar River and the Lamar is fishable but high. The flies are hatching up the Gardiner River. Remember, This is a time of the year when the fish know the salmon flies are around and using the big fly can bring up a big trout. Slough Creek is high and fishing well. Gray Drake Spinners and the Pale Morning Duns are hatching. I rose two fish to the Salmon fly yesterday, when fishing Slough Creek. If you wanted to fish the Salmon Fly Hatch, now is the Time. Another good trick in fishing this great hatch is not to fish the larger Salmon Fly, instead, offer the fish a smaller fly like a Golden Stone or the little Western Yellow Stone Fly. Some fish could be feeding on these smaller flies or even caddis and some Pale Morning Duns on the Madison and other rivers. Take the time to look carefully and try to see what is hatching and try to match the hatch. Remember, This is Salmon Fly time of the year and the trout know they are present. Presentation is more important then the right fly.
Good Fishing!
Bob Jacklin

Salmonflies and Goldenstones and Olivestones... Oh My!!!

The Madison is fishing great the last few days! There are Salmonflies from just about Raynold's Pass Bridge all the way to below Varney Bridge! Olivestones and Goldenstones are fishing well from Macatee Bridge to Eight Mile and the last few days that is where I have been. I have been raising a bunch of fish with a Jacklin's Salmonfly followed by a sz 8 yellow Stimulator; give it a try!

The Gallatin is fishing very well now, even though the Taylor Fork is running dirty. There are Salmonflies flying around and the fish are on them. A salmonfly with an unweighted rubberleg (sz 4-6) is really working great; almost to good!

The Firehole is really starting to warm up (I mean temperature wise). The only fishing is in the evening with a caddis emerger.

The Madison in "The Park" is fishing the same as the Firehole but a rusty spinner in the evening will work and a PMD sparkle dunn in the morning may raise a few fish.

The Gibbon River is fishing well know with a whole array of attractors and look in the evening in the upper meadows for a brown drake hatch.

The rivers in the north east part of Yellowstone are still dirty, give them another week.

See ya on the river
Rob Orsini Guide

Why Are You At Home Reading This?

You should be here! The Salmonflies are finally starting on the Madison around Varney Bridge. A long float from Macatee Bridge to Eight Mile will float you right through the middle of the hatch and we have been raising some good fish. I took the day off on the 4th and floated my girlfriend Amy who landed a beautiful 20" brown trout on a sz 4 Jacklin's Salmonfly. This was here first time flyfishing and her first trout she ever caught (not bad). The hatch will now progress up river and I will keep you up to date as much as possible. The River is still high and a little off color so wading can be a bit of a chore. The best way to fish the hatch is from a drift boat so come on up and let us float you down the Madison.

The Rivers on the west side of the Park are all continuing to fish well. I would hit up the Gibbon ( try an elk hare caddis sz 16 or a Royal Wulff sz 14), or maybe even the Gallatin (any nymph in a sz 14-18) in the morning and afternoon. Then for the evening go and take a look at the Madison around 7 Mile Bridge or 9 Mile Hole or the Firehole around Midway Geyser Basin. A caddis emerger or a soft hackle will work great in a sz 16 or Bob's Rusty Paraspin also sz 16.

The Gallatin near Big Sky is also fishing well and we are starting to see some Salmonflies flying around. A big unweighted sz 4 rubberleg hanging 8 inches below your favorite salmonfly pattern (Bob's Bullethead Salmonfly) will knock them dead.

The Rivers in the north part of the Park are still mostly off color and we don't expect them to be ready until the 15th of July. But, if you are up that way driving around and you feel the need to wet a line the Gardner will offer the best fishing. There are a few adult Salmonflies flying but your best bet is a sz 4-6 stonefly nymph. You got to get it down to the bottom so bring a lot of flies because you will lose a bunch on snags.

See Ya Soon,
Rob Orsini Guide

Listen to Bob on flyfishradio.com

The Rivers Are Still High

The Madison is still running high. Most of the tributaries are still off color especially the creeks draining out of the Madison Range, there is still a lot of water that needs to come out of there. The river is fishing OK with nymphs but there are a lot of snags moving down the river so expect to get hung up a lot. Between the lakes is fishing well and a big rubber leg will get them to eat.

The Firehole is fishing well with a Caddis emerger in the evening and the PMDs are coming off when the afternoon thunderstorms pass by.

Hebgen Lake is fishing great now! You can get fish on nymphs (like a pheasant tail) and some surface activity with midges in the mornings. A woolly bugger will work well when the others slow down.

Rob Orsini Guide

Is it Still Spring???

The weather is warming up and the snow is all gone...... KIND OF! The high peaks still have a bunch of snow on them and because of that the small feeder creeks are still blown out. Our crafty guides have been taking clients to some of Yellowstone Park's less known places and having good success. Recently I took one of my favorite clients to a creek so unknown I could not find a name of it on a map. The creek was small and most of the fish were small but we did catch a few fish that were in the foot range on small dries.

The Madison in the Park is just starting to fish well. There are some PMDs coming off (sz 16). I use a PMD sparkle dun or Bob Jacklin's rusty para-spin. Every evening there is a great caddis hatch (sz 14-16) and a tan elk hair caddis will work great. Also remember that in the evening those PMDs from earlier should be in their spinner stage, once again Bob's rusty para spin will work great.

The Firehole has once again had a great spring. The upper Firehole is fishing great with soft hackles in the riffles. Whenever a cloud covers the sun a hatch of PMDs comes off (sz 16) and in the evening a nice bunch of caddis emerge. The Firehole Canyon is still fishing very well with Salmon Flies and Jacklin's Salmon fly sz 4 is still the best. A few other good patterns to try are the Sofa Pillow and the Hedgehog (sz 4-6).

The Gibbon is not ready yet and almost all of the rivers in the northern part of the park are running the same color and consistency as a chocolate shake. You should have a good 15 minutes of fishing on the Gallatin in the Park from about 4 when the water is warm enough to really get the fish moving till 4:15 when it gets to cold again.

The Madison in Montana has been hit or miss. If the weather stays warm at night the river will be very dark the next day and fishing will be harder. However, if the temperature gets cold at night for a few days the river will clear up a bit. Brown rubber legs and Jacklin's stone fly nymph have been working well in sz 4 and 6. Also a sz 18 pheasant tail will work great. There are a few caddis starting to come off and around Three Dollar Bridge if you are intent on catching a fish on a dry and you really work hard a sz 14 Adams will work because there are a few Battis around.

The conditions are improving everyday and we are expecting the Salmon Flies to start popping any day now on the Madison. Book your trip now while there are a few guides left in town for the Salmon Fly hatch and come on in for an updated fishing report the shop guys here will be happy to let you in on a few of our secrets.
See you on the river,
Robert Orsini Professional Guide

It is springtime in Montana!! The rivers are running high and the ice is melting off the lakes. In Montana the rivers and streams are fishing poor due to the muddy water. The PPL is starting to increase the water out of the dam and the water levels at the Kirby ranch will reach about 3300cfs making the river dangerous, so watch you step if you attempt to fish it. If the weather cooperates the PPL will lower the flows to normal levels on June 2nd. The river is still producing a few fish along the banks using big streamers and stone flies. The Gallatin is flowing super high and is unfishable. Hebgen Lake is almost full now and is fishing well along with cliff and wade lakes. Midges are hatching now and can be productive on calm days. Wooly buggers and small nymphs are very productive right now. In the park you have the scenario is the same. The Firehole is fishing the best right now in this area. It is running high and a little bit off color, but it is still fishing well. The main hatch is Blue Wing Olives, but their are a few Pale Mourning Duns and Caddis starting to emerge. Swinging soft hackles is great right now. Small basic nymphs are also producing fish right now. The Madison is starting to get good also. Lewis lake is still frozen at the moment, but the ice should come off any day now. When it does, you should be there throwing big streamers and buggers. If you have any questions feel free to give us a call for more up to date information!!

Andrew Klatt