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